Fleetwings eliminate Jordan Creek

Woodlawn rallies for 6 runs in the 7th to lasso the Gators in a dramatic 6-3 win.

By Steve Smull

    SCHERERSVILLE -- The Woodlawn Fleetwings franchise has had many dramatic last-inning victories over the course of their nine-year existence. Too many to count in fact as the list must be over two dozen by now. The list includes both regular season and postseason games.

    The Fleetwings added another notch on their victims' belt Saturday afternoon, scoring six runs in the top of the seventh to erase a three-run deficit and earn a 6-3 victory over Jordan Creek to sweep the best-of-3 first round series.

    "We were fortunate," said Fleetwings player/manager Jeremy Arner. "We didn't quit. We knew that scoring three runs wasn't too much for this team going into the final inning. We just wanted to get the first couple of guys on. Once you put the pressure on a team, anything can happen."

    And what happened was six runs on six hits in the decisive top of the seventh.

    Woodlawn had just three hits entering their final at-bat in the final frame. But more on that in a bit.

    The first six innings belonged to the Gators' Julio Lebron.

    Not only did Lebron hold the Fleetwings to three hits through six strong innings, he also had a clutch two-run single on a 1-2 pitch in the second inning to give Jordan Creek a 3-0 lead at the time.

    Danny Colon started the second inning by lacing a double down the left-field line. Donnie Hartzell walked and Tony Marrero sacrificed both runners up 90 feet. Jose Soriano blooped a RBI single to right-center to give the Gators a 1-0 lead. Runners were on the corners until Soriano stole second. And just when Fleetwings' starter Ryan Palos thought he was going to wriggle his way out of further damage by inducing a one-out, infield pop-up, that is when Lebron stepped up and delivered his clutch two-out, two-run single to give the Gators a 3-0 lead.

    A lead that lasted and lasted and lasted.

    Until the fateful seventh inning.

    Justin Godusky worked a six-pitch walk to start the seventh. But the Gators' outfield defense seemed to be in "no doubles mode", playing fairly deep.

    And it proved to be costly.

    Arner dropped a single into semi-shallow right field and then Adam Ganser dropped a seemingly catchable fly-ball into center-field to load the bases with nobody out. If the Gators had found a way to catch those two shallow fly-balls, then the subsequent strikeout would have ended the game and Jordan Creek would have won 3-0.

    However, with the sacks loaded and one out, the floodgates were about to open.

    Matt Nuhfer grounded a single through the middle that Soriano dove for and knocked down, keeping the ball from getting to the outfield, but the Fleetwings were on the board, now trailing 3-1 and the bases were still loaded. Matt Marcks then hit an 0-2 mistake between first and second for a two-run single and just like that, the Fleetwings had tied the game at 3-3. Nuhfer and Marcks both advanced 90 feet on the throw home.

    With runners on second and third, the infield came in tight, but it did not matter as Charlie Torres hit a chopper to short that scored Nuhfer and when the throw home went over Marrero's head, Marcks rounded third and also scored and suddenly, Woodlawn now had their first lead, 5-3. Torres took second on the overthrow and after Ben Swatsky singled, Torres was plated by Scott Matejicka's RBI single to give the Fleetwings a 6-3 lead and that is the way the game would end.

    "I thought we hit the ball hard early, just right at people," Arner said. "Nothing dropped, and then finally they all dropped at once in the same inning."

    Winning pitcher Ryan Palos overcame a tough second inning to throw five straight scoreless innings to close out the game. Palos, who missed 75% of the season due to injury, did not even have enough time left in the season to get eligible for the postseason with innings pitched, so Arner got him eligible by leading him off in five or six straight games at the end of the season to qualify for the playoffs.

    And that move paid dividends on Saturday.

    "(Palos) is great," said Arner. "He's always going to go out and give you 100% no matter what the situation. He always throws strikes and he'll keep you in every single game."

    Which is exactly what Palos did on Saturday until the Fleetwings' bats came alive in the seventh.

    In defeat, much credit has to be given to the Gators' Lebron, who threw a gem for six innings before running into some tough luck in the seventh, not to mention the fact that he had a clutch two-out, two-run single that gave Jordan Creek a 3-0 lead early in the game.

    "Julio Lebron pitched his butt off today," said player/manager Fabian Acevedo. "He was awesome. He was our MVP this year. He pitched well and hit well and kept us in all of the games."

    "I'm proud of the guys," added Acevedo. "They worked hard all year. We battled and we worked hard."

    Matejicka finished 2-for-4 for Woodlawn (26-6-1), who moves on to face the #2 seeded Gabelsville Owls on Tuesday at 5:45 at Gabelsville. Lebron was 2-for-4 with two RBI for Jordan Creek (11-21-1).