Chris Adams had been to the plate nearly 80 times this year. But like so many times in baseball, it only takes one at-bat to change a game and to prolong a season.
And that’s what happened on Monday evening.
Adrive into left field sent home the game’s winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. It was a run that not only sent State College into the second round of the PIAA AAAA State Playoffs but a run that completed a comeback and a thriller of a 4-3 victory over Norwin.
The Little Lions fell into a 3-0 deficit in the third inning of Monday’s contest thanks in large part to State College miscues that put one of the state’s best teams in a hole.
But for a team that has won 16 of its last 18 games, State College didn’t collapse after getting into that early trouble. The Little Lions responded quickly with a three run bottom of the third inning to immediately tie the score. Entering the game on an eight game winning streak, State College wasn’t about to let a little adversity end the season so easily.
Even so, Norwin pitching kept State College from doing anything else after the bottom of the third, turning what had started out as a shootout into a pitching dual for the next six and a half innings.
That, ultimately, was what made Adams’ hit all the more impressive. With Brandon Raquet on second base, Adams made the most of a golden opportunity and sent home the winning run. As is often said across all sports, championship caliber teams simply find ways to win, even in the tightest of games.
Ranked MaxPreps No. 2 team in the state, State College proved that it still deserves to be in that championship conversation.
The Little Lions will face Shaler on Thursday for a spot in the state semifinals. A win in the semifinals would put State College back in State College at Medlar Field and with the crowd on its side.
But there is a lot of baseball left to be played.
And as Adams proved on Monday, it only takes on hit to end a season.
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