Apr 1, 2009 3 min read

REPUBLIC – One bad inning can ruin a baseball game, especially when both teams are getting good pitching. Geibel Catholic learned that lesson in its last two games, both losses. Brownsville suffered the same fate Tuesday when the Gators turned Brownsville’s only three errors of the game into a three-run fourth inning in their 5-3 win over the Falcons. The non-section win lifts the Gators to 2-2, while the loss dropped Brownsville to 1-3.

Geibel Catholic’s Ryan Craft scattered eight hits and gave up only two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. Brendan Costantino got the last out for a save. Brownsville’s Brian Ohler was a hard luck loser. He gave up four runs on five hits in five innings, but only one of the runs he allowed was earned. Jeremy Kopacko gave up a run on two hits in two innings.

“Ryan did a great job,” Geibel Catholic coach Mark Riggin said. “He scattered the hits nice, but the big thing was he was throwing strikes and today we made plays behind him.

“This is the first game we actually hit the ball solid, which was lacking in our first three games, even the win. Defense, though is the key. If we can play defense like this all season, we’ll be in every game.”

Brownsville got on the board first when P.J. Lanzi stroked the first of two doubles among three hits. He moved to third on a groundout and scored on Gage Nichols’ sacrifice fly to left field.

The Gators tied it in the top of the second when Anthony Speeney doubled to right field and came in on an Adam Duda single (the first of two Duda RBIs).

Geibel’s three-run fourth began with a strikeout, but Craft reached when the ball got away from Brownsville’s catcher. Craft stole second and moved to third on Mick Betler’s single to center. Speeney sacrificed Betler to second before Duda’s grounder was mishandled for an error that scored Craft. Pat Manna’s ground ball was thrown away for another error that scored Betler and Duda came around to score on Nolan Zavora’s two-out single to left for a 4-1 Gator lead.

“That inning, with all of the errors, really hurt us,” Brownsville coach Skooter Roebuck said. “It was a combination of that inning and not being able to get any timely hits. We’re giving games away. It’s like we’re not ready to play and that’s my fault.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Geibel because they played very well, but it’s disappointing for us to be 1-3. I thought both of our pitchers threw the ball well.”

Brownsville got a solo home run from Zach Moon in the fifth inning, but would end the inning with the bases loaded and still behind, 4-2. Back-to-back singles and an infield error on the Gators left the bases loaded, but Craft induced a fly ball to shortstop and a groundout to second to retire the side.

Brownsville got an unearned run in the sixth to make it 4-3. Mike Vasiloff was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a stolen base and infield error. He scored on Kopacko’s groundout.

The Gators added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Craft walked and move to third on Speeney’s single to right.

He scored on Pat Manna’s single to left.

Brownsville got runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh before Costantino came in to get the save.

Geibel Catholic hosts Jeannette today, while Brownsville travels to Jefferson-Morgan.