With one out in the top of the ninth inning at PRASCO Park, Natale Monastra stepped to the plate with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out. The Jays were clinging to a 9-8 lead over the 2-seed Musketeers and John Sakowski was gearing up to throw his 69th pitch in his three innings of relief. He’d been out on the mound for what seemed like an eternity, surrendering his first hit just one at-bat prior, praying for a double play.
This was a do-or-die moment for both teams, with All-BIG EAST slugger Conor Grammes due up next, and the Jays emptying the tank to win now as opposed to dancing around the rain the following day to try to clinch their first ever BIG EAST tournament title.