Clutch hit from Micah Gratto against Oak Hall extends P.K. Yonge win streak

The P.K. Yonge Blue Wave took on the Oak Hall Eagles Friday Afternoon in a close game. The Blue Wave were looking for revenge after falling to the eagles in February in a heartbreaking 16-18 loss. Thanks to stellar defense and an inside-the-park home run from their third baseman, Micah Grotto, they secured a 3-2 win over Oak Hall.

Defensive Standstill

The teams traded blows early on, with the Eagles claiming their first run in the first inning and P.K. Yonge retaliating with one of their own in the top of the second. Switching to defense, they got to business quickly. Leading with a strikeout, then an easy pop fly catch, and finally a swift out at the first base, they send the Eagles back on defense quickly. Their pressure continues, with Gratto hitting one straight over the second baseman’s head for a double. A pop fly allows him to get to third base, and a nearly identical play sends him home for a run.

When the Eagles step up to the home plate again they are met with even more defensive pressure. Darion Medley, the Junior Shortstop from Oak Hall found himself in trouble. In his last match against the Blue Wave, he stole four bases giving them a hard time. However, the Blue Wave were prepared this time. Pitcher Aidan Mansfield kept an eye on first base, punishing Medley for a distant leadoff from the plate. The next inning, another Oak Hall player on base falls to the same fate.

Soon, defensive pressure was seen from both sides. Hits were not scarce, but they often led to ground outs or directly into an outfielder’s glove. Throughout the middle three innings, more than a dozen hits resulted in ground outs or into an infielder’s glove. Despite pressure from both sides, Oak Hall found a slip-up in their opponent’s defense. After a brief pitcher mistake, the third base runner was able to secure a run via error.

Clutch Play from Gratto

Now the score was tied in the sixth inning. Even worse, there were runners on second and third base and two outs on the board. Ignoring the pressure, the Blue Wave began to show off the clutch factor they had from Tuesday’s game. They close out the inning with some great pitching from pitcher Lane Sparkman and a quick ground out to first to stop the impending run.

The Blue Wave had to close out this game, and they had one inning to do it. Some of the biggest Blue Wave hitters stepped up to the plate, but to no avail. A quick ground out at the first pitch followed by a strikeout makes the game look grim. Sophomore Micah Gratto steps up to the plate and changes that: by hitting an inside-the-park home run.

The Blue Wave dugout was electric and gave them the moxie they’ve carried over the recent win streak. They iced the game on defense shortly after. Sparkman dished out 5 straight strikes, followed by an easy pop fly and a ground out to finish the game.

This win makes the fourth win for the Blue Wave out of the last five games, and they’ll look to continue this defensive tear in their next game against Saint Francis Catholic on March 28 at 4:30 pm.