'Peake peaking for playoffs
WYE MILLS – This is the textbook definition of 'Peaking for the playoffs.
Chesapeake College beat Hagerstown Community College, 8-7, on Blake Musser's suicide squeeze with one out in the 11th inning Saturday afternoon as the Skipjacks (28-16 overall, 17-7 league) ended the regular season with six straight wins. Chesapeake is still in contention for the top seed in this week's double-elimination NJCAA Region XX Division I tournament, which takes place starting Friday at Hagerstown.
Chesapeake and Potomac State are tied for the top spot in the region, which will necessitate use of the region's tiebreaker procedures. If the Skipjacks are the top seed they will open Friday against fourth-seeded Harford; if seeded second they will play third-seeded Hagerstown.
The Skipjacks' six-game winning streak followed a five-game skid, but Chesapeake head coach Frank Szymanski said he knew his team could pull out of the tailspin.
"I knew we could come back because I know how competitive our players are and I know how hard they work," said Szymanski, whose squad finished fourth in the 14-team Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference.
Kam Stewart, who scored the winning run on Musser's squeeze, went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Dillon Shaw and Casey Joseph each had two hits and scored a run.
Hagerstown, which handed the Skipjacks an 11-5 loss earlier this season, erased a 7-3 deficit with a four-run eighth inning. The Skipjacks, however, won the game as Stewart walked to open the home 11th, went to second on Danny Allen's sacrifice bunt, took third on a Hawk error and scored on Musser's bunt down the first-base line.
Jack Wood, the third of three Chesapeake pitchers, allowed one hit over the last 3 2/3 innings to improve to 6-2.
Chesapeake 3, Allegany 2
WYE MILLS – Casey Joseph was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in eighth inning, forcing in Blake Musser with the winning run as Chesapeake completed Thursday's doubleheader sweep.
Tyler Tobin (8-2) pitched an eight-inning four-hitter and Musser (2-for-4) figured in all three Chesapeake runs, driving in the first two before scoring the winning run.
Kam Stewart was the only other Skipjack with multiple hits, going 2-for-2 and walking twice. Paxton Batson and Danny Allen each had a hit and scored a run.
Chesapeake 15, Allegany 3
WYE MILLS – Danny Allen went 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs to lead a 12-hit attack and the visiting Trojans committed a whopping eight errors in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader.
Kam Stewart (three runs, RBI) also collected three hits while Blake Musser, J.D. Correa and Jordan Gowe each had a hit and scored twice for the Skipjacks.
Connor Gorman (3-3) allowed four hits and four walks while striking out four in a five-inning, complete-game effort.
Cody Doran (2-for-3, run) was the only Trojan with multiple hits.
Notes: The Skipjacks picked up an unexpected win without playing on Friday when Harford Community College forfeited a win over Chesapeake due to the use of an ineligible player. Harford, which forfeited 26 games, is now officially 2-50.