Edenfield shines as Colonial 3 holds off Carmichaels
Rob Burchianti
Colonial 3鈥檚 Brandon Bell connects with a pitch in front of Carmichaels catcher Collin Reynolds during Friday鈥檚 Fayette American Legion baseball playoff game at Rowes Run Field. Colonial 3 won, 4-2, in seven innings.
Rob Burchianti
Colonial 3鈥檚 Ricky Marucci (22) takes off on a steal of second base as Carmichaels first baseman Joel Spishock watches the pitch during Friday鈥檚 Fayette American Legion baseball playoff game at Rowes Run Field. Marucci would come around to score the game鈥檚 first run.
ROWES RUN 鈥� Steven Edenfield used his bat, glove and arm to help lift Colonial 3 over visiting Carmichaels, 4-2 in seven innings, in the opening game of the Fayette American Legion baseball playoffs last Friday evening.
Edenfield doubled to start a three-run second inning, made a key catch in center field to snuff out a Carmichaels rally and got the final three outs to earn the save as Colonial 3 moved into the second round of the winners bracket.
鈥淗e came up huge today,鈥� Colonial 3 manager Don Bell said of Edenfield.
While Edenfield was the MVP of the game, the most valuable people before the game were the members of both coaching staffs who worked hard to turn what was a rain-drenched infield at Rowes Run Field into a playable surface.
The game began about 50 minutes late but once underway the field held up well.
鈥淚t was fun,鈥� Carmichaels manager Andy Barrish said with a laugh of helping prep the field. 鈥淚t鈥檚 baseball. You鈥檝e got to do what you鈥檝e got to do to play.鈥�
Both teams were determined to get the game in.
鈥淚 have to thank Andy for waiting and helping us,鈥� Bell said.
As it turned out, it was the only one of the four games on the Legion playoff schedule that wasn鈥檛 postponed by rain on Friday.
The pitching mound was one of the biggest concerns due to the muddy conditions but it didn鈥檛 stop either starter from twirling solid games.
Colonial 3鈥檚 Nik Gibson struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win. He allowed two runs on six hits and four walks.
鈥淣ik did a nice job,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淗e really gutted it out out there.鈥�
Losing pitcher Lane Zekir struggled in the first two innings before hitting his stride and wound up tossing a complete game, retiring nine in a row to finish up. He gave up four runs on six hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.
鈥淟ane pitched great,鈥� Barrish said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a gamer. I like all these kids because they never give up.鈥�
Colonial 3 took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Ricky Marucci walked, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Brandon Bell鈥檚 RBI ground out.
Bell鈥檚 squad put up three more runs in the second inning.
Edenfield drilled a lead-off double to left-center field and took third on Alec McLay鈥檚 single to left. McLay stole second and Edenfield scored one out later on Owen Martin鈥檚 infield single that shortstop Reed Long couldn鈥檛 corral after it was deflected by Zekir. Martin took second on Marucci鈥檚 ground out and Silvio Urani then smacked a two-run single to left for what proved to be the winning runs.
鈥淭he key hit was Silvio鈥檚 two-out single,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淭hat was big for us.鈥�
Gibson, meanwhile, breezed through the first two innings, allowing only a walk to Matt Barrish, but had to work out of a jam in the third.
Jacob Hair, who had two hits for Carmichaels, led off with a double and went to third on a bunt single by Brad Ruse, who then stole second. Gibson got two strikeouts and a ground out to squelch the threat, however.
Carmichaels broke through in the fourth.
Zekir and Jacob Knizner drew walks and Zekir scored on Reynolds鈥� RBI single to center. Hair followed with a run-scoring single to left to cut the margin to two before Gibson got a strikeout and a fly out to end the frame.
Colonial threatened to blow the game open in the bottom of the fourth when it loaded the bases with none out on a walk by Trevor Stewart and singles by Martin, who had two of his team鈥檚 six hits, and Marucci.
This time it was Zekir鈥檚 turn to work out of trouble as he got a force out at home on a grounder to third baseman Yale Johnston, whose throw was scooped up by catcher Reynolds, then a strikeout and another force out to shortstop Long.
鈥淲e left some runners out there that we should鈥檝e cashed in,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淲e had bases loaded, nobody out and didn鈥檛 get anybody home.鈥�
Carmichaels mounted another charge in the fifth only to be rebuffed again by Gibson.
Barrish and Spishock led off with singles and after Gibson got a force out at third on Zekir鈥檚 come-backer he walked Johnston and went to 3-1 on Knizner.
Bell called time out to try to settle his pitcher down and Gibson responded by coming back to get a strikeout for the second out.
鈥淎 couple times I told him you鈥檝e got to put everything out of your mind and just focus on the next pitch,鈥� Bell said.
The threat wasn鈥檛 over, though, as Reynolds laced a drive into right-center field but center fielder Edenfield tracked it down and made a fine running catch for the third out.
鈥淭hat was huge,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淥ur outfielders have played well all year so that鈥檚 what I expect from them all the time.鈥�
Barrish thought that was the key play of the game.
鈥淚f that ball gets down we score a couple, maybe three,鈥� Barrish said.
Gibson struck out the first two batters in the sixth but his day ended at that point as he hit the pitch limit, so Bell called on Noah Mankin who got the third out on a grounder.
Mankin walked Barrish, who reached base three times, and Spishock also worked a walk to start the seventh, prompting Bell to call on Edenfield to close it out. He did just that getting a fly out, force out and strikeout to end it.
鈥淪teven finished it well,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淗e had a great game. It鈥檚 nice to get the first one in a double-elimination tournament.鈥�
Colonial 3 pitchers stranded 10 Carmichaels runners.
鈥淲e had our opportunities.鈥� Barrish said. 鈥淲e had runners in scoring position but didn鈥檛 get the key hit when we needed it.鈥�
Bell was proud of his team鈥檚 performance.
鈥淥ur guys battle,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淭hey came out and got after it. They鈥檝e done this all year. They come ready to play. We鈥檙e not a full squad all the time but the guys that get here are ready to go.
鈥淏ut a tip of the cap to both teams really.鈥�
Barrish agreed.
鈥淚 thought we played well but hat鈥檚 off to Don and his team,鈥� Barrish said. 鈥淭hey hit the ball well, they played well, their pitcher threw a nice game.
鈥淭hat was a very good baseball game.鈥�