Copperheads open playoffs with win over LJP, 8-1
CARMICHAELS 鈥� Hunter Robinson continued his sharp pitching in 2007 with a complete game win in Game One of the Fayette County Baseball League best-of-three semifinal series with Little Joeys Pizza, as Carmichaels blasted two home runs for an 8-1 triumph Tuesday evening.
Robinson improved to 8-1 overall on the rubber this summer and after a rocky opening inning was able to get his groove back and pitched all seven innings. The Waynesburg Central product allowed a run on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
The top-seeded Copperheads (18-2) will now look to take the series on Wednesday. Game Two will be played at Carmichaels High School with LJP being the home team.
鈥淲e have to get a lot better on offense if we want to move on in the playoffs,鈥� Carmichaels coach Richard Krause said. 鈥淭he home runs were huge and that gave us instant offense. The playoffs are always tougher. Every team is going to be deeper and you are going to face their best guys. They (LJP) played a really good game tonight.鈥�
Kenny Ryan was tagged with the loss for Little Joeys Pizza (6-14-1), going 2 2/3 innings and allowing five runs on three hits with three strikeouts and six walks. Aaron Skinner pitched the remainder of the game for the visitors.
After scoring 12 runs in their play-in game victory Monday night against Better Edge, LJP tallied a run in top of the first with an RBI groundout by Jim Cales that scored Christian Forsythe.
鈥淲e were loose today and played with confidence,鈥� LJP coach/player Tyler Spohn said. 鈥淭his is the playoffs. You can鈥檛 be scared of your opponent. We were fighting the whole game and we never put our heads down. We didn鈥檛 hit with runners on base and they were able to string enough hits for the win.鈥�
Carmichaels responded with a run in the bottom of the second to knot things up at 1-1 when Zach Durbin laced a two-out, RBI single that scored Jake Calloway.
The Copperheads sent 10 batters to the plate in the third and pushed across four runs.
With one out, Chuck Gasti crushed a solo home run by the left-field foul pole for Carmichaels鈥� first lead of the night.
Joe Havrilak worked a two-out walk later in the inning and after stealing second, scored on an RBI base knock by Calloway.
Calloway and Ty Cole would later score in the frame after a wild pitch on a third strike and an errant throw to first base by the catcher.
鈥淎 couple of plays went our way and we took full advantage of it,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 always nice to have Hunter throwing for you. It seems to always come down to pitching. Hunter wasn鈥檛 as sharp as he is usually, but he is so good with his command. When he is throwing that well, it gives us more time to find ourselves on offense.鈥�
The Copperheads tacked on three more runs in the sixth, courtesy of a towering, three-run bomb by Joe Havrilak. The home run was Havrilak蘑菇视频 sixth of the season.
Facing elimination, LJP will try to extend the series another day.
鈥淲e can play with these guys and we have to approach Game Two as a new day,鈥� Spohn said. 鈥淭he game wasn鈥檛 as bad as the score looked, and we know we can play with these guys. We have to pitch well and play good defense. We can鈥檛 give them any cheap runs.鈥�