Fitch Delivers Walk-off Win for CSM

Fitch Delivers Walk-off Win for CSM

The College of Southern Maryland Hawks baseball team got their first home win of the 2018-19 season on April 4 when they beat the Thomas Nelson Community College Gators 10-9 in the first game of their doubleheader. The Hawks lost the second game 2-1.

Sophomore outfielder Matthew Fitch came through for the Hawks in the bottom of the 7th inning with a walk-off two-run double to center field that gave CSM their first victory in La Plata this season. Fitch ended the game going 3-5 at the plate with 3 RBIs and one run scored.

"It was a good win," CSM head coach Aaron Michael said. "We battled back several different times. It's one of those things we've been talking about - fighting through some adversity, and that's what the guys did today."

After Thomas Nelson took a 6-3 lead in the top of the 5th, sophomore Scott Logue hit a three-run home run - his third home run of the season - in the bottom of the inning to tie the score at 6-6.

Thomas Nelson retook the lead in the top of the 6th, but CSM answered with two runs in their half of the inning when freshman Peyton Myers singled through the infield to bring home Fitch and freshman Trevor Drummond. The 7th inning started with the Hawks up 8-7.

"When we lost the lead in the top of the 7th, I was concerned," Michael said. With runners on second and third base and one out, two Gators were able to score on a flyout to left field. The runner on third easily scored after tagging up, but in an attempt to get the runner from second out at third base, the throw got away and another run scored to put Thomas Nelson ahead 9-8.

Sophomore Matt Schnoor started the rally for CSM in the bottom of the inning with a one-out single to left field. Freshman Ryan Barrett came up next and tried to bunt Schnoor over to second base, but when the Thomas Nelson third basemen couldn't make the play, Barrett made it safely to first to become the winning run.

Down to their final out after sophomore Justin Hitt popped out on the infield, Fitch came to the plate looking to give the Hawks the lead for good. He produced when his team needed him to the most, sending a well-hit ball to center field that glanced off the defender's glove and brought home the game-winning runs.

"Fitch is a guy that's been around for a couple years and he knows what we're trying to do and he came through in that spot with a clutch two-out hit to the fence, that's not an easy thing to do," Michael said. "I would have been happy for a single that tied the game up, and instead he walked it off, so that was pretty big."

CSM tallied 18 hits, their most in a game this season.

They had been on a 10-game losing streak with their last win coming on March 23 against Anne Arundel Community College.

"The guys didn't give up and fought through and got the big walk-off win," Michael said.