Mikes open season with 11-2 road victory
MASONTOWN 鈥� Carmichaels pieced together four multi-run innings for an 11-2 non-section victory over Albert Gallatin on a cold, blustery March 20 afternoon at German-Masontown Park.
The game was the first for both teams, and the first for Albert Gallatin coach Nick Groover.
鈥淔irst game, I got a little nervous earlier when I was thinking about it, but when I got here, it鈥檚 just baseball,鈥� said Groover.
鈥淣ick is going to do a great job for them,鈥� complimented Carmichaels coach Dickie Krause. 鈥淗e鈥檚 played for me in the county league and we鈥檝e played against him. I really like him. I think he鈥檚 a very knowledgeable coach.
鈥淗e鈥檚 going to do very well for them. He鈥檒l get those young kids going, and they鈥檒l get better and better as the year goes along.鈥�
The top of the order was the most productive slice of Carmichaels鈥� lineup with Dom Colarusso, Robbie Wilson-Jones and Liam Lohr combining for seven hits, seven runs scored and six RBI.
鈥淲e have a couple kids that have been through it. Colarusso鈥檚 played a lot of baseball in four years. So, we know what they can do,鈥� said Krause. 鈥淏ut, we also have some kids that are in starting positions or playing positions for the first time.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a little uneven right now. We have some guys we know that can play. We know they鈥檙e good and we have some guys we think they鈥檒l be good.鈥�
The Albert Gallatin defense placed starter Evan Weakland, a freshman in his first high school start, in early trouble with back-to-back errors to start the game.
Lohr ripped a run-scoring double down the third base line and Ambrose Adamson came through with a two-out, two-run single.
Weakland settled down after the first inning, allowing one hit and a walk over the next two innings.
鈥淓rrors are always going to hurt. They add up,鈥� said Groover. 鈥淥utside of that, I think our pitchers didn鈥檛 do too bad. We鈥檙e young. We started a freshman. He threw well.鈥�
The Mikes came back to life in the top of the fourth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate. Carmichaels scored four runs on five hits.
Colorusso drove in two runs with a double. Lohr鈥檚 double brought home the third run of the inning and Mason Lapana鈥檚 ground out increased the lead to 7-0.
The Mikes were poised to enact the mercy rule in the top of the fifth inning.
Albert Gallatin got the first two outs in the inning, but Wilson-Jones singled to begin the rally. Lohr followed with a run-scoring single. The Mikes loaded the bases on back-to-back walks, and Chance Lemley walked home a run.
The Colonials escaped with an inning-ending strikeout.
Carmichaels鈥� lead grew to 11-0 in the top of the sixth inning.
Albert Gallatin extended the game to seven innings by staving off the mercy rule with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Geno Valenti snapped the Colonials鈥� hitless streak with his second double of the game to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Ethan Carr came through with a pinch-hit RBI single for the first run and then stole second for two runners in scoring position.
Hayden Metts hit a fly ball into short right-center field that just ticked off the edge of the outstretched glove of the infielder that scored the second run. Carr also tried to score on the play, but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
鈥淚 was happy with the first five innings. We knew we got good pitching. Defensively, we played well. Those last two innings we got a little sloppy,鈥� said Krause. 鈥淔or the conditions, I鈥檓 pleased with this game. I think once we got up 11-0, we just thought it was just going to shut down. And, (Albert Gallatin) didn鈥檛 quit.鈥�
Lohr was dominating on the mound, allowing just one hit over five innings with six strikeouts, two walks and four runners. Valenti led off the bottom of the first inning with a double and Lohr then held the Colonials hitless through five innings.
Lohr allowed three runners over the minimum with one runner eliminated on an inning-ending double play in the fourth inning.
鈥�(Lohr) threw well for them. We haven鈥檛 seen a ton of live pitching yet,鈥� said Groover, adding, 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping the bats will come around. We put a lot of work in the cage this year.鈥�
Lohr was used primarily in relief last season, moving into the starting rotation this year.
鈥淚 was really happy with (Lohr). Last year, he didn鈥檛 start much for us. He came in relief, a lot. He鈥檚 going to be really good. I鈥檓 really high on him,鈥� said Krause.