All that was missing from the Little Giants' 2007 baseball season finale was a Hollywood music score.
Imagine this script: a walk-off home run in extra innings by one sophomore. A second sophomore chasing the single-season hits record. And a senior captain facing a loss in his final game, batting two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning with the tying run at second.
All this drama led to Wabash sweeping the Earlham College Quakers on the Mud Hollow Field diamond Saturday afternoon. The Little Giants held on for an 8-6 win in game one before rallying for a 6-4 extra innings victory in game two.
The biggest story coming into the game was sophomore right fielder Jake Thomas chasing the single season hit record set by Zak Judd '98 in 1997. Thomas answered any doubters by going 3-for-3 in game one to pass Judd for the record, tying the mark of 56 with a single down the right field line in the third inning. Thomas' looping single to left center gave him his 57 hit of the year to break the record before his final hit and a walk finished his day in the opener.
The Little Giants posted a run in the first before Earlham scored two in the top of the second to take an early lead. But a run in the third tied the game, then a four-run third put Wabash up 6-2. Thomas' single brought home Bobby Ritz with the first run of the inning before Travis Stirling, who had already hit his first home run of the year in the second, picked up two more RBIs with a single up the middle.
Junior TJ Siple worked 6-1/3 innings, holding the Quakers to six runs on nine hits while walking five and striking out another five batters. He gave up the last two runs in the top of the seventh before turning the game over to freshman Keegan Leckrone, who struck out the two batters he faced to earn his first save of the year. Siple improved to 4-3 with the win.
Game two saw Thomas pick up his fourth hit of the day to finish with 59 for the season, but it would not help Wabash early as the Little Giants trailed Earlham 4-1 going into their last at-bats of the season.
John Brauchie opened the seventh inning with a pinch-hit double, giving way to pinch-runner Nathan Schrader. A walk to Mike Nowak and Kyle Rush loaded the bases for Ritz. The freshman hit a ground ball to third, but the Quakers were only able to retire to Ritz at first, scoring a run for Wabash while putting runners at second and third. Matt Dodaro, chasing the single-season doubles record, lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Nowak, putting the Little Giants down a run.
Earlham was not about to put the game in the hands of the hottest Wabash hitter in the lineup, so the decision was made to walk Thomas to face senior designated hitter Scott Hamilton. Earlier in the game Hamilton dove into first base on a ground ball to avoid a tag at the base, reaching safely to extend an inning for the Little Giants. Now, in his final at bat, the senior would tag a shot up the middle that scored Rush from second, sending the game to extra innings.
Joey Niezer, who pitched a complete game with three earned runs out of the four scored on nine hits, struck out the first and last batters of the eight inning to give the Little Giants a chance. Niezer struck out 10 batters in the game, a season-best for Wabash and a career-high for the sophomore right-hander.
Wabash started it half of the eight inning with a ground out back to the pitcher. Schrader drew a walk off reliever Randy Kerns, then stole second off the next reliever, Kevin Greve.
This is where the music would have reached its crescendo.
Nowak ended the game and the Wabash season with one swing of the bat, hammering a pitch over the right field fence for a walk-off two-run homer, giving Niezer his fourth win of the year.
Dodaro was also chasing the single season hits and doubles record. He picked up a single in sixth for his 52nd of the year, giving Wabash two 50+ hitters on the same team for the first time in school history.
Nine different Little Giant players shared all of the hits in the game. Nowak's two RBIs led the team in its finale.
Wabash finished the season with a mark 14-25-1, 6-10 in the North Coast Athletic Conference to finish fourth in the Western Division.
Photos - (top left) Jake Thomas breaks the single season hits record with his 57th of the season with this swing.
(middle right) Senior catcher and designated hitter Scott Hamilton is joined by head coach Cory Stevens and senior student assistant coach Nick Pompeo during Senior Day ceremonies before the game. Hamilton tied the second game in the bottom of the seventh inning with a single to send the contest to extra innings.
(bottom left) Wabash players mob Mike Nowak after he scores on his walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the eight inning.