Stayin鈥� alive: Carmichaels staves off elimination with 12-8 win
CARMICHAELS 鈥� Carmichaels scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Sunday and staved off elimination with a 12-8 victory over visiting M&R Transit in Game 3 of the Fayette County Baseball League championship series.
M&R Transit, the two-time defending champions, holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 series with the fourth game at Hutchinson Field on Monday.
Both teams had to work through available arms, especially after the starting pitchers had difficult starts. Plus, M&R Transit had a short bench in the third game.
鈥淚t could be a series of attrition. If you fall behind 2-0, you鈥檙e hanging on by your fingernails,鈥� said Carmichaels manager Dickie Krause. 鈥淚鈥檓 real proud of our guys. We were losing 7-1 and we could鈥檝e packed it in. And, they showed a lot of character.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping this will give them some confidence. Whether we win or lose tomorrow, we鈥檒l go out and play hard.鈥�
M&R Transit manager Buddy Marra noted it鈥檚 not easy to close out a best-of-5 series.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to beat someone three times,鈥� said Marra.
Justin Brestensky, the winning pitcher in Thursday鈥檚 Game 1, came on in the bottom of the fifth inning and stranded a pair of runners. The left-hander was not as fortunate in the bottom of the sixth inning.
鈥淲e wanted one inning out of Brestensky. We would鈥檝e put Santino in, but we don鈥檛 have any infielders,鈥� said Buddy Marra.
Brestensky opened the inning with a strikeout.
Nick Pegg worked a walk and Hunter Mamie followed with a single through shortstop Santino Marra. Brestensky seemed poised to escape once again with a strikeout, but Drake Long came through with a run-scoring single.
Noah Mildren鈥檚 single scored courtesy runner Ty Richmond and Mildren took second when the ball was misplayed.
Alex Van Sickle then came through with a two-run double.
鈥淲hether you win or lose, you want to respect to respect the game and play good baseball. To their credit, they just needed a little spark and they got one,鈥� said Krause.
M&R Transit had the heart of its lineup coming to the plate in the top of the seventh inning in an attempt to rally.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a good baseball team. The middle of that order, that is just so good,鈥� said Krause. 鈥淭he middle of the lineup was coming up. We knew it. We talked about it and knew how important getting the first out would be, and we got it.鈥�
The heart of the M&R Transit lineup entered the seventh inning with a combined 10 hits (in 15 at-bats), eight runs scored and six RBI.
Forrest Havanis had a strikeout for the first out. Santino Marra and Nate Zimcosky followed with singles. The runners held on Andino Vecchiolla鈥檚 fly ball to center field, but Chad Petrush loaded the bases with a single.
With the tying run at the plate, Havanis made the sixth inning rally stand with a strikeout.
鈥淎nother thing that was key in that inning, they had three hits and they were all singles,鈥� said Krause.
The start of the game had the feel M&R Transit might just roll to the series sweep.
Kaleb Scott doubled with one out in the top of the first inning and scored on Santino Marra鈥檚 single. Marra advanced a base when the ball was mishandled, but it didn鈥檛 matter when Zimcosky launched an Ethan Erhard pitch over the left field fence for a two-run home run.
Vecchiolla sliced a double down the left field line and scored on a throwing error on Braeden O鈥橞rien鈥檚 ground ball.
鈥淭he one inning was so bad it was embarrassing. We botched a couple cutoffs, guys were out of position. It was just bad baseball,鈥� said Krause.
A walk to Long and an outfield error on Noah Mildren鈥檚 fly ball set the Copperheads up with two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the inning. Van Sickle drove in the first of his six runs with a sacrifice fly.
The teams settled down in the second inning, but M&R Transit found its offense in the top of the third inning with five hits and three runs.
Singles by Scott and Marra chased Erhard from the game. Zimcosky greeted Havanis with an RBI single.
Petrush came through with a one-out, run-scoring single. Jace Cappelllini capped the inning with a run-scoring single.
Carmichaels responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to 7-6.
Pegg started things off with a single and Mamie walked. Long walked with one out to load the bases. Mildren brought Pegg home with a single.
O鈥橞rien entered in relief of starter Garrett Myers and was greeted by Van Sickle鈥檚 bases-clearing double. Van Sickle took third on a passed ball and scored when Gavin Pratt beat out a possible double play grounder with Cappellini on the mound.
Dominic Colarusso singled, though the inning ended when Pratt was thrown out attempting to score on a passed ball.
鈥淲e were counting on some pitching we didn鈥檛 get tonight. We were hoping Myers would鈥檝e given us a little more. He was doing fine and I don鈥檛 know. He should鈥檝e had plenty of rest. He hasn鈥檛 pitched in six days,鈥� explained Buddy Marra. 鈥淲e thought he鈥檇 take us into five and we鈥檇 be good after that. He didn鈥檛.鈥�
Carmichaels pulled into the lead with two runs after one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Pegg walked and sprinted around the bases to score on Mamie鈥檚 triple. Richmond, running for Mamie, scored on a passed ball.
The middle of the M&R Transit lineup produced the tying run in the top of the fifth inning.
Santino Marra doubled to start the inning and scored on Zimcosky鈥檚 triple. Zimcosky attempted to score on Vecchiolla鈥檚 fly ball to center field, but Colarusso鈥檚 throw was on the money to Mamie for the out.
Krause felt his squad underperformed in the first two games, but believes they鈥檒l be ready to stay alive and force a fifth game.
鈥淚鈥檓 just really proud. You know, you come into this, the first two games were disappointing. We could be better than that. We should be better than that,鈥� said Krause. 鈥淚t was disappointing because we did a lot of things to ourselves. They hit the ball. When they hit the ball we made so many mistakes.
鈥淥ur worry is how do you keep their big guns down.鈥�
Buddy Marra now has to piece together pitchers for the fourth game.
鈥淣ot good,鈥� Marra said of his pitching prospects. 鈥淲e鈥檒l probably go with O鈥橞rien tomorrow. Other than that, we鈥檙e not doing good in pitching.鈥�