Angels nab first Tri-County title

By Mark Bedics
Of The Morning Call


There is a first time for everything. For Stahley's manager Ray Ganser, yesterday was a first.

The Angels won their first ever Tri-County League Championship with a 7-2 victory at Gilbertsville in the final game of the best-of-three series. The win ended a 14-year drought for Ganser, who has played and coached for the Angels his entire career.

"I tell you it's something else," Ganser said. "I haven't had one of these and it's been a long time. It's really great."

Last year, the same two teams met for the regular season crown, with Gilbertsville taking home the crown. This year, Stahley's pitcher Ed Jones made sure it was otherwise.

Jones started slowly, giving up two runs on three hits in the first inning, including RBI singles to Jeff Evans and Tom Troutman. After Troutman's hit, the Rangers were shut down --totally.

The Rangers would not get another hit during the rest of the contest.

"(Jones) threw a good game," Gilbertsville manager Ryan Fox said. "He kept us off balance and he mixed his pitches well, so he gets all the credit. We didn't swing the bats like we can, but you have to give him a lot of the credit for that."

Jones said, "To tell you the truth, going into the seventh I started to think about how many hits they had. Then I figured if I count it might bring bad luck, so I just stopped counting right then and left it the way it was."

The Stahley's defense was solid behind Jones. The Angels committed only one harmless error, and came up with several big defensive plays. Left fielder Tim Schwindenhammer made a spectacular diving catch in the bottom of the seventh and first baseman Dave Lutte made a diving stop of a hard hit groundball for another out in the third inning.

"We were due for a game like this," Ganser said. "Everything fell in, usually it's just the opposite for us down here. When we played them down here before they killed us, but they had the same kind of chink hits as we had (last night)."

The biggest chink hit of the game turned out to be the nail in the Rangers coffin. With the Angels clinging to a 5-2 lead in the sixth inning, Keith Brader looped a base hit over the outstretched glove of the Gilbertsville shortstop. The hit brought in Matt Hlay and Dale Weiss and extended the lead to 7-2.

The four-run sixth-inning ended a long uphill struggle for runs for the Angels. Stahley's only managed one run in the first four innings. Tony Galucy scored on a groundout by Dale Weiss, who was 2- for-5 with three RBI, for a run in the third inning.

Trailing 2-1 entering the fifth frame, Stahley's took the lead for good. Galucy again scored, this time on a one out single by Weiss. The go-ahead run came on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze. Brader laid down the bunt, allowing Weiss to score with what turned out to be the winning run.

With Jones in control on the mound, Gilbertsville couldn't come back. Although they did strand seven runners during the contest due to six walks, the Rangers couldn't get anyone to knock them in.

"We struggled a little bit, but he threw a nice game," Fox said. "They outpitched us, they outhit us and they outhustled us. They deserve it, there's no question. They were the better team this series."

Emmaus 17-6, Milford 6-5 -- Kyle Fisher starred offensively as Emmaus swept Milford in a Tri-County League doubleheader.

In the opener, Fisher (2-for-4) contributed to Emmaus' 19-hit attack. Jeff Sabo (4-for-4, 1 RBI) and Jeff Wiltrout (2-for-3, 1 RBI) also pitched in to make a winner out of Ted Steiner.

In the nightcap, Fisher delivered a two-run single to highlight a four-run first inning as Emmaus took charge early en route to gaining the sweep.

Fisher and Kyle Weida (3-for-3) paced the Emmaus attack. Jeff Sabo added three RBI on sacrifice flies for the hosts.

Mike Butler (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and Mike Sabol (4-for-4) led the Pioneers.



  

From The Morning Call -- August 5, 1991

Copyright © 1991, The Morning Call