Carmichaels takes lead over Connellsville in Legion finals
CONNELLSVILLE – Justin Corso might have been a last minute choice, but he turned out to be the pitcher of the hour. Corso pitched six strong innings of six-hit ball and got the backing of a sixth-inning eruption by his teammates, as Carmichaels broke a hitless spell and went on to defeat host Connellsville, 10-4, in the opening game of the Fayette American Legion Baseball League’s playoff championship series.
Game 2 in the best-of-five set will be played at 5:30 p.m. today at the Mapletown High School Field.
Thursday will be an open date, and then play resumes at Connellsville on Friday, back to Mapletown on Saturday (time TBA), and if a fifth game is needed, it will be played Sunday at Connellsville (time TBA).
The winner will be crowned Fayette Legion League playoff champion and advance to the regional tournament at Charleroi next week, the first step toward qualifying for the state playoffs.
Corso gave up all the Connellsville runs and six of their seven hits, but he was in serious trouble only in the first and third innings. In the first, Connellsville (26-3) loaded the bases, but couldn’t score, and then in they got three runs in the third inning.
Manager Jerry Kowalczyk said, “Corso was really strong for us today, and actually, he was a last minute choice to start. I told him the last couple of games he would be getting a start, and that choice came today.
“Along with his pitching, we had some strong defense on the left side, where Connellsville hit a lot of balls, but Colby Giles led the defense there. We were also playing today without our No. 3 hitter, Shane Busti, who is representing Pennsylvania in the Blue-Gray game being played in Florida.”
Brent Wilson started for Connellsville and threw a very strong five innings, not allowing a hit and having strings of nine and five outs, around a walk to Jono Menhart with one out in the fourth, which, if this had been golf, would have had Wilson one over par for five innings. And until the sixth, that was the only Carmichaels base runner.
Of the 15 outs in that run, only three were ground balls. All the rest were strikeouts, pops or fly balls.
Kowalczyk said, “I was concerned there for a while that he was going to shut us out. But then everybody stepped up at one time in the sixth.”
Connellsville manager Sherwood Hughes said, “Brent was doing very well until the sixth. He threw hard. But then they came on, and they came on strong. We played only a half-game today, and we have to improve on that. It seemed like once we got behind after their big inning we just didn’t come back.
“We had runners on in seven of the nine innings but couldn’t do anything. The first inning was a key one for us for we had the bases loaded and couldn’t get a run in, then I thought we had a big inning going in the third. We missed two chances to really move out.”
Carmichaels (23-3) had nine hits, two each by Jared Lapkowicz and Jamie Kowalczyk, and Jeff Lapkowicz’s double the only extra-base it.
Connellsville had seven singles, three by Bubba Fox.
Connellsville led 3-0 in the third on singles by Fox, Tony Marciante and Brandon Bryner, a passed ball and Zack Leonard’s fly ball.
The final run crossed in the fifth on a leadoff walk to Marciante, an out and Leonard’s single. Leonard went to third on Phil Gratchic’s single and a wild pitch – the last home runner to get that far.
Chris Marsinko was safe on an error and moved ahead on Fox’s bunt in the sixth, and Bryner walked and advanced when Gratchic was hit by a pitch in the seventh, the only runners to get past first after the sixth.
Then Carmichaels took over. Corso led off the big sixth with a single, Drew Denham singled, Giles’ grounder was thrown too late to third for the force, and the bases were loaded. Jono Menhart walked, Jared Lapkowicz singled, Jeff Lapkowicz doubled and Kowalczyk singled before the first out was made, and Matt Fanase grounded to first.
Andy Mazur singled and scored the last run on a wild pitch and an error.
Gratchic took over Connellsville’s pitching to start the seventh and gave up a run in the eighth on Kowalczyk’s single, an error and Corso’s fly ball. In the ninth he gave up a walk to Menhart and Jared Lapkowicz and Fanase singled.
After Bryner walked to lead off the seventh, Fanase relieved Corso and threw one-hit relief the rest of the way as Fox singled in the eighth.
Kowalczyk said, “Corso didn’t want to come out, but he had thrown 100 pitches. I told him at the start of the seventh if he gave up a walk or a hit, he was coming out. When he walked the leadoff batter, Fanase came on, and he was very strong the rest of the way.
As he left the field, Hughes said, “Now we have to win on Wednesday. We can’t afford to go two down against this team.”