Nick Costello (UC San Diego) delivered one of the signature moments of the Y-D season so far when he came off the bench and launched a game-tying, pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning during the 4-4 tie against Bourne on Tuesday.
Y-D was on the brink of losing its seventh consecutive home game on Tuesday, as the team was trailing, 3-2, with no runners on base and two outs in the eighth inning. Y-D manager Scott Pickler decided to turn to his bench and bring in Costello to pinch-hit for Garrett Wright (Tennessee) against Packy Bradley-Cooney (Alabama).
After taking a first-pitch strike, Costello jumped all over a fastball from Bradley-Cooney and drove it 358 feet over the center field wall for a homer to tie the game at 3-3. The blast provided a spark for a struggling Y-D offense, which had just one baserunner since the fifth inning prior to the home run.
“You come in off the bench cold, and you’re just trying to do your best to put a good swing on something,” Costello said. “They’re putting you up there for a reason; just find a good piece to swing at and do something with it.”
Before the crucial homer, Costello was still trying to find his groove at the plate this summer, going 1-for-12 with 10 strikeouts during his first five appearances as a member of Y-D. His Y-D debut against Hyannis last Tuesday was the first game that he had appeared in since Feb. 14 due to a season-ending injury that he suffered on Opening Day with UC San Diego this season.
“(I’ve been) trying to just get my feet wet and get out there,” Costello said. “You get out here with the best of the best on the Cape, and you start to feel a little self-doubt. But, you just have to keep doing your thing, realize you’re here for a reason, and that’s what I did.”
Despite his past season at UC San Diego being shortened due to injury, Costello has still displayed immense talent throughout his four-year career with the school. During his junior season in 2024, Costello crushed a team-leading 10 home runs with a .923 OPS and earned an All-Big West Honorable Mention.
Costello’s huge hit on Tuesday got the Y-D offense going, sparking a two-out rally to give Y-D its first lead since the fourth inning. Dean Carpentier (USC) worked a walk in the following at-bat, then A.J. Nessler (Pittsburgh) drove him in with an RBI double to put Y-D ahead, 4-3.
“There are a lot of fans here, and they really get excited for wins, and it’s cool because in summer ball that doesn’t happen a lot,” Costello said. “We’re a resilient team, and we just want to make good games and find ways to win.”
Although Bourne was able to strike back in the ninth inning with a home run by Drew Wyers (Mississippi State), Y-D still secured a 4-4 tie and snapped a streak of six straight home losses. Costello hopes that the long ball in the eighth is just the first of many key moments that he can deliver down the stretch of the season.
“It was awesome; I finally got to say ‘what’s up’ to the bullpen out there,” Costello said. “That was my first time rounding the bases here, so that was nice. … It’s baseball, it’s hard, and you just have to take it as it comes and give it your best.”
Following an off-day on Wednesday, Costello and the rest of Y-D will have a chance to regain sole possession of first place in the East Division when they travel to face Brewster at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
