Quakertown remains in thick of Tri-Co race

By Ted Meixell
Of The Morning Call


The phrase "games-in-hand" is normally associated strictly with the sport of ice hockey. But as far as Steve Bauder, catcher and pinch manager for Quakertown's Tri-County League baseball entry, is concerned, games-in-hand currently have just as much to do with his club's being right in the thick of the TCL's Southern Division race as victories such as last night's 3-1 come-from-behind job over host North Parkland.

That win, fashioned principally on the strength of Tom Hartman's get-'em-out-when-it-counts, seven-hit pitching and a couple of clutch hits by Terry Keller, ran the Orioles' record to 15-4. On a percentage basis, that plants them in third place behind both Gilbertsville (12-2) and Upper Perkiomen (12-3 before a late game against Northern Division leading Coplay last night). On a "games- behind" basis, though, Quakertown is actually a half-game ahead of Gilbertsville and a full game ahead of Upper Perk.

What's more, Bauder feels, the extra games their principal rivals face weigh heavily in the Orioles' favor. "Not only have we played more games than either of them," said Bauder, filling in for manager Chip Friday, "but they haven't even played each other yet. They've got to play each other three times, so two or three losses for them will put us right in the thick of things. Plus, we've got one game left with each of them. I feel pretty good about our position."

Bauder did not, however, feel too good about his club's position entering the fifth inning of last night's game with North Parkland. Bob Jones, the Cardinals' hard-throwing young lefthander, had blanked the O's on just one hit to that point. And a double by Brett Simock, a single by player-manager George Horn and Jim Kucharczuk's long sacrifice fly to right in the second inning had staked Jones to a 1- 0 lead he was seemingly capable of holding on to.

But the Orioles broke through to tie the game in the fifth on Dan Eckert's prodigious triple to center and Keller's infield single. (North Parkland second baseman Todd Reimert made a gallant effort to keep the run off the board, diving to his left to snag Keller's bouncer. But his desperate toss from on his stomach was much too late.)

Although Quakertown managed to squander a one-out triple for the second time in the game in the sixth inning, Jones' luck ran out in the seventh. Dennis Jones drew a leadoff walk and, one out later, moved to second when Eckert's bouncer to third was booted. Keller then drilled a solid single to left-center and, although he was gunned down going to second, Jones scored easily. Bauder himself provided an insurance run, singling in Eckert.

Both teams messed up a couple of excellent scoring chances. Quakertown's Bob Kile smacked a one-out triple in the sixth but, after a walk to Scott Davis, Mike Schaffer popped an attempted suicide squeeze bunt to third baseman Rich Correll, who easily doubled up Kile. In the second, Davis unloaded a triple with one out but B. Jones stranded him with two infield grounders. Davis' triple, incidentally, was a monster, 400-foot plus shot to right that would've been out of any park in the country including Yellowstone.

But it was not out of the Cardinals' field in East Texas (which does not have a fence in right), merely into its distant (a healthy three-wood from home plate) parking lot. (This comparison is rendered fairly accurate by the fact that the field parallels the fairway on the par-5 sixth hole at Shepherd Hills.) A rather "unique" ground rule limited Davis, who could've circled the bases twice, to a triple.

North Parkland (9-8) might've scored in both the fourth and fifth innings with better base running. Simock walked to lead off the fourth and stole second, but he was cut down trying to go to third on a grounder to short. Jake Hammond doubled with one out in the fifth and made it to third on a single by TedYoung. But when Correll's potential double play grounder to short was bobbled and the Orioles settled for a force, Hammond stayed put at third and failed to score.

"We waited a long while to start hitting," Bauder said, "but we always seem to coming off a long layoff. Tom (Hartman) is very consistent; he throws strikes and doesn't beat himself. Tonight his slider was his 'out' pitch."

---  In other Tri-County League action last night, the Allentown Angels rallied for eight runs in the top of the seventh to batter Silver Creek 8-2. Bill Haries, Dave Chapman and Jim Potocnie each had RBI-singles in the inning, Rick Wittman had a two-run single, and Mookie Smith blasted a three-run home. Ray Ganser went the distance for the win, and Bob Carr was the loser after tossing six scoreless innings.



  

From The Morning Call -- July 7, 1987

Copyright © 1987, The Morning Call