Aug 17, 2009 3 min read

CARMICHAELS – Blue Mountain’s title appeared to be extinguished in the Fayette County Baseball Championship series against Mario’s in Game 6 Sunday at Carmichaels High School. Down 6-4 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh Copperheads batter Dan Novak provided a legendary moment for his team when he took a 3-2 pitch off pitcher Chris Squeglia and sent it over the right-field fence for a three-run walk off homer for a 7-6 win that forced a decisive Game 7. “We talked at the beginning of the series about what the games would be like,” said Copperheads manager Richard Krause. “We knew we were going to lose some games but also that we were going to play to our last out. We got that rare big hit at the end of the game that doesn’t happen much.”

The teams will meet tonight at Redstone Park for a consecutive Game 7 with the Copperheads winning the title last year. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.

“It’s great when it’s an elimination game,” said Krause. “You never have an idea how things will turn out. You just throw the best of what you have into the game and see if that is enough.”

The Copperheads, who at one point trailed the series 3-1, had scored an earlier run in the seventh inning when Ryan Group got on base with a double and scored on George Taylor’s fielder’s choice before J.W. Kayla was walked and Charlie Humes got on base with a single just before Novak’s at bat.

Mario’s built a lead in the top of the second inning after trailing 2-0 in the first inning with Corey Sawka connecting on Cy Mozingo’s pitch to score Stephan Hermann, while Scott Vansickle singled in Chad Rice to tie the game at two.

Sawka and Rice both scored on an error by the Blue Mountain shortstop to take a 4-2 lead.

Mario’s tacked on another run in the top of the fourth inning after Rice scored on Jason Greene’s RBI single.

George Taylor relieved Mozingo, who allowed eight hits.

Taylor gave up four hits, including one to Hermann, who singled in the top of the seventh to score Bill Rouse and increase Mario’s lead to 6-3 going into the bottom of that inning.

The Copperheads had jumped on Mario’s earlier in the game with Gene Franks connecting off starter Nick Damico for a two-run homer with Taylor on base for a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Damico gave up one more run before being relieved by Squeglia when Chuck Gasti drove a pitch into left field for a double to score Franks, who had singled to start the inning off and to cut Mario’s lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth.

Damico finished his afternoon with eight hits, three strikeouts and a walk, while Squeglia suffered the loss with two hits and a walk.

Mario’s manager Lou Pasquale declined comment after the game.