19U American Legion Baseball: Greenwich Comes From Behind To Walk-Off Fairfield In Double-Elimination State Playoffs

For the second straight day, Fairfield played an extra innings game in the state playoffs. Unlike, Saturday, the result was not in Fairfield's favor on Sunday. 

Fairfield 19U fell to Greenwich 5-4 in nine innings at Julian Curtiss Field in Greenwich as Justin Zych came up with the two-run walk-off single as the Cannons came back from down two in the ninth to win. 

Fairfield got on the board right away in the top of the first. Matt Vivona got hit by a pitch leading off the game. Three batters later, Charlie Mulhall drove a ball to deep left field allowing Vivona to come all the way around and score and Mulhall was at second with a stand up double. 

Greenwich tied the game in the bottom half on the frame. With runners at the corners and two outs, Nate Jones singled to right field to bring in Zych and tie the game. 

Fairfield re-took the lead in the top of the third. With one out, Charlie Swanson and Jack Corcoran picked up back to back singles to put runners at the corners. Then, Mulhall stepped up and drove a single of his own to left field to plate Swanson. 

Greenwich once again tied up the game in the fifth. Zack Alza doubled down the right field line to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Tyler Cusimano singled to center to bring home Alza and knot the game at two. 

The game would stay that way until the ninth. 

In the top of the ninth, Vivona doubled and Swanson singled to put runners at the corners. Jack Corcoran then flew out to right field and Vivona drew the throw home which went out of play allowing Vivona to score and Swanson, who tagged and went to second on the throw, to advance to third. 

Mulhall then drove a ball deep enough to left field to allowing Swanson to tag up and come in to score to give Fairfield a two run lead, 4-2. 

Alza reached on an error two lead off the inning. TJ Messina reach on an infield single in the hole at shortstop. Cusimano came up and singled to right field to plate Alza to cut the deficit to one. 

Riley Redahan then laid down a sacrifice bunt to put the tying run at third and the winning run at second with one out. That set the stage for Zych who drove to in the hole between short and third to plate the tying and winning runs. 

On the mound, Edmund Hogan threw the ball well for Fairfield. He threw 6.1 allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits while walking three and striking out eight. 

Greenwich advances to Wednesday's CT Southern Division Championship game. The Cannons will host the game at 4pm with the "If" game at 6pm. 

Fairfield will face Hamden on Tuesday at 5:30pm at Hamden High School in the semifinal of the CT POD E Southern Division Semifinal.