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Sports

Petaluma's Dramatic Victory

Danny Marzo hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

 

Danny Marzo made sure the Petaluma National Little League all-stars survived another day in the Little League World Series.

Marzo hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Petaluma a 5-4 victory over Par-Troy on Monday in Williamsport, PA.

Petaluma will face Fairfield, Conn., which advanced when Will Lucas tossed a no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over New Castle, Ind., on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Petaluma beat Fairfield, 6-4, on Thursday.

The World Series is down to four teams in each division.

Par-Troy enjoyed the benefit of a home crowd advantage and it might have unnerved Petaluma a little bit at the beginning. The Nationals certainly reacted better in the end.

"We've seen [tough crowds] before," said shortstop Hance Smith.
 
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead into the fourth, as ominous weather moved into the area. That's when things started to change as Petaluma engineered an incredible inning of baseball. Slugger Bradley Smith awed the crowd into literal gasps when he opted to bunt, scoring Logan Douglas and bringing his team within one point.

"We've done that before," California manager Eric Smith said. "Sometimes I've told him to bunt, but instead he hits a home run. I'll take either one."

New Jersey manager Mike Ruggiero said that the move surprised him a little, but that he was telling his own big guys to bunt as well, "so maybe we were trading strategies," he said.

Hance Smith followed Bradley Smith's RBI with a two-run double to give Petaluma a 3-2 edge.

Bradley Smith extended the lead to 4-2 when he smacked a line drive into center-right field, scoring Douglas, who earned the save.

New Jersey staged a comeback in the sixth inning, tying the game 4-4 and sending it into extra innings.

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 team’s family section erupted into outbursts of happiness and relief.

“Danny has hit walk-off home runs before,” Bob Buhrer, father of Petaluma left fielder Blake Buhrer, said. “He deserves a lot of credit for this win.”

The California family section was in infectiously high spirits after the game. In the final innings of the game, “My heart was pounding,” Mr. Buhrer admitted. “We’re so happy,” Blake’s mom Alexei added.

Another Petaluma parent talked about the difficult travels to Williamsport—five and a half hours in flight, and another three and a half driving.

"But it was all worth it, just to see this game," he said.

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