Darkness forces Limeport, Gabelsville to replay game

By Keith Griller
Of The Morning Call

 

The Limeport Bulls and Gabelsville Owls were left in the dark in more ways than one Friday night.

Game 3 of the Tri-County League Championship Series in Gabelsville ended not only in darkness, but also under a thick cloud of controversy.

The bottom line, which wasn't determined for at least 90 minutes after the teams left the field, was that they would do it all over again today.

The game was stopped for darkness by home plate umpire Dave Strock, brother of former Miami Dolphins' quarterback Don Strock, in the bottom of the seventh with the score tied 8-8 and no one out and an Owl runner.

But because Limeport led 8-6 after the sixth inning -- the last fully completed frame --the Bulls believed the two Owl runs in the seventh were negated and the final score reverted back to the 8-6 tally.

In their post-game huddle outside their dugout, they talked about finishing up the series tonight in Limeport and they headed to the cars for what they believed to be a victory beverage or two.

Meanwhile, the Owls began hooting.

After arguing with Strock and the other umpires for several minutes, Gabelsville manager Mike "Doc" Moyer dug out his Tri-Co bylaws and got on the phone with league president Dave Hemerly and vice-president Steve Smull, neither of whom were at the game.

After a considerable amount of discussion with both managers and even a consultation with long-time area umpire Marty Ondrovic, Hemerly went to the Official Baseball Rules for his decision.

Under rule 4.10 (c) it that states that if the home team scores one or more runs in the home half of the inning to tie the score -- and the game is stopped by a variety of means including darkness -- than the game is considered a tie and is to be replayed in its entirety.

That means the two teams will trek back to Gabelsville at 4:30 p.m. today to replay the game with Game 4 in the best-of-5 series now set for 7:30 Sunday night in Limeport.

Hemerly said it was unfortunate that the situation arose, but that he was confident in making the right call based on the rules used by the Tri-County League.

Moyer hated to have to go to such lengths to get what was ultimately the right ruling.

"You don't want to win or lose a game in this situation and basically nobody did," said Moyer. "We went by the rules and the right call was ultimately made. Basically, the rules say it's a tie game.

"I feel for Billy, I really do. I know he would have done the same thing as me if the roles were reversed. He felt the game should have reverted back to the score after six innings. But Billy ought to also realize that it ended with a tie game, our runner at second, nobody out and our cleanup man due up. Just one more pitch could have ended it in our favor. Or the game could have been suspended at that point and picked up in that situation.

"So, I know Billy's unhappy, but it could have been worse for him, too," Moyer added. "I guess you could say we've been given half a reprieve here, now it's up to us to make the most of it. At least by starting at 4:30 (today), we shouldn't have to worry about darkness."

The late controversy negated a tenacious effort by the Bulls as they rallied from deficits of 5-2 and 6-4 to go in front 8-6 in the top of the sixth when Josh Williams, Glenn Kushma and Billy Fatzinger, who all had three hits, delivered.

Williams, who homered earlier for his third dinger in two games, doubled and scored on Kushma's single. Fatzinger moved Kushma to third with a single, bringing to the plate Glenn Bubser, who was 0-for-3 to that point.

Gabelsville changed pitchers at that point, bringing Jed Johnson into the game. Bubser took Johnson's first pitching over the fence in left for a three-run home run to give the Bulls an 8-6 edge.

Bubser works as an intern in the marketing departing for the Reading Phillies and knew Johnson.

"He's an old minor league pitcher and he's not throwing as hard as he normally does," Bubser said. "Those guys normally have an attitude in leagues like this that they are better than the hitters, and normally, they are. But he didn't have his best stuff. He put a fastball down the middle, and luckily, I hit it."

Limeport starter Rob Schultz didn't allow any Owl runs in the sixth. But in the seventh, Josh Williamson reached on an error and moved to third on Dave Pence's double to right-center on a ball Fatzinger, the Limeport center fielder, said he didn't see initially.

"If it's light out there, I make the catch on that," he said. "I didn't pick it up right away. I was flat-footed. (Strock) never should have started the seventh inning. It was too dark out there to see anything. One of the other umps said he couldn't believe we started the seventh. While it was light out, we did what we had to do to win the game. I would have been heartbroken had it continued and we lost it in the seventh when we couldn't see the ball."

A few of the Bulls couldn't see Greg Gilbert's ground single to left which tied the game. Gilbert hustled to second on the throw. That's when Strock stopped play and the shouting in the dark ensued.



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- August 16, 1997

Copyright © 1997, The Morning Call