Owls' nest good to Cetronia again in TCL playoffs

Will face South Whitehall in ‘Series at Cedarbrook’ finals.


By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call

 

The Tri-County League baseball finals can now officially be called "The Series at Cedarbrook."

But after Cetronia's come-from-behind 6-4 win over Gabelsville Thursday night put the Longhorns into the championship series against their fellow Cedarbrook Complex tenant, South Whitehall, the 'Horns may want to use another home field.

Like the Gabelsville A.A. field on Route 73 west of Boyertown.

Cetronia won for the third time in eight days in the Owls' nest, using a three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning to win the fifth and deciding game of the semifinal series and earn a berth in the title series which begins 5 p.m. Saturday at Cedarbrook.

"This field here has been very good to us," said Longhorns' player-manager George Horn.

"We've played pretty well here over the years. We haven't been blown out too many times. We used to have more trouble when Gabelsville was Gilbertsville and played over at Boyertown Junior High East."

Cetronia's season seemed to be going nowhere but south a little more than a month ago when it was 8-13 and several games out of a playoff berth with just 11 games left in the regular season.

But the Longhorns won nine of their last 11, beat Stahley's in a one-game playoff and then swept Lehigh Township in the quarterfinals just to get to Gabelsville -- the Tri-Co's top seed with a 28-4 regular-season mark.

What turned it around?

"We knew we were going to come around," said slugger Mike Merkle. "We come around at the end of every season. We had a rough start of the season, but we knew we could do it. I guess the key was just a little cockiness. It was just knowing that you can be there and you should be there."

It was that confidence that didn't allow Cetronia to get down after an early 2-0 lead slipped to a 4-3 deficit entering the seventh.

The 'Horns left the bases loaded without scoring in the sixth, but at least they turned the lineup over and had the top of the batting order up in the seventh.

Pete Spisszak singled to center to start the seventh. Then came the pivotal play of the inning, game and series.

Jeremy Warmkessel laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt. Pitcher Shawn Betz fielded the ball and threw to second where it would have been in time for the force-out. But normally reliable shortstop Greg Gilbert dropped the ball.

"That error killed us," said Gabelsville manager Mike "Doc" Moyer. "You don't see that every day. The throw kind of handcuffed him, but Greg normally makes that play. If we get that out, I think the entire outcome is different."

Merkle followed with a double off the fence in left to score Spisszak with the tying run. Moyer then intentionally walked Matt Moore to load the bases and the ploy worked to an extent as Hassan DeJesus hit into a double play while Warmkessel scored the go-ahead run.

Moyer then intentionally walked Chris Gordon. But the free pass backfired this time as Jon DiBonaventura followed with an RBI single to give Cetronia a two-run lead.

"That second run made a big difference," Moyer said. "That one hurt. Down one, maybe I could have bunted in the bottom of the seventh. Down two, we couldn't."

As it was, the Owls stirred for one last threat against Warmkessel, who relieved in the second inning and did a splendid job of keeping his team in the game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Dave Miller and Greg Miller singled. But with two on and two out, pinch-hitter Tim Bausher grounded to third for a force-out.

"Worm (Warmkessel) deserves a lot of credit," Horn said. "In the beginning of the year he was 0-4 and losing games for us. But he turned it around and has come in to shut the door for us in the playoffs."

Lots of players could wear the hero label. The first eight hitters in the Longhorn order had at least one hit. Spisszak had a home run, while Merkle had two doubles, scored two runs and drove in two.

"We have a lot of camaraderie," said Merkle, the 1997 Tri-Co MVP. "We have a lot of fun, win or lose, and just pick each other up."

"We won the league title four years ago, but person-for-person, this is a better team than our 1994 team," Horn said. "Now, hopefully we can match that team and win it all. South Whitehall's a good team. We'll have to see what happens."



keith.groller@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- August 14, 1998

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