Greg Sullivan Herald News Staff Reporter

SOMERSET — The game was decided by an all-star matchup.

Durfee slugger Zak Souza launched a three-run double off Somerset Berkley Regional ace Chase Stafford, the game-winning hit in the Hilltoppers’ come-from-behind 6-5 baseball win on Friday afternoon at Jim Sullivan Field.

With the Hilltoppers down 3-1 and the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth inning, Souza (3-for-4) stepped to the plate. SBR coach Dennis Almeida summoned Stafford from second base to face Souza. On a 2-2 curve ball, Souza sent a long fly ball to the base of the left-field fence for a 4-3 lead.

“That’s senior leadership. And that’s stepping up when you need to step up,” Durfee coach Dave Ulmschneider said after his team upped its record to 2-1. “To come up in that situation with bases loaded. They bring in their No. 1 guy. And it’s their best against our best. And you’re just happy when your guy wins that battle and helps the team win.”

Ismael Moreno followed with an off-field RBI single to right. Matt Saunders singled in a run in the top of the sixth for a 6-3 lead before Somerset Berkley (2-1) rallied for two runs in the home half of the inning.

Cam Macedo, the winning pitcher in relief, calmed the waters with a 1-2-3 seventh.

Souza wasn’t even close to confident he had won the battle when the high fly came off his bat.

“To be honest, when I first hit it, I thought it was going to be a short fly ball,” Souza said. “So I was a little angry. But then it kept carrying and carrying.”

LOTS OF HITS

The Hilltoppers finished with 14 hits, an interesting mixture of ropes, seeing-eye singles through the infield, and three actual infield hits. Souza (3-for-4, 2 runs), Matt Saunders (2-for-3), Nate Ladeira (2-for-4), Moreno (2-for-4), Remy Dumont (2-for-3, RBI double) were Durfee’s big bats.

Somerset Berkley finished with 10 hits, with its top five batters in the order – Stafford (double), Matt Shea (2-for-4, RBI), Luke Faria (2-for-4), Jake Meehan (2-for-3, RBI), Brady Oliveira (2-for-4, RBI) – accounting for nine of those hits.

“We took advantage of our opportunities when we could,” SBR coach Dennis Almeida said. “Credit Durfee. They had a nice rally themselves. … They did it it both, the hit the ball hard and they hit seeing-eye singles.”

THE PITCHING

Macedo relieved Durfee starter Ethan Ferreira with two outs in the fourth inning and SBR just having gone up 3-1. Ferreira allowed seven hits but two of the three runs against him were unearned. … SBR used five pitchers, starter Tyler McAloon, Stafford, P.J. Moniz, Liam McDonald and Jack Field.

ROCKET OF THE DAY

Dumont produced the hardest hit ball of the game, his RBI double to deep center in the fourth inning to pull Durfee within 2-1.

ADVENTURES ON THE BASEPATHS

Durfee had two outs on the basepaths, a caught stealing/pickoff at first base and an out at home. SBR centerfielder Shea did the honors on the latter, firing home on the fly to nail Curtis Perry on the tag from third base. (Perry was shaken up on the play and did not return.)

TWO STRAIGHT DAYS ON THE MOUND

Stafford had picked up the win in relief on Thursday against Old Rochester and wasn’t going to work long against Durfee. “We knew that Chase had maybe one inning in him,” Almeida said. “Sometimes the save isn’t always the last inning. It was right there.”

Email Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.