Pine Hill forces deciding game

Colin Reddy had the greatest thrill of his sports life when he blasted not one, not two, but three long home runs to set a City Series record. His titanic trio gave the Pine Hill (Texas) Rangers a 12-2 victory over Shore Thursday and pushed the City Series into Friday.Reddy also hit a double and was the winning pitcher, collecting 9 strikeouts.Asked if the recent Home Run Derby, which he won, had any effect on this amazing performance, he replied, “Yes, the Home Run Derby did help me a lot to get these home runs.”Yesterday’s big City Series game started peacefully at Wyoma Field with a single by Shore’s Jomar Moreta, who may pitch for Shore today (Friday). Then David Stepon singled him home. It was 1-0.Pine Hill Rangers skipper Dan Gisonno batted slugger Reddy leadoff. Reddy’s father is Lynn firefighter and ex-football star Matt Reddy (who played Little League for East Lynn). Colin Reddy doubled, Tim Nerich singled and so did Aubrey Connors, and then Mike Meigas slammed a base hit, his first in the tourney. It was 3-1.Kyle Durant walked to start the third for Pine Hill and then rode home on Reddy’s first homer.Up next, infielder Dan Gisonno, the son of Manager Dan Gisonno, walloped the first pitch he saw out of sight for his first-ever home run. He navigated Reddy’s footsteps around the bases and jumped into the air at home plate into the crowd of Rangers.Shore fought back with solid hits by Moreta and Stepon but Reddy slowed them down with strikeouts.In the third inning, Mark Tobin singled, and then Reddy rocked another blast over the screen fence in center. Gisonno doubled for an 8-2 bulge in the score.The fourth was quick for the stunned Shore team with three K’s in a row.Reddy was due up in the fourth with his blue and white uniform with the Yaz number 8 on the back. Pine Hill led 8-2. But first Mark Tobin walked and Kyle Durant got a 2-run single to make it 10-2.Up came Reddy. Everyone stopped what they were doing, kids jammed the fences, parents edged up in their seats, the Wyoma concession stand stopped selling hot dogs, all eyes were on Reddy.The next pitch was smashed over the left field fence for Reddy’s third homer to boost the score to 12-2, thus ending the game because of a ten-run mercy rule.Can Reddy stay hot for today’s final battle? Will he follow the same pattern he had Thursday? He admits to eating a chicken sandwich at McDonald’s before the game. So, the grand finale is today (Friday) at 5:45 at Wyoma … but first a stop at McDonald’s.