Petaluma Nationals Win 5-4 Monday in a Close Game That Stretches into 8th Inning

The Petaluma Nationals survived a fierce test Monday when they took on the New Jersey team from Par-Troy in an elimination game. Danny Marzo hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the game for his team 5-4, and keep California’s hopes for a Little League World Series Championship alive.

The California team, representing the West Region, started off shakily with a slew of wild pitches from star player Bradley Smith. In the second inning, the problems on the mound resulted in a NJ stolen run after an error from Porter Slate.

New Jersey’s Bener Uygun pitched well in the opening innings and didn’t allow the West to capitalize on their chances at-bat.

In the fourth inning New Jersey catcher Anthony Scannelli drove a homerun over the left field wall to put his team up 2-0. The crowd—the vast majority of whom were pulling for the Mid-Atlantic team—went wild in the stands.

Ominous weather moved into the area in the bottom of the fourth, and California’s chances of victory seemed to bode poorly as well. But just when they looked down for the count, the Petaluma boys engineered an incredible inning of baseball. Slugger Bradley Smith awed the crowd into literal gasps when he opted to bunt, scoring Douglas and bringing his team within one point. Hance Smith then drove the ball into left field and earned two RBI’s, putting his team on top 3-2.

In the fifth inning Bradley Smith extended the lead to 4-2 when he smacked a line drive into center-right field, scoring Douglas.

New Jersey staged a comeback in the sixth inning, tying the game 4-4 after a pitching breakdown from Bradley Smith, who was replaced on the mound by Douglas.

It was a tense defensive struggle until the bottom of the eighth inning, with the two teams exchanging a series of fruitless at-bats while the crowd moved to edges of their seats.

Danny Marzo stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the eighth, wanting only to “make contact,” as he said after the game. Instead, he smacked a walk-off home-run well out of the ballpark, winning the game for the Petaluma Nationals and ensuring that they’ll stick around in Williamsport for at least another game. The boys rushed out to home plate to wait for Marzo’s triumphant arrival, and the West’s team section erupted into outbursts of happiness and relief.

The West will play again Tuesday night at 5 p.m, under the lights in Lamade Stadium. They face the winner of tonight’s contest between the New England and Great Lakes Regions. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN3.com.

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