Baseball: Knights Walk Off With Win on Senior Night

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Photo Isabel Hanewicz

The team celebrates after Joey Scionti (’17) delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly to score Aaron Scott (’17).

Bailey Adams, Sports Editor

Fireworks filled the sky at Lou Garcia Field at 10:06 p.m. on Thursday, but the road to the celebration wasn’t an easy one. Robinson (14-7) overcame an early 3-0 deficit to tie the game at three before beating Hillsborough (12-6) 4-3 in 10 innings on senior night. Joey Scionti (’17) delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th, scoring Aaron Scott (’17).

“I’m proud of the way our kids came back and fought,” Knights head coach Kevin McCray said. “Any time your guys come back and get a win, you’re proud of them.”

After the team’s five seniors (Luis Feliciano, Shawn McGory, Matthew Steckel, Michael Tini and Mitchell Tozian) were honored before the game, Tini took the mound to start. He worked through a quick first before allowing three unearned runs in the second on just two hits. The three runs were all the Terriers managed against the right-hander, who pitched five and two-thirds innings.

“[Hillsborough] is the best hitting team in the area, they were batting .369 coming in with 10 home runs as a team and big numbers,” McCray said. “So to hold that team to three runs, and really, the three they got, we had three errors in that inning. I’m proud of the way they fought and hung in there.”

The Knights cut into the Terriers’ lead in the fourth with an RBI groundout by Tozian before McGory brought them within one on an infield single in the sixth. Later in the inning, Tozian drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly.

In the seventh, Steckel replaced Feliciano, who got the final out of the sixth. He pitched the final four innings, allowing no runs while giving up three hits and striking out four. By the end of the night, it was clear to McCray that his five seniors led the way.

“It was literally a senior night,” he said. “They were the difference in the game.”

A leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to McGory set the stage for Scionti’s walkoff sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th.

The Knights will wrap up their regular season next week on the road, playing at Riverview on Tuesday before heading to Newsome on Thursday.