If it's an odd numbered year, it's Owls and Bulls in finals

Gabelsville and Limeport meet again for the Tri-County crown.


By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call

 

If it's a year ending in an odd number, it's Limeport and Gabelsville in the Tri-County League finals.

For the third time in five years, the Bulls and Owls will battle for the amateur baseball league's championship.

Game 1 in the best-of-five series is 5:45 tonight at Gabelsville. The series continues Thursday night at Limeport and, after a day off Friday, resumes with games Saturday, Sunday and Monday as needed.

"It seems like every other year we get together in the finals, but this is the rubber match we've both waited for," said Limeport player-manager Billy Fatzinger. "They beat us three games to one in '95 and we beat them three games to one in '97."

Considering how hot they have been, both teams may be thinking sweep entering this year's finals.

Limeport, which also won the 1996 title, has won five of six games this postseason. Gabelsville is 3-0.

"Both teams are playing well and are right where they want to be," Fatzinger said. "We've put it together during the playoffs. Gabelsville has it together all the time. They always have an incredible regular season record."

The Owls were 27-5 this year, but two losses came against the Bulls.

Limeport won the only two regular season meetings -- 3-2 May 16 in Berks County and 9-5 July 22 under the lights in Limeport.

In the second win, the Bulls rallied from a 5-0 deficit.

Gabelsville's player-manager Mike "Doc" Moyer said his club has yet to prove it can hit against Limeport (26-12).

"We have more pitching depth than they do, but for some reason we don't hit against them," he said. "We got a big lead the last time we played them, but then we seemed to fall asleep."

Moyer and Co. are determined to finish the job this August. The mission was left incomplete the past two summers.

The Owls, who won eight titles when they were known as the Gilbertsville Rangers from 1984-95, were a league-best 30-4 during the 1997 regular season, but lost to Limeport in the finals.

Gabelsville was 28-4 last season, but fell to Cetronia in the semis.

How much do the Owls want to win it all this season?

"Badly," Moyer said. "It has been a few years since we've won the league title and we have a bunch of competitive guys who want it back."

Moyer thinks the teams are evenly matched, but gives a slight edge to his pitching staff which includes Shawn Betz, Lew Chillot, Justin Konnick and Bob Graber, "plus a couple of other guys I can go to."

Steve Carroll, one of those "other guys," had a 2.17 ERA in the regular season -- second best in the league behind only Dennis Kinney. Betz was fifth at 2.90. Konnick, was was among the league's win leaders with six.

Limeport's Pat Toner and Glenn Kushma had eight and six wins, respectively. A third Bull, Chad Arnold, was third in the league in strikeouts with 52 in 58-2/3 innings and ninth in ERA with 3.40.

Offensively, Limeport's Kushma and Glenn Bubser were the Tri-Co's fifth and sixth best hitters, respectively, going .464 and .457. Bubser, Kushma and teammate Kevin Kershner were among the league leaders in doubles, but Gabelsville's Jeff Evans remains the league's top power source, hitting eight home runs and driving in a league- best 37 runs.

If there's an edge, it may be that Gabelsville likes playing at Limeport much more than Limeport likes playing at Gabelsville.

"We've always liked playing under the lights there," Moyer said. "It's got that old-time atmosphere with the grandstand. It's much different than any other place we play, but we love the place."

And the 7:30 p.m. starts give Gabelsville plenty of time to get to the game. Limeport can't say the same thing about Gabelsville.

"It's tough enough to get everybody down there for the 6 o'clock starts and during the playoffs the games start at 5:45 during the week," Fatzinger said. "Some of the guys have to make arrangements to get out of work early, but at this time of the year you do what you have to do. This series is what it's all about. When it's over, you have to wait a long time to play again."



keith.groller@mcall.com

610-820-6740

From The Morning Call -- August 11, 1999

Copyright © 1999, The Morning Call