Moving on
Copperheads completes 2-game sweep of Mill Run, advances to FCBL final
CONNELLSVILLE 鈥� Carmichaels made sure right from the start there would be no nail-biting finish on Monday.
The Copperheads, coming off a tense 6-5 win in Game 1 of their Fayette County Baseball League best-of-3 first round series against Mill Run on Sunday, scored six runs in the first inning and three more in the second in Game 2 to build an imposing 9-0 lead on the way to a 16-2, six-inning victory at Thomas E. Sankovich Field.
Hunter Mamie followed up a grand slam on Sunday with two more bases-loaded hits on Monday to rack up five RBIs and Alec Englemore pitched five strong innings as Carmichaels wrapped up the series, 2-0, to set up a final against top-seeded Potomac Valley.
The best-of-5 championship series was scheduled to begin Wednesday at Garrett College.
Carmichaels manager Dickie Krause has guided his team into league finals more times than he can count and has claimed 14 titles, the last coming in 2019.
鈥淓very year that we make it is extremely special,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淭his is something that鈥檚 been a big part of my life for a long time. My dad has been a big part of the journey, too, and I鈥檒l call him pretty soon here and tell him we won.鈥�
The Millers and Copperheads were coming off a dogfight on Sunday with Carmichaels hanging on for a 6-5 win and an 1-0 series lead.
Mill Run manager Ray Orndorff reflected on how close the Millers game to pulling out Game 1, which they trailed 6-0 at one point.
鈥淧ie (Anthony Piasecki) hit a three-run homer in the fifth that kind of gave us a little life, then in the seventh he hits a ball down the first-base line that I鈥檓 thinking might go to the fence,鈥� Orndorff said. 鈥淚t hits the bag, goes up in the air and their first baseman (Santino Marra) barehands the ball behind the bag, dives to first base and gets the out.
鈥淲e still got a run on the play that made it 6-5 but you kind of wonder what would鈥檝e happened had the ball not hit the base.鈥�
Krause agreed.
鈥淭hat game, I鈥檓 not sure how we got out of it,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淲e got a break on the ball down the first-base line that hit the bad. Santino made an incredible play on that.
鈥淚t was the same thing in one of our regular-season games. We had a lead but then were only up one in the seventh, they had the bases loaded, nobody out and Drake Long came in before he got hurt and pitched out of it for us.鈥�
Any carryover the Millers took from Sunday鈥檚 late rally into Monday鈥檚 game was quickly squashed.
鈥淲e got our lead-off hitter Dom Colarusso on and then AP (Aaron Prvevisky) hits a shot down the line for a double and right off the bat we got a run and that kind of took away maybe a little momentum that had carried over from Sunday.鈥�
Marra followed with a singled to center and Noah Mildren鈥檚 first of two sacrifice flies made it 2-0. A double by Luke Camden and a walk to Andino Vecchiolla loaded the bases and Gavin Pratt鈥檚 infield single put the visitors up 3-0. Mamie followed with a three-run double to left and the Copperheads were ahead 6-0.
Carmichaels extended its lead to 9-0 in the third inning. Camden singled with one out, Vecchiolla walked again and one out later Tyler Richmond was hit by a pitch. Mamie then laced a two-run single to left and an error allowed Richmond to also score on the play.
鈥淲e gave them a run yesterday but it got away from us pretty quick today鈥� Orndorff said. 鈥淓verything we threw up there it seemed like they hit. When you get that far behind a team like that, it鈥檚 hard to play catch-up. We had a hit here or there but couldn鈥檛 capitalize. They did a good job of holding us down offensively.鈥�
Mildren鈥檚 second sacrifice fly and Camden鈥檚 RBI ground out pushed Carmichaels鈥� advantage to 11-0 in the top of the fourth.
The Millers (10-10) finally broke through against Englemore in the bottom of the frame.
Cade Warrick was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and after a force out Beau Bigam singled to left. Alan VanSickle moved the runners up with a ground out and Logan Kemp brought them both home with a single to center to make it 11-2.
The Copperheads hit for the cycle in a five-run sixth inning to put the game far out of reach.
Marra led off with a solo home run to left, Mildren tripled to right and Camden singled to right for a 13-2 lead. Vecchiolla walked for the third time, then two outs later Mamie walked to load the bases and AJ Vanata cleared them with a three-run double to left to cap the game鈥檚 scoring.
Miller took the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits in 2 鈪� innings.
Englemore gave up two runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in five innings. Marra finished up with a scoreless sixth.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 join us until a few weeks into the season,鈥� Krause said of Englemore. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a Shaler kid but he鈥檚 working at Waynesburg University this summer and that鈥檚 how we got him. He鈥檚 now pitched three five-inning games for us and has allowed runs in one inning, the two today.
鈥淗e just did a great job on four days rest. He was crisp, working that curveball on the outside corner.鈥�
Camden had three hits and scored three runs and Colarusso, Marra and Mamie each had two hits apiece.
鈥淗unter deserves it because he struggled early for us and then he stayed after practice one day and we made an adjustment in his swing,鈥� Krause pointed out. 鈥淭hese guys have worked really hard. We had a couple guys that weren鈥檛 hitting for us and they went to the batting cage and worked and got better.鈥�
Kemp and Marc Prinkey each had two hits for the Millers.
Potomac Valley and Carmichaels finished the regular season tied for first place with 16-2 records but the Mudcats earned the top seed by winning two of three games against the Copperheads. Both teams are now 18-2.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e poised and ready and it鈥檒l be a good series,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淲e know Potomac Valley will throw some pitching at us.
鈥淭his will be three years in a row we鈥檝e been in the final but we鈥檝e been skunked the last two years against Uniontown, which was a very, very good team. This year it鈥檚 Potomac Valley and they鈥檙e really, really good, too. We鈥檙e going to have to work really hard.鈥�