ICC bangs out 16 hits, beats Lehigh Twp.

The Pirates look to close out their first title Tuesday night.


By Tim Shoemaker
Special to The Morning Call

 

Sometimes, getting a lot of hits is a bad thing.

ICC Pirates center fielder A.J. Peracchia found himself out of water early in his team's 15-6 win over the Lehigh Township Brewers on Sunday, mostly because he and his teammates kept hitting and hitting and hitting.

The temperature was still over 80 degrees at game time in the second game of the Tri-County League championship series at Bethlehem Township Municipal Park, so drinks were necessary.

"I ran out of water after three innings," said Peracchia, a Hershey native who now lives in Emmaus. "I was dying."

But for the most part, getting a lot of hits was a good thing for the Pirates (31-13), who lead the best-of-five series 2-0 and can clinch their first TCL title with a win in Tuesday's 5:45 p.m. game at Bryfogle Park in Berlinsville.

ICC, short for the Independent Citizen's Club of Bethlehem, had 11 hits and 11 runs in the first three innings and never had a hitting drought. The Pirates finished with 16 hits, led by Peracchia, who had four runs scored, four hits and three RBI, and Tony D'Amico, who had three hits. Dave Stauffer had a three-run triple.

"It's just contagious," Peracchia said. "Right now, it seems like every one's hot."

The Pirates, who never played in a championship series before this year, have gotten hot at the right time. After losing its first playoff game to Limeport, ICC has won seven of eight playoff games.

The Pirates were the No. 5 seed for the playoffs despite finishing only three games behind regular-season champ Gabelsville, whom ICC knocked off in the semifinals.

"We were right there," Pirates manager Mike Brosious said. "Our schedule at the end of the year was tough. We played No. 1, No. 2 and No.3 in the league, and beat all three of them. That kind of got us going."

Peracchia had three hits, three runs scored and three RBI in the first three innings. He had a bunt single and scored as the Pirates scored four more times in the fifth.

Steve Unger had two hits, including a home run, for Lehigh Township (30-14), the tournament's No. 2 seed.

Peracchia, Chad Waelchli, Kyle Ruff and D'Amico had RBI singles in the first. ICC stretched the lead to 6-0 on Brewers starter Brandon Leslie with a pair of unearned runs in the second.

Brosious plans to use right-hander Dan Smith on Tuesday. Lehigh Township manager Shawn Andrews will counter with Jeff Erschen. ICC has outscored Lehigh 26-8 in two games.

"I can't explain it," Andrews said. "I've been around this team since March 9. You see a different attitude in them when we show up for a Tri-City, a Limeport or a Gabelsville. I don't know what it is, if we're jinxed against this team, but we just don't come with the same attitude. This (ICC) is a good baseball team, and if they don't know it by now, they're never going to know it."


Lehigh Township   004 110 0 --  6    7   4

ICC                        425 040 x -- 15  16  2


Leslie, Petrucci (3), Friebolin (7) and Schmitt. Stewart and K. Ruff. L -- Leslie. HR: LT: Unger (5th, 1 on).

Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.

From The Morning Call -- August 12, 2002

Copyright © 2002, The Morning Call