May 23, 2003 By Jim Kriek For The 4 min read

BREAKNECK – Justin Schrader individually, and Carmichaels as a team, combined to write a little bit of County Baseball League history here yesterday. Schrader pitched a five-hitter and struck out 11 as Carmichaels collared Bud Murphy’s, 8-0, here at the Breakneck Field, for their second win in as many starts, while dropping Bud’s to 0-2.

Bud’s manager Tom Sankovich said, “This is the first time since we have been playing in this league that we have started off 0-2. We were beaten by a real fine pitching effort. But when you don’t score runs you can’t expect to win.”

As to the last time Bud’s was shutout, Sankovich added, “I really can’t remember.”

Schrader was in control all the way, and of his 11 strikeouts, only Brian Shipley and Ryan Miscik escaped having at least one ‘K’ after their name in the scorebook. He walked three, and of the five singles he allowed, Shipley and Jeff Lander split four of them, and Greg Beucher got the other.

Copperheads manager Dickie Krause said, “When you face the toughest lineup in the league and shut them out, that is something. I’m very pleased with what he did.

“A big factor was our playing errorless defense behind Justin. Overall, our young players came on well in a good blend with the veterans. This is a real nice win, coming so early in the season plus not being sure yet about some of our personnel, but when you get a win here at this field, it’s a big one.”

Bud’s kicked up some dust in the sixth, loading the bases on Shipley’s one out single, Lander’s two-out single, and a walk to Mark Riggin, at which point Krause went to the mound to talk with his pitcher and catcher.

Krause said, “I just asked him how he felt, and he said OK. Anyway, at that point of the game I wasn’t about to take him out. It was his game.”

Schrader showed how “OK” he was by striking out the next batter to end the game.

Until the sixth inning, baseball partisans couldn’t have asked for a better game. Schrader and Bob Saddler were locked up in a good mound duel, each allowing three hits to that point, behind errorless play. But one of the Carmichaels hits was a two-out homer to left by Charlie Humes in the first that gave them a 1-0 lead that stood until the sixth, when the visitors put seven more on the board. Overall, both pitchers walked three and fanned 11 each.

Bud’s had another threat going in the fourth, but Schrader shut the door again. With one out, Shipley singled, Jim Burns walked, and Lander singled to load the bases. Then Schrader got two strikeouts to end that threat.

Of the 18 outs collected by Schrader, 11 were strikeouts, just two were by the outfield, and five were grounders. Of Saddler’s 18 outs, 11 were strikeouts, two were outfield flies, two were infield pops, and three were groundouts.

Carmichaels put the game away in the sixth, scoring seven runs.

With one out, Humes walked and Eric Holt singled him to third, taking second on the throw in, and Duane Dupont walked to load the bases. Scott Swinchock singled for two, and Schrader helped his win along with an RBI single. That was all for Saddler and Chris Fisher relieved. He walked George Taylor to load the bases, and Jeff Thompson promptly unloaded them with a grand slam shot into the trees in left.

There were only two extra-base hits in the game, Humes and Thompson homers, with Holt having three of the Carmichaels hits.

Bud’s will host Connellsville Sunday at 5 p.m. Tuesday’s rained out game at Perryopolis has been rescheduled for May 28. Carmichaels will host Perryopolis on Sunday, also at 5 p.m. Their game with Redstone slated for next Tuesday has been cancelled and will be played as part of a doubleheader in June.