Game 50 Was Golden as CCBC Essex Walks Off in Nail-Biter Against Chesapeake College

Rosedale, MD – Game 50 of the season ended in thrilling fashion as CCBC Essex walked off Chesapeake College 8-7 on Thursday afternoon. With the score tied in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Hiyu Ota (Sammu Chida, Japan / Chiba Prefectural Naruto Senior) delivered the game-winning hit, singling to score the decisive run and electrify the home crowd.

Both teams put up strong offensive showings, with CCBC Essex collecting six hits and Chesapeake tallying eight in a high-scoring Region 20 East Division showdown.

The Knights struck first in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of two errors to plate a pair of runs. However, Chesapeake responded, taking a 5-3 lead in the top of the fourth behind RBI singles from Wallace, Smithhart, and Bennett.

CCBC Essex clawed back and surged ahead in the bottom of the sixth. Maxwell Urena (Brooklyn, NY / Christ the King) roped a double down the right field line, and Jimmy Perez (Queens, NY / High School for Arts and Business) walked with the bases loaded. Another error by Chesapeake allowed the Knights to claim a 7-5 lead.

Chesapeake refused to go quietly, tying the game in the top of the seventh after a hit-by-pitch and a walk brought in two runs. But with the game on the line in the bottom half of the inning, Ota's clutch single sealed the walk-off win for Essex.

Mitchell Hineline (Mount Wolf, PA / Northeastern) earned the victory, pitching two-thirds of an inning, allowing no hits and striking out one while stranding the bases loaded. Arnaldo Carrion (Wellington, FL / Wellington) started the game for the Knights, going 3.2 innings and allowing five runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Michael Amadio (Lusby, MD / Patuxent) was solid in relief, tossing 1.1 shutout innings and striking out two.

Justin Cook (Bradenton, FL / Manatee) and Urena each recorded two hits. Urena, Eduardo Zayas (Cidra, PR / Bilingual Education School at Cidra), and Ota each drove in one run for the Knights, who showed patience at the plate and aggressive baserunning throughout.

Wallace led Chesapeake with three RBIs and two hits, while Sayre drew three walks. Chesapeake worked seven free passes overall but couldn't capitalize late.

With the victory, CCBC Essex improves to 25-25 overall and 22-16 in Region 20 play. The Knights have secured a playoff berth and will conclude their regular season at home Saturday at 1 PM with a non-region doubleheader vs. CCAC (Games 51 & 52). The outcomes will help determine playoff seeding, as the Knights look to potentially lock up home-field advantage for Tuesday's Region 20 playoff opener.