Gabelsville gets back on track, beats Cetronia in Tri-Co

The Owls score 13 runs in the final two innings to collect their 21st win.


By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call

 

Gabelsville has had so much success beating up the weak links of the Tri-County League recently that when the Owls actually ran into a tough foe Tuesday night in Cetronia, they forgot how to react.

Gabelsville was slow to respond to the rare challenge, but stirred a fuss late with 13 runs in the last two innings to turn a 3-0 deficit into an easy 13-3 win at the Cedarbrook Sports Complex.

The Owls rapped eight of their 10 hits and took advantage of seven walks in the late outburst to up their league-best record to 21-2.

Cetronia, meanwhile, saw Troy Phillips' two-hit, five-inning shutout vanish in a sudden storm of line drives and walks.

"Phillips was the best pitcher we've faced in awhile and it may have taken us awhile to adjust to that caliber of pitching," said Gabelsville player-manager Mike "Doc" Moyer, who was ejected for arguing a call for the first time in his long-time career.

"The last couple of weeks we've had a lot of easy games and this was finally a good test against a good team. It took us awhile, but we came around. I'm glad we came alive and showed some fire because the schedule does get a lot tougher from here."

The Longhorns, who had won four of their last five games coming in, took a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first, third and fifth. Mike Merkel, Jeremy Warmkessel and George Horn drove in runs.

"It was a good ballgame for five innings," said Horn, Cetronia's player-manager, after his team fell to 15-10. "Troy was pitching well and throwing hard. He just got a little tired at the end and it caught up to him. This was our sixth game in eight nights and it's hot out. All of our pitchers may be a little tired, I don't know."

Phillips walked the first two batters of the sixth to ignite Gabelsville's four-run rally in that frame. He gave up just three hits in the inning, but one was a two-run home run to left by long-time Gabelsville slugger Jeff Evans.

"He was throwing a heckuva game, but then he started struggling with his control, we got some guys on and made some things happen," said Evans. "We haven't faced many playoff-caliber teams lately, but this was a playoff-caliber team and it was nice to be able to come back on them."

The Owls not only came back, but they ran away in the seventh when Cetronia went through three pitchers. Gabelsville sent 13 to the plate, pounded out five hits and used five walks to score nine times.

Evans, who is also the head baseball coach at Wilson Westlawn High near Reading, finished with three hits. Matt Danner, who replaced the thumbed Moyer at second base, walked twice and swatted a three-run triple in the seventh.

"Maybe it was a blessing I got thrown out," Moyer said.

But Gabelsville, bidding for its fifth Tri-Co title in the 1990s and ninth since 1984, doesn't need blessings because they're simply a very talented ballclub. Almost all of the guys grew up with the Boyertown Legion tradition.

"We're finally getting some younger guys to step in and take the place of some of the older guys," the 32-year-old Evans said. "It's still a lot of fun to play this game, though. I enjoy it."

And Moyer said, "We've got a good mix of younger and older guys. To have just two losses this late in the season is a little shocking, but when I look at the guys we have on this team I'm not at all shocked we're playing well."

Center Valley 6, ICC 5 -- Singles by Kyle Fisher and Tim Robb chased home the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Braves (18-7) rallied to get by the Pirates (12-13) and stay on the heels of Limeport in the Tri-County League's Southern Division.

ICC took a 5-3 lead in the top of the fifth when Rich Gaugler cleared the bases with a single, chasing in two runs with the third scoring on an error. Mark Sherman's RBI single set up the sixth-inning rally.

South Whitehall 4, Silver Creek 3 -- Bill Erie scored the go-ahead run on an error in the top of the seventh, then South Whitehall held Silver Creek scoreless for a Tri-County win Tuesday.

Jeff Erie went 2-for-4, including a single which knocked in the tying run. Also for South Whitehall (17-9), Lou Falco went 3-for-3.

For Silver Creek (10-17), Tim Gluck went 2-for-4, including a two-run homer, and Omar Torres was 2-for-3.

Limeport 18, Castle Hill 5 -- Josh Williams was 3-for-5 with two home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored as Limeport beat host Castle Hill Tuesday in a Tri-County League game.

Glenn Bubser was 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for Limeport (19-7). Teammate Kevin Kershner was 3-for-5 with four RBIs.

For Castle Hill (6-19), Chris Schrampf and Rick Krieg each had two hits and two RBIs.

Easton 8, Allentown 5 -- Dave Hartranft had three hits and drove in three runs and Darren Sutton had three hits and four RBIs including a homer in leading the Easton offense against Allentown in a Tri-County League win for Easton Tuesday.

Homering for Allentown (10-17) was Rob Seyfried, a solo shot in the first inning.

Julio Lebron had three hits for Allentown. George Gillespie, Pat and Joe Sedler all had two hits.

Easton improves to 13-9.



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- July 9, 1997

Copyright © 1997, The Morning Call