Momentum never stayed in one place.
Every time the Berkshire baseball team grabbed it, the Champion Golden Flashes answered — until Berkshire finally held the last swing in a 5-4 win.
Sam Barcikoski was at the center of it all, setting the tone early, creating the go-ahead run late, and keeping Champion in check on the mound.
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Berkshire struck first in the opening inning when Barcikoski jumped on the first pitch he saw and drove it for a triple, immediately putting pressure on the Golden Flashes. Patrick Brancel followed with an RBI double, and after working his way around, he later scored on a Bear Masink groundout to give the Badgers a 2-0 lead.
“My first at-bat, I hunted a first-pitch fastball to get a triple and enabled my team to come out hot and with energy,” Barcikoski said.
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Champion flipped the script in the fourth. A leadoff walk set up a two-run home run to left that tied the game, and after more traffic on the bases, an RBI single pushed the Golden Flashes ahead 3-2.
Berkshire answered right back in the bottom half. Oliver Miller was hit by a pitch, and Christopher Brancel singled with two outs to put runners on the corners. After Patrick Brancel was hit by a pitch to load the bases, an error allowed two runs to score, giving the Badgers a 4-3 lead.
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The back-and-forth continued into the seventh, when Champion pieced together a rally with a hit-by-pitch, a walk, and a two-out single to tie the game at 4-4.
“We knew we had a job to get done and knew the steps we had to take to get there,” Barcikoski said.
The difference came an inning earlier.
Barcikoski was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth, immediately creating a spark. Christopher Brancel moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Patrick Brancel followed with a single to send him to third. Moments later, a balk allowed Barcikoski to score what proved to be the winning run.
“I knew I needed to get on base to sway the momentum our way, and that happened on my first pitch getting hit,” Barcikoski said. “Then Chris bunted me over, and Patrick hit me to third with a balk, bringing me home. After I scored, we needed to keep the energy up and keep stacking runs.”
Barcikoski also delivered on the mound, tossing three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three and setting the tone early.
“I came in with my arm feeling good and my pitches hitting my spots,” Barcikoski said. “I trusted my infield that was behind me, and they played perfectly for me.”
He never drifted from the moment, no matter where he was needed.
“My coaches always put me in good position, preparing me for these moments in our practices.”
Top Players
- Sam Barcikoski: 2-3, 2R, 3B; 3 IP, 1H, 0R, 3K
- Patrick Brancel: 2-3, 1R, 1 RBI, 2B
- Oliver Miller: 2-4, 2B
- Christopher Brancel: 1-3, 1R
- Bear Masink: 1 RBI, BB
