With the season quickly rounding third and headed for home, Sidwell hosted neighboring Wilson for a 4:15 Tuesday start under perfect conditions. The last time these teams met up at Fort Reno, the Tigers spoiled a four-game Quaker win streak. Looking to even up the series, Sidwell knew they had to bring their best to compete against the talented Wilson team.

From the moment the spikes were laced up, the home team Quakers were focused on the task at hand, with a clean and crisp warm-up accompanied by plenty of dugout chatter from the entire program, middle school to varsity. “The Juice” helped Mikey Levy to retire the top of the Tiger lineup in order by inducing routine groundballs to third baseman Briley Ward and shortstop Jackson Fauvre, before finishing the inning with a swinging strikeout on some high heat. In the home-half, Colin Leonard, running for the starting catcher Will Koopersmith after singling, would make his way into scoring position by stealing second, and with two outs, swiping third and advancing home after an overthrow.

Taking a 1-0 lead into the second, Levy would continue to find his spots, getting another groundout to the cool and collected Ward to end the inning with a runner on third. In the bottom of the second, Sidwell would mix a little big and small ball with after a one-out double off the bat of first baseman Will Pryce, followed by a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by William Friedman to get Pryce to third, who would then score seconds later on a wild pitch. In the third, the Tigers would cut the lead in half with a sacrifice fly to centerfielder Jackson Keyser, but after a wild pitch advancing another runner to third, Levy would calmly work through a full-count with Koopersmith holding on to a big foul tip third strike.

Even having just given up a run, the Quakers wouldn’t blink. After another big ball off the bat of Mikey Levy, deep into the left center field gap for a triple, courtesy runner John Scott would advance to score on a job well done by designated hitter Matt Harden, solidly singling on a two-strike count with two outs. Continuing the idea of trading blows, Wilson would cross another in the very next half-inning on a wild pitch, but with first and third and only one out, Levy would get out of the jam himself, first with a crafty move to pick off the runner at first, and then fielding his position well with a 1-3 putout to end the inning with the would-be tying run barreling down the third base line.

With the score at 3-2, the game rolled on with great pace with Levy getting two quick outs in the 5th inning before a double in the gap prompted a pitching change as the Tiger lineup turned over for the second time. Facing the top of the order, new pitcher Andrew Ludwin would work around the next two batters with a walk and easy contact single to left field to load the bases with the tying, inherited runner again only 90 feet away. Trusting his best stuff, Ludwin would start off with a curveball for a strike, followed by two fastballs fouled off the backstop, before tying up the batter swinging through a finishing curveball strike three. With the dramatic last outs approaching and an uneventful bottom 5th for the Quaker bats, the Tigers lead off the 6th with another rocket deep to left center, where Keyser and Friedman, playing the entire game in center and left field, respectively, would collide with Keyser holding on for a big first out. Ludwin would finish the inning strikeout swinging, strikeout looking, to get within three outs of victory.

After Sidwell failed to add an insurance run in their half of the 6th, Wilson would quickly put the tying run on base with a leadoff single in top of the 7th. While trying to bunt the runner into scoring position, new defensive substitute Aidan Breslin would come up big to back up first base when repeated back pick attempts ended up in right field. The extra effort kept the runner from advancing, which could have changed the outcome, if not for Ludwin slamming the door and protecting the 3-2 lead and striking out the side to end the ballgame and earn the seven-out save.

The Quakers picked a great day to play their best game and earn their 10th win. Sidwell ends the season on Saturday with the rubber match against host Wilson.