The North Jersey Eagles swept a home doubleheader against Quakertown on Saturday, walking off in extras with a 3-2 win in Game 1 and riding Justin Valdespina’s complete-game, 10-strikeout performance to victory in Game 2.

By adding two tallies to the win column, the Eagles (11-13) snapped a five-game losing streak and remain a game behind Trenton for the 4th and final ACBL playoff spot.

The first three innings of Game 1 rolled by in a brisk 30 minutes, as Eagles’ starter Nicholas Masterson and Blazers’ starter Pablo Matos combined to retire the first 17 batters who stepped to the plate.

In the next inning, Quakertown and North Jersey each brought home a run to break open the scoring for the afternoon.

For the Blazers, three consecutive singles with one out culminated in an RBI single from Michael Rothmund.  However, Masterson left the bases loaded to prevent additional damage, and the Eagles’ bats used that momentum to string together three singles of their own and score Andrew Murnane on Chris Baldi’s RBI single.

North Jersey struck again to take the lead in the 5th, as Ryan Rivera walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Matthew Stalter. Quakertown answered in the next half-inning, though, as a hit by pitch and two wild pitches allowed Michael Young to cross home and tie the game at 2-2.

From there, North Jersey’s lineup could not muster a winning run in regulation, but its tandem of relievers Brandon Issa and Mike Sweeney protected the tie by stranding the bases loaded with Blazers in the 7th and 8th innings, respectively.

In the home-half of the 8th inning, Paul Rufo rewarded the bullpen’s hard work.

After Zachary Tondi drew a pinch-hit walk and Matt Stalter singled, the Eagles’ starting shortstop sliced a single down the right-field line to plate Tondi and give North Jersey a walk-off, 3-2 win in 8 innings.

As the Eagles poured onto the field to congratulate Rufo and celebrate their first walk-off  victory of the season, the atmosphere seemed to shift at Overpeck Park, and the weight of a five-game losing skid was lifted from the team’s collective shoulders.

The rejuvenated North Jersey squad came out of the gates swinging in Game 2, sending nine batters to the plate for a season-best five runs in the 2nd inning.

After a Matthew Krupa double and a Zach Tondi single in the early part of the half-inning, four consecutive Eagles reached base safely with two outs to produce all of the inning’s scoring.

Tolly Filotei started by beating out a high chopper to third that allowed Krupa to score. Andrew Murnane followed by wacking a single to center to send home Tondi. Game 1 hero Paul Rufo then reached on a Quakertown error, which permitted Filotei to score. Finally, Luis Amaro broke the game open with a 2-RBI single into left-center to plate Murnane and Rufo.

The lineup’s output would prove to be plenty for Justin Valdespina, who continued a recent hot streak into Game 2 by notching a career-high 10 strikeouts and hurling his second complete game of the season.

In the 4th inning, the Southern New Hampshire product showcased his ability to mix a low 90s fastball with an arsenal of breaking pitches, punching out the side by employing a different pitch to seal each strikeout.

The young right-handed pitcher did not show much fatigue in the latter stages of the game, retiring the final seven Blazers he faced in order to complete North Jersey’s 7-3 victory and clinch the doubleheader sweep.

With its two weekend victories, North Jersey will continue the hunt for a playoff spot on Tuesday, July 14, as the Eagles remain home at Overpeck Park to take on the Jersey Pilots. First pitch will be at 7:00pm, and the pregame show with Eagles broadcaster Dominick Savino will begin at 6:45pm on http://mixlr.com/northjerseyeagles/.