It was a magical and memorable postseason for the Wilson baseball team, but the run ended in the semifinals after a close loss to La Salle on Tuesday afternoon, 3-2.
“We were wearing the glass slipper for a while and then it broke,” said Wilson coach Andy Hall.
Playing in their first semifinal since 2011, the Bruins were close to advancing to their first championship game since 2008. Thanks to a strong start from Nick Endres, they built a 2-0 lead as the Lancers managed just one hit off Endres in four innings.
Wilson got on the board quickly, after Alex Seguine drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and was driven in by Crixtian Taveras in the first inning. The Bruins added to the lead in the third after Ryan Guerero’s base hit got by the La Salle left fielder, allowing him to reach third base; he was brought in on an RBI double from Taveras shortly after.
The Lancers answered in the bottom of the fifth after Endres hit the leadoff batter and then walked another to put two on. Ethan Patrick knocked the Lancers’ second hit of the game into right field, where it got past the Bruins outfielder and rolled all the way to the wall. Patrick was able to wheel around and was called safe for the inside the park score, putting the Lancers up 3-2.
Wilson outhit the Lancers 5-4 but struggled in the final three innings against senior reliever Jeff Daley, but they did get a man on in the seventh when Seguine drew his second walk of the game. The Bruins couldn’t get him home, ending their season.
“I think there’s always a couple of momentum shifts in a game and if you aren’t able to fight it off, it’s tough,” said Hall. “We put ourselves in a really good position and we had a chance. Hats off to them, they outbattled us today.”
Hall took a moment to reflect on the improbable run by his team, which struggled with consistency at times throughout the regular season.
“The kids keep getting better and better,” he said. “Yeah at one point we would have been happy to get through the first round—but then you get momentum and you just want to keep going.”
