On Wednesday, June 10, the Somers Boys Rec League held its fifth- and sixth-grade championship game at Reis Park, and in a back-and-forth contest, a ground ball hit to shortstop Will Harkins had championship written all over it.
No one knew it better than teammate Ethan Ocdenaria.
“Please, please,” he recalled thinking as the final play unfolded.
Fortunately for the Mariners, the wait wasn't long.
“I threw my hat in the air and was really happy for our team,” Ocdenaria said after Greg Harkins recorded the final out in a 10-7 Mariners victory.
The game began with the Dodgers' tough top of the order making an immediate impact. Joseph Thomas led off with a one-out double to left-center field and advanced to third on a stolen base before scoring on a groundout by Dylan Massi.
The Mariners answered quickly. Will Harkins led off the bottom of the first with a bloop single to center, Greg Harkins walked, and Ocdenaria's ground ball to short resulted in an overthrow that allowed two runs to score.
The Dodgers threatened in the next inning with a pair of walks, but a grounder back to the mound and two strikeouts kept them off the board.
The Mariners then went back to work offensively. Leo Newman singled through the left side, Liam Murphy walked, and Paul Mauriello delivered in a big spot.
“It was kind of inside. But it was still a strike. So I hit it to a perfect spot,” said Mauriello, whose double down the left-field line drove in two runs.
The Dodgers' top of the order continued to produce. Jack Resnick lined an opposite-field double to left, and Cyrus Clark followed with a double of his own.
Trailing 4-2, Thomas beat out a grounder to deep short for an infield hit, and Massi followed with a clean single to drive in his second run of the game. Two walks kept the rally alive before Jack Corti singled to right, bringing home two more runs.
Leading 6-4, the Mariners maintained their advantage in the bottom of the third. Thomas, pitching for the Dodgers, recorded two strikeouts and snagged a hard-hit liner from Greg Harkins.
But Harkins matched him in the top of the fourth, striking out the side.
The Mariners then tied the game. After two walks to open the inning, Murphy ripped a line drive that glanced off the first baseman's glove, allowing two runs to score.
The Mariners reclaimed the lead moments later. Four walks and the nine-batter limit helped push across two more runs, making it 8-6.
In the fifth inning, Thomas remained a problem for the Mariners. He doubled in another run, but Greg Harkins settled down and added another strikeout to keep the damage limited.
The Mariners then added some insurance.
Mikey Fiumara worked a walk and immediately put pressure on the defense with two stolen bases.
“I love running, because I’m always safe,” he joked.
Ben Palancia followed with a walk. After stealing second, Fiumara was caught in a rundown off third base but broke for home anyway. The throw skipped away, allowing him to score and extend the lead to 9-7.
One batter later, Preston Lewis hit a grounder back to the pitcher that brought home the Mariners' 10th run.
That left Jacob Tenenbaum with the task of recording the final three outs.
The first ball in play was hit to first base, where Greg Harkins made a difficult scoop.
Preparation paid off.
“My Dad did a lot of picking with me at home,” he said.
Tenenbaum then handled a hard comebacker for the second out.
The final out stayed in the family.
“Hopefully, I make this play,” Will Harkins recalled thinking as the ground ball headed his way. “And if I don’t, I’m cooked.”
He fielded it cleanly and fired to first.
Asked what would have happened if the throw had been dropped, he laughed.
“Bad things.”
Instead, the ball settled safely into the glove, and the celebration began.
“We won the championship,” Harkins said with a smile.
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