FCBL playoff roundup
Bud’s rallies to close out Wana B Heros, 9-5 If Bud Murphy’s is going to make a run at the Fayette County Baseball League title, it’ll likely have to do it with hitting, not pitching.
That’s the formula manager Tom Sankovich’s squad used on Monday in beating host Wana B Heros, 9-5, to close out its first-round, best-of-three series, 2-0.
Bud’s watched a 4-2 lead turn into a 5-4 deficit before rallying for a run in the sixth and four more in the seventh to put the game away.
“We kind of feel we’ll be hard-pressed to win it all because we’re so short-handed, but we’ll try to go as far as we can,” Sankovich said. “We lost Dale Eutsey and Ryan Miscik, who are two of the best pitchers in the league, because they had to leave for jobs they have in Colorado, and we have another pitcher out with a broken finger. I’m not trying to make excuses. We’ve got 11 players and we’re hanging in there with them.
“We have to try to out-slug teams, and that’s what happened today.”
Bud’s trailed 1-0 before scoring four runs in the third, but Wana B Heros pulled even with a run in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth on Jamie Kowalczyk’s two-run homer.
The hosts went up 5-4 in the fifth when Colby Giles reached on a two-out infield single, stole second and took third and home on a pair of throwing errors on the play.
Bud’s tied it in the sixth when Santino Sloboda doubled and scored on Mark Riggin’s single.
Corey Fox started Bud’s game-winning rally with a single and took second on Wes Hughes’ sacrifice bunt. Kevin Hiles doubled in Fox with what proved to be the winning run.
Bud’s added three insurance runs as Brian Sankovich ripped an RBI double, Brian Shipley singled, and Sloboda and Richie Means followed with consecutive run-scoring singles.
Matt Basinger went the distance to earn the win, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Losing pitcher Craig Hriblan was knocked out in the seventh. He gave up seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings.
Shipley had two hits, including a double, and Hiles, Sloboda, Fox and Riggin also had two hits apiece for Bud’s.
Kowalczyk had three hits and Giles had two for Wana B Heros.
Bud’s will begin second-round play at home on either Wednesday or Thursday at 5:45 p.m.
Redd Dawgs 15, Mario’s 5 – Trevor Consavage drove in seven runs as Redd Dawgs kept its season alive and forced a third and deciding game against Mario’s with a 10-run victory at home.
Game Three will be played 5:45 p.m. today at Leckrone.
Redd Dawgs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, but Mario’s stormed back with five runs in the second on Scott Van Sickle’s two-run double, John Harvey’s two-run single and Jason Greene’s RBI hit.
Redd Dawgs then took control by putting up four runs in each of its next three at bats.
“That’s the first time we scored in double digits all year,” Redd Dawgs manager Dan Palm said.
Consavage had a sacrifice fly in the first, a two-run double in the second, a bases-loaded walk in the third, and a two-run homer in the fourth.
Brandon DePhillips tripled, doubled and singled for Redd Dawgs, and Matt Trigona also had three hits. Brian Horner, Ryan Shetterly, Ryan Russell and Mike Welc each chipped in with a pair of hits, and Justin Murphy added a double.
Craig Conforti allowed the five runs on eight hits with four walks and four strikeouts in tossing a complete game for the win.
Losing pitcher Ryan Robowski was knocked out in the second inning after coughing up seven earned runs on six hits.
Greene had two hits for Mario’s.
The game was Redd Dawgs first of the season at the John DiVirgilio Complex in Rostraver Township after playing all of its home game at Fayette City up until that point.
“We’ll throw Bob Sadler in Game Three,” Palm said of his pitching choice. “It’s the deciding game. Anything can happen.”
Carmichaels 10, Hopwood Fitness Center 1 – The Carmichaels pitching staff had a no-hitter through six innings while Jeff Thompson was a one-man wrecking crew as the Copperheads closed out the best-of-3 series.
Carmichaels opened with a run in the top of the first inning, adding three more in the third. The Copperheads tallied a couple more runs in the fifth with the visitors capping the scoring with four runs in the seventh, two coming on Thompson’s home run.
Thompson was a hit away from the cycle, adding a double and single to his performance. He drove in five runs. Rick Smykla had a strong offensive performance as well with a couple of doubles, a triple, 2 RBIs and two runs scored.
Justin Schrader pitched the third through the sixth innings to pick up the win, striking out seven and walking one in four innings of no-hit ball.
Phil Gratchic broke up the no-hitter when he led off the seventh with a single. Casey Kupets followed with another single with Hopwood’s lone run scoring on a fielder’s choice.
Carmichaels now awaits the completion of two other series tonight with the Copperheads facing the lowest-seeded surviving team.
Waynesburg 6, Mill Run 5 – Waynesburg kept its 2005 season alive when Jay Dias drove home Andy Greene with a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh inning, nullifying two game-tying rallies by the home team.
Mill Run tied the game in the top of the seventh on Brandon Bryner’s one-out single.
Waynesburg pushed out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third as Luke Becilla singled in the first run and winning pitcher Adam Dukate plated two runs with a single with the final run scoring on an error.
Mill Run didn’t waste any time in tying the game with four runs in the top of the fourth. Dennis Show and Jeremy Miller had RBI singles with Firestone knocking home a pair of runs with a double.
Imrich’s triple spotted Waynesburg the lead at 5-4 in the bottom of inning.
Dukate went the distance, striking out three and walking two. Jeff Kooser took the loss.
The final game in the best-of-3 series will be today at Mill Run beginning at 5:45 p.m.