May 31, 2009 4 min read

WASHINGTON – Hall of Fame Pirates announcer Bob Prince famously called a ground ball that skittered along the Astroturf into the gaps of Three Rivers Stadium a “bug on the rug.” Oliver Girman set the tone early when he turned his “bug on the rug” in the top of the first inning into an inside-the-park home run, sparking Serra Catholic to a 7-1 victory over Carmichaels in the WPIAL Class A Baseball Championship Friday at Washington & Jefferson’s Ross Memorial Park. Carmichaels (18-3) advances into the state playoffs with an opening round game Monday against District 6 champion Bishop McCort at a site and time to be determined. The Eagles (20-2) also play Monday, facing the District 6 runner-up Homer Center.

After Joby Lapkowicz struck out the first batter of the game, Alain Girman singled into left field. With a 2-0 count on Oliver Girman, the younger Girman broke for second base, dragging Carmichaels second baseman Jordan Kennedy along to cover second. The older Girman swatted the ball behind Kennedy, and with right fielder Justin McCann playing along the line, the ball skipped all the way to the fence. Oliver Girman was looking for home after he touched second base, and the winning pitcher beat the throw home for an early 2-0 lead.

“Timing and tempo go hand-in-hand,” said Carmichaels coach Dave Bates. “They played aggressive baseball with a lot of luck.”

“We talked about being ultra-aggressive,” said Serra Catholic coach Brian Dzurenda. “We knew we had to take chances. They’re a good team.”

Lapkowicz actually struck out four batters in the first inning with Chris Miller reaching first after a dropped third strike. Lapkowicz accounted for the first seven outs, and nine of the first 10 via strikeouts.

With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Lapkowicz singled. Billy Musgrove followed with a single behind third base. Lapkowicz kept powering on to third base, but first baseman Jesse Campbell’s throw to third baseman Ken Tomco was in time to end the threat.

Serra doubled its lead in the top of the second. Tomco walked on four pitches and stole second. After Campbell struck out looking, Ryan Caldwell’s swinging bunt down the third base line gave the Eagles runners on the corners. Caldwell stole second, and after Tyler Kugler struck out, both runners scored on Alain Girman’s single.

“When we went up to a 4-0 lead I felt we had a great opportunity to win the game,” said Dzurenda. “With (the 4-0) lead, then we could play real aggressive and try to put the pressure on them.”

The Mikes had at least one runner on in each of the first five innings, but could muster only one run in the fourth inning.

“Runners left on base have been a killer for us all season,” said Bates. “We had a few runners on, but we couldn’t do anything with them.”

The Mikes were positioned for a big inning in the fourth with runners at first and second with no outs. Second baseman Matt Loftis started a 6-4-3 double play as Justin McCann moved to third. McCann scored the Mikes’ lone run on Jonathan Krall’s single.

“The double play broke any momentum they had,” said Dzurenda. “Hats off to (shortstop) Ryan Caldwell. He played a great game at shortstop.”

Lapkowicz advanced to second base in the fifth, but Oliver Girman slammed the door shut, retiring the final seven batters.

The winning pitcher struck the final blow for the Eagles with a two-run single in the top of the seventh. Girman later scored on Brian Henze’s single.

Lapkowicz finished with 14 strikeouts and three four-pitch walks, while allowing nine hits. The senior believes it’s the first loss in his high school career.

“It was tough. They were just getting hits that were falling in,” said Lapkowicz. “Anything can happen on this turf.

“I thought I pitched well. I had good control and good speed. There’s nothing I could do about it. That’s baseball.”

“(Lapkowicz) is the best pitcher in the WPIAL,” praised Dzurenda.

The game was suspended twice because of rain, and Bates had to deal with the death of his mother, who was buried Friday morning.

“My condolences to his family. Dave’s a friend. We scout together,” said Dzurenda. “It’s a special win to beat him.”

“We got spanked,” Bates succinctly said. “It’s awfully hard to win a WPIAL title and a state championship. (Losing today) should make the team hungry.”

“We can’t let this game bring us down,” said Lapkowicz. “We still have another game to play.” Coach Dave Bates places a silver medal around Carmichaels’ Billy Musgrove as teammate Joby Lapkowicz waits to receive his. The Mikes lost to Serra Catholic Friday in the WPIAL Class A championship game at Washington and Jefferson’s Ross Memorial Park.