By Nick Curcuru
The Rockport Townies faced long odds in the Intertown Twilight Baseball League Finals after falling into a two-game hole in the best of five series against the Manchester Essex Mariners.
The defending champion Townies still faced long odds on Sunday afternoon in a must-win Game 4, trailing by two runs in the second inning with Mariners ace Rusty Tucker on the mound. But Rockport caught a break that altered the game, and quite possibly the series.
After singling to lead off the second, Tucker injured his right leg sliding into second base on a force-out. The left-hander was forced to leave the game after just one inning pitched, which featured a pair of strikeouts.
Peter Clark came in to pitch to open the second, and he pitched well, but was out-dueled by Derek Osmond in a 4-2 Townies win at Evans Field.
The win ties the ITL Finals at two games a piece. The teams meet at Memorial Field in Essex for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Monday night (5:30 p.m.).
"You never want to see someone go out with an injury and we totally feel for him in that situation because he's a competitor," Townies manager Jay Pallazola said. "But we had to keep playing, and we took advantage. It was another great game in a great rivalry."
The Mariners got to Osmond in the top of the second inning when Johnny WIlcox doubled in Paul Crenhan, and then scored on a Kellen Field base hit to make it 2-0 Mariners.
A two-run lead has been insurmountable with Tucker on the mound this season as he finished the regular season with a 0.20 ERA and never allowed more than one run in a game.
Clark was able to keep the Townies off the board in the second but the home team fought back to tie the score in the bottom of the third inning.
Mike Emerson doubled into the right field woods scoring Conor Ressel, who singled, to cut the lead to 2-1. Emerson later came in on a balk to make it 2-2.
The Mariners threatened in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with just one out. But Osmond got a line drive out on the infield and a fly out to the outfield to end the threat and keep the score tied.
Osmond allowed just the two first inning runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched, earning the win.
"He's one of our workhorse pitchers and he showed why," Pallazola said. "He got big outs, when he needed them they were there. He's a veteran player and he knows what to do in these big games."
The Townies grabbed the lead for the first time in the bottom of the fifth when Jordan Pallazola doubled into the woods in right scoring Emerson, who singled and stole second. Nolan Webb followed with a single up the middle scoring Pallazola from second for a big insurance run and a 4-2 Rockport lead.
"We're still struggling at the plate in this series but they were clutch today," Pallazola said.
The Mariners put two on with one out in the sixth when Pallazola went with MacKenzie Quinn, who got out of the inning with a lazy fly ball to right and a ground ball to shortstop.
Quinn sat Manchester Essex down in order in the seventh to earn the save and tie the series.
Pallazola said that Quinn will take the mound in Game 5 on Monday night against Marc Phinney of the Mariners, which is a rematch of Game 5 of the 2017 finals, a 3-0 Townies win.
