Drumbore, defense lift Quakertown to Tri-Co win

By Mark Bedics
Of The Morning Call


In last night's Tri-County league contest against Stahley's Angels, Quakertown pitcher Bob Drumbore had the three perfect ingredients for success -- defense, skill and a little luck.

Defense came in handy all night as he wasn't exactly overpowering, only two strikeouts, but he gave up only five hits in posting a 5-2 victory. Although the defense didn't make any spectacular plays, it committed only one error.

"I pitched okay," Drumbore, who was also 2-for-3 at the plate, said. "They hit the ball pretty hard and I got away with a few pitches that they hit hard right at somebody. It must be good living or something."

Although overall the Quakertown (16-11) defense was solid, it was the defense that put Quakertown in trouble in the first inning. After Stahley's Tony Galucy doubled to open the game, Dave Lutte, who was     2-for-3, singled Galucy home for the game's first run. One batter later with Lutte at first and Dale Weiss at third, Mookie Smith's ground ball was booted by the Quakertown second baseman. Weiss scored on the error to give the Angels (18-7) an early 2-0 lead.

Drumbore's skillful pitching the rest of the game yielded only two hits. He also kept runners off the bases by yielding only one walk on the night.

With Drumbore in control on the mound, all Quakertown had to do was wake up the bats.

"Against (the Angels) we knew we were going to have to come out and hit because we know that they are going to come with good pitching and good hitting," Quakertown coach Tom Hartman said. "They hit the ball kind of hard too, but we hit the ball in the holes and got the hits when we needed them."

It was the second inning that Quakertown started to find the holes. After Todd Schaffer doubled to start off the second inning, George Pavlinsky singled to bring in Schaeffer with Quakertown's first run. One out later, Brian Schaeffer doubled down the left field line to bring in Paulinsky and tie the score at 2-2.

Quakertown took the lead for good with one run in the fourth inning. With one out, Keith Leamer singled home Pavlinsky for a 3-2 advantage.

In the fifth inning Quakertown broke the game open with two more runs, despite not getting a hit. Dean Reiman led off the inning with a groundball that Weiss, the Angels shortstop, threw over the head of the first baseman. The next batter, Kevin Kershner got on when Angels third baseman, Jeff Snyder, bobbled the ball. With Reiman at third, Kershner stole second, but the Angels faked the throw to second. Instead the throw went to third base, catching Reiman off base, but the catcher's throw went into left field allowing Reiman to score.

Kershner scored later in the inning on a second error by Snyder. All total, the Angels had four errors in the inning which allowed both runs to score without a hit.

Offensively for the Angels, luck just didn't seem to be on their side.

"In the last four or five games, we've been making contact, but the hits just haven't been falling in," Angels coach Ray Ganser said. "We aren't getting the breaks, and we aren't making our own breaks. That's the way baseball is. When you're going good, you're going good. In the beginning of the year everything went our way. As of late, we can't buy a run.

"It's frustrating right now. Guys are getting down on themselves, so they have to pick themselves back up. They're a good team and they're going to come back. There's no two ways about it."



  

From The Morning Call -- July 18, 1991

Copyright © 1991, The Morning Call