Bulls dodge late threat for Tri-Co semifinal win

Northern Yankees strand 13 in a 7-5 Game 1 defeat.

By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call

 

It was another Yankee manager who once said, "It's déjà vu all over again," but that's exactly how Northern Yankees skipper Brian Polaha felt on Monday night.

His Yankees dropped the first game of their Tri-County League semifinal series to the visiting Volpe's Limeport Bulls, 7-5, despite collecting 13 hits and having baserunners every inning.

"It seems to be the same thing every year in the playoffs for us," Polaha said. "It's the same story. I've been harping on it all year. We just can't get a clutch hit. I feel like when it's two out and nobody on, we hit about .580 and when there's less than two outs and a guy on third, we hit about .046."
 

Those weren't the exact numbers at Scherersville No. 5 on this night, but Northern did strand 13 runners, including nine in scoring position.

After Scott Bolasky skirted disaster several times over the first six innings, Steve Geisel escaped more trouble in a suspenseful seventh.

Northern scored twice in the seventh and had the tying runs at second and third, but No. 3 hitter Jeremy Faust popped out to short to end it.

"We had more opportunities than they did," Polaha said. "But we didn't play good defense and our starter [Caleb Calarco] wasn't sharp. At least we kept battling. The difference was they had great at-bats when they needed them and we didn't."

No one had better at-bats for the Bulls than veteran catcher Ben Swatsky.

He clubbed a three-run home run down the line in left to give Limeport a 3-0 lead before the Yankees ever got an out in the top of the first.

"It felt good to get us out to that early lead," Swatsky said. "I've been seeing the ball well and hopefully I can keep seeing it throughout the rest of the playoffs."

Swatsky added a sacrifice fly in the fourth after Dan Hemberger had a two-run, ground-rule double to right.

A bases-loaded walk by Mike Cudwadie made it 7-1 in the top of the fifth, but Bulls manager Pat Lane knew it wasn't over.

"We've had some struggles down the stretch holding on to leads," he said. "We've had starters go deep into games almost every night and Scott gave us six good innings tonight, but in this series no lead is going to be safe because both of us have good hitting clubs and no one is going to give up."

Limeport also had scoring chances that weren't cashed in, most notably in the fifth when the bases were left loaded. In all, the Bulls stranded nine.

It turned out to be just another in a series of squeakers between longtime Tri-Co rivals who appear to be evenly matched. They both finished with 20-10 regular-season records and four of the five regular season meetings were decided by four runs or less.

"It's going to be a tense series," Swatsky said. "We had two tense games with them last week when we were battling for the higher seed and home-field advantage. We didn't get it, but now we have it since we got this win. Now we're playing the next two at home."

Game 2 in the best-of-five series is set for 7:30 Wednesday at Limeport Stadium with the third game to follow Friday night in Limeport.

The players are looking forward to the atmosphere under the lights at Limeport.

"You play all summer to get to these games," Swatsky said. "Most of us have been with the Fleetwings over the last decade and we've been in the playoffs every year, but we've never won it all. You always think this is your year and you have to think that way until you're done. We'll give it our best shot."

Volpe's Limeport Bulls -- 300  310  0 -- 7   9   4
 

Northern Yankees        -- 001  011  2 -- 5  13  3

Bolasky, Geisel (7) and Swatsky; Calarco, Hayes (5) and Faust. W: Bolasky. L: Calarco. HR: Bulls, Swatsky (1st, 2 on). Notes: Yanks, Mike Fignar 4 hits; Bulls, Tyler Lehman and Adam Ganser 2 hits.



 

keith.groller@mcall.com

610-820-6740

From The Morning Call -- July 27, 2010

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