Dan Sharkey's life was saved by baseball.

And the 29-year-old Downingtown product keeps paying the sport back by playing with lots of passion and emotion.

That passion and emotion, as well as Sharkey's tremendous talent, was all on display in the bottom of the sixth inning on Saturday in the fifth and deciding game of the Tri-County League Championship Series.

With his team trailing 1-0, Sharkey stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.

He cleared them with one swing of the bat, a dramatic grand slam over the left-field fence that sent the Northern Yankees on to a 4-1 win over the Boyertown Metz and their second consecutive Tri-Co title.

"That was pretty cool. … just awesome" Sharkey said. "This game has been good to me. If you do the right things, good things can happen."

Sharkey's once promising baseball career was derailed by battles with alcohol and drug addiction that began while he was in college. He received two DUIs within a span of six months and spent four months in a halfway house.

But he turned his life around 2 1/2 years ago when he returned to baseball, first at the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy and resumed his college career at Lehigh Carbon Community College.

In the spring 2011, he scored the game-winning run as LCCC won its league championship.

"That was a thrill, but this one ranks right up there," Sharkey said. "I love this game. I love these guys. To have an experience like this sums it all up."

The Scherersville-based Yankees had won the first two games of the best-of-five series, lost the next two, and were handcuffed through five innings by Boyertown's Steven Price.

The lone Boyertown run came in the third when Chris Werner doubled and scored on an error by Sharkey at third base.

Entering the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees had just two hits — one of them being a fourth-inning double by Sharkey.

"[Price] was tough," Sharkey said. "He pitched us well."

But this Price wasn't right in the sixth, at least for four batters.

Nick Rabasco walked and stole second. Rabasco advanced to third on Jacen Nalesnik's single to center and Nalesnik moved up to second on the throw to the plate.

That opened a base for slugger Adam Sandt, who was intentionally walked.

With Boyertown ace Chuck Nicholas warming up, Price stayed in to face Sharkey, but hung a first-pitch curveball to Sharkey.

"I knew I needed to put a good swing on the ball," Sharkey said. "I knew I hit it hard, but I didn't know it was gone until I rounded second."

A hearty celebration ensued at home plate, but an even bigger one followed after Calarco worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh by getting Josh Schnell on grounder to first.

"This was a great season all around and everybody chipped in," Calarco, a Tamaqua High grad, said. "I can't really come up with the perfect words right now."

Calarco, who went the distance with a 10-inning, 10-strikeout performance against Boyertown in Game 1, wasn't perfect on the mound.

He gave up eight hits, but stranded eight runners.

"Boyertown played a heck of a series," Calarco said. "They were right with us every inning. I gave up a run early, but I just wanted to keep them there."

Calarco noted that Sunday marks the beginning of the Discovery Channel's 25th anniversary of "Shark Week."

"I think 'Shark Week' began one day early," he said, referring to Sharkey's big moment. "He just came up big. He had an error in the third inning when they scored, but I told him to keep his head up. Wouldn't you know it, he made a diving stop later in the game defensively and then he hit that grand slam."

Calarco, who struck out four, said that the only thing more difficult than winning one title was repeating as champs this year. The Yankees finished 29-9-1, 6-2 in the postseason.

"I felt that Boyertown actually outplayed us today and for a young team they played us tough all series," Yankees manager Brian Polaha said. "We were totally anemic through five innings, but we knew Calarco would keep us there and all we needed was one big inning. Rabasco got it started and Sharkey finished it."

Boyertown finished 22-17, including a sweep of perennial power Gabelsville in the semis.

"The Yankees are a good team, but we played them hard," Metz manager Mike Speilman said. "I'm very proud of my guys. We have a lot of young guys with talent and they have a lot of fun."

Boyertown Metz    001 000 0 — 1 8 1

Northern Yankees  000 004 x — 4 4 2

Price and Jamie Soupik; Calarco and Faust. HR: NY, Sharkey (6th, 3 on). 2B: Werner (B); Sharkey (NY).