Lincoln-Sudbury baseball walks off on Bedford thanks to heroics of Evan Munuz, Haarde bros

SUDBURY — Whenever the Lincoln-Sudbury baseball team is in need of a big hit, the Haarde (pronounced Hardy) boys are on the case.

That form held true Thursday afternoon as the Warriors came out victorious over Bedford, 8-7, in walk-off fashion.

Sophomore Jake Haarde was right in the middle of it.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh and the game tied, 7-7, Haarde roped a single to right and then stole second to set the stage for senior Evan Munuz. The Hobart College commit then hit the ball over the right fielder's glove for a walk-off double.

"I just tried to simplify things," Munuz said. "I hit the ball hard the other way twice already and was trying to just get a single."

In the top half of the seventh, the Warriors gave up a two-run lead to send it to the bottom half of the frame.

Dylan DiGangi drove in a run with a RBI single to bring the tying run just 90 feet away at third with just one out. A balk by Jansen Brown then brought in the tying run.

"That's a play that we run, too," L-S coach Matt Wentworth said. "You want to start going as soon as (the pitcher) brings his hands together to get someone to yell, 'Step off! Step off!' They executed, we did not. It's a frustrating way to give up the lead, but it wasn't just that one play that did it in."

The Warriors jumped out to 6-2 lead after three innings of play. Jake Haarde got the scoring started with a solo home run down the left field line in the second inning and drove in another run in the third on a RBI triple that gave Lincoln-Sudbury a 4-2 lead at the time.

The younger Haarde, Jake, went 3-for-4 with two RBI and was a double shy of the cycle.

"It seems like every time something big is happening for us in the field Jake Haarde is right in the middle of it," Wentworth said. "Him getting on base, they have a really good catcher and he was able to steal second without even getting a throw, so he's fast and got a fantastic jump."

While Jake might have taken most of the spotlight on Thursday, older brother Bobby – a Denison College commit – has also made a tremendous impact this season at the top of the Warriors' lineup.

"He is much more effusive than Jake," Wentworth said. "He'll get guys going, he'll yell, so he's emotional in that way. His tools are extremely loud. ... He puts balls in play, hits the ball hard every at bat, he's fast, makes plays in the field, he truly is a five-tool player."

This season, Bobby is slashing .341 avg, .543 OBP, 1.135 OPS with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, 17 runs, 11 RBI and eight stolen bases.

"Guys like that are rare," Wentworth said. "There is a reason why he is hitting leadoff for us. His on base percentage is almost .600 and he's a guy who sets the table for us and you can't say enough about guys like that."

Younger brother Jake has been having a breakout season as he is slashing .388/.429/1.041 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, 12 runs scored and 17 RBI.

"It's about big moments and Jake is a guy, even as a sophomore, (who seems) to thrive and that's the kind of guy that you want on your team," Wentworth said. "We struggled in the first inning and then with one out in the second inning he put one out and that really got us going.

"When you get that much focus and strength from a sophomore, that speaks volumes about his future in the program."

Both Haarde boys are glad that they are able to have this opportunity to play with each other this spring.

"It's awesome," Jake said. "I haven't really got to play with him before. So to be on the same team as him has been really fun."

Bobby agreed: "I think the only ones who enjoys it more is our parents," he said. "Jake "works his (butt) off and it's great to see his success."

Ethan Winter is a senior multimedia sports journalist at the Daily News. He can be reached at ewinter@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @EWints.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Lincoln-Sudbury baseball walks off on Bedford