Connellsville Legion outlasts Waynesburg in slugfest
CONNELLSVILLE – Kevin Henry came off the field, pondered the score for a second, then said, “I think our special teams were the difference today.” A quick glance at the score might lead an observer to think it was an NFL game, but it was actually a 21-13 win that his Connellsville American Legion Baseball team had just wrapped up against visiting Waynesburg.
Those who like their baseball with a lot of offense would have enjoyed this one as the two teams combined for 34 runs, 33 hits and 11 errors.
Waynesburg kicked off scoring with nine runs in the second inning, but Connellsville came right back with two, then scored eight in the third and never looked back on the way to its eighth win (8-2, 11-6), heading into a Friday game at Uniontown (Hutchinson).
Henry added, “Waynesburg hit the ball early and got some runs. They are a very young team, and they sure got our attention when they went up 9-0. But we hung in; the older players got us turned around, steadied the younger ones, and we started to come back.
“We got a fine relief effort from Phil Gratchic, who came on in their big second inning, and put down their rush. He’s a real confident pitcher. Then Chris Marsinko, Travis (Henry) and Andy Beucher got some big hits.”
Marsinko led the offense with a double and three singles, Beucher had two triples and four RBI, Henry three singles and four RBI, Zack Leonard and Bubba Fox two singles and three RBI each and Eric Luckey a double and two singles.
Waynesburg coach Sam McLaughlin called the game “a good game but a wild one. But a game like this can also be a help. We are a young team, and we are going to show it. We lose only one player this year, and getting out to a 9-run lead and then scoring 13 against a team like Connellsville has to give them a lot of confidence and hopefully keep their interest going.”
Waynesburg had 13 hits, led by Andy McLaughlin with a double and two singles, Tom Galosinski with two singles and four RBI, Scott Cree a double and single, Aaron Carpenter a double and Rick Stansberry two singles.
Waynesburg led 9-0 in the second. Stansberry’s single and two walks loaded the bases, and Stansberry scored on Galosinski’s squeeze bunt. Then Aaron Palmer and McLaughlin singled, and with two out, Eric Churney singled, Carpenter doubled. Those hits coupled with an error and walk, was all for starter Shawn Durr with Gratchic coming on. A hit batter and Galosinski’s single completed scoring.
Connellsville answered with two in the home second. Henry singled and Luckey walked. Henry moved to third on Brent Wilson’s fly ball and scored on the front end of the double steal with Luckey, who scored on Fox’s single.
Connellsville went ahead for good with eight in the third. Henry, Luckey, Leonard and Fox singled, around a hit batter and a walk, Marsinko doubled, and that was all for Derek Gifford with Stansberry relieving. Gratchic and Henry then singled, around an out, and Luckey doubled.
Waynesburg got one in the fourth when Gifford walked, stole second and scored on Golasinski’s single. But Connellsville rebounded with five, to lead, 15-10, on a walk, an error, errors by Fox Marsinko’s single, Beucher’s triple and an out.
Waynesburg added two in the sixth as Cree and Stansberry singled around a walk and an error. The final run crossed in the seventh on doubles by McLaughlin and Cree.
Connellsville got three in the sixth on singles by Marsinko and Gratchic, Beucher’s triple and Henry’s fly ball.
Scoring ended in the seventh with two runs, on Marsinko’s single and three errors.
Connellsville has a busy week ahead, playing at Uniontown on Friday, at Charleroi Sunday (4 p.m.), and doubleheaders at home with Carmichaels on Monday, and Perryopolis on Wednesday, both at 4 p.m.