Oct 19, 2014 By The 3 min read

Laurel Highlands (11-3, 7-1) out-lasted Albert Gallatin (7-6, 7-1) in an 11-inning battle to win their first-round WPFBL baseball playoff game, 2-1, at Norwin High School on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Mitch Gauden’s two-out, run-scoring double in the top of the 11th propelled LH past AG into the second round, where Laurel Highlands fell to Franklin Regional, 12-5, in a game suspended by darkness on Oct. 11 and completed Monday evening.

The well-played, evenly matched contest between LH, coached by Scott DeBerry, and AG, coached by Shawn Chory, went back and forth.

Albert Gallatin took a 1-0 lead in the third when Paul Dunham reached on an error, stole second and scored on Nick Groover’s single.

Laurel Highlands pulled even in the fifth when Troy Kifer drove in Timmy Rice with a two-out single.

WPFBL rules limit pitchers to five innings per game so the pitchers’ duel between LH’s Zack Uhazie and AG’s Nate Torbich ended at that point. Uhazie allowed the one unearned run on five hits with no walks and nine strikeouts, while Torbich surrendered just the one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Luke Paull relieved Uhazie and earned the win with five innings of work, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and a pair of strikeouts.

Nick Groover came in for Torbich and gave up an unearned run on two hits with five walks and five strikeouts.

LH took its first lead, 2-1, in the top of the ninth off Groover when Uhazie walked, was bunted to second by Rice, went to third on a ground out and scored on a passed ball.

AG wasn’t finished yet, however. Trevor Moser drew a lead-off walk off Paull in the bottom of the ninth, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Sammy Hlatky’s two-out infield single and scored on a wild pitch that moved Hlatky to second and knotted the score at 2-2.

Albert Gallatin had a shot the win the game when Colby Uphold followed with a slicing fly ball to center field but Rice made a running catch to end the inning.

Laurel Highlands had a chance to take the lead in the 10th when Carter Harring drew a one-out walk and took second on a wild pitch, but second baseman Uphold made a leaping grab of Richie Pish’s line drive and thew to shortstop Dunham to double off Harring.

Laurel Highlands’ go-ahead tally was unearned off of Dunham, AG’s third pitcher, in the 11th. Uhazie reached on error, was again sacrificed to second by Rice and came home when Gauden produced the game’s only extra-base hit.

Bobby Bricker retired AG in order in the bottom of the 11th to save it for Paull.

Rice had two hits for LH. Harring, Paull, Chad Pillar and Garrett Kopich also singled.

Groover had two hits for AG. Roger Hlatky, Dunham, Uphold and Dylen Over also singled.