On a cold, rainy afternoon in Varden, Western Wayne’s varsity baseball team took a giant step toward credibility thanks to the heroics of Anthony Matacchiera and Mitch Vitovsky.

It took the Wildcats just two innings to build a 5-0 lead against Riverside. However, over the course of the next four frames, the visiting Vikes stormed back tie game at 6-6.

As darkness descended and field conditions rapidly deteriorated, the local lads staged one last rally. Vitovsky led off the bottom of the seventh with a sharp single to right. Moments later Mitch was standing just 90 feet from home plate after swiping second and taking third on a wild pitch.

Drizzle had fallen on the few hardy fans huddled under umbrellas for nearly seven full innings. Now, with one out and the possible winning run on third, a full-fledged rainstorm broke out.

Jason Kromko ran out onto the field and raked the mound for Riverside’s Josh Plisko. Then, he returned to the coach’s box and shouted encouragement to Matacchiera.

Anthony didn’t waste any time responding to his coach’s words. Matacchiera jumped on the first pitch he saw, a belt-high heater. Anthony drove the ball high and deep to center, which was all he needed to do.

Vitovsky retreated to the bag and watched as Riverside centerfielder Ryan Phillips raced back to try and track the ball down. From the Vikings’ perspective, the situation was hopeless. Even if he had caught the ball, Phillips could never have thrown Vitovsky out at the plate.

As it was, the ball dropped in and Mitch trotted home with the winning run. Western Wayne’s dugout erupted in pandemonium. Players cheered wildly, exchanged high-fives, then ran to home plate where they piled on a grinning Vitovsky.

“This is a huge win for us,” Coach Kromko told TWI Sports afterward. “Riverside is a very good team and we’ve got a nice little rivalry going between us. I’m very proud of this team. We just kept fighting and never gave up.”

The win was Western Wayne’s second of the season over Riverside. The Wildcats are now 3-6 in Division Two action. Riverside lost for just the third time in Lackawanna League play. The Vikes are now 7-3 on the year and all alone in second place behind Old Forge (9-1).

Next up for the local lads is a battle with perennial powerhouse Valley View. Coach Kromko's squad will play three games next week as teams from all over the region jostle for District Two play-off position.

Off & Running
The secret to success for Western Wayne on offense is simple: if Mitch Vitovsky gets on base, the Wildcats are in good shape. Mitch is a versatile athlete who also stars in soccer and basketball. He plays centerfield and hits lead-off for the ‘Cats...and, on Thursday he was a one-man wrecking crew.

After Western Wayne starter Mike Callahan escaped a jam in the top of the first, Vitovsky went to work in the bottom half of the frame. Mitch got down in the count 0-2, but then pounced on a curveball and drove it to the wall in center for a double.

“When Mitch gets on for us, things happen,” said Coach Kromko. “He makes our offense go. He was very aggressive at the plate and on the bases and that’s what we want to see. Mitch is so fast it’s almost impossible to throw him out.”

Callahan then helped his own cause by ripping a single. Vitovsky scampered home for an early 1-0 lead; but, the ‘Cats weren't done yet.

After Matacchiera popped up, Cody Moyle laced a single of his own. Both runners then moved up on a wild pitch, setting the stage for Billy Gillette. One of Western Wayne's most promising young hitters, Gillette came through in the clutch. Billy launched a missile up the alley in right center. The ball cleared the fence on one hop for a ground rule double.

Callahan and Moyle both scored and suddenly the Wildcat lead was 3-0. That advantage grew to five as Western Wayne erupted for two more runs in the second.

Vitovsky ignited the offense again, this time by lashing a two-out single. Mitch promptly stole second and continued on to third when an errant throw by Riverside’s catcher ended up in centerfield. He scored his second run of the game moments later on a wild pitch.

Momentary Meltdown
Callahan, who scored Western Wayne’s fifth run of the game, pitched into the third but ran into serious control problems.

Mike lost his release point, thanks in part to a slippery mound, and began walking people. He was relieved by Matacchiera who would finish out the ballgame and eventually earned the decision.

Riverside took advantage of this momentary meltdown to score five runs without the benefit of a single basehit. The Vikings used six walks, a sacrifice and an error to tie the score at 5-5.

“That was pretty frustrating,” Coach Kromko admitted. “I mean, we build a 5-0 lead and then give all five runs back. The weather was definitely a factor and field conditions weren’t the best...but, we have to keep our focus.”

Western Wayne re-gained that focus in the home half of the frame. Instead of moping around and lamenting their bad luck, the ‘Cats came roaring right back to re-capture the lead.

Gillette reached on an infield error with one out. Billy moved up to second when Braden Zeiler was hit by a pitch. He took third on a Cyle Robbins walk, then scored a crucial two-out run when Dustin Brooks also earned a free pass.

Riverside knotted the score at 6-all in the top of the fourth. Plisko led off the frame with a single and eventually trotted home courtesy of a Joe Klebon RBI base knock.

Umpires huddled just before the start of the seventh and warned both coaches that, no matter where the score stood, the game would be halted after the inning. The rain had picked up considerably and fog was beginning to creep into the outfield from the trees behind the fence.

Western Wayne had one last chance to pull off the upset...and the Wildcats made it count.

“Great game,” said Coach Kromko simply. “These are the kind of games we have to win to be respectable. Hopefully, this will help us build a little bit of momentum heading into the play-offs.”

Score by Innings...
RIV    0  0  5  1  0  0  0 - 6
WW   3  2  1  0  0  0  1 - 7