TechNation Exults after Come-from-behind Playoff Victory over Lincoln, 5-4

5/22/24

From Coach Nardiello: Down 0-4 after 5 innings in the “win or go home” PSAL playoffs, our Tech Engineers came back to stun the Lincoln Railsplitters, 5-4. Our ace Hugo Tosler was dominant with 10Ks in 5 innings. But in the 3rd inning, walks, errors and good hitting gave Lincoln a 4-0 lead.

Our offense was slowed early by balls batted right at their fielders. And two innings ended on seeming foul-balls off a leg and foot (but were not called or seen by umps and called ground balls, for outs). But Tech was just not ready to end the season. Hugo stopped them from scoring any further across the 4th and 5th, and Cooper Chung pitched the final two with the same resolve.

Scoring two in the 5th gave our Engineers some hope. Chipping away another run in the 6th felt good. But the team really came alive with 1-out when Ricky Nunez walked. Hugo singled (scoring Ricky), Zach Harwayne singled and Trevor Niuewenhuis hit a sacrifice-fly to RF to chase Hugo home with the go ahead run! Cooper Chung saved the game–literally–with 0 BBs, 4Ks across the 6/7th innings, and shut the door for the Win. Our parents and 8 recent alums on hand to cheer on the team really set a positive & supportive & winning tone.

Tech Victorious. On to the second round! [All photos by Vera Nieuwenhuis]

Hugo Tosler defies gravity, moments after Brooklyn Tech defied Abraham Lincoln.

Zach Harwayne at the plate vs. Abraham Lincoln.

Trevor Nieuwenhuis makes the put-out at first vs. the Railsplitters.

Playoff Baseball 1: Sawyer Reo protects second against Lincoln’s base-stealers.

Simon Sherber-Brennan applies the tag at second vs. Lincoln.

Playoff Baseball 2: Hugo Tosler refuses to lose to Abraham Lincoln.

Coach Nardiello in the playoff spirit.

Ricky Nunez at the plate vs. Lincoln

Tech alums present for the Big Game.

Aayan Ramamurthy takes a cut vs. Lincoln.

Sawyer Reo lines the ball vs. Lincoln

Playoff Baseball 3: Freshman Cooper Chung handles high-stress assignment with style.

The comeback: Ricky Nunez scores the tying run.

Moderate excitement in the dugout with the game back in hand.

Who else but Hugo Tosler would score the go-ahead run?

Trevor Nieuwenhuis records out #1 in the seventh.

Cooper Chung waits for victory to drop into his mitt.