Fayette County League baseball
Mill Run closes regular season with win over Fayette City-Belle Vernon FAYETTE CITY – Bugs Orndorff must have learned a little bit of his baseball strategy from that wily old Confederate general who proclaimed the winner should “get there fustest with the mostest.”
Orndorff’s Mill Run charges got there “fustest” and eventually wound up with the “mostest” in a 10-3 win over host Fayette City-Belle Vernon in Fayette County Baseball League action Tuesday, enabling them to close regular season play with a 19-7-1 record. The playoffs will be next for Mill Run, starting on Sunday, against an opponent still to be determined.
Todd Bell and Chris Brunson shared pitching chores for the winners, with Orndorff noting, “I wanted to get both of them some work to get ready for the playoffs, and they both did well. The big thing was, we got out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and went on from there. We needed a win like this to get ready for the playoffs, and if we can keep hitting like we have been the last couple of games we should do alright in the playoffs.”
FC-BV manager Dan Palm said, “They got out to that early lead, and that took away some of our game plan. Then, when we did get a couple of runs, we made some errors and gave them back those runs. We still need to develop an offense.”
Mill Run had 10 hits off three pitchers, led by Jeremy Miller with a double and two singles. John Warrick had a double and single and Dan Gratchic three singles.
FC-BV had 11 hits, three by Jim Russell, John Hanczaryk’s double and single and singles by Pat Palkovic and Matt McCain.
Mill Run got on the board “fustest” with a 4-0 lead to start. Dennis Show and Kris Firestone walked, and Miller and John Warrick singled, coupled with an out and a wild pitch.
FC-BV cut that lead in half in the third on a walk to Ryan Russell, singles by Hanczaryk and Jim Russell and an error.
Mill Run hiked its lead to 5-2 in the fourth. Rich Orndorff singled and Brian Shearer bunted him ahead. Third base was left uncovered, and Orndorff headed for third, with the ball thrown wild, and he continued in to score.
It was 7-2 in the fifth after Firestone was hit by a pitch, John Warrick doubled him to third and he scored on a wild pitch. Warrick moved to third and scored on Gratchic’s single.
The home team closed its scoring in their fifth with Hanczaryk’s double and Justin Murphy’s single.
Mill Run offset that in the sixth with walks to Dale Eutsey and Show and Miller’s single. Two more runs crossed in the seventh on Gratchic’s single, Brandon Bryner’s walk, a passed ball and Show’s single.
Makeup games will be played the rest of the week with the playoffs slated to begin Sunday.