On Friday, March 22nd, Irvington Varsity Boys baseball won against American High School 5-2. This game came off their 3-0 loss to American on the Wednesday prior, which added extra fuel to the fire for many of the players.
“All of the guys were fired up because they didn’t want to lose both games with the series,” said Irvington head coach Frank Durand. “I knew as soon as the game started today that we were locked in and we’re gonna probably have a better chance to win today. “
The game started well for Irvington, with Mario Delgado(12) opening the scoring for them. However, Irvington then fell behind 2-1 in the 3rd inning, which proved to be rough for the team. The team didn’t let that inning dispel them, displaying their ability to overcome adversity.
“We just had to keep everything in control you know,” said Bijan Bozorg-Chami(12), who pitched the entire game for Irvington. “I feel like there were a couple walks, especially in the 3rd inning. The zone was tight, but that’s just how it is sometimes. You have to persevere through and find your control.”
Bijan was excellent throughout the game, and he was aided by an equally impressive performance in the field.
“We always take really good care of our field,” said Coach Durand. “I think we have one of the nicer ones in the league. The guys and I worked really hard to make them have a really good surface for getting good ground balls and being able to make plays.”
The 4th inning is when things began to turn around for Irvington, thanks to a clutch hit from Ryan Johnson (12) to take the lead and score 2 runs from the inning. Overall, Irvington’s excellent hitting, led by Braydon Jaksa(11), in the middle innings helped take them over the top. Jaksa had 3 hits in his 3 at-bats this game, and he teamed up with Mathew Forbes(11) for a crazy double play in the 5th inning.
“I just trusted everything that I’ve put in the past couple of years,” said Jaksa on his excellent performance against American. “And you know, I’ve had a game plan coming in here and I was glad I was able to execute.”
Another key play in the game was by Yangyang Xia(12). His sacrificial bunt in the 5th inning proved crucial, as it put both Malachi Vega(12) and Forbes in scoring position.
“[Bunting] is something we work on in practice,” said Xia. “ Coach told me to show the bunt but to pull back on the first pitch, just to see what the defense does.That’s what I did the first time, and the pitcher tried to pick back. And so the next one, he just told me to punch it. I’ve been in this sort of situation before and worked on it in practice, and it was great to see our plan work out in the game.”
In the end, the game came down to Bozorg-Chami’s arm. Leading 5-2 heading into the final inning, the game was not yet over.
“ It was cool to close the game out,” said Bozorg-Chami. “ My mentality was just that this is my game to lose. Even if I let a few guys on base, there is no need to panic and just finish the game.”
He was able to finish the game, with Irvington ultimately beating American and splitting the series with them. This game signaled a shift in momentum for Irvington, as they went on to sweep their series vs Kennedy. You can catch the Vikings Varsity baseball team play next on Friday, April 26th against Washington High School.
