RADNOR, PA — Nick Gilroy put the “walk” in walk-off today.

In a 3-3 game in the bottom of the seventh after Upper Darby rallied to tie it in the top of the inning, Gilroy worked a bases loaded one-out walk to end this game and end the Patriots’ three game losing streak after their opening day win over Germantown Friends.

It was Upper Darby who struck first in the top of the first whenNate O’Donnell singled to lead off the game and Yerlin Feliez doubled, setting the stage for Pat Callahan. Callahan flied out to left field, but it was plenty deep to score O’Donnell and take a 1-0 lead off of Carroll starter Max Barnes.

Fast forward to the bottom of the second, Carroll answered back with three runs of their own off of Upper Darby starter Jake Fredrick. Nick Gilroy laced a first pitch single to lead off the inning, and with one out Gilroy stole second then was driven in on a double by John Thomson.

After walks by Jack Benner and Lucas Wilson, Jalyn Tidwell drove them both in with a two-out double to make it 3-1.

That 3-1 lead held for a while.

Max Barnes gave Carroll 5.1 strong innings, with Frederick going 5.2 for Upper Darby.

The Royals got one back in the top of the sixth after a walk to Feliez and a Tim Ramirez hit by pitch knocked Barnes out of the game and brought in Colin Moran. Feliez promptly scored on a passed ball cutting the lead to 3-2.

Fast forward to the top of the seventh with Upper Darby down to their final three outs, it was about to become the Ray Fonio show.

Fonio singled up the middle to get the inning going. Albert MacMichael did his job laying a bunt down to get Fonio over to second, but a Nate O’Donnell fly-out off of new pitcher Gavin Moore had the Royals down to their final out.

On the first pitch of the next at bat, Fonio advanced to third on a passed ball. He liked it so much he thought he might do it again on a 2-0 pitch, swiping home to tie this game up on their last breath.

In the bottom of the seventh off of Upper Darby reliever AJ Roney, it was Carroll’s time for a little rally.

James Davin led off the inning with a four pitch walk, and Jalyn Tidwell followed that up with a walk of his own. Ryan Heffernan then got down a sacrifice bunt to put the winning run 90 feet away.

Upper Darby wanted no part of facing Division I Mt. Sount Mary’s recruit Gavin Moore, so he was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. Nick Gilroy then came up, he already had two hits to his name.

Gilroy got ahead in the count 3-0 and had the green light, taking a hack and fouling it off. After swinging at strike two, he took ball four to win this game in a true walk-off fashion.

Non-conference games can be tough because you want to give everything you have to win games, but the reality is these games don’t matter for playoff positioning. Only conference games do.

Good luck telling either of these teams that.

Nick Gilroy had two hits and the walk-off walk for Carroll, Justin Butler had two knocks for Upper Darby,

Carroll (0-1 in PCL) will be back in action for a Delco-on-Delco PCL matchup Monday at rival O’Hara (1-0).

Upper Darby (0-3 in Central League) will have a tough matchup with Lower Merion (2-1) on Monday.