At this time of year, you have to find a way to close out games when you have a lead late.
The Johnston baseball team had a prime opportunity to improve its playoff standing on Tuesday, when it held a 5-4 advantage at South Kingstown in the seventh inning.
Unfortunately, the Panthers couldn’t seal the deal, with the Rebels plating two in the bottom half of the seventh for a walk-off victory.
With a win, Johnston could have jumped Central in the standings, in addition to moving within one game of Moses Brown.
The Panthers had a chance to break the game wide open in the top of the second.
Korey Fijal, Emilio Rodriquez and Luis Nunez put together three straight singles off of SK right-hander Sam Kenyon to start the inning, with Nunez’s base knock plating Fijal for the game’s first run.
Marc Conte followed with a walk to load the bases with no one out.
But Kenyon was able to bear down and get a force out at home, followed by a double play to end the inning.
Even with the first four hitters in the second reaching safely, the Panthers only came away with a 1-0 lead.
Johnston quickly surrendered the lead behind three errors in the bottom half of the third inning.
Chris Collins plated Kenyon on an infield single, as Johnston pitcher Jake Podmaska forced a throw over to first that skipped by Steve Pennacchia. The Rebels then upped their lead to 2-1 when Liam McGill laced a ground rule double that skipped over the left field fence, scoring Collins from second.
In the bottom of the fourth, SK continued its offensive surge.
With the bases loaded and one out, Podmaska ran a pitch on the inner half that hit Kenyon, scoring Scott Embelton.
Collins then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Greg Ballinger, increasing the Rebels’ lead to 4-1.
But in the top of the fifth, SK pulled Kenyon in favor of senior captain Tayler Beckman, who struggled with his command right out of the gate.
Jake Coro led off the inning by pelting a single on a pitch up in the zone. Pennacchia then hit a fly ball that was dropped by the left fielder, followed by a walk from Nick Raposo.
This time, Johnston would capitalize on its bases loaded opportunity.
Rodriquez brought Coro home with a single to make it 4-2, before Marc Conte roped a single through the left side to score Pennacchia and Raposo to tie the game at 4.
Aaron Perfetto followed with an RBI single that scored Rodriquez to help Johnston regain the lead, 5-4.
Podmaska would settle down on the bump from there, until SK put together a late rally in the seventh to steal one from the Panthers.
Johnston now sits at 8-9 – good for seventh place in Division I-B. With one game remaining, Johnston has secured a spot in the playoffs, but it could still end up in eighth, depending on other results from around the league.
The Panthers were at home against North Kingstown, who is in first in Division I-B, on Wednesday night. Results from the game were unavailable at press time.
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