Limeport rallies to tie Gilbertsville

By Jack Lapos
Of The Morning Call


"Nobody likes a tie - but is sure beats losing."

The words belonged to Ishky Fatzinger last night after his Limeport team and Gilbertsville struggled to a 2-2 deadlock in the opening game of the Tri- County League's best-of-three seasonal championship series.

The contest was halted by darkness after the regulation seven innings at Gilbertsville and Ishky certainly had good reason to be satisfied. His club was down 2-0 going into the final frame and managed to gain the tie just when all hope seemed lost.

Two errors with two out enabled Limeport to catch up.

Now they will start all over again at 1 p.m. today at Gilbertsville. The second game of the series will take place at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at Limeport. If a third contest is necessary, it will be held at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at Gilbertsville.

Limeport (19-8) finished first in the North Division standings and Gilbertsville(23-5) had the best record in the South during the regular schedule. After this seasonal championship series will come the playoffs.

Excellent pitching marked yesterday's game. Bill Fatzinger, Ishky's son, held Gilbertsville to four hits. Tom Hiriak and Lou Chillot combined to limit Limeport to five.

"The pitching on the part of both teams was great," Iskky said. "All our guys deserve credit for the way they battled from behind to gain at least a tie."

Manager Todd Slonaker of Gilbertsville was anything but satisfied with the tie.

"What can I say?" Slonaker lamented. "The seventh inning has been a problem for us for a couple of years now . . . somehow we just do not do well in that inning . . . and this game was no exception."

Here's what happened in the top of the seventh:

Dale Weiss grounded out. Dale Houser tripled. Bob Fatzinger singled, Houser scored and it was a 2-1 contest. After Herb Hemerly flied out, Ishky Fatzinger chopped a grounder to third and it looked like the end of the game. Alas, Todd Seymour missed it. John Szalachowski then lifted a high fly to left and again it appeared to be the end of the game. However, Jeff Evans dropped the ball as Bob Fatzinger was scoring to tie it at 2-2. Ron Stabile then grounded out to end the inning.

Gilbertsville then went down in order in the last of the seventh and the umpires halted the action.

The game was scoreless until the third when Gilbertsville jumped ahead 1-0. Jim Healy walked. After Bill Sassaman and Brian Gilbert grounded out, Mike Kline was hit by a pitch and Evans came through in the clutch by singling across Healy.

The home team made it 2-0 in the sixth. After Evans flied out, Neil Fox walked and Randy Conrad came through with a run-producing double that hugged the right field foul line. Scott Gilbert was safe on anerror by left fielder Houser but Bill Fatzinger buckled down to fan Seymour and get Healy to ground out.

Overall, Bill Fatzinger walked four while striking out one. Hiriak gave up only three hits while issuing six walks and fanning nobody during his 5 2/3 innings. Chillot surrendered two hits and no walks while striking out one. All three are lefthanders.

"I thought it was a super effort on the part of Hiriak," his manager said. "I just could not ask for a better performance than he came up with.

"But I have got to be disappointed with a tie," Slonaker said in summing up the situation.



  

From The Morning Call -- August 4, 1984

Copyright © 1984, The Morning Call