Carmichaels needs 8 innings to win Game 2
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地 Carmichaels鈥� Chuck Gasti (1) congratulates teammate Joby Lapkowicz after he hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning in Monday鈥檚 second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals at Mill Run.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Chuck Gasti hits a double in the top of the fourth inning in Monday鈥檚 second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals at Mill Run.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Mill Run鈥檚 Dakota McWilliams hits a double in the bottom of the second inning in Monday鈥檚 second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals against Carmichaels.
Mill Run shortstop Tanner Orndorff throws out Carmichaels' Cam Barnhardt in the top of the third inning in Monday's second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals in Mill Run.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Tyler Reyes doubles home a run in the top of the fourth inning in Monday鈥檚 second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals in Mill Run.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels left fielder Joby Lapkowicz settles under a fly ball hit by Mill Run鈥檚 Nolan Porterfield in the bottom of the second inning in Monday鈥檚 second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals at Mill Run.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Hunter Robinson follows through on a pitch during Monday鈥檚 second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals at Mill Run.
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Chuck Gasti scored the Copperheads鈥� second run of the game in the top of the fourth inning as Mill Run catcher Kris Firestone and pitcher Trevor Farrell watch the play in Monday鈥檚 second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals in Mill Run.
Carmichaels second baseman Chuck Gasti throws over shortstop Brant Bonadio to get Mill Run's Grant Witt out at first in the bottom of the second inning in Monday's second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals at Mill Run.
Mill Run's Trevor Farrell fires a pitch in the top of the second inning in Monday's second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals against visiting Carmichaels.
Mill Run's Trevor Farrell fires a pitch during Monday's second game of the Fayette County Baseball League finals against visiting Carmichaels.
MILL RUN 鈥� The sun was setting on the second game of the Fayette County Baseball League championship Monday night when Carmichaels scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning to secure a 5-4 victory at Mill Run.
That victory put the Copperheads up 2-0 in the best-of-five series, one win away from their 13th league title.
After being rained out at Wana B Park Tuesday night, Game 3 was rescheduled for Carmichaels Area High School鈥檚 field at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (See www.greenecountymessenger.com for results).
Carmichaels won Game 1, 4-0, at home on Sunday.
Joby Lapkowicz, who won in relief, opened the top of the eighth inning in waning daylight with a walk. He then hustled around the bases when Chuck Gasti鈥檚 sinking line drive to left field was mishandled for a three-base error.
Losing pitcher Trevor Farrell, who went the distance for the Millers, got the next two batters, but the Copperheads kept the inning alive when Tyler Godwin was nicked by a pitch. Farrell got Tyler Reyes swinging to end the inning.
鈥淭hey played a heckuva ball game,鈥� complimented Mill Run manager Ray Orndorff. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 get the results we wanted. It was just a quality ball game.鈥�
Carmichaels manager Dickie Krause agreed.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the best County League games I鈥檝e been in,鈥� said Krause. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of my guys.鈥�
Lapkowicz and Gasti were a tough out for Farrell and the Millers. The Nos. 2 and 3 hitters scored four of Carmichaels鈥� five runs, combined for four hits and drove in two runs.
Lapkowicz spotted starter Hunter Robinson the early lead when he drilled a home run over the right field fence in the top of the first inning.
Carmichaels extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning, and Gasti was involved again.
Gasti doubled with one out and scored on Luke Carter鈥檚 single. Tyler Godwin singled Carter to third with two outs and the designated hitter scored on Tyler Reyes鈥� single.
Mill Run fought back in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs.
Tanner Orndorff opened the inning with a single along the right field line. Kris Firestone was safe on an infield error. Dakota McWilliams鈥� one-out single scored Orndorff.
Grant Witt kept the rally going with a walk, but Austin Petraglia struck out swinging for the second out. Luke Warrick came through with an RBI single against Carter, who came on in relief of Robinson.
Carmichaels responded in the top of the fifth inning, and Lapkowicz and Gasti were once again at the center of the rally.
Lapkowicz doubled after Farrell started the inning with a pair of swinging strikeouts. He came home on Gasti鈥檚 run-scoring single.
Mill Run came right back in the bottom of the inning.
Orndorff was safe on an infield error with one out. Firestone followed with a single. Nolan Porterfield lined out to first baseman Joel Spishock, but McWilliams came through again with a two-run triple to deep left-center field off Lapkowicz.
McWilliams was a tough out, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.
鈥淲e have to figure out a way to get McWilliams and Firestone out,鈥� said Krause. 鈥淭hey are causing us a lot of problems.鈥�
Farrell kept the game close by retiring the side in sixth and seventh innings. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits with one walk, one hit batter and 10 strikeouts.
鈥淚 knew (Trevor) was here to pitch,鈥� said Ray Orndorff, who checked late in the game to see if Farrell wanted to come out. 鈥淗e told me 鈥業鈥檓 good to go.鈥� If you鈥檙e good, then we鈥檙e going with the flow.鈥�
鈥淔arrell is a really good pitcher. We were in there fighting,鈥� said Krause.
Lapkowicz also kept Mill Run off the board after McWilliams鈥� triple. He retired the next nine batters, including striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh against Mill Run鈥檚 1-2-3 hitters.
鈥淚 knew we were going against a solid pitching staff,鈥� said Ray Orndorff.
Witt was hit by a curve ball that didn鈥檛 break with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap Lapkowicz鈥檚 string, but he struck out Petraglia to preserve the win.
But, Krause wasn鈥檛 ready to fly the pennant just yet.
鈥淚f something goes south for us, Mill Run can put together three in a row,鈥� cautioned Krause.