Big inning leads to victory for Mitch’s Bail Bonds
Dunbar third baseman Mark Cable tags Mitch's Bail Bonds' Chad Pappasergi with his glove, but holds the ball in his right hand, and get the out call during Thursday's Fayette County Baseball League game in Connellsville Twp.
Derek McIlvaine of Mitch's Bail Bonds is out at first as Dunbar's Jim Hay takes the throw during Thursday's Fayette County Baseball League game in Connellsville Twp.
Mitch's Bail Bonds' Jim Chester hits a sacrifice fly to drive in the second of his three RBI as Mitch's defeated Dunbar, 11-8, Thursday in Fayette County Baseball League action at Soberdash Field in Connellsville Twp.
?CONNELLSVILLE TWP. — A five-run fifth inning was the difference in Mitch’s Bail Bonds’ 11-8 Fayette County League win over Dunbar on Thursday.
Before that inning, Dunbar had led 2-1 and then rallied for a 3-3 tie. But after Mitch’s built an 8-3 lead, the visitors were able to hold on after Dunbar scored five runs in the final three innings.
Mitch’s (7-5) took a 1-0 lead in the first when Simeon Bell singled, stole second, and scored on Jim Chester’s one out double.
Dunbar (1-10) took a 2-1 lead in the second when Jake Swink led off with a triple and scored on Jim Hay’s ground out. With two outs, Ryan Murphy walked and came around to score on successive singles by Mark Cable and Kyle Martin.
Mitch’s regained the lead with two outs in the third when Pat Gannon singled in Ethan Cieply and Isaiah Bell singled to drive in Jim Chester.
Trailing 3-2, Dunbar tied the score in the third when Alex Fogle tripled and scored on starting pitcher Brandon Noonan’s single.
In the MBB fifth, successive singles by Mick Betler, manager Ryan Encapera, and Taylor Andrisko brought Betler home. Derek McIlvaine was safe on a throwing error, Simeon Bell hit into a force out at home plate, but Cieply’s infield hit scored Andrisko, Chester’s sacrifice fly drove in McIlvaine, and Gannon’s single drove in Bell and Cieply.
Dunbar cut the lead to 8-5 in the fifth when Fogle doubled and scored on Swink’s single, and pinch runner Don Fuoss scored on an error.
Mitch’s scored three big runs in the sixth when Cieply doubled with one out and scored on Chester’s single. Gannon was hit by a pitch, and Mick Betler singled with two outs to drive in Chester and Gannon.
Dunbar scored twice in the sixth when singles by Mark Cable, Martin, and Cody Ward loaded the bases. A pair of walks cut the score to 11-8 as Cable and Martin scored. The hosts made it 11-8 in the seventh when Murphy tripled and scored on Cable’s ground out.
Encapera said afterwards that “big hits” by Chester and Gannon fueled the five-run fifth. “A lot of players came up big for us,” at the plate. He said winning pitcher Zac Edmiston was seeing his first mound action in months after an injury. Jim Kirker pitched the fifth and sixth innings and Cieply closed the game out.
“Cieply is a tough guy to hit late in the game,” Encapera said. Mitch’s plays a doubleheader tonight at Belmont Inn and Encapera said he planned his pitching rotation with the week’s tough schedule in mind.
On the other hand, Dunbar is off until Thursday. “Our hitting has definitely been coming around,” said Dunbar manager Jeff McWilliams. “I’d rather play, but it’s the holiday break.”
McWilliams said his team has been hurt by one bad inning in many games. “It seems like that’s been our season. We play good ball, and one bad inning is the difference in the game.”