He thought about it all night. What would he say? What would he want someone to say to him had the tables been turned?

Brandon Czaja still doesn’t know.

The Central High first baseman said he’d remain quiet after coming up with a loud hit against defending Class L baseball champion – and Queen City rival – Memorial on Friday, May 4.

Down 7-6 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the junior feasted on a fastball served by Crusaders starter Shane Beauchemin, sending the ball over Memorial right fielder and Auburn native Kyle Morrill’s head, giving the Little Green an 8-7 win.

“The first pitch was a fastball I took for a strike,” said the Candia native of the final at-bat. “Then I got a fastball up in the zone, one of my favorite spots. With two outs, I just wanted a hit, not even the game-winner, but when I was running down the first-base line all I could think was, ‘Please get over his head, please get over his head’.”

It did, scoring Little Green second baseman Andrew Malik and Candia’s Zach Lemire for the win. The gritty performance against a contender tested the Little Green’s young lineup. Fielding three seniors, Central head coach Andy Laroche hopes the win sparks a turnaround to a 2-9 start as of Tuesday, May 8.

“We make a lot of errors,” said Laroche. “Not just physical ones, but mental ones, too. We played West (on April 30) and were leading, 3-2, with two outs in the seventh, and, a couple of errors later, we’d lost. This win means they can play. If they can use it to build up some confidence, hopefully we can start something.”

Memorial head coach Don Menswar agreed with Laroche, praising the opposing nine for their unlikely comeback. But, six errors and 12 men left on base didn’t help the Crusaders either, added Menswar.

While errors are cause for Laroche’s concern, Menswar’s squad is plagued by injuries.

Leadoff hitter Tom Burke missed the Central game due to a “crazy injury,” according to Menswar, in which Burke fouled a ball off his eye during batting practice.

The biggest impact is the loss of Auburn’s Wes Cotnoir, sidelined the remainder of the season with a broken finger suffered May 2. Though Cotnoir won’t see time on the field, the senior’s leadership comes through in his insistence to attend each practice and away game.

“That one will hurt a lot,” said Menswar of Cotnoir’s absence.

“He brings a lot of speed and smartness to the team, but he’s a class kid. He’s there rooting his teammates on when he can’t play. That you can’t coach. It’s what makes Wes so special.”

Though Cotnoir’s loyalties are with the red, white and blue, once the game’s over, the players in green and white transform back into his old baseball buddies.

“A bunch of us played together in Babe Ruth and when we were little,” said Czaja. “I know Shane (Beauchemin) from playing as kids, but I didn’t go up to him after the game. I didn’t know what to say after hitting that ball off him. If I see him, I still don’t know. I think I just won’t say anything.”

On Friday, May 9, Memorial is at Bishop Guertin, and Central hosts Timberlane.