In crunch time, doing the little things well is vital, and that's exactly what Eastern Tech's baseball team did in the bottom of the seventh inning when the Mavericks scored three runs and rallied for a 9-8 victory over visiting Lansdowne in the Class 2A North Region final.
Travis Goles and Cam Cook (3-for-4) led off the inning with solid singles and were moved along on a sacrifice bunt by Riley Hodge. Cook scored the tying run on a safety squeeze bunt by Andy Corbett (3-for-3).
"We had supreme confidence he's going to get that play down. We felt real good about it," said Eastern Tech third base coach Ty Whittaker.
Ian Tokosky, who plated the first run when he reached on an error, scored the winning run after an infield hit by Tommy Kessler and throwing error past third base.
Tokosky had slipped rounding the bag and that drew the throw.
"That corner right there is worse than Daytona's third corner right there," Whittaker said. "It's just slick as ice."
Whittaker didn't think a good throw would have had him, but the throw from first base hit in front of the bag and bounced high and out of play.
"It's nice to get a break, but you've got to give it to Lansdowne because they just brought it and brought it and brought it and then when you thought you had 'em, here they come again."
Eastern Tech head coach Spike McElfish saw the game-ending play unfold from the bench.
"I just saw it happening and I couldn't believe it," McElfish said.
Corbett believed the Mavericks could rally.
"We've been in this situation before," said the senior designated hitter. "We were down before and we knew we could all just believe and we could come back."
Relief pitcher Hunter Coppell earned the victory with four solid innings of six-hit relief.
"He's a kid who might not throw for seven or eight days and he comes in he's just a bulldog," McElfish said. "He'll just go right at you. He never gives in."
The victory advanced Eastern Tech to the state tournament's final four for the first time since 2010. The Mavericks will play Tuesday at Montgomery Blair High.
It appeared Lansdowne (8-10) would be headed to Montgomery County and the state's final four for the first time since the Vikings lost in the finals in 2011.
They took an 8-6 lead in the top of the seventh inning on a two-out two-run single to right center field by sophomore cather Austin Tucker.
"I was just thinking put the ball in play and hit the ball hard," said Tucker who had fouled the first pitch to the left side. "I was kind of just going with the pitch."
His hit scored Mike Trietley (2-for-4) who had doubled for the second time in the game, and Joe Rottman, who reached on an error.
"I'm glad that they battled the way they did," Lansdowne coach Matt Kohel said.
Lansdowne took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning after CJ Monroe reached on an infield hit, Dalton Beall walked and Joey D'Urso reached on a bunt single to load the bases.
With one out, Rottman hit a run-scoring single to center and a wild throw home resulted in a double play.
Beall was thrown out at home by pitcher Cook backing up the play and courtesy runner Glen Taylor was thrown out at third by catcher Dalton Decker.
Eastern Tech tied the game in the second on a home run by Hodge.
The Vikings answered with three runs and 4-1 lead in the top of the third.
D'Urso had an RBI single and Trietley hit a two-run double.
Hodge's second RBI of the game made it 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Mavericks took a 6-4 lead with four hits.
Decker plated the first run on a force out, Justin Mack had a two-run single and Cook added a run-scoring single.
Lansdowne tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the sixth.
Cameron McCarthy stroked a one-out single to start the rally.
After he was forced out at second base by Austin Tucker, Luke Tucker singled and both runners advanced to second and third on an error after the hit.
With two outs, freshman Jacob Boney grounded a two-run single over the third base bag to tie the game.
Boney, who played shortstop, was promoted from the junior varsity during the season, along with sophomore Stevie Yarber, who pitched the seventh inning in relief of D'Urso.
"He (Boney) played big today," Kohel said.
Seeing his young players shine in a pressure game was pleasing for the coach.
"The future is bright. We have a lot of young talent. We are not going away. The future is bright."
The future is now for the Mavericks, who have won 12 of their last 14 games.
"Lansdowne is a great program," McElfish said. "I knew it was going to be a tough game, but we were just able to execute a little more than them. It's just the little things you've got to do to be competitive in baseball."