Bud Murphy’s knocks off Mill Run
BREAKNECK – Give Round One to Bud Murphy’s. Bud’s and Mill Run – the Kilkenny Cats of Fayette County League Baseball – went at it again Sunday at Breakneck Field, with Mill Run holding the edge until the fifth inning.
Then Bud’s scored four runs, and added two insurance scores in the sixth, to win its first match of the season, 7-3.
Their return go is slated for Mill Run on Sunday afternoon, June 23, at 2 p.m.
Nick Damico went the distance for Bud’s, allowing six hits, but only two after the third inning. Until the fifth, Mill Run was up 3-1. Jeremy Miller homered for Mill Run in the third, and after that, Damico ceded a two-out double to Ray Orndorff in the sixth and a one-out single to Todd Bell in the seventh, and not a runner got past second.
Mill Run manager Bugs Orndorff said, “They outhit us, but that’s baseball. You don’t score runs if you don’t hit the ball, and Damico didn’t give us too many chances to do that. You can’t give Bud’s anything, for one break and they will be on you.”
It was just the opposite for Bud’s. The Eastern Division leaders (5-1) had 16 hits, led by Joe Bonadio with three. Jack Smarslak added two doubles, Brian Shipley smacked a homerun, and Brian Sankovich, Tony Rose, Jef Lander and Shaun Lucy had two singles each.
Manager Tom Sankovich said, “We have been struggling at the plate lately, but today we not only got some hits we got some two-strike hits. Their pitcher was working well until we caught up to him in the fifth. But while we were not hitting like I feel we could and should be, we were not striking out. Today we only struck out twice.”
Mill Run’s six hits included Miller’s homer, Orndorff’s double, Dan Gratchic’s double and single and Mike Doppelheuer’s triple,
Mill Run led 2-0 in the first. With one out, Gratchic hit for three to right and held on a groundout. John Warrick walked, and Doppelheuer’s triple to right scored both.
Bud’s got one in the second, with two out, after Rose’s singled, Lander was hit by a pitch, and Lucy singled. Miller offset that with a first-pitch homer to left leading off the third, after which Damico shut the door.
Bud’s took the lead for good in the fifth, 5-3. Shipley homered over the fence in right leading off, and Smarslak hit for two. With one out, Rose and Lander singled, coupled with an error. With two down, Bonadio singled, and Greg Beucher walked. That was all for starter-loser Chris Brunson, and Jeff Kooser relieved him, ceding a single to Brian Sankovich to end the scoring.
Two more crossed in the sixth on Smarlak’s second double leading off, Mark Edenfield’s single, an error and Bonadio’s single.
Manager Sankovich added, “Do you know what was a big point for us today? Along with the nine players on the field, we also had nine players available on our bench. That is a real big help for this team. They all didn’t get in today (15 did), but they all will before the season is too far along.
“It’s also a good note that Joe Bonadio is our leading hitter so far in the season, and he wasn’t even sure he was going to play this year until the night before our first game.”
Bud’s will be on the road Wednesday, playing at Brownsville (Republic), while Mill Run hosts Connellsville Tuesday.