Aug 19, 2010 By Jonathan Guth 3 min read

CARMICHAELS – Bud Murphy’s got going in a big way as the Cokers forced Game 7 with a 10-1 victory over Blue Mountain Wednesday night at Carmichaels High School in the Fayette County Baseball League playoff championship finals. The game was called after six innings due to darkness. Bud Murphy’s (25-8-2) and Blue Mountain (24-9-2) will play for the championship tonight at Breakneck Field in Bullskin Township with the first pitch scheduled for 5:45 p.m.

“It was only fitting for this series to go seven games,” Bud’s manager Lou Pasquale said. “These are the two best teams in the league.”

The Cokers’ Ben Herrington made his first appearance in roughly 45 days count as the hurler picked up the win on the mound. Herrington allowed one run on six hits in six innings. He fanned four batters and walked three.

“We got a great performance out of Ben,” Pasquale said. “The bats came alive at the right time.”

It took Bud’s three innings to get going, but the visitors exploded for six runs on five hits in the fourth inning to take a 6-1 lead.

Andy Schleihauf led off with a single and courtesy runner Kaitan Smiley scored as Brian Sankovich hit a deep single to tie the game at one. After Dave Gonas singled, Bill Rouse’s triple on a 2-0 count sent Sankovich and Gonas home for a 3-1 Bud’s advantage.

After Jared Early reached base via error, Cole Lowman’s RBI sacrifice fly scored Rouse for a 4-1 lead and Jason Greene’s two-run single scored Early and Casey Teagarden, who had reached base on an error.

“It was terrible,” Blue Mountain manager Richard Krause said. “We just didn’t play. Justin Schrader has been a workhorse for us, but we had a lot of defensive mistakes.”

Schrader allowed seven runs on six hits in four innings of work. He struck out six and walked one.

The Cokers tacked on four runs in the fifth inning when Cole Lowman knocked a ball over the right-field fence for a grand slam and a 10-1 Bud’s advantage. Lowman had five RBI’s and drew one walk.

“We had some timely hits and a got a big home run from Cole,” Pasquale said.

The Copperheads drew first blood in the bottom of the third when JW Kayla’s RBI single scored George Taylor for a 1-0 lead. Taylor walked to lead off the inning.

Kayla was 2-for-3 with two singles and an RBI.

The Copperheads got off on the right track in the first inning when Herrington walked leadoff batter Chuck Gasti, but the Cokers’ infield forced the Carmichaels grad out at second base, 6-4 on a ball hit by John Leonard.

Schleihauf showed off his arm when he nailed Leonard at second base as Early applied the tag, although Gene Franks smacked a double and Kayla picked up a single to put runners on second and third. Herrington buckled down and got the next batter to strikeout as Bud’s escaped without any damage being done.

Gonas picked up two singles and scored twice for the Cokers.

“We are going to play hard tomorrow,” Krause said.

Krause has managed the Copperheads to seven titles, while Bud’s has four when general manager Tom Sankovich was at the helm. Pasquale is seeking back-to-back titles as he guided Mario’s to the championship last season over Blue Mountain.

“This game is over,” Pasquale said. “We have to wake up and act like it never happened. I tell the guys we have to have convenient amnesia.”