Senators' Delong, McNamara team up for Tri-Co 2-hitter

13-hit attack is used to rout North Division-leading Mariners.


By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call


Joe Sedler says his goal is simple -- to play baseball in August.

To do that, Sedler's Allentown Senators must reach the Tri-County League playoffs, and after a surprisingly easy 8-1 win over Woody's Sports Bar last night in Scherersville, the Senators look like they had better postpone any August vacation plans.

Allentown used a combined two-hitter by Ryan DeLong and Sean McNamara and a 13-hit attack to rout the North Division leading Mariners, who were missing several key players last night.

The Senators, who entered the night in last place in the Tri-Co's sizzling Central Division (all five teams are over .500), have won nine of their last 11 games to improve to 11-8.

"We've been beating some of the better teams in the league," Sedler said. "And, for the most part, we're seeing some of the better pitchers.

"This is my ninth year in this league and I've never made the playoffs before. I really think we've got a shot, even though we're in the toughest of the divisions."

Allentown, which is an offshoot of the extinct Cetronia team, is coming off a 12-20 season in '95. But the new-look Senators looked like a club capable of reversing that record this year, using a combination of bunts and blasts to break open last night's game early.

Allentown, taking advantage of Woody's lack of speed at third base and on the mound, used an error and three bunt singles to score twice in the second and move in front 3-1.

"We wanted to bunt early and get them nervous and thinking about it," Sedler said. "That's the difference in this year's team. We have guys who are willing to bunt, or do whatever it takes to win."

Then in the fourth, the bunters turned into belters as the Senators collected six hits --five of them in a row -- in scoring four runs and knocking Woody's starter Jack Undercuffler from the game.

Julio Lebron, who had three hits, doubled in a run, while Todd Greb, Ed Davidheiser and Shawn Andrews added RBI singles.

Greb, Sedler and Steve Kempf all had two hits to make life easy for DeLong, who tossed four hitless and scoreless innings after yielding a second-inning run.

"It wasn't a bad game, considering I'm sick," said DeLong, a 1994 Whitehall High grad and current East Stroudsburg University student. "I've got a cold or the flu, or something. Actually, my arm felt good. I haven't pitched in two weeks, so I was strong. I just threw strikes and tried to keep them off-balance. I could have gone the seventh inning, but since I'm not feeling that great I didn't mind taking it off."

DeLong, a left-hander, improved to 5-1. He notched four strikeouts to improve his league-leading K total to 38 in 28 innings of work. The only Mariner to have any success against him was leadoff man Jay Raines, who singled twice and knocked in the lone Woody's run in the second inning.

"We were missing at least three starters in Dale Weiss, Tony Galucy and Dave Toth and a bunch of others," said player-coach Dale "Yogi" Krasley. "But we played with no enthusiasm either. You can't win a division like that. We weren't here to play tonight.

"This is the first game we were really whacked all year. Maybe this will wake us up. We'll find out quick (tonight) against Milford."

Milford 13, Yankees 1 -- T.J. Smith drove in half of his team's 10 fifth-inning runs as Milford won last night's Tri-County League road game.

Smith had a three-run home run and two-run single in the inning. Teammates Kyle Kichline and Mike Kessler drove in two runs apiece that inning for the winners (6-12). Bill Krchnavy went the distance for the win, scattering four hits.

Geoff Leibensperger had an RBI double for Yankees (3-14).

South Whitehall 5, East Texas 3 -- Jim Emerick went the distance on the mound as South Whitehall won last night's Tri-County League home game.

The winners (12-6), who shut out Quakertown 4-0 in a late game Monday, took advantage of four East Texas errors. An RBI single by Lou Falco and RBI double by Randy Remaly helped South Whitehall score two of its three sixth-inning runs.

Kyle Weirbach (3-for-3, RBI) and Pete Spisszak (2-for-3, RBI) provided offensive punch for East Texas (7-16).

Center Valley 5, Upper Perkiomen 5 (8 innings) -- Yes, we will have another go-'round of last night's Center Valley and Upper Perkiomen Tri-County League game on July 22.

Last night, Bob Gehringer's two-out double in the bottom of the seventh pulled Upper Perk (8-11) even with visiting Center Valley (15-5).



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- July 3, 1996

Copyright © 1996, The Morning Call