Blue Mountain ties County playoff series
Belmont Inn's Mike Pegg dives back to first base, as Blue Mountain's Gene Franks reaches for the ball, at Hutchinson Field Tuesday.
Belmont Inn's Mike Pegg gets a hit against Blue Mountain Tuesday at Hutchinson Field in Hopwood.
Blue Mountain's Chuck Gasti is congratulated after blasting a two-run homer against Belmont Inn Thuesday at Hutchinson Field at Hopwood.
HOPWOOD 鈥� Blue Mountain came out swinging for the second straight game and then held off Belmont Inn 8-3 Tuesday to send the Fayette County League semifinal series to a deciding game tonight in Carmichaels.
The winner advances to the best-of-seven championship series to play Bud Murphy鈥檚.
The visiting Copperheads had two-run home runs from Chuck Gasti and Jeff Thompson, three RBIs from Ron Nopwoski and a complete game pitching effort from Justin Schrader. But Belmont Inn never quit until a game-ending double play stopped a bases loaded threat.
Blue Mountain (20-8) got a controversial judgment call in the first inning when Joe Havrilek appeared to have left second base just ahead of a fly ball out hit by Gene Franks. Belmont manager Steve Kezmarsky appealed the play, but the umpires said Franks didn鈥檛 leave the base early.
When asked about the play after the game, Kezmarsky said, 鈥�100 percent he left early and that was a real turning point in the game. But it was a judgment call by veteran umpires. We had seven innings to battle back and I鈥檓 not blaming the game on that. But if you鈥檙e asking, he left early.鈥�
Gasti followed Havrilek鈥檚 tag-up with a two-out home run to left field for a 2-0 lead.
Blue Mountain made it 3-0 in the second when Thompson doubled, and pinch runner Joby Lapkowicz scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Nopwoski.
Belmont Inn (16-12) scored an unearned run in the bottom of the inning when Sam Beucher was safe on an error, Blake Roblisson doubled, and Steve Kezmarsky鈥檚 sacrifice fly out drove in Lapkowicz.
The Copperheads threatened in every inning against BI pitcher Cory Boreland, who battled out of trouble with help from a third inning double play.
But in the fifth, Franks singled and Thompson homered with two outs for a 5-1 lead.
Belmont answered with a pair of runs after two outs in the bottom of the inning. Mike Pegg doubled and scored on a single by Nick Erminio, and Evan Arison followed with a double to drive in Erminio to cut the lead to 4-3.
The Copperheads put the game away by scoring three runs in the seventh after two outs. Franks led off with a single, Thompson singled with two outs, and George Taylor singled off relief pitcher Bobby Madison to drive in Franks. Nopwoski then doubled to drive in two more runs for an 8-3 lead.
Eric Fudala and Mike Pegg each singled in the BI seventh. One out later, Arison singled to load the bases before the Copperheads turned a double play to end the game.
Blue Mountain manager Dick Krause said his veteran players came up big. 鈥�(Schrader) gutted it out. The game for us illustrated where we have an advantage in experience. Thompson had a monster game at catcher, Schrader has been strong in the rotation, and while Gasti is young, he鈥檚 played five years for me.鈥�
Krause is taking nothing for granted in tonight鈥檚 deciding game. 鈥淏elmont Inn is a good baseball team with a lot of athletic players. Whoever wins tomorrow gets to play Bud鈥檚.鈥�
Kezmarsky said his team 鈥渃ontinues to fight and not give up. We got the first two wins early (in the series) and we鈥檝e got to win the last game late.鈥�
Game 5 is scheduled to start at 5:45 p.m. at the Carmichaels High School field.