Win in Extra Inning Marathon

EXETER – After getting hammered by a strong Tabor opponent in the season opener, the boys’ varsity baseball team came in clutch in extra innings against Northfield Mount Hermon, winning 3-2 with a walk-off single from senior captain Joey Hebl in the ninth.With a slow start on both sides of the ball very early into the season, the team hasn’t had much time to oil up what should be a tight-knit infield machine and still hasn’t gotten the bats swinging at full capacity. With a series of flyouts in the first few innings, the scoreless streak marched through the rotation. Fortunately, Hebl was attentive at the plate and was able to adjust his swing to win the game.“Joey's a smart player, and he made the adjustments at the plate that he had to,” said fellow senior captain Nate Dow. “In both of his last two at-bats, he shortened up his swing, kept the ball on the ground, and drove in a run: the first time to tie the game and the second time to win it.”As the tight game wound down, the excitement on both sides of the ball was revved up a notch with everyone on the team stepping up to assist with the win.“A key reason we won was because Vinny [Sansone], Quinn [Larkin] and I hung from the dugout rally rafters,” said post-graduate Auggie Roberts. “The multiple preps and lowers also really contribute to our games. Guys like [Harrison] Money and Collin [Shapiro] are in high-pressure situations, but they don't let it faze them at all: they have a presence similar to uppers and seniors.”Collin Shapiro, a prep, was playing second base earlier in the game, but switched to catcher in extra innings to give the starting catcher a rest. He turned a bunt for an out, saved a run and performed extremely well in the box, without having much experience.The winning RBI was, as previously stated, from Joey Hebl. With senior Matt Greaves on third base anxious to end the series, Hebl made contact and gave Matt time to get off running, scoring easily at the plate.“I was singing ‘Bring him Home’ to Joey when I was on third and he was up at bat,” said Greaves. “My boy’s icey, he came in clutch.”Big Red baseball’s next outing is at Worcester Academy on Saturday at 1:30.