Mikes top Rockets, clinch playoff spot
Carmichaels' Darren Krause slides into home to score a run during the Mikes' Section 1-A win at Bentworth last Friday. The Mikes defeated the Bearcats, 7-5, and then beat visiting Jefferson-Morgan on Monday to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot in Section 1-A.
Carmichaels' Reed Long makes it back to first base before Bentworth first baseman Robbie Schultz can get the tag on him Friday in Section 1-A baseball action at Bentworth.
CARMICHAELS 鈥� The standings didn鈥檛 indicate the importance of Monday鈥檚 Section 1-A baseball game between Jefferson-Morgan and Carmichaels.
The Mikes made it simple by taking care of business with a 12-2 win over the visiting Rockets in six innings to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot and knock J-M out of the postseason picture.
Winning pitcher Matthew Barrish allowed only two hits and pitched into the fifth inning, and Jacob Kinsell got the final four outs to earn the save for Carmichaels (10-5, 6-4).
Reed Long went 4 for 5 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI, and Jacob Wamsley drove in three runs for the Mikes. Michael Ludrosky contributed two hits, two runs and an RBI.
On paper, the Mikes entered the day 5-4 in the section with the Rockets at 2-5 but J-M still controlled its own destiny thanks to its 5-4 nine-inning win over Carmichaels on April 18 and could鈥檝e knocked the Mikes out of the postseason due to a tiebreaker.
鈥淚f we would鈥檝e beaten them, West Greene and Mapletown we would鈥檝e been in the playoffs,鈥� veteran J-M coach John Curtis said.
鈥淲e knew what the stakes were coming in,鈥� Carmichaels coach Dickie Krause said. 鈥淲e talked about the importance of starting fast, which right now has been a real strength for us.鈥�
Indeed, the Mikes scored three runs in the first inning and two in the second in taking an early 5-1 lead.
Long鈥檚 double, Cody Brown鈥檚 RBI single, three walks and two errors helped the Mikes take a 3-0 lead in the first.
The Rockets (5-8, 2-6) got on the board in the second. David Blaker reached on a swinging-third-strike wild pitch, took second on an infield error, went to third when the Mikes鈥� Nick Mundell, Michael Ludrosky and Joel Spishock turned a 4-6-3 double play, and scored on a wild pitch.
The Mikes made it 5-1 in the bottom of the inning when Wamsley grounded a two-run single to center.
鈥淛acob鈥檚 been a clutch hitter for us all year,鈥� Krause said.
鈥淔our of the last five games we鈥檝e popped out on people with a five- or six-run lead in the first couple innings,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been a real key for us.
鈥淎lso this was senior day and there was a lot of energy out there.鈥�
The Mikes honored seniors Long, Wamsley, Kinsell, Ludrosky, Josh Bogucki, Darren Krause and Cody Allen before the game.
Barrish, a freshman, took a no-hitter into the fifth before allowing a two-out walk to Trevor Kniha and an infield hit to Gage Clark.
Eli Rafail followed with a hot smash off third baseman Wamsley鈥檚 glove for an RBI single, prompting coach Krause to call on his ace pitcher Kinsell. The right-hander got a called third strike on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat.
鈥淭hat was the plan all along,鈥� coach Krause said. 鈥淚 went in thinking if I can get three good innings (from Barrish) I鈥檒l be happy. He gave us four great innings and got two quick outs in the fifth. He gave us what we wanted.鈥�
鈥淚f we would鈥檝e gotten a hit there, that would鈥檝e made it a ballgame,鈥� Curtis said. 鈥淲e had runners on second and third in the third, too. When we played them at our place, we played them tight, made all the plays and got those hits, and we won. Today, we played like our age. We鈥檝e got a young team and we made some mistakes.
鈥淭ake nothing away from Carmichaels. Those two boys pitched great for them.鈥�
Barrish (4-2) was charged with one earned run on two hits with two walks, one hit batsman and six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Kinsell pitched 1 1/3 innings and struck out three of the four batters he faced.
The Mikes made it 6-1 in the bottom of the third on Long鈥檚 RBI single.
鈥淩eed is a heart-and-soul type of kid,鈥� coach Krause said. 鈥淗e gives you 110 percent every game. Literally, when they say a player will run through a wall for you, against California he hit that fence at full speed.鈥�
Carmichaels went up 8-1 in the fifth. Spishock, who reached base all five at bats, drew a bases-loaded walk and Wamsley hit a sacrifice fly that, despite a strong throw by right fielder Brennan Kuzich, scored courtesy runner Hunter Phillips, who leaped over catcher Isaac Dean鈥檚 attempted tag.
The Mikes ended the game on the 10-run mercy rule with a four-run sixth that included a ringing double into the right-field corner by Darren Krause, a sacrifice fly by Ludrosky and an RBI single by Kinsell. Long scored the game-ending run on a two-out infield error.
The game featured some outstanding defensive plays by both teams. Dean threw out two Mikes runners trying to steal and first baseman Spishock made a diving catch of a Kuzich鈥檚 foul ball in the third.
Clark, who was the winning pitcher in the first meeting, took the loss, allowing five earned runs in three innings.
鈥淕age didn鈥檛 have the pop on his ball today and his curve wasn鈥檛 breaking as good,鈥� Curtis said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got four games left and we鈥檙e going to play hard the rest of the way.鈥�
The Mikes will now prepare for the postseason.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know when we鈥檒l play, but you get the date and you start setting it up based on the date,鈥� coach Krause said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to try to back off our pitching a little bit because Jacob needs some time, Barrish needs some time. We鈥檝e played five games in seven days.
鈥淏ut this team is resilient. There were really high expectations on these kids, I think too high. They are not the most athletic, but they work hard, they鈥檝e been so committed to this, they played fall baseball, they played Legion last year. Led by the seniors, this is a very dedicated group.鈥�