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Gabelsville goes up 2-0 on
ICC in Tri-Co Semifinals
By Ted Meixell
Of The Morning Call
The Gabelsville Owls (30-4)
are gunning for their third consecutive Tri-County League championship. If
anyone plans to deny them that honor, they're going to need to play a whole
bunch better than the host ICC Pirates (20-15) did on Saturday at Bethlehem
Township Municipal Park.
ICC starter Ryan Lindley
walked leadoff batter A. J. Bohn to open the game. Shawn Betz whacked his
very next pitch over the left-field fence. Gabelsville went on to score six
runs in the inning, five in the second and two more in the third en route to
a 15-5 laugher and a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five semifinal
series.
The Owls will shoot for a
sweep at home at 5 p.m. today. Manager Mike "Doc" Moyer said he'll pitch
either youthful Jon Eidle or the graybeard Lew Chillot. ICC skipper Mike
Brosious revealed he'll lean on veteran savvy in the person of Marty Rowan
to stave off elimination.
Both managers expressed
surprise that ICC has offered so little resistance thus far -- especially
because the Pirates had looked so good offensively, defensively and on the
mound while dispatching favored Lehigh Township with back-to-back 10-3
quarterfinal victories.
"Disgusting," Brosious said
of his team's play Saturday. "And if you'd have asked the same question in
the second inning I'd have used a few other words you definitely couldn't
print."
Brosious also made no
attempt to hide his disgust that a few of his young players chose the week
of playoff semifinals to go on vacation.
"On the other hand," he
said, "you've just got to admire them [Gabelsville]. Today, they simply
showed why they're the best. When the playoffs come, they just kick their
play up to a higher level. Even having won our first series, this shows how
big the gap still is between them and the rest of us."
"I was worried about ICC, to
be honest," Moyer said. "During the season, we had trouble with both their
top two pitchers, [Scott] Stewart and Lindley. And they've been playing well
lately. So, no I wasn't expecting this, to score the way we have so far."
Simply put, the Owls had a
field day Saturday. They clubbed four homers; besides Betz, Ed Reilly (two
on), Greg Gilbert (one on) and Buzz Kinzinger (solo) also went yard.
Kinzinger's homer was the first of his Tri-Co career.
Gabelsville savaged Lindley
and relievers Lenny Melton and Chad Waelchli with a 17-hit assault in the
game, which was halted by darkness after just six innings. Betz, Gilbert and
Reilly had three each, Kinzinger and Matt Danner two each.
Josh Mohlmann had two knocks
for the Pirates.
Gabelsville 652 011 -- 15 17 0
ICC
103 100 -- 5 8 2
Justin Konnick and Matt
Danner, Jordan Hartline (5); Ryan Lindley, Lenny Melton (3), Chad Waelchli
(5) and Kyle Ruff. W: Konnick. L: Lindley. HR -- G: Shawn Betz (1st, 1 on);
Ed Reilley (2nd, 2 on); Greg Gilbert (3rd, 1 on); Buzz Kinzinger (6th, 0
on).
ted.meixell@mcall.com
From The Morning Call --
August 5, 2001
Copyright
© 2001,
The Morning Call
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