Smithfield-Fairchance had fun playing baseball
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Smithfield-Fairchance manager Mike Simon presents his son Adam his silver medal as Chandler Goodwin looks on during the awards ceremony after the championship Tuesday at Hutchinson Field.
Smithfield-Fairchance manager Mike Simon (middle) talks to the infield during the bottom of the second inning in Tuesday's Region 6 American Legion Baseball final against Uniontown at Hutchinson Field.
Smithfield-Fairchance shortstop Adam Simon avoids a sliding Josh Burns to complete a double play in the bottom of the second inning in Tuesday's Region 6 American Legion Baseball final against Uniontown at Hutchinson Field.
Smithfield-Fairchance center fielder Nate Bricker holds on to the ball as he rolls on the ground after avoiding a collision with second baseman Dylan Rush in the bottom of the first inning of Tuesday's Region 6 American Legion Baseball final against Uniontown at Hutchinson Field.
HOPWOOD — Smithfield-Fairchance’s run through the Region 6 American Legion Baseball Tournament came to a close Tuesday night with an 11-0 loss to Uniontown, but the squad still had fun all the way through the medals ceremony.
Smithfield-Fairchance’s season was over when it lost for the second time in the loser’s bracket of the Fayette County American Legion Baseball Tournament due to using ineligible pitcher.
“I was in county ball mindset,” said Austin Bergman.
Then, Smithfield-Fairchance received a call that Allegheny County was going to field only one team, so a fourth team from Fayette County would gain entry into the regional tournament.
Talks over the winter set how teams would enter the regional tournament should the tournament not decide the teams on the field, and Smithfield-Fairchance was the beneficiary of those decisions.
“It was excitement mixed with relief,” said manager Mike Simon. “We knew we deserved to be here. We get a second chance. Let’s make the most of it.”
“We looked at it as we were a character in a movie that should’ve died and was still in the movie with five minutes to go,” added coach Steve Strange.
“Once they let us back in, we had to take advantage of it,” said Nate Bricker. “We did the best we could.”
Smithfield-Fairchance rallied for a 4-3 win over Bethel Park in the opening game of the tournament. It trailed 3-0 early, but tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning and then plated the winning run when indecision by Bethel Park’s shortstop allowed Willie Palmer to beat out the play.
“We walked off the first game. We made a name for ourselves,” said Bergman. “We started to get some respect. I think it made us more laid back, more comfortable.”
“We go down 3-0 in the Bethel Park game and I look back in the dugout, and the guys are all smiling and upbeat,” said Mike Simon. “I had a feeling were going to make a run.”
Smithfield-Fairchance advanced in the winner’s bracket with a 5-3 victory over Belle Vernon. Uniontown dropped Smithfield-Fairchance into the loser’s bracket with a 7-2 defeat.
Smithfield-Fairchance met Connellsville in its next game with Connellsville coming off the low of a walk-off loss to Uniontown and the high walk-off victory against Blackhawk.
Smithfield-Fairchance led 8-2 in the top of the seventh inning, but Connellsville scrapped together three runs and had the bases loaded before Jace Cappellini ended the threat.
“The Connellsville game was the first and only game of the tournament we felt pressure. We were one, two, three outs away,” said Mike Simon. “(Nolan) Porterfield had been our nemesis. That was a big strikeout (by Bricker). It calmed our guys down.”
Bricker was confident when he was given the start against Connellsville.
“I have Connellsville down pretty good. I felt confident,” said Bricker.
Uniontown, bolstered by three-run home runs by Ian Edenfield and Chad Petrush, closed out the tournament run in five innings.
“Uniontown stepped up. They did what they were expected to do,” said Mike Simon, adding, “We ran into a buzzsaw. Brad (Yohman) has thrown (Andino) Vecchiolla every time he’s seen us.
“We’re pulling for them. We’ll be following them.”
“This is the biggest game. I don’t pitch much,” said Michael Coll, the losing pitcher. “I had trouble getting the ball down. They earned their hits.”
But, despite the final loss, the Smithfield-Fairchance squad had a lot of fun along the way.
“We played better this tournament than most of the games,” said Coll. “This is the last time we’ll play with this group of guys.
“This was a big experience. We went down fighting.”
“With our team, we’ve been playing together since we’ve been little,” said Adam Simon. “We figured we’d play relaxed. We just felt we were the underdogs.
“We’re here. We might as well win some games.”
Dylan Rush played just this season for the Smithfield-Fairchance Legion, but the speedy lead-off hitter was part of the fold.
“We have to play relaxed. Normally, we don’t make as many mistakes when we play relaxed and have fun,” said Rush, who attended Albert Gallatin in eighth grade. “It was a great season. It was nice being back with my friends.
“It was a season to remember.”
Mike Simon echoed the sentiments of his squad.
“It was fun. We made sure we had fun,” said Simon. “It was fun being around each other.
“We were a dangerous team to play.”
“The path we took to get here gave us a result you can’t create,” said Strange. “This was a different team mentality than in the regular season. We developed a never-say-die attitude.
“We’re losing some key players (Simon, Bricker, Bergman, Rush, Coll, Matt Mills) and we’ll miss them. When you’ve been with a group this long and it’s time to go, it’s hard.”