Caileigh’s routs Dunbar, 14-2
REPUBLIC — Caileigh’s offense exploded to score 12 runs in the team’s final three at-bats to defeat Dunbar 14-2 and take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three Fayette County Baseball League series.
The series moves to the Breakneck Field at 5:45 p.m. tonight, where Dunbar must win or the series will end.
“It’s about time we hit the ball,” said Caileigh’s manager Lou Pasquale. “That was pretty much our main lineup. We had some good pitching too with Todd (Dunham) giving up one hit that should have been an out over the first four innings.”
Caileigh’s (13-12) scored twice in the first inning when Andy Schleihauf and Geremy Hoover had RBI singles that drove in Scott Vansickle and Schleihauf.
Dunham gave up a two-out first inning hit to Tyler Domer, but retired 11 of the next 13 batters while striking out six batters.
Caileigh’s sent 11 batters to the plate in the fourth. Run scoring doubles by Schleihauf and Ken Musko and RBIs by Vansickle, Tyler Delval, and Justin Corso built the lead to 9-0.
Dunbar (7-18) scored its only runs in the fifth when Cody Shultz tripled to drive in Christian Leonard and Cody Ward singled to drive in Shultz.
Delval homered to left field leading off the home fifth, and Musko’s second double drove in Corso and Nick Clarke.
Casey Kupets doubled to drive in Dave Gonos and Geremy Hoover in the sixth to complete the scoring.
Dave Novotney pitched the final two innings for Caileigh’s, while Paul Michaels took the loss for Dunbar.
“Obviously I want to win every game of every series,” said Pasquale. “To be up 1-0 in a three-game series makes the other team face elimination after one game.”
Pasquale will start Ryan Shetterly tonight, while Dunbar coach Jeff McWilliams said his starting pitcher will be Zach Durbin.
“(Caileigh’s) hit everything tonight,” McWlliams said, “and we hit nothing basically. In the fourth inning we left the bases loaded. When you’re down by nine, it’s necessary to score more than two runs to make it a ball game and we didn’t do that.
“In an elimination game you’ve got to play with a little pride. My team knows what’s at stake. It’s just a matter of getting it done.”