Stahley's Jones closes the book on ICC Pirates

By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call


Unfortunately for the ICC Pirates, the final chapter of their storybook season was authored last night by someone who has become well-known for writing opposing teams' obituaries.

Pitcher Ed Jones, accustomed to taking the ball in important contests, tossed a two-hitter and Stahley's Bar got plenty of offense from top-to-bottom in coasting past ICC 10-1 in the third and deciding game of a Tri-County League opening-round playoff series before a big crowd in Bethlehem Township.

The victory sends Stahley's (19-13) into a best-of-3 semifinal round series against Silver Creek, beginning tomorrow night in Springtown.

Meanwhile, ICC (19-13) had its remarkable rags-to-riches season -- going from 8-21 two seasons ago and 13-15 last year to a playoff club -- come to a harsh end. The Pirates had won the first game of the series and were ahead 8-4 entering the bottom of the seventh in Game 2, but lost 9-8.

"That was tough losing that four-run lead in the last inning, but give them credit --they beat us," said ICC manager Jim Marouchoc. "I'd rather lose with the other team beating us, rather than us beating ourselves. Tonight, they hit the ball and Ed Jones pitched a terrific game. He threw strikes."

Jones, who was a key pitcher at Dieruff when the Huskies won back- to-back District 11 crowns in the late 80's and was the winning pitcher in the Tri-Co title game for Stahley's in 1991, relished his role.

"For someone who just turned 25 (Monday), I've been in my share of big games," Jones said. "I was looking back and remembering the other big games and that kind of knocked the nervousness out of me. Greg Wotring was my catcher in all those other games. He's been my catcher since I've been 12 years old. He gets all the credit."

Actually, there was plenty of credit to go around. Stahley's collected 13 hits off four Pirate pitchers. Every man in the order had one hit except for leadoff hitter Jay Raines. But Raines did walk twice, knocked in a run with a fielder's choice and made several superb catches in center field.

Stahley's struck for four runs in the second when Dave Lutte spanked a two-run double and Joe Teresavage (3-for-5) muscled a two- run single. The Bar Boys made it 5-0 in the third on a bases-loaded walk to Keith Brader.

Then, after ICC got on the board on Tucker Shive's home run to left in the fifth, Stahley's stopped any notion of a Pirate rally by scoring five times in the top of the sixth.

Dale Weiss socked a three-run home run to highlight the frame that sent many in the biggest crowd in ICC history to their cars.

"They're kind of scary because they are a young club with a lot of talent," Jones said. "They're a good, hungry club, but I think the come-from-behind win the other night turned it all around. We had the momentum going our way coming here and we just kept it going.

"Playoff experience was a factor. We've been here before. We know how to win. We're older. ICC just needs some more experience to get to the next level."

Jones, a graduate of Lebanon Valley College, had the slider working to strike out six. He walked two, both in the second inning when ICC mounted its biggest threat of the night. But with the bases loaded and two out, Jones got Jeff Reybitz on a fly to center.

"I was 6-2 during the season and in both games I lost I gave up one big inning," Jones said. "I wanted to avoid that tonight. All the runs we scored early took the pressure off. Getting a big lead like that adds to your confidence. I just grooved a fastball to Shive that he hit out to spoil the shutout. It would have been nice to get a shutout, but a 10-1 win isn't too bad."

Heck, just being one of the final four teams left in the Tri-Co isn't bad for Stahley's, which seemed out of contention a few weeks ago.

"We had to win 11 out of our last 12 games just to get here," said Stahley's manager Ray Ganser. "We weren't doing anything. We were down, down, down. We were cellar-dwellers for awhile. But now, everything is clicking and we're playing good ball again. Still, we're underdogs against Silver Creek. They're 26-4 and you don't get to 26-4 by accident."

And ICC will be back next year to prove that this summer wasn't an accident.

"It was just a tremendous year and these guys shouldn't hang their heads," Marouchoc said. "We'll keep the nucleus together, add a few guys and we're going to be back here next year."



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- August 3, 1994

Copyright © 1994, The Morning Call