ICC, Cetronia battle to 14-14 tie

37 hits and 13 extra-base hits tallied in a game that resembled live batting practice.

By Josh Goodin

    CETRONIA -- Like a good old fashioned pitcher's duel? Look somewhere else, this game is your worst nightmare. To make matters worse, the ICC Pirates and Cetronia Longhorns combined to score 28 runs on 37 hits and neither team made a move in the standings. With the scored tied 14 all after seven innings and the sun not getting any higher in the late summer sky, the game was called. As the batters headed home with swollen egos and padded stats, the shattered pitchers were on edge all night after the offensive onslaught.

    ICC jumped ahead early, taking a quick 3-0 lead on Eric Ruff's two-run triple. Cetronia took back those runs and then some, scoring five in the bottom half of the inning. Jim Healey got it going with a walk, then Mike Costello said "Hey Abbott!" when he smoked a line drive up the middle for a base hit. After Brian Polaha reached base on an error, Darrin Lenhart followed with an RBI double. Matt Smull drove in two with a single, and the Pirates lost their lead almost as fast as they got it.

    Steve Geisel and Mike Strechay each settled down after the marathon first inning. But it didn't last long. Cetronia added to their lead in the bottom of the third, scoring four more times. Ryan George led off with a long single to left center. Matt Burch and Ruben Santos followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to make it a 7-3 game. Healey singled, moving Santos to third. Then Santos was thrown out at home on a ground ball to third for the first out. After an error moved the runners over, Lenhart singled to drive in another run. Mike Pogorzelski took over the pitching duties from Strechay at that point. He got Derek Miller swinging, then gave up an RBI single to Randy Schmoyer, then caught George looking for the final out.

    ICC refused to give up. Looking at a six run deficit, they scored eight to recapture the lead. Todd Brosious started the rally with an inside the park home run that rolled all the way to the left field fence as Ryan George lay rolling on the field after he landed on his shoulder diving for the ball. The big blast of the inning was Matt Halvorson's three-run standup triple to dead center, one of five Pirates' triples on the day.

    ICC added two more runs in the fifth inning. Trailing 13-9, Cetronia wasn't about to roll over either. Lenhart's third hit of the day, a leadoff single, was followed by a Derek Miller walk. After a wild pitch advanced the runners, Schmoyer brought them home with a single. Then he took off all the way to third when catcher Kyle Ruff's throw to the bag took off on its own to right field. Matt Burch brought Schmoyer home with a single, then scored on a sac fly by Healey, tying the game at 13.

    Lenhart broke the tie an inning later with a solo blast to left. Things got dramatic in the seventh inning with the sun creeping lower. Halvorson led off with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt. Brosious hit a single to left. Halvorson rounded third, the throw one hopped into the catcher's mitt, Halvorson slid....out. Two out, a runner on second, down by a run. Who do you call? Brent Bowman. His triple to left center tied it up again.

    But still, the Longhorns weren't done. After Jacob Feist went down swinging, Burch came up with a triple of his own. With the winning run ninety feet from home, Santos flied out to shallow left. Two down. Healey ended the inning with a little chopper back towards the mound. Surprisingly, given the back and forth scoring, the throw to first found its mark and the score remained tied.

    For the ICC Pirates, Brett Kelley was 4-6 with a pair of runs scored. Halvorson also had four hits, one a double and another a triple, and he drove in four. Brosious and Dave Stauffer each had three hits and three runs. Bowman was 2-3.

    For Cetronia, Lenhart and Burch led the way with four hits and three RBI's apiece. Schmoyer was 2-5 with three RBI's. Costello, Smull, and George all chipped in with a pair of hits.

    ICC (14-8) and Cetronia (8-13) will make up this game in its entirety at a later date, but before that game, they have a rematch at Bethlehem Township Park on Tuesday, assuming either team has any pitchers are brave enough to take the mound.