Mill Run tops Charleroi in opener
MILL RUN – This was an opening-day baseball game, and both sides must have had a mailman or two in the lineup. For just as rain, snow, etc., won’t stay the postal department, neither was rain, cold, occasional winds and a periodic bit of gloom thrown in for good (bad?) measure about to stay these two teams from their scheduled rounds.
Charleroi got out to an early lead, but host Mill Run rebounded to win 10-5, and get the Fayette County Baseball League officially opened Sunday.
But there were times when the weather maker got baseball time confused with late football season. Sprinkles fell intermittently, and cold winds chilled the spectators, but it didn’t bother the players on the field. They went at it as if it was World Series time instead of the first day.
Charleroi pitcher Tom Stima literally got off to a fast start. His fastball looking in midseason form, he fanned four batters in the first two innings and finished with 12 overall. But Mill Run found its bats in the third, and that was it.
Mill Run pitcher Doug Gallick was just the opposite. Charleroi tagged him for five runs and four hits in the first three innings, but he ceded only one single after that, by Derek DiPiazza with one out in the fourth. He walked only one batter, Scooter DeUnger with one out in the fifth. And he was grateful he had to face only one Jarrad Essey, who hit a home run, single and drove in four runs for the Tiremen.
Manager Bugs Orndorff said, “This is the best way to start off a new season. Doug really threw hard for us. He has been playing college ball this spring, so he was ready to go. It was tough for a while – their pitcher was really strong – but then we started to hit after the third.
“Another big factor today was we were able to get almost every player (15) into the game in some respect. It sure was different today playing with wooden bats, instead of the aluminum bats we have been using. The ball doesn’t take off from the wooden bat like it does from aluminum.”
Over the winter, the County League discarded aluminum bats and went back to using wooden ones.
Charleroi coach Luke Mollis added, “We got off to a good start and had the lead, but then they started to hit and that was it.”
Along with Essey’s hitting, Mollis had a double. Mill Run’s nine hits included two by Dennis Show, Chris Firestone and Dan Gratchic. Firestone’s triple was the only one for extra bases.
Charleroi led 2-0 in the first. With one out, DeUnger was aboard on an error, Mollis doubled him to third, Essey singled for one and another run counted on an overthrow. It was 5-0 in the third. With two down, DeUnger singled, Mollis was safe on an error and Essey homered past the ashpile in right.
Mill Run came back with five in the third. Rich Orndorff walked, Gratchic and Brian Shearer singled, Show walked, Jeremy Miller drove in Gratchic with a flyball to center, Firestone singled, John Warrick was intentionally walked to load them up and Jim Warrick’s force play and an error made it 5-5.
The Millers went ahead for good, 6-5, in the fourth when Gratchic singled and came around on a wild pitch and Show’s single. Four runs in the fifth wrapped it up, counting on Firestone’s leadoff triple, John Warrick’s flyball, a walk, an error and singles by Orndorff and Show.
Mill Run will be home Tuesday, against Anthony Crane, and Brownsville visits Charleroi.