By Ted Waddell
LIBERTY — May 4, 2004 – At the end of six innings of play Thursday, it looked like the home team Liberty Indians were headed to a 7-6 win over James I. O’Neill in a OCIAA Division IV baseball game.
But in the seventh inning, O’Neill (5-3, 2-0) battled back with a run to tie it up, forcing the game into extra frames.
In the eighth, O’Neill racked up two unanswered runs to win, 9-7.
O’Neill opened the scoring in top of the first by sending two runners across the plate.
At its turn at bat in the opening frame, Liberty (1-5, 0-2) grabbed one run back as Derek Blume scored.
O’Neill had a big inning in the second, as they scored four runs.
Liberty followed up to make it a 6-2 ballgame as Jason Garritt scored.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Indians scrambled back with a run as Shane Noetzel was batted home.
Liberty took the lead in the sixth as four runners – Shane Noetzel, Kushetsky, Derek Blume and Connor Noetzel.
After O’Neill tied it up 7-7 in the seventh, they marched on to victory in the eighth.
Both teams went through a couple of pitchers. Taking the mound for the Indians were Corey Van Kuren and Kushetsky and for O’Neill it was Travis Judd followed by Andrew Bosch.
“It was a very good ballgame,” said O’Neill Coach Gabe O’Connell. “Liberty is very tough and they battled back.”
Liberty Coach Jim O’Connor said that while his team is currently winless in its OCIAA Division IV, he feels the team is meeting one of its pre-season goals.
“I was hoping this team would be competitive, and I think we are,” O’Connor said.