Fleetwings rally for 9-9 tie

Facing elimination and a 5-run deficit, Woodlawn takes lead before Yankees tie Game 2.

By Steve Smull

    SCHERERSVILLE -- There are good ties and there are bad ties.

    No, I am not talking about my wardrobe. I am referring to the 9-9 tie in Game 2 of the best-of-3 First Round series between the Fleetwings and the Northern Yankees.

    Considering the Fleetwings looked to be beaten early in this game, down 7-2 after three innings and down 8-3 after 4 innings, Woodlawn backers would probably say it was a "good" tie, while Yankees' backers would probably say this was a "bad" tie.

    Regardless of anyone's opinions, this six-inning playoff game certainly had a lot of offense and intrigue and was fun to watch.

    The Fleetwings bats came out blazing as hot as the weather (if that's possible) right out of the gate as Scott Garger laced a single to center to open the ballgame, Justin Godusky singled to right, and four pitches later, his brother Matt Godusky singled to left, which would have loaded the bases, but the left-fielder bobbled the ball, which allowed Garger, who was initially held up at third base, to score on the play (so no RBI given) and it was 1-0 Fleetwings. After a pop-up, a walk to Brian Martin loaded the bases with one out.

    And here is where reading the Trico scouting reports paid off, as Yankees' Manager Brian Polaha moved right-fielder Pete McCaulley in to cut off a possible line-drive hit from Jeremy Arner.

    Sure enough, on a 1-2 pitch, Arner slapped a shallow line-drive to right, where McCaulley was in position to come in and make the grab and then get a bonus as he was able to double off the runner at second (who thought for sure that the ball was falling in for a hit) to end the inning without any further damage.

    Dan Hemberger then took the mound for Woodlawn in the home half of the first and he was as sharp as a tack. Every pitch he threw in the inning was a strike, with the exception of the one that had radar-lock on Brian Farrell's left foot, which went in the books as a hit-by-pitch. However, a nifty 6-4-3 double-play followed to end the inning as Hemberger had an efficient eight-pitch opening frame.

    Things would be much different for the southpaw the next two innings.

    Still trailing 1-0, George Kressley and McCaulley walked on nine total pitches to start the second for the Yankees. After a perfect sacrifice bunt by George Hutson, Ian McCutcheon got an infield single to deep short to tie the game at 1-1. McCaulley advanced to third base on the play, which was big because he then scored on a fielder's choice ground-out by Dave Sandt and it was 2-1 Yankees after two innings.

    The Fleetwings answered immediately in the third as Justin Godusky ripped a double to left and Matt Godusky walked on four pitches. Big Ben Swatsky then singled up the middle, tying the game at 2-2, but on the play, center-fielder Chris Watts smartly threw behind the runner rounding second, catching him in a run-down for the first out of the inning. After Swatsky stole second base, Martin then singled up the middle and Watts charged the ball hard and threw a laser strike to the plate, where McCutcheon hauled it in just in time to tag out the speedy Swatsky to keep the game tied at 2-2. It was Watts' second assist in as many batters as the Fleetwings lost two runners on the base paths in the third inning.

    And things were about to go from bad to worse for the Fleetwings in the home half of the third.

    The inning started off innocently enough, as two routine ground-balls were hit to start the frame, but the second one took a wicked hop off Adam Maini's shoulder at third base for a tough error. That unfortunate hop for the Fleetwings seemed to turn on the switch to the Yankees' carousel.

    Darrin Lenhart smoked a single to left and Kressley followed with a sharp liner that also fell in left-field to load the bases with one out. McCaulley singled to right to regain the lead for the Yankees, 3-2. Hutson then singled off the glove of a diving Justin Godusky in the hole between first and second and it was 4-2 Yankees. McCutcheon followed with a RBI single to center and Sandt ripped a RBI single to left and it was 6-2 Yankees. Steve Benavage got a RBI ground-out to first base to round out the scoring in the frame and it was 7-2 Yankees after three innings.

    The Fleetwings would keep answering.

    With one out, Tom Williams hit a towering pop-up that would have been a home run in a silo, but this pop-up actually landed safely on the infield dirt at the shortstop position for an error. Matt Nuhfer followed with a single down the third-base line and Garger walked to load the bases. But the Fleetwings would only get one run out of this rally as Justin Godusky hit a scorcher down the third-base line that a diving Kressley somehow knocked down to get a force out at third, but Williams scored on the play and it was now a 7-3 Yankees lead. A strikeout would end the visitors' half of the fourth.

    Ryan Palos was now pitching for the Fleetwings and he promptly retied the first two batters he faced in the fourth inning, but a 7-pitch walk to Kressley, an infield hit by McCaulley and a RBI single to left by Hutson made it 8-3 Yankees after four innings.

    The Fleetwings were not going to go away.

    Swatsky smashed a single to left to start the fifth. Martin hit a one-hopper off the fence in right for a double and Arner laced a two-run single down the left-field line to cut the Yankees' lead to 8-5. Maini then singled to right-center to make it 8-6, and that was it for Yankees' starter Josh Ziegler and Matt Goldman came on in relief. Goldman got a fly-out and then made a nice snag of a ground-ball to start a 1-6-3 double-play to end the inning.

    After Palos had what turned out to be the only 1-2-3 inning of the game, striking out a pair of batters in the fifth, the Fleetwings went right back to work in the sixth.

    Garger stroked a single just fair down the right-field line to start the sixth. Justin Godusky walked and both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Matt Godusky then followed with an RBI single, making the score 8-7 and putting runners on the corners with still nobody out. Goldman buckled down to get a pair of infield pop-ups and was on the verge of getting out of this huge jam, but Martin worked a tough 9-pitch walk to load the bases, and then Maini followed by lofting a two-run single to right-center to give the Fleetwings their first lead since the second inning, 9-8. A ground-out ended the inning.

    But now time was a factor in this game.

    8:00 was fast approaching, so the Yankees would need a run quick or risk having the game called after six innings due to darkness and losing the contest.

    Lenhart drew a one-out walk and was promptly lifted from the game for pinch-runner Marshall Garger. A ground-out advanced Garger 90 feet into scoring position with two outs. And McCaulley delivered his third (and biggest) hit of the game with a sharp single to center. An accurate throw by the center-fielder would have gotten Garger at the plate, but the throw sailed high and the game was tied at 9-9 as McCaullley smartly moved up to second base on the throw.

    Maini was now called in to get the final out, and by now, it was obvious that the game would be called after the sixth inning. Maini did get a strikeout to end the sixth inning, and with the time being about 8:10, the game was called due to darkness, ending in a 9-9 deadlock.

    Game 2 will be replayed in its entirety on Wednesday at 5:45 right back at Scherersville #5.

    Scott Garger, Justin and Matt Godusky, Swatsky, Martin and Maini all had two hits apiece for the Fleetwings. McCaulley was 3-for-3 and Hutson and McCutcheon each went 2-for-3 for the Yankees.