Carmichaels defeats Rochester in WPIAL baseball playoffs
ROBINSON TWP. – The scoreboard showed that Carmichaels defeated Rochester, 4-1, in their WPIAL Class A first-round baseball playoff game on Friday night. If you kept a tally in the class department during the contest, however, the Mikes would’ve won by a 10-run rule blowout.
The 10th-seeded Rams had more ejections (3) than Carmichaels had hits (2), but coach Dave Bates’ squad took advantage of 10 walks and rode a four-hitter by Joby Lapkowicz to victory at Burkett Recreation and Sports Complex.
The seventh-seeded Mikes (12-6) advance to play second-seeded Springdale in the quarterfinals on Monday with the site and time to be determined.
Lapkowicz, who struck out nine while walking two and hitting one batter, refused to be rattled by Rochester’s chanting directed at him and its complaining to the umpire in recording his first postseason win.
“I didn’t even hear them,” Lapkowicz said after his 122-pitch performance, which included 78 strikes. “You’ve got to keep your cool.”
Rochester (9-9) most certainly failed in that area as two of its assistant coaches and its starting catcher were ejected.
“We did what we had to do and we played with a lot of class,” Bates said. “When you have people getting thrown out of the game, you don’t want to get caught up in that.”
What the Mikes did get caught up in was manufacturing runs.
The Mikes took a 1-0 lead against Rochester starter J.C. Figueiredo in the first inning without the aid of a hit. Chuck Gasti walked, took second and third on a pair of wild pitches and scored on Ethan Virgili’s ground out.
Carmichaels put up two more runs in the second with only one hit. Lapkowicz led off with a single and took second on a passed ball. Virgili and Tim Voithofer drew one-out walks to load the bases. Cody Andrews hit into a force play with Lapkowicz being retired at home on third baseman Cory Gallaghner’s throw, but Aaron Thompson walked on four pitches to force in Virgili.
One of Rochester’s assistant coaches argued after a close third pitch to Thompson was called a ball to make the count 3-0, then continued to bark at the umpired even though the fourth pitch missed badly and was ejected.
Errett Mahle followed with a five-pitch walk to force in Voithofer.
The Mikes scored their final run in the fourth without a hit. Logan Phillips and Lapkowicz walked to open the inning and both moved up on a wild pitch after Gasti popped out while attempting to bunt. Virgili then struck out swinging, but reached first to load the bases when the ball skipped past catcher Jim Battaglia as the other runners held. Voithofer then put down a nicely placed suicide squeeze bunt to bring in Phillips.
“Tim put down a huge, huge suicide squeeze,” said Bates, who commended his team for its patience at the plate and ability to move runners around, despite only two singles. “You don’t want to have to rely on that every game, but it’s nice to know you have that in your arsenal.”
Lapkowicz, who helped his own cause by reaching base three times with a single and two walks, retired 10 of the first 11 batters.
He struck out the side in the second, although the frame included a bit of controversy. Trey Johnson popped an 0-2 pitch up in foul territory and as Lapkowicz drifted over to catch it, the Rams’ left fielder did not try to avoid the left-hander and collided with him while running to first. Lapkowicz was knocked off balance and failed to make the catch while falling to the ground. Bates argued with the umpires, to no avail, that Johnson should be called out. Lapkowicz wound up striking Johnson out to end the inning.
Lapkowicz allowed his second base runner when he walked Lukas Johnson, who reached base in all three of his at bats, in the fourth with one out. Anthony Thomas’ two-out bloop single later in the inning gave Rochester its first threat, but Lapkowicz got Gallagher on an inning-ending pop out.
The Rams scored their lone run in the fifth when Trey Johnson tripled to deep left and scored on Zach Matthews’ infield single. Chad Pennington singled one out later, and Battaglia then had a melt down while striking out for the second out.
Battaglia hammered his bat on the plate after swinging and missing on a 2-1 pitch. When he struck out swinging on the next pitch he slammed the bat down in disgust and was immediately ejected as the bat bounced away.
WPIAL rules clearly state any player who throws equipment is to be ejected, yet another Rochester assistant coach inexplicably argued with the home plate umpire about the call, and after a few choice words was also ejected.
Lapkowicz then walked Lukas Johnson to load the bases, but struck out Figueiredo swinging to end the Rams’ biggest threat of the game.
“I just wanted to throw strikes and get out of the inning,” Lapkowicz said his key strikeout.
The sophomore hurler retired the final six Rams in order to close out the game, with help from second baseman Gasti who made a diving snag of Gallagher’s one-out line drive in the sixth.
“Tonight’s game was defense and Joby’s pitching,” Bates said. “Today was a real good example of how Joby Lapkowicz pitches. He throws strikes.”
Figueiredo did not, most of the night, but settled down late in the game. The left-hander wound up with nine strikeouts.
“He came out in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and was almost unhittable,” Bates said.
As it turned out, the opportunistic Mikes didn’t need