Fayette County Baseball League
Brownsville downs Anthony Crane, awaits tournament seeding REPUBLIC – Now comes the waiting part for Brownsville and Anthony Crane.
Both teams have qualified for the Fayette County Baseball League’s playoff championship series, scheduled to start Sunday, but it’s a question of where they will be placed in the pairings and whom they will play in the opening round.
Brownsville (11-16) finished regular season play Tuesday by downing Anthony Crane, 10-7. While Brownsville is finished, Crane (10-15-1) has one more game left, against Connellsville on Saturday at the Laurel Highlands Field. Brownsville has 22 points, while AC has 21, it but could move into a tie for fifth in the point standings by beating Connellsville.
Bud Murphy’s (44) has clinched East Division honors, and Carmichaels (38) ditto in the West Division, so they will draw the one and two seeds with the other teams lined up according to point totals. Bud’s will play the No. 8 team, Carmichaels the seventh, third place meets sixth and fourth plays fifth.
Jason Campbell worked six innings for Brownsville and gave up all seven hits and seven runs to AC with Kevin Dvorchak pitching the hitless seventh. All AC hits were singles, two by Ryan Encapera (3 RBI) and John Harvey. Brownsville had 11 hits with Dvorchak driving in three runs with a single, triple and two sacrifice flies. Dane Durinzi hit a double and single and manager Dan Kupets and Campbell had two singles apiece.
Brownsville got a 2-0 lead in the first, and then after AC tied the game in the second, Brownsville scored five runs in the third and three in the fourth to wrap it up.
Kupets said, “We hit the ball early and got out to a quick lead, and that was the key. Everybody in the lineup made contact today, especially with men on base. We got a couple, they got a couple, I thought we matched up well, and even when we were up 7-2 and 10-4, they kept coming back on us.”
AC manager Lou Pasquale said, “We just didn’t generate enough offense. We had a big chance in the fourth but left the bases loaded, and we didn’t get a hit after the fourth.”
Despite the loss, Pasquale was pleased with the pitching of Eric Highberger, who threw zeroes after the fourth.
Paquale said, “This was the first time he has pitched since early June. He had shoulder trouble in high school and an MRI showed some muscle problems. This was only his third time pitching, although he has played other positions, and he had a good effort.”
After Brownsville scored three runs in the fourth, Highberger retired 12 consecutive batters, only three on outfield flies. He went to the full count on just one batter in that run, Jason Cramer who flied to center ending the fifth.
Brownsville led 2-0 in the first. Jim Ducar led off the game with Highberger’s only walk, Durinzi doubled him to third, and he scored on Dvorchak’s fly ball. Durinzi went to third and scored on the first of Cales’ two sacrifice flies.
AC tied the game in the second on singles by Encapera and Len Pasquale, an out and Bill Rouse’s single.
Brownsville went ahead for good with five runs in the third on successive singles by Dvorchak, Cales, Dan Kupets, Campbell and Casey Kupets, along with an error and a passed ball.
AC came back with two in its third. With two out, Harvey singled, Lou Pasquale walked and both moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Encapera’s single.
Brownsville ended the scoring in the fourth with three runs on an error, Durinzi’s single, Dvorchak’s triple and Cales’ fly ball. With that out, Highberger started his run of 12.
Crane closed its scoring with three runs in the fourth. Joe Locke was safe on an error and was forced by Steve Garafola, and then with two out, Jason Greene walked, Bill Scrip and Harvey singled to score Garafola and leave the bases loaded and Len Pasquale and Encapera walked to force in two more runs.