Taylor drives Lewton home to clinch 9-inning Blue Mountain win over GK
CARMICHAELS – Blue Mountain manager Dick Krause had to wait an extra two innings to celebrate his 46th birthday on Tuesday after the Copperheads won a 3-2 semifinal playoff game over GK Realty to a take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-5 Fayette County Baseball League playoff series. With darkness looming George Taylor’s bases-loaded single with two outs in the ninth drove in catcher Adam Lewton with the winning run.
At the start of the inning, the umpires informed both benches that each team’s at bat would be their last.
Pitchers J.C. Myers of GK Realty and Kevin Holdsworth of Blue Mountain battled for the better part of seven innings with the teams tied at 2-2.
Myers gave way to GK ace Bobby Madison with the bases loaded in the seventh, and Holdsworth was relieved by Cy Mozingo with one out in the top of the ninth. Madison’s pitching appearance was his third in six days.
Blue Mountain (19-6-2) scored an unearned run in the second inning when Jeff Thompson singled and was forced at second on a ground ball by Chuck Gasti. One out later Gasti stole second and scored on an infield error on a ball hit by Ryan Lewicki.
GK tied the score in its next at bat when Logan Williams singled with one out, Myers walked, and Blake Robinson singled to drive in Williams. Holdsworth retired the next eight batters, six on strikeouts.
The Copperheads regained the lead in the fifth when Lewicki singled and was sacrificed to second by Rick Smykla. Adam Lewton singled and Lewicki scored when the outfield throw went to the fence in front of the GK dugout.
GK Realty (14-12-2) tied the score again in the sixth when Robinson singled and was sacrificed to second by Steve Kezmarsky. Nate Fike’s hard hit ground ball took a sharp hop off an infielder’s glove. Further damage was avoided when Lewton threw out two runners who attempted to steal second.
Holdsworth retired the next seven GK batters before giving way to Mozingo with one out in the ninth.
Myers escaped a bases-loaded situation in the BM seventh with the help of Madison who got the final out. Madison got out of another threat in the eighth with a strikeout after George tripled with two outs.
In the ninth Lewton walked with one out. With two out, Mozingo hit a bloop single, and Gene Franks was intentionally walked. Taylor then became the 15th BM player to enter the game and his win-or-tie walk-off single ended the game.
Krause said afterwards, “We know our pitching has to be real good and Kevin was great. We need our depth because we don’t have the big guys that some teams have.
“This was a great win, and you can’t beat a walk off win in the playoffs. This is going to be a really tough series. They have a good young team that is athletic and they have a lot of guys who can hit the ball.”
GK manager Steve Kezmarsky said his team is new to the league playoffs and initially thought the series was best of 3. “We’re glad it’s best-of-5. We hope to have some of our players back from the beach tomorrow (at the Hutchinson field). We’re killing Madison. He’s done (pitching) for a couple days. We’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll battle.”