Gulliver’s Walkoff Ends Calvary’s Historic Run

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A historic season of baseball for the Calvary Christian Eagles ended on the low end of a thrilling contest against host Gulliver Prep on Tuesday. Squaring off in a 4A regional championship for the first time in school history, Calvary showed all the mettle and talent it had that led this group that far.

It was a seesaw affair that saw several lead changes and numerous momentum swings, bringing a tie contest into the bottom of the seventh. With a pair of runners on base and down to its final out, Gulliver’s Oscar Marchena rolled a single up the middle to bring home Tyler Grant to end the contest. The Raiders walked off with a 6-5 victory that propels them back to the state tournament for the first time since 2010.

Meanwhile, the Eagles saw their unprecedented playoff run came to an end one game short of reaching the state Final Four. While disheartened by the tough loss, Eagles Manager Gregg Mucerino was also overcome with enormous pride for all that this group had given throughout the season. At the center of that group are a crop of seniors who have devoted themselves to this program, and to representing Calvary Christian the right way throughout their careers there.

“It is a great senior class that represented Jesus Christ in a way that was really special in how they carried themselves as young men,” Murcerino said. “Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose, and it came down to the end. I will never forget that, and they are extremely solid Christian young men that are going to go on and do great things in this world, wherever God has them go.”

Throughout the season pitching has been the dominant factor that has often led the way for the Raiders (23-6). Up against a Calvary team with just as lethal a pitching staff, the game seemed likely to be a low-scoring affair. Yet both sides found plenty of success throughout the day, combining for 21 hits while loading the bases a combined total of five times.

With both team’s offense finding holes against the tough pitching, the emphasis shifted on both lineups to come up with enough runs to lift their side to victory. Whenever one side took the momentum, the other team was quick to answer. The score changed sides three times, before Gulliver delivered the final blow to go ahead with the winner in the seventh.

“There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to come out and compete,” senior Nick Benevento said. “Although we didn’t come out on the top side this time, there were plenty of games like this. We actually had two walk-offs to get here, and the intensity of the game I will never forget for the rest of my life. It is an honor to be a part of this program that is in all of these hard-fought games, and usually wins them. I know we fought and just one roll of the ball and that could have been us over the there celebrating at the end of the game.”

Gulliver drew first blood in the third, when Gil Raymond slugged a double to deep center field with the bases loaded. All three runners scored to put Gulliver ahead 3-0, but it was a lead that was short-lived.

The Eagles (23-7) answered right back in the top of the fourth. Colin Majewski got things started with a liner over the third baseman, before giving way to courtesy-runner Max Rozenblum. Benevento drew a walk and Winn Allen lined a single to right field to load the bases. Brett Lawson put Calvary on the scoreboard with a high infield chopper that plated Rozenblum and kept the bags loaded when Lawson beat the throw to first base. A Josh Lane groundout to first plated Benevento and kept the momentum going, and Allen then tied things up after scoring on a passed ball.

Andrew Gottfried has been a big part of the team’s success on the mound, and he has also delivered a fine season at the plate this year. That success continued as the senior rolled an RBI single up the middle to push Lawson across with the go-ahead score.

Gottfried ran into trouble the next inning, as Gulliver went back on top thanks to a two-run home run from Gio Soto. Southpaw Noah Yager came on in relief and recorded a big out to quell that threat and keep Calvary in the contest, before then turning things over to right-hander Tommy Taborda the rest of the way.

With their backs against the wall, Calvary responded again to even things back up at 5-5 in the top of the sixth. Christian Scott beat an infield roller for a single, but was then erased at second on a sacrifice bunt attempt that left Lawson at first base. Lawson advanced to second on a passed ball, and pinch-runner Peter Carciopollo then replaced him on the bases. Lane and Gottfriend followed with walks that again loaded them up, and Taborda drove in the tying run the hard way when he was hit by a pitch that pushed Carciopollo home.

“I was really proud when we got down three that we came right back and took the lead in the next half,” Mucerino said. “Goose pitched well, Tommy pitched well and Yager got the lefty out. So we had a chance, but they got the breaks a little bit. It stinks, but what a great ride they took us on.”

Any loss that ends the season is going to sting, and on this day that pain was shared by all the Calvary faithful. Yet in that defeat the team could take solace in all that it accomplished, in the way in which it succeeded, and the memories that they will never cease to recall from this season.

“This by far has been the best year for me in high school, and only because of this baseball season,” Benevento said. “This band of brothers just came together. Especially after last season with the rough end going 10-16 and 2-10 in the district, and then coming into this year going 23-7 and being first place in the district and turning things from last to first. It’s been the best year of my life so far, and I owe it all to the guys in the dugout and the guys wearing my jersey.”

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