Gilbertsville wraps up seasonal title

By Ted Meixell
Of The Morning Call


After waiting until its last at bat to come from behind to win Wednesday, Gilbertsville changed the script dramatically last night at Balliet Stadium.

Gilbertsville jumped on starter Jim Emerick for six hits and five runs in the top of the first inning and coasted to an 8-4 victory over Coplay to at once dethrone the Serpents and claim its first Tri- County League regular season championship since it reeled off three straight between 1984 and 1986. "I think tonight we proved we're the best team in the league," said manager Ryan Fox, who, with three hits that included a sixth-inning solo home run, had much to do with his club's triumph. "We came in as the top seed, as the team to beat, and we played that way. We didn't play very well last (Wednesday night), but we came here tonight ready to play.

"I believe we proved who the best hitting team is from one through nine - and I certainly think Pete Kurtz proved who the league's best pitcher is, too. He's 13-0 now."

Indeed, Gilberstville showed punch throughout its lineup. Cleanup hitter Jeff Evans (2-for-4) walloped a two-run home run to highlight the first-inning outburst, to which Greg Gilbert, Tom Troutman (2- for-3) and Mike Moyer contributed RBI-singles.

And Kurtz, who together with Chris Ludy forms a 1-2 mound punch that now stands at a perfect 21-0, was indeed outstanding - although he did weaken in the seventh (when Coplay scored four times on just one hit) and needed help from fireballing reliever Kevin Mackey. Mixing a fastball with good movement with a sharp breaking ball, Kurtz limited the normally-potent Serpents to just four hits while striking out six.

"We're two-thirds of the way there," Fox said. "Our first goal was to win our division; the second was to win the regular season championship, and our third is to win the playoff championship. We're definitely shooting for a sweep."

"This one got away from us in that first inning," said Coplay manager Lou Falco. "It's tough to come back from something like that. They hit the ball really well. They're a fastball hitting team. If he can get through the first inning, Jim (Emrick) can beat anybody. Bruce Sokol (who yielded only Fox's solo homer in 2 2/3 innings of relief work) did a really nice job tonight. I only took him out because I wanted to give Bobby (Bleiler) some work. He hadn't pitched in 10 days, and he'll start for us Sunday in the opening game of the playoff semifinals." (Against Upper Perkiomen, which swept its quarterfinal series with Limeport.)

"No, I don't think we had a letdown after the tough loss in the first game. We had put that one out of our mind, and we came to play tonight. Maybe it's just that we were burned out after playing so many games the last two weeks. We just weren't with it tonight.

"But we'll be back Sunday. I guarantee it."

Gilbertsville, which will open its playoff semifinal series Sunday against the winner of the Allentown Angels-Quakertown quarterfinal series (which is now tied at 1-1), made a few additions to its roster this season - and Fox believes they were keys to the club's sensational (30-4 so far) season. Not the least of those additions was one Ryan Fox coming on board, both as the third baseman and the manager.

"Greg Gilbert is new," he said. "Chris Ludy is new. I didn't play last year. And Scott Gilbert is back after a year away from the game. No question. There's definitely more talent here than there was the past few years.

"The pitching is vastly better. Heck, our No. 1 and 2 guys are a combined 21-0. And our hitting, especially from one through five, has been unreal."



  

From The Morning Call -- August 11, 1989

Copyright © 1989, The Morning Call