Bud Murphy’s sweeps Mitch’s Bail Bonds
BULLSKIN TWP. 鈥� Sunday鈥檚 deciding playoff game between Mitch鈥檚 Bail Bonds and Bud Murphy鈥檚 went down to the wire in more ways than one before Bud鈥檚 won the game on a 鈥渨alk-off walk鈥� in the bottom of the eighth inning. The win gave the Cokers a three-game sweep in the best-of-five Fayette County League semifinal series.
After taking a 2-1 lead on a controversial balk call in the top half of the seventh inning, Mitch鈥檚 was one out away from sending the series back to Charleroi for a fourth game.
But Jared Early of Bud鈥檚 hit a pop up that glanced off a wire that runs above the field near home plate. Such deflections are in play at Breakneck Field and Early hustled the play into a single.
After a walk to Jason Greene, Mitch鈥檚 manager Ryan Encapera brought Matt Dishong into the game to relieve starting pitcher Zac Edmiston. But Andy Schleihauf singled to drive in Early to tie the game.
Bud鈥檚 almost scored the winning run when Ben Herrington followed with a single to left field, but pinch runner Chris Brunson was out at the plate on a relay throw to Mitch鈥檚 catcher Mike Pica to end the inning.
Mitch鈥檚 2-1 lead in the top of the inning came on a controversial balk call that allowed Adam Dukate to score from third base.
Bud鈥檚 pitcher Marty Fagler pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the eighth when he got his 10th and 11th strikeouts to end the inning.
In the Bud鈥檚 eighth, Brian Sankovich walked and was forced at second on a ground ball hit by Geremy Hoover. After a fly out, Kaitan Smiley doubled Hoover to third.
Encapera brought Ben Carson in to pitch, but Carson walked Fagler to load the bases, and walked Early to end the game with Hoover scoring the winning run.
The game started in the same pattern as the first two games of the series, with Mitch鈥檚 scoring first when Pat Gannon鈥檚 ground out drove in Taylor Andrisko with an unearned run in the opening inning.
Herrington tied the game for Bud鈥檚 in the second with a solo home run to left field.
From then on, it was a pitcher鈥檚 battle as Fagler retired 15 of 16 batters into the sixth inning, and Edmiston escaped Bud鈥檚 threats in the third and fourth innings.
Fagler went the distance on a four-hit, 11 strikeout performance, and gave up just an unearned run and the controversial seventh inning run.
Bud鈥檚 manager Lou Pasquale admitted afterwards, 鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty lucky. But sometimes it鈥檚 better to be lucky than good.鈥� He added, 鈥淢arty pitched a heckuva game. He鈥檚 been doing this for me for eight or nine years and he鈥檚 been in the league for 10 to 12 years.鈥�
Pasquale said he doesn鈥檛 care whether his team plays Belmont Inn or regular season champion Blue Mountain in the championship round. 鈥淚 just want to win four games in the next series. I don鈥檛 care who we do it against.鈥�
Encapera lamented the odd break in the seventh inning. 鈥淪omething crazy always seems to happen every time we鈥檙e here. Marty is a good pitcher. We鈥檙e 0-8 against left-handed starters this year.鈥�
Mitch鈥檚 pitchers allowed only nine runs in 21 innings in the series, and Encapera said, 鈥淥ur pitching is the best in the league in depth. But you鈥檝e got to hit to win. We didn鈥檛 score runners and that was the difference.鈥�