Shipley’s 8th-inning homer lifts Buds to victory over Perry
BREAKNECK – Brian Shipley wasn’t too happy with those two “K” marks beside his name in the scorebook so he decided to do something about them. Shipley hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday to clinch a 4-2 win for Bud Murphy’s over Perryopolis in County Baseball League play, the fifth win in a row for the host team.
Perryopolis led 2-0 until the last of the fifth, when Bud’s scored two to tie, and then won in the eighth. With one out, Brian Sankovich hit his second single. The first pitch to Shipley was high, but the second pitch, a curve about belt high, went flying over the left field fence. It was also the only extra-base hit of the game.
Shipley, who also coaches varsity baseball at Southmoreland, said of his clincher, “The last three times up I didn’t swing the bat all that well, so I made a little adjustment in my swing and it paid off. I hit a curve. He had thrown the pitch to me a couple times before, so I was sort of looking for it.”
Shipley struck out twice, around a fourth inning single, of which he said, “I can’t remember the last time I did that twice in one game. Last year I struck out only once all season.”
The homer ended a fine pitchers’ battle between Perry’s Ryan Shetterly and Bud’s Nick Damico with Matt Basinger coming on in relief for Bud’s in the seventh.
Bud’s had runners on base every inning but could capitalize only in the fifth and eighth.
Perry missed a runner aboard only in the fourth.
Manager Tom Sankovich said, of the runners left on base, “Early in the game both sides had chances to score and didn’t. We just couldn’t bunt the ball today. We tried five times and didn’t make it, which could have cost us the game. If we had been able to bunt the ball, we might have won in regulation. But it was a good game all around by both sides, and the pitching was great.”
Perryopolis manager Mike Matras said, “The pitching was fine on both sides, but it just seems that every game there has to be one inning or one play that gets to us. I thought we played good defense back of Ryan, including two double plays, and then they got a big one on us. We’re still trying to get our eye at the plate, and we are taking too many pitches, too many third strikes.”
Perryopolis had six hits, two each by Matt Chalfant and Mike Doppelheuer.
Bud’s counted nine hits with Sankovich, Shipley and Joe Bonadio sharing six of them.
Perryopolis led 1-0 in the third. With two out, Chris McManus was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Doppelheuer’s single.
The second run counted in the fifth. With one out, Chalfant singled, stole second and continued to third on a high throw down, scoring on McManus’ single.
Bud’s tied it in the fifth. After two out, Bonadio lined sharply to third with Doppelheuer trying for the short hop and the ball skittering off his glove. Greg Beucher walked, and Sankovich singled sharply to right. Bonadio scored, and Beucher, running with the crack of the bat, scored all the way from first.
Matras said, “That play was a big one. The ball just popped away from Mike.”
Sankovich said, “Greg’s run was really a key play. It was great hustle on his part, running like he did with two out.”
Both teams will be in action on Sunday, Perryopolis at home to The Lockerroom at 1 p.m., and Bud’s playing at Carmichaels at 5 p.m. in the second rematch this year of last season’s playoff finalists.
Carmichaels won their first meeting 9-0.