Ganser garners 100th career win

Son Adam goes 3-for-4 and Big Ben knocks in 5 as Ray is first Trico pitcher to win 100.

By Steve Smull

    SCHERERSVILLE -- The Fleetwings are in the thick of a heated 4-team battle for first place and every win is big. After their 11-3 demolition of Jordan Creek Saturday afternoon, player/manager Jeremy Arner could only talk about 31-year Trico veteran Ray Ganser. "It was Ray's day," Arner said.

    And despite going 3-for-4, Adam Ganser echoed similar words. "It was all about my dad today. It was a big day for him."

    It was a "big day for Ray" because he was going for career win number 100. And he got it easily enough with some help from his friends.

    Adam said that his dad was nervous during the week, preparing for the possible milestone win, and he looked a little nervous the first two innings, walking 3 and giving up two singles, but the Fleetwings' defense made some nice plays and Ganser only allowed one run during those first two shaky innings. Ganser then settled down, not allowing a hit over the next three innings, walking one and striking out three, as the Fleetwings by then had built up an insurmountable 11-1 lead.

    Ganser finished with a complete game, throwing 93 pitches (60 of them for strikes) and he struck out five, walked five and ended up allowing six hits after he had a two-hitter going through five innings.

    Ganser deflected all of the compliments and credit for his long run in the Tri-County League and in typical form, he gave credit to his teammates after the game.

    "I'm lucky to play with such good guys," Ganser said. "They don't treat me like an old man, they treat me like a teammate."

    Ganser may be old in baseball years at 53, but this "old" man runs 8-to-10 miles three times a week and goes to the gym virtually every night to lift weights.

    "I do take pride in staying in shape," Ganser noted.

    Many players in the league remember Ganser doing sit-ups before games through the years and it is that devotion to fitness that enabled Ganser to turn around a 21-46 start to his Trico pitching career after 1986 (albeit, playing for a lot of bad Allentown Angels teams) and hang around long enough to go from 25 games under .500 to 23 games over .500 after his win on Saturday.

    Ganser has gone 79-31 since the start of the 1987 season to bring his career record to 100-77. And it was that 1987 season that got Ganser his nickname "Every-day Ray" because it was during that season that he had an 8-5 record for an Allentown Angels team that finished 12-15. And it was that season that he had a memorable week where on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, he threw four complete games and won them all. He also set a league record in 1987 with 93 2/3 innings pitched.

    It is also fitting that Ganser's 100th win came at Scherersville #1, a field that has been his "home" field for many years in the league and the very mound he pitched on Saturday was a mound he helped Bill Berkheimer build in 1980.

    But Arner summed up "Ray's day" the best. "It couldn't happen to a better guy. He deserved it. He earned it. I was looking forward to this game all week."

    To recap the game, after a scoreless top half of the first, Scott Garger walked and then scored two batters later on a long home run to left-center by Ben Swatsky and it was quickly 2-0 Fleetwings.

    Jordan Creek got one back in the top of the second as Will Flores and Ramon Maldonado walked with two outs and Donnie Hartzell followed with a RBI single.

    The Fleetwings answered in their half of the second as Adam Ganser doubled, Charlie Torres and Garger followed with walks and Mike Cudwadie hit  a sac fly to right to make it 3-1 Fleetwings.

    Volpe's pretty much ended the competitive phase of the game in the home half of the third with a 4-spot. Scott Matejicka led off with a double to right and moved up 90 feet when Eric Schmitt smashed a line-drive single to left on the next pitch. Arner got an RBI on a fielder's choice, and then Justin Godusky and Adam ganser singled to load the bases with one out. Torres reached safely on the only miscue of the game, a two-base error on an errant infield throw to first, and it was 6-1 Fleetwings. Cudwadie knocked in Ganser with a single to right to make it 7-1 after three innings.

    Volpe's would add four more in the fifth. Adam Ganser singled to start the inning, but was erased at second on a fielder's choice. Garger singled to center and Cudwadie followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Swatsky cleared them with one swing, lacing a laser over the center-fielder's head for a 3-run double. Swat then score on a Schmitt double down the left-field line and it was 11-1 Fleetwings.

    The Gators did get two runs in the sixth. Fabian Acevedo singled to center to lead off the inning and Juan Lopez followed with a single. After a strikeout, Danny Colon walked and then Eli Castro got a RBI single and Flores followed with a sac fly to left to close out the scoring.

    Swatsky finished 2-for-4 with a 2B, HR and 5 RBI, Adam Ganser was 3-for-4 with a 2B, Schmitt was 2-4 with a 2B, Godusky was 2-for-4 and Cudwadie was 2-for-3. Juan Lopez finished 2-for-3 for Jordan Creek.