VBL walks off with 3-2 win over Cal Ripken League

The VBL scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to walkoff with a 3-2 win over the Cal Ripken League at the Southern Collegiate Showcase.

After Ripken took a 2-1 lead in the top half of the ninth, Cody Wilson, Luc Lipcius and Jay Charleston all drew walks to load the bases with nobody out. Wilson scored on a wild pitch, and Vinnie Pasquantino lifted a sacrifice fly to score pinch runner Antwaun Tucker for the win.

The Valley had struck first in the bottom of the sixth, as Cash Gladfelter doubled to the gap and Lipcius bounced a single up the middle to bring him in.

Ripken got one right back in the top of the seventh on a bloop single that dropped in short right-center, but it could have been much worse as the VBL defense then got three straight outs with the bases loaded to keep the game deadlocked at 1-1.

After not allowing a hit until two outs in the fifth yesterday, the VBL staff did allow a Ripken hit today until there were two outs in the fourth inning.

Ty Andrus led off an All-Star game with a single for the third time this month, but Ripken turned the double play.

The Valley had runners on second and third in the 2nd after singles by Brandon Quaranta and Pasquantino, but came up empty. The VBL would strand two in scoring position again in the 4th.

Ripken had a man on second with no outs in the fifth; Lipcius snagged a hard liner in the air and doubled the runner off to keep the game scoreless.

Ripken sent Zach Jancarski to third with just one out in the sixth on a base hit down the right field line by Logan Driscoll, and went on to load the bases before a groundout to third ended the threat. The Ripken would also strand the bases loaded in eighth.

The VBL was originally slated to play a championship game, but with rain delays yesterday the schedule was shortened and the Valley will head home with an impressive 2-0 showing against other top collegiate summer leagues.