Mikes keep rolling
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels coach Dickie Krause waves Gavin Pratt (9) home as Washington third baseman Michael Shallcross (19) looks for a throw-in from the outfield during Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park. Pratt scored on the play.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Drake Long fires a pitch against Washington during a game at Wild Things Park on May 2. Long was the winning pitcher in the Mikes鈥� 7-4 victory. Carmichaels had clinched at least a share of the Section 1-AA title heading into Monday蘑菇视频 games.
Carmichaels鈥� Gavin Pratt strokes a two-run double to right field against Washington during the second inning of a game at Wild Things Park on May 2. Carmichaels was scheduled to play two games against Beth-Center this past week with a win in either one clinching sole possession of the Section 1-AA title. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Chris Barrish hits a run-scoring infield single against Washington during Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels first baseman Nick Ricco (22) steps on the bag for the out on Washington蘑菇视频 Michael Shallcross (19) as Mikes catcher Liam Lohr looks on in the foreground during Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park.
Carmichaels鈥� Jacob Fordyce (21) points the way as the Mikes鈥� Liam Lohr crosses home plate during the fifth inning of a game against Washington at Wild Things Park on May 2. The Mikes were the highest seeded local team at No. 3 in Class AA, according to the WPIAL baseball pairings released on May 14. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels coach Dickie Krause runs through a set of signals as the Mikes鈥� Drake Long stands on third base during Saturday蘑菇视频 game against Washington at Wild Things Park.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels pitcher Drake Long grabs a popped-up bunt as Washington蘑菇视频 Steven Patterson scrambles back to first base during Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park.
Carmichaels; Dylan Rohrer singles to right field against Washington during the second inning of Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Drake Long goes into his windup while pitching against Washington during a game at Wild Things Park his past season. Long and teammate Gavin Pratt are the 蘑菇视频 All-Area Baseball Team蘑菇视频 Small School Co-Players of the Year.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels third baseman Dylan Rohrer waits to grab a pop up against Washington as shortstop Gavin Pratt looks on during Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels coach Dickie Krause (left) talks with pitcher Trenton Carter and catcher Lim Lohr (7) during the second inning of Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels Zack Hillsman (24) slides safely into second with a stolen base as Washington second baseman Mario Griffin takes the late throw during Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels starting pitcher Trenton Carter throws to a Washington batter during Saturday蘑菇视频 game at Wild Things Park.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels assistant coach Tom Ricco hits fly balls with a fungo bat as Jacob Fordyce takes the throws while the Mikes warm up for Saturday蘑菇视频 game against Washington at Wild Things Park.
WASHINGTON 鈥� Carmichaels baseball coach Dickie Krause didn鈥檛 feel his team was on top of its game Saturday but the result was the same as its been all season for the first-place Mikes in Section 1-AA.
Carmichaels rebounded after squandering an early 4-0 lead and went on to defeat host Washington, 7-4, at Wild Things Park to move closer to clinching the section crown.
Drake Long pitched 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win and Gavin Pratt and Nick Ricco both went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs as the Mikes improved to 7-0 in the section and 11-1 overall.
鈥淎 win is a win,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l take it. But we weren鈥檛 real crisp. I didn鈥檛 think our focus was as good as it normally is.
鈥淲e left a lot of room for improvement.鈥�
Even so, the Mikes (7-0, 11-1) need just one more win in their final three section games or one loss by red-hot California, which has won nine straight, in its last two games to clinch at least a share of first place.
鈥淚鈥檓 not thinking about that right now,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淲e just take it day by day, game by game.鈥�
Carmichaels put together a threat in the first inning against Prexies starting pitcher Jarrod West when it loaded the bases with one out as Long was hit by a pitch, Pratt singled to right and Stush Ferek drew a walk. Washington third baseman Michael Shallcross then snagged Liam Lohr蘑菇视频 sharp grounder at the bag and turned an inning-ending 5-4 double play.
Undaunted, the Mikes came right back in the top of the second with a six-hit inning that produced four runs.
Zack Hillsman started the rally with a one-out walk and stole second. Dylan Rohrer singled to right and stole second and Chris Barrish beat out an infield single with Hillsman scoring. One out later, Pratt stroked a two-run double to right to make it 3-0.
鈥淕avin had been a catalyst for us,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淗e蘑菇视频 going to Seton Hill so he蘑菇视频 a college-level player. You have to count on those kids a lot and he was good today.鈥�
Ricco brought in Pratt with a single to left to cap the rally. Ferek and Lohr followed with singles but left fielder Zakery Burt threw out Ricco at home on the latter with catcher Nicholas Blanchette making the tag to end the inning.
The Prexies (1-5, 3-5) fought back to tie it in the bottom of the inning, chasing Carmichaels starting pitcher Trenton Carter in the process.
Iain Callan was hit by a pitch, Steven Patterson singled and Mario Griffin was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Blanchette struck out but Callan scored when the pitch eluded catcher Ferek. Patterson also scored on a wild pitch as Taiviare Vereen walked, West also walked and Burt hit an RBI single to left to make it 4-3.
Krause then called on Long to relieve Carter. Shallcross tied it with a sacrifice fly to center and Asa Charnik laced a fly ball into right field that looked like it would give the Prexies the lead but right fielder Hillsman made a diving catch to end the inning.
It was one of two outstanding plays in the outfield by the Mikes as Carter made a sliding grab in left field to rob Lutes of a hit in the seventh inning.
鈥淒efensively, the outfield was tremendous today,鈥� Krause said.
Carmichaels scored what proved to be the winning run in the fourth. Long hit a one-out single to left, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and came home on Ricco蘑菇视频 sacrifice fly.
The Mikes made it 6-4 in the fifth when Lohr walked, stole second and scored on Jacob Fordyce蘑菇视频 triple to left.
Long allowed one hit and two walks, hit two batters and struck out three but it was a couple defensive plays he made in the sixth inning that helped Carmichaels maintain its lead.
Callan singled and Patterson walked to lead off the inning. Griffin popped up a bunt attempt that Long grabbed for the first out. Blanchette also tried to bunt but Long quickly bounced on the ball and threw a strike to third baseman Rohrer for a force out.
鈥淲e were trying to move the runners over into scoring position and just couldn鈥檛 execute it,鈥� Prexies coach Anthony Belcastro said.
鈥淭hose were big plays,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淚t was only a two-run game and if they get the bunt down then anything can happen.
鈥淭he key on that second play was holding the runner on second. We work on that. That蘑菇视频 a big deal for us. That extra step or two can make a big difference.鈥�
Ricco then fielded Vereen蘑菇视频 sharp grounder to first to end the inning.
Carmichaels played error-free ball and made several other stellar plays in the infield. First baseman Ricco dug out a low throw to record an out in the third. Ferek gunned down Shallcross attempting to steal in the fifth.
Charnik came on in relief for the Prexies in the sixth after West allowed six runs on 10 hits with four walks and one strikeout.
Charnik stranded Ricco, who hit a two-out double, in the sixth but the Mikes got an unearned run in the seventh. Lohr singled, stole second, went to third when the throw sailed high and scored when the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
Other than the double-error, the Prexies played solid defense, making only one other fielding miscue.
鈥淲ashington played well,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淭hey played hard and they made some nice plays in the field.鈥�
Belcastro was pleased to see his team battle back after an early deficit.
鈥淭hey never quit,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 knew they wouldn鈥檛.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been a little bit behind the eight ball with COVID shutting us down. Out of eight weeks, we鈥檝e only been playing for four. We鈥檙e just trying to keep their confidence up and I think they have it. We鈥檙e trying to put some things together and get the ball rolling.鈥�
Long pitched into the seventh and left with two outs and a runner on as Krause called on Rohrer to get the final out, which he did on a foul out to earn the save.
Belcastro lauded the Mikes.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a great team,鈥� he said. 鈥淒ickie Krause is a great coach. He蘑菇视频 been around for a long time. His kids are always fundamentally sound. Every time you play them you know you鈥檙e facing a good opponent.鈥�
Burt had two of Washington蘑菇视频 four hits and a stolen base. Charnik gave up the one unearned run on two hits and two walks with one strikeout in two innings.
Rohrer was 2 for 3 with a walk, a run scored and three stolen bases for the Mikes who also got two hits, two runs and a pair of stolen bases from Lohr.
Krause thought his team should鈥檝e pushed across a few more runs.
鈥淲e left a lot of runs out there,鈥� Krause said, noting nine runners left on base, 鈥渁nd we had two kids out at the plate.鈥�
Krause was happy his team got the chance to play at a facility such as Wild Things Park.
鈥淭hese kids have never been here,鈥� said Krause, noting the field蘑菇视频 artificial surface and cavernous dimensions. 鈥淚t changes everything 鈥� how fast the ball gets to the outfielder, how deep the backstop is. This is just so different from our field. They hit one today and we hit two or three that would鈥檝e been out at Carmichaels.
鈥淏ut it was fun to play here and it was a beautiful day for baseball.鈥�