Blue Mountain takes 2-0 series lead
HOPWOOD – A big inning that wasn’t and a big inning that was made the difference in Blue Mountain’s 9-2 win over GK Realty on Thursday. The result gave the victorious Copperheads a 2-0 lead in the Fayette County Baseball League’s best-of-5 semifinal series. Blue Mountain (20-6-2) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Chuck Gasti singled and Gene Franks homered to left field one out later.
GK Realty (14-13-2) had Copperhead pitcher Zack Jeney on the ropes in the bottom of the inning. Blake Robinson singled, Steve Kezmarsky walked, and pitcher Nate Fike singled to cut the lead to 2-1. One out later, Jeney walked Carmen Congelio to load the bases.
But the potential big inning became a missed opportunity when Jeney struck out the next two batters to begin a string of 17 straight batters that he retired through the sixth inning.
Blue Mountain’s big inning was the third, when Franks and J.W. Kayla each singled around a pair of fly outs against relief pitcher Gio Schiano. Cy Mozingo walked to load the bases, and Ron Nopwasky’s two-out single drove in Franks and Kayla, and Mozingo scored when the ball was bobbled in the outfield. Adam Lewka then singled to drive in Nopwasky for a 6-1 lead.
Jeney struck out 10 batters and his team’s defense was perfect before Tyler Schrader pitched the seventh inning in relief.
Nopwasky singled to drive in Eric Holt in the BM fifth and Gasti singled one batter later to drive in Nopwasky for an 8-1 lead.
The Copperheads added their final run in the seventh when Nopwasky doubled and scored two batters later on a double by Rick Smykla.
Schrader extended the string of retired batters to 19 in the GK seventh, before Schiano beat out an infield hit, Eric Fudala singled, and another infield hit by J.C. Myers drove in Schiano to end the scoring.
Copperhead manager Dick Krause said he isn’t taking tonight’s potential series clinching game at home for granted. “Nothing has been decided. I’ve been down 2-0 and come back to win, and up 2-0 and lost.”
He said Jeney “got out of a real jam with the bases loaded and gave up only one run. He got out with minimal damage and over 40 pitches, then settled down and gave us what we needed.”
Krause also praised Nopwasky’s three hit, three RBI performance. “He had the big hit in the fourth inning. He’s a clutch player. This was a good team win with a lot of players contributing.”
GK manager Steve Kezmarsky agreed with Krause on Nopwasky’s third inning hit. “We were one pitch away with the bases loaded and they got that hit. I tip my hat to Nate (Fike) for trying to pitch with a hurt arm.
“Our guys knew about their pitcher and we had our chances early in the game but couldn’t capitalize. Everyone is going to pitch but me (on Friday). We’re out of pitchers and bodies and our three and four hitters are not here.”
Blue Mountain won Game 1 in nine innings.