A hitter's paradise, especially for the BML

Martins Creek's Durney starts comeback for winners with solo home run in 4th.


By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call


Neither Bertha nor some of the area's best amateur baseball pitchers could prevent an offensive explosion last night at Limeport Stadium.

The annual Blue Mountain/Tri-County League All-Star game was, as usual, a hitter's paradise with the BML getting the best of it 10-8 before several hundred dry and entertained fans.

Even with a steady rain falling, courtesy of Hurricane Bertha's entrance into the Lehigh Valley, the hitters had little trouble boogeying on the bases in the annual showcase for the area's two amateur leagues.

"It was a good game, the first good one we've had in awhile," said Martins Creek and BML manager Chris Sule. "The Tri-County had a full team here and we knew it was going to be a tough game. Both teams really came out swinging."

The BML scored four runs in the top of the first inning, but fell behind 7-4 before rallying for two in the fourth and four in the sixth.

Kevin Durney of Martins Creek started the rally with the night's only home run -- a solo shot in the fourth.

"That was great to see," Sule said. "In the Blue Mountain League we have a streak of hitting home runs in 24 consecutive games. Kevin has hit about seven or eight. Maybe we could use that one when we play down here in Limeport next time because this is a tough place for home runs."

In the decisive fifth when the BML moved in front 10-7, Northampton's Mike Bodnar doubled in a run and Durney came through again, spanking an RBI single. The other BML runs scored on an error and a wild pitch.

BML pitchers Nate Stannard, Chris Sule, and Billy Flyte settled things down with four scoreless innings after the Tri-Co erupted for seven runs and seven hits in the first three innings.

The big Tri-Co blows were a two-run single by Center Valley's Matt Kolhoff in the second and a two-run hit by the Allentown Senators' Ed Davidheiser in the third.

The Tri-Co tightened it up in the eighth when a dropped flyball in left produced an unearned run off the BML's winningest pitcher, Banko's Ted Damiter. Northampton's Ed Boyce came on in the ninth and left the bases loaded.

Boyce got a called third strike on Gabelsville's Greg Gilbert to end it.

"I really didn't know who he was," Boyce said. "I just figured all of their hitters were pretty good. Our pitchers had done such a good job of shutting them down after they scored early and I didn't want to blow it.

"I got ahead 0-2 on Gilbert and came back with a fastball on the outside part of the plate. Fortunately, we got him out and the Blue Mountain won the game. We feel like we're sort of expected to win this game. There's a lot of pride involved."

BML hitting stars early included Catty's Jeff Merlet, who had a two-run double, the Creek's Ross Griffith, who had a run-scoring single and Northampton's Mike Bodnar, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Although his team came up one big hit shy, Limeport and Tri-Co skipper Billy Fatzinger was pleased with his team.

"It was a good, entertaining game," he said. "I think this was one of the better games in the series. We were embarrassed last year and we made sure everyone was here this time because the leagues are very comparable.



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- July 13, 1996

Copyright © 1996, The Morning Call