By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
MOORESVILLE ó West Rowan right fielder Carlos Bautista ran out of room, and Mooresville’s Dylan West punched the sky and circled the bases as teammates tumbled deliriously from the dugout in an emotional, walkoff celebration.
West has hit more than his share of homers the last four seasons, and the clutch-hitting shortstop lined a memorable one to the opposite field to stun the Falcons 7-6 in nine innings Tuesday night.
They lost their NPC opener and fell to 0-3 overall, almost inconceivable given the talent on the roster, but the Blue Devils rose to the challenge in an electrically charged atmosphere that felt like late May.
West center fielder Jon Crucitti, competing against former teammates and friends, drove in three runs and made a game-saving throw.
“We came over here with the idea of scrapping for every run and doing whatever it took to pull this one out,” Crucitti said. “Unfortunately, Mooresville had exactly the same thing in mind. Dylan didn’t want to lose, and he just laid into one.”
West reliever D.J. Webb also was tremendous, but it was Mooresville’s West who ended up stealing the show.
“This league is to high school baseball what the ACC is to college basketball,” said Jeff Burchett, seated on an upturned pickle bucket and completely drained of energy. “We blew so many chances, but we hung in there all night with a total team effort.”
West, which had been shut out back-to-back, ended its scoreless string after two hitters. Philip Miclat’s single and Crucitti’s RBI double to the center-field wall made it 1-0.
Mooresville (2-1, 1-0) answered with four in the bottom half against West starter Randy Shepherd. Nathan Abraham, returning from a football injury, led off with one of his three hits and was aboard for Billy Nantz’s two-run homer. Two errant pickoff throws and Hunter Nanney’s RBI single made it 4-1.
Webb replaced Shepherd after Aaron Meadows doubled to begin the fourth and started mowing down Blue Devils. He would pitch 42/3 innings without allowing a run.
“This was our game,” Webb said. “But we can’t catch a break right now.”
Meadows, who started on the mound for the Devils, stayed in control until wildness and Dylan Andrews’ RBI double forced Burchett to make a move in the fifth. Wes Dumford came in to face Crucitti, who whacked a two-run single to left for a 4-4 tie.
Both teams missed chances. West Rowan ran itself out of a golden situation in the sixth. Mooresville had a runner at third with none out in the seventh, but Webb escaped with infielders Miclat and Brett Huffman making fine plays.
In the eighth, the Blue Devils had the bases full with none out, but Crucitti turned what appeared certain to be a game-ending sac fly to center into a double play with a strong throw to catcher Hernan Bautista, who made the tag. Lefty Zack Simpson relieved Webb and got a strikeout to end the frame.
West received a huge break that put it on the path to victory when Hayden Untz’s two-out, two-on liner to left-center popped out of the glove of Chris Elliott. Two runs scored, and the Falcons had a 6-4 lead ó their first all season.
Simpson struck out the leadoff man in the last of the ninth, but Abraham’s single, a dropped flyball and Jake Beaver’s RBI groundout made it 6-5.
West then turned defeat into dancing in the streets with one swing.
“My heart’s still pounding,” he said. “I’d had three terrible at-bats to start the game and was 0-for-9 before I got that double in the eighth inning. But I finally stayed back on one.”
West coach David Wright ended last season with an extra-inning playoff loss at Mooresville and was as stunned as his devastated players.
“The story of this game shoulda been D.J. Webb, but we wasted too many opportunities early,” Wright said. “We’ve gotta find a way to finish a ballgame.”