Silver Creek keeps pounding pitchers in Tri-Co

By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call


The Silver Creek entry in the Tri-County League is called the "Raiders" and lately, they've been putting up the kind of numbers that Al Davis wishes his football club of the same name would produce in the fall.

With a 14-10 victory over defending league champion Stahley's Bar last night in Springtown, Silver Creek recorded its fourth straight double-digit total and might soon be known as the "Raiders of the Lost Arms."

"We've won 12-1, 10-7 and 16-1 in our last three games before tonight after averaging two runs and six hits in our first four games, so I'd say we're coming on," said Silver Creek manager Steve Smull, whose team had 14 of the 29 hits in a game that was more like glorified batting practice.

"We had our strongest lineup of the year here tonight, so even though they got out to a 6-1 lead, I knew we could come back. It was just a matter of time."

Stahley's rocketed to the lead with six runs in the top of the second when Tony Galucy, fresh off his All-American season at Mansfield University, received a bases-loaded walk, Dale Weiss (3-for-4) slugged a grand slam and Dave Lutte followed with a solo blast.

But the Raiders, who got a first-inning home run from Chris Rios (2-for-2, 2 steals and 2 RBI), came back with two runs in the second and took control with a six-spot of their own in the last of the third. Matt Smull, Steve's brother, highlighted that uprising with a three-run home run out of the No. 8 spot in the Silver Creek lineup.

"That's the first time that Matt's hit in the eighth spot in about three years," said his brother. "He's usually a No. 4 or No. 5 hitter, but we were so strong up and down the lineup that we were able to put him down there."

Up 9-6 after three innings, the Raiders kept scoring, and it's a good thing they did since Stahley's kept pounding away, too.

The "Bar Belters" struck for three runs in the top of the fifth to get within 10-9, but had a runner tagged out in a rundown between third and home to take them out of the inning. The Creek added a run in the bottom of the fifth, but still had to dodge one more bullet in the top of the sixth when Shawn Cadden's RBI single made it 11-10 and Stahley's had runners on first and second with one out.

Greg Wotring, one of five Stahley's players with two or more hits, pounded one through the middle. Raider reliever Chris O'Conner just got his glove on the ball enough to slow it down and allow shortstop Dave Hartranft to turn an inning-ending double play.

Silver Creek added three runs in the bottom of the sixth and the only question left was whether or not the game would be called by darkeness. It wasn't.

"We couldn't relax at all," said Smull, whose team improved to 5-3. "Stahley's has a great hitting lineup. They'll keep coming at you. We were three outs away from winning a semifinal playoff series from them last year, but they exploded. I'm glad we held them off this time."

Stahley's player-manager Ray Ganser, one of several pitchers who tried -- and failed -- to stop the hitting onslaughts, just chalked it up as "one of those nights."

"Last night, we lost our first game of the year 3-2 to Emmaus in a real pitcher's duel, but this was very different," said Ganser, whose team dipped to 7-2. "This is a hitter's ballpark (350 feet to straightaway center) and that helps them. But when they have everyone here, they're real tough. They're a legitimate contender.

"Things have been going good for us. This was our first poorly pitched game of the year. Before this, we didn't give up four runs in any game. You need to get some sense knocked into you from time to time. We've got good guys here and we'll regroup. Everyone will have days like this."



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- June 4, 1992

Copyright © 1992, The Morning Call