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Tri-City eliminates Silver Creek
Scott Bolasky, Dan Hemberger
and Adam Maini shut down the Raiders in Game 5 win, 3-1.
SCHERERSVILLE
-- When San Francisco 49ers QB Steve Young capped the 1994 NFL season with a
six-touchdown performance in a Super Bowl romp over the San Diego Chargers, the
memorable sideline scene showed teammate Gary Plummer removing the mythical
monkey from Young's back, a monkey that had been there because Young had not yet
won a Super Bowl since the departure of Joe Montana.
Although Tri-City has yet to win a championship in their brief but successful
history, they at least lifted a monkey or two off their collective backs thus
far in the 2005 playoffs.
The Fleetwings had never beaten Lehigh Township in the playoffs until this
season in the first round. However, many would argue that the 2005 version of
the Brewers are just a shell of the powerhouses they put on the field the
previous four seasons and that since the 2005 Silver Creek Raiders have most of the key
players from that Brewers' team, then technically, the Fleetwings would have to
beat Silver Creek in the Semis to officially exorcize that "LT demon".
Well, thanks to the gutsy pitching performances of Scott Bolasky, Dan Hemberger
and Adam Maini, the Fleetwings defeated Silver Creek 3-1 on Thursday and have
lifted two huge monkeys off their backs as they advance to the Finals for the
first time since 2001.
And there they will have one final monkey to extricate from their collective
backs because they have not beaten Gabelsville in the postseason either in their
previous two tries. It will also be a rematch of the 2001 Finals that took
six games to complete (there was a tie) with Gabelsville prevailing with a
5-1 Game Five victory as Lew Chillot threw a complete-game five-hitter in his
final Tri-County League game for the Owls.
But back to Thursday.
Tri-City starter Scott Bolasky cruised into the second inning after a 1-2-3
first, but his night would take a turn for the worse with one flick of Pat
Hollander's wrists.
Hollander led of the second and promptly ripped a screaming line-drive right
back at Bolasky. He didn't even have time to flinch as the rocket nailed Bolasky
right off the front of his right elbow and ricocheted about 15 feet into the air
and to the waiting glove of third-baseman Nick D'Amico for perhaps the toughest
out Bolasky's life.
There was not a soul at the ballpark who saw that collision of rawhide on skin
that thought Bolasky could continue as he needed a minute or two to compose
himself and make sure his throwing arm was still functioning. And after his
first three warm-up tosses, which resembled softball tosses, it appeared as
though Bolasky's night was finished.
After a few more tosses, Bolasky not only stayed in the game, he gave the
Fleetwings three more strong innings before giving way to Hemberger to start the
fifth. It was an incredible performance by the big right-hander.
Bolasky retired the first seven batters he faced before Joe Bubba hit a slow
roller toward short that went for an infield hit. A sacrifice bunt attempt that
was popped up for out number two proved costly because John Stezenko ripped a
1-0 offering to left for a single that would have scored a runner from second.
Bolasky then induced a harmless ground-out to second to end the third inning.
The Fleetwings got a rally going in their half of the third when Scott Garger
singled to right and Matt Marcks followed with a single to right-center with one
out. But after a pop-up, Ben Swatsky rifled his second laser-beam of the game
(both outs), and this one was caught by Kevin Thompson in left.
With one out in the fourth, it was almost déjà vu all over again as Hollander
ripped another liner through the box that had Big Bo flinching, but this one was
off the end of the bat a bit and thankfully missed Bolasky and trickled into
center-field for a single. Eric Schmitt then laced a liner to right that took a
bad hop and skipped by the right-fielder for a double to put runners on second
and third. Nolan Neiman lofted a soft fly to shallow left that looked as though
it would drop, but Matt Godusky made a diving grab for the second out. On the
play, Hollander smartly tagged and scored and the Raiders led 1-0.
Godusky then followed up his nice defensive play in the bottom half of the
fourth with a leadoff homerun, deep over the fence in left-center to tie the
game at 1-1.
Silver Creek starter Nate Hritz would then retire the next six batters in a row,
as did reliever Dan Hemberger for Tri-City, which takes us to the decisive
bottom of the sixth.
Justin Godusky worked a six-pitch walk and Swatsky grounded a single to left to
start the inning. Matt Godusky, who had just homered, was called on to
sacrifice, which he did perfectly to put runners on second and third with one
out. After a Silver Creek conference on the mound and a four-pitch walk to
Jeremy Arner to load the bases, Tom Williams stepped up and battled hard to get
himself a deep-enough fly-ball to center to easily score Justin Godusky to make
it 2-1 Fleetwings. Veteran Dave Toth ripped the first pitch he saw up the middle
for a RBI single and a big insurance run to make it 3-1 Fleetwings.
On to the seventh.
Hemberger retired his seventh straight batter to start the inning before nailing
Neiman square in the back as the Raiders finally got a base-runner off the
southpaw. Thompson lofted a single to right and suddenly the Raiders had some
life.
Exit Hemberger. Enter the rookie Maini.
Pressure apparently does not phase Maini in the slightest, as he came on to get
two groundouts to end the Raiders season.
Silver Creek, who set new league records this season for highest team batting
average, slugging average and homeruns, were held to just a meager five hits in
Game Five.
There were no multiple-hit batters in the contest and Matt Godusky's big fly was
the only hit of note. Bolasky's gutsy performance earns him Player of the Game
honors.
Game One of the best-of-five Finals is set for 4:00 Saturday afternoon at
Gabelsville. Game Two will return to Scherersville Sunday at 4:30.
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