County League Championships
High Strung Racing rallies to tie series, 2-2 REPUBLIC – Mike Hermann’s two-run single capped a four-run fifth inning to propel High Strung Racing to an 8-6 win over Blue Mountain to even the Fayette County Baseball League championship series at two games apiece as the series moves back to Carmichaels for tonight’s 5:45 p.m. start.
Entering the big inning, High Strung Racing trailed, 6-3. Copperhead pitcher Brian Muransky retired the first two batters before HSR combined a pair of walks, two doubles and Hermann’s single to take the lead.
Jason Greene walked and Jeff Lapkowicz doubled to start the rally. Greene scored when a wild pitch bounced over the backstop before Shayne Busti walked, and Jared Lapkowicz doubled Jeff Lapkowicz home. Hermann then lined a single to center field to put HSR on top, 7-6.
The hosts added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Bill Rouse singled, stole second, and scored on Greene’s double.
High Strung Racing jumped on top 3-0 in the first when Scott Van Sickle doubled and stole third. Greene walked and Van Sickle scored on an infield out by Jeff Lapkowicz. Busti then sent a ball over the left-center field fence for a quick 3-0 lead.
Blue Mountain took advantage of a botched double play to score four unearned runs in the second.
Zack Solly singled and Charlie Humes walked. One out later, pitcher Todd Dunham speared a groundball by Jonathan Rodriguez. Dunham’s throw was to the left of second base and was dropped by Van Sickle.
With two outs, Chuck Gasti doubled in Solly and Humes. J.W. Kayla followed with a triple to drive in Rodriguez and Gasti and give the Copperheads a 4-3 lead.
The visitors added a run in each of the next two innings as Gene Franks scored on as double-play ball, and Matt Bianco singled to drive in Muransky.
Muransky had settled down to allow one hit over three innings and retired eight straight batters with the help of a double play.
But once his string ended in the fifth, he never got the third out, and manager Dick Krause brought in Nick Hegedus to get the final out.
The home team has won each of the first four games of the series, and the managers had different views on the issue. Both were asked if the series has taken on a home-team-winning pattern.
“I hope it will continue in the next game,” said Krause, whose team hosts two of the three remaining games.
“I hope not,” responded HSR manager Lou Pasquale, whose team must steal at least one road victory to win the series.
“It’s a three-game series now,” Pasquale said. He said Dunham’s pitching effort “shows what he’s made of.”
He said Ryan Robowski was “dominant” in getting a save in relief.
Pasquale lauded Hermann’s clutch hit, adding with a laugh, “He hits like I do,” referring to Pasquale’s own double early in the game.
Krause was philosophic about the result. “I’m proud of my team. They played hard.”
He said a choice for tonight’s pitcher would be a game time decision.