Wise Owls gain on Tri-City with 1 game left

With its 4-2 win, Gabelsville is within a game of the Trico lead.

By Ted Meixell
Of The Morning Call

 

Exactly two weeks ago, just about everyone in the Tri-County League figured that the remainder of the regular-season schedule was nothing more than a battle for second place.

The Tri-City Fleetwings were running away from the pack. They had a 23-1 record and were on a 21-game winning streak. At the time, second-place Gabelsville was 16-5, five games back.

The Owls, though, were among the few who weren't ready to concede first place -- and the coveted first-round playoff bye that goes with it.

Since then, and including Thursday night, they've gone 9-1, the Fleetwings 3-4.

Thursday night?

Oh, yes Gabelsville (25-6) got an artistic five-hitter from Justin Konnick and a big, two-run, fifth-inning home run from leadoff batter Jason Irey en route to a 4-2 win over Tri-City (26- 5) in Scherersville to narrow the gap between them to one game with just one to play.

Tri-City will finish its season either tonight or Saturday at Lehigh Township. Gabelsville will close at home on Sunday against 2002 Trico champ ICC.

If the two teams end up tied for first place, they'll have a one- game playoff for the postseason bye on Monday.

"The changeup is the best pitch in baseball," Konnick said after employing it and numerous breaking balls to befuddle the fastball- mashing Fleetwings. I just go on gut feelings when to throw it. Sometimes, even when "Doc' [Owls manager/emergency catcher Mike Moyer] called a fastball, I'd throw the change.

"As long as I keep it down, they can't hit it. If I let it up well, you know what happens then."

What happens then is the same as what happened when Konnick left a 1-2 fastball up in the sixth inning to Tri-City cleanup hitter Josh Perich. Perich made it disappear far over the fence in left for a two-run homer that halved the Owls' 4-0 lead.

"At 1-2, I thought [Perich] would be looking for the change," Konnick said, grinning. "He wasn't. He was sitting dead red."

In the early going, Konnick's efforts were matched by Fleetwings starter Ryan Palos, who blanked the Owls on one hit through three innings. But Gabelsville broke through with a run in the fourth on Al Fitch's double, a Kyle Hoffman bunt and an infield out.

Rodney Miller singled in the fifth ahead of Irey's first-pitch homer, and a single by Jeremy Cabot and Fitch's second double made it 4-0.

Given the importance of the contest, it was surprising that both teams were missing several starters. Gabelsville played without catcher Matt Danner, center fielder A.J. Bohn and right fielder Pete Colon; Tri-City without outfielder Matt Marcks and infielder Dan Dillon.

"They did what they had to do," Tri-City skipper Bob Fatzinger said of the Owls. "We didn't."


Gabelsville  000 130 0 -- 4 7 0

Tri-City       000 002 0 -- 2 5 3


Justin Konnick and Mike Moyer; Ryan Palos, Dennis Kinney (5) and Jeremy Arner. W - Konnick. L - Palos.  HR - G: Jason Irey (5th, 1 on); T: Josh Perich (6th, 1 on).



ted.meixell@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- July 25, 2003

Copyright © 2003, The Morning Call