Tri-City wins this round of the rivalry

Ben Swatsky's 3-run homer lifts Fleetwings past Gabelsville 5-4.

By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call

 

It was vintage Gabelsville.

Trailing 2-1 and down to their last out in the top of the seventh, the Owls got a three-run home run by A.J. Bohn on Friday night in their Tri-County League matchup against Tri-City in Scherersville.

But a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to another Gabelsville victory party in the parking lot.

In the bottom of the seventh, Tri-City's Ben Swatsky answered with his own stunning three-run homer to give the Fleetwings a 5-4 win and defending Tri-Co champ Gabelsville a bitter taste of its own late-inning medicine.

The dueling three-run home runs capped another dandy amateur baseball game between two of the Tri-Co's best -- and added another checkpoint to their spirited rivalry.

"I was thinking about this game since our last game on Tuesday," said Swatsky, a 1998 Whitehall High grad. "I was psyched up. I'm on the bench as the DH and I was just trying to keep our guys up after Bohn's home run."

Bohn's blast to right might have deflated the Fleetwings of a few weeks ago, when the team was scuffling at 8-9. But this reinvigorated Tri-City unit has the same tenacity the 2001 club had en route to the league final.

So, no one hung his head when Paul Santay, who had two hits and two RBIs, grounded out to start the seventh.

Matt Marcks began the rally with a bloop single and moved to second on Justin Godusky's hit to left.

With the count 1-1, Gabelsville lefty Matt Melcher, so effective in scattering seven hits through six innings, tried to sneak a fastball by Swatsky.

It didn't work.

"It was a fastball over the middle of the plate at the letters," Swatsky said. "It was my seventh home run of the season, but none has been bigger. This one will go down "

And it will bring up Tri-City's confidence level should the teams meet again in the playoffs. Gabelsville (15-6) had won the two previous meetings this year after clipping the Fleetwings in five games in last August's title series.

"We struggled and lost some tough games early this year, but we've got all of our guys now," said Tri-City manager Bob Fatzinger, whose team has won seven straight. "This was big. It was the kind of game we always have with them. Sometimes, it comes down to whoever bats last."

For the first hour of the 90-minute thriller, the pitchers were in command. Veteran righthander Matt Hlay handcuffed Gabelsville on four hits through six innings and allowed only an unearned run. He turned a 2-1 lead over to Josh Gunkle in the seventh.

"Matt Hlay had them off-stride, and I thought I'd adjust and bring in someone who throws harder," Fatzinger said of his move to Gunkle. "Gabelsville stepped up and did what they had to do."

Bohn's home run had the Owls hooting, but only briefly.

"Melcher threw well. He just tried to sneak a fastball by him and got it up," said Jeff Chillot, filling in for Doc Moyer as the Gabelsville skipper. "That's how it goes. They just came up with the last big hit."


Gabelsville  000 010 3 -- 4  7  0

Tri-City       000 020 3 -- 5 10 2


Melcher and Hoffman; Hlay, Gunkle and Arner; W: Gunkle. HR: G, Bohn (7th, 2 on); T, Swatsky (7th, 2 on).

keith.groller@mcall.com

610-820-6740

From The Morning Call -- June 29, 2002

Copyright © 2002, The Morning Call