Smith arrives just in time for Pirates

Behind the pitcher from Mississippi, ICC advances to semifinals.


By Tim Shoemaker
Special to The Morning Call

 

After finishing his junior season at Alcorn State, Dan Smith packed his bags for a summer internship at the USDA in Allentown.

Smith, an agricultural education major and Mississippi native, found an apartment in Kutztown, then went looking for a baseball team. A tip from the Kutztown baseball staff led him to the Tri- County League website.

His first call was to Mike Brosious, manager of the ICC Pirates. On Monday night, Brosious was happy Smith called him first.

The right-handed pitcher allowed only two runs in 52/3 innings as ICC held on to beat Limeport 8-4 in a wild series-clinching win at Limeport Stadium.

The Pirates (25-14) will play either Gabelsville or Lehigh Township in the best-of-five semifinals, which start Thursday. The pairings will be determined after Tri-City and the Banko A's complete their first-round series tonight.

Smith had one strikeout, walked three and pitched out of a jam in nearly every inning. Brosious relieved Smith with Erik Ruff after Smith surrendered a sixth-inning RBI triple to Christian Bensing, which cut ICC's lead to 4-2.

"I didn't have my good stuff," said Smith, who throws a fastball, curveball and changeup. "I threw the bottom of the sixth Saturday and warmed up but didn't pitch [Sunday]. I threw too many days in a row. I just tried to hit my spots and let the defense do their job."

The Pirates still led 4-2 after six innings, but the game nearly unraveled for both teams in the seventh. Limeport (26-13) had to remove Bensing, a centerfielder who relieved starting pitcher Pat Toner, at the start of the inning because it tried to use a courtesy runner for Bensing in the bottom of the sixth.

The problem was, Tri-County does not allow courtesy runners. So when Sean Donchez entered the game for Bensing, he was considered a pinch runner, which meant Bensing was finished for the night.

Jeff Krauss relieved Bensing with little time to warm up, and ICC made the Bulls pay. Kyle Ruff had a two-run double, and Chad Stecker had a two-run single to make the score 8-2.

But Limeport wasn't through, either. Glenn Kushma had a two-run single, and Erik Ruff, in relief of Smith, left with the bases loaded, one out and an 8-4 score.

Brosious called on 36-year-old Marty Rowan, who got Dan Borden to pop up to third and Jim Schaffer, the oldest player on Limeport's roster, to fly out to left to end the game.

"I was kind of worried, but Marty is a veteran," Smith said. "I knew he'd come through."

Brosious said he was out of backup plans, because Erik Ruff is his closer.

"I had faith in Marty," Brosious said. "I really did."


ICC Pirates        200 020 4 -- 8 13 3

Limeport            100 001 2 -- 4  9  3


Smith, E. Ruff (6), Rowan (7) and K. Ruff; Toner, Bensing (6), J. Krauss and Vito. W-Smith. L-Toner.



Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.

From The Morning Call -- July 30, 2002

Copyright © 2002, The Morning Call