Rough start costs Uniontown in Legion loss to Connellsville
HOPWOOD – Baseball is played by innings and football by halves, but it was just the reverse in this game. Connellsville and host Uniontown were listed as playing an American Legion baseball game at the Hutchinson Field, but the football “two halves” rule sort of got into the picture.
Actually, it was a case of Connellsville getting a quick start the first four innings, and Uniontown coming back after that, but Connellsville had a big early jump on the way to scoring their fifth consecutive victory, 7-3, while handing Uniontown its first loss.
Uniontown manager Ron Popovich said, “This was a game of two halves, Connellsville winning the first half and us the second. Connellsville stepped on the field ready to play, but it took us four innings to get into gear.
“By the fifth inning, they made us a better team in overall play, and we knew that we were going to have to earn anything we got, for they weren’t going to give us anything. But we put things together for the second half of the game. They won the first four innings and we won the next five.”
Andy Beucher went the distance for Connellsville, allowing 10 hits, and other than the fifth inning he held the home team scoreless. He struck out 11, ending six of the nine innings with a strikeout.
Connellsville manager Sherwood Hughes added, “Other than the fifth, Andy was in control. He seems to get stronger as he goes along. I considered taking him out, but he assured me he was OK and wanted to stay in the rest of the way. One big point for us was the defense coming up with some fine plays when they did get runners on base.”
A very key factor for Connellsville was Beucher and catcher Jon Stutzman combining to pick four runners off base, Beucher getting two at first and Stutzman one each at third and second.
Hughes said, “Those four pickoffs were very big defensive plays for us.”
To which Popovich added, “We had a rough start, with some errors and four runners picked off putting us in a hole. The biggest play was catching our runner at third, for we had two good hitters coming up. Beucher pitched a good game, but while we had 10 hits and chances to score, mental mistakes took us out of the game.”
Mike Allison relieved starter and loser Brad Yohman in the fourth inning, when Connellsville had extended its lead to 7-0, and worked two-hit shutout ball the rest of the way.
Of which Hughes noted, “We got our share of runners on base against Allison, but we couldn’t get them in. We tried everything, squeezes, whatever, but we couldn’t score on him. He was very effective.”
Brandon Bryner had a double, two singles, and two RBIs for Connellsville, Beucher drove in three runs with a double and a fly ball, and Chris Marsinko, Bubba Fox, and Tony Marciante had two hits each. For
Uniontown, Brennan Dayton hit a triple and single, Greg Palladino a two-run double, and Justin Luckey and Frank Faust a brace of singles each.
Connellsville led 1-0 in the first on Fox and Marciante singles, and Beucher’s fly ball. Singles by Marsinko, Fox, Marciante, and Bryner upped the lead to 3-0 in the third.
Four runs in the fourth were the clincher. Brad Livingston was hit by a pitch, Justin Marsinko walked, Chris Marsinko singled to load the bases, and Fox scored Livingston with a perfect squeeze bunt. Marciante was aboard on a fielder’s choice, Beucher doubled in two, and Bryner scored Marciante with a fly ball.
Uniontown got all their runs in the fifth. Dayton tripled to right leading off and scored on Faust’s single. Luckey and Yohman singled, and with two down Palladino doubled in two.
Connellsville hosts Masontown Tuesday. Uniontown will play an exhibition home doubleheader with Springdale on Sunday, starting at 5 p.m., then returns to league play on Monday at Waynesburg.