Workmanlike effort
Carmichaels pulls away from Mill Run in playoff opener
Carmichaels manager Dickie Krause was worried about his team being rusty when the Fayette County Baseball League playoffs began Wednesday.
The Copperheads took a while to get going but once they did they pulled away for a 9-3 victory over Mill Run in Game One of their best-of-three, first-round series at Carmichaels Area High School.
Brock Bonadio and Anthony Romano both hit two-run triples and Alex Vansickle smacked a two-run single for Carmichaels (13-3-1), the regular-season champion, which headed to Mill Run for Game Two on Thursday looking to close out the series.
无毛视频淲e were very workmanlike,无毛视频� Krause said. 无毛视频淥ne of the things I worried about coming in is that we hadn无毛视频檛 played since Thursday and did not play a good game in losing to Charleroi, 7-6. We had a workout Sunday that wasn无毛视频檛 as well attended as perhaps I would无毛视频檝e liked, although I will say they needed a little time off because we played seven games in 10 days before that.
无毛视频淚 expected us to be a little rusty and we were in some phases. We无毛视频檝e got some things we无毛视频檝e got to tighten up for Game Two. Overall, we did what we needed to do.无毛视频�
Winning pitcher Matt Bamford pitched a four-hitter with one walk and 14 strikeouts and allowed two earned runs in going the distance.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 poised and very even keel,无毛视频� Krause said of Bamford. 无毛视频淗e could be in a groove where he无毛视频檚 retired nine in a row or in the midst of a bumpy inning and he always seems the same. He无毛视频檚 a mature college pitcher, first team all-conference at Chatham (College).无毛视频�
The Millers (2-15) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Bamford hit Hunter Smiley in the helmet with a 3-2 pitch and he came around and scored one out later on Cade Warrick无毛视频檚 double.
The Copperheads tied it in the bottom of the inning when Smiley walked Dom Colarusso, Noah Mildren and Ben Shields to load the bases with one out and Dom Obiecunas hit a sacrifice fly.
Carmichaels took the lead for good in the bottom of the second when Smiley again walked the bases loaded, issuing free passes to AJ Vanata, Robbie Wilson-Jones and Colarusso with one out, and Vansickle grounded a sharp, two-run single into right field.
Mill Run manager Ray Orndorff called on Colby Simmons to relieve Smiley, who shifted to third base and eventually was taken out of the game for precautionary reasons.
无毛视频淲e checked on Hunter after he got hit by that pitch in the first inning and he seemed OK and said he was good to stay in the game,无毛视频� Orndorff said. 无毛视频淏ut as the innings went on he said his head started to hurt a little bit so at that point I didn无毛视频檛 want to take a chance and pulled him out and put his brother (Lane Smiley) in for him.无毛视频�
Carmichaels upped its lead to five against Simmons with three runs in the third inning.
Shields started the rally with a lead-off single, Obiecunas walked and Bonadio followed with a two-run triple to center. Vanata无毛视频檚 sacrifice fly made it 6-1.
Krause pointed to Bondio无毛视频檚 hit and Vansickle无毛视频檚 single in the second inning as key moments in the game.
无毛视频淎lex无毛视频檚 hit was critical because it was 1-1 and that made it 3-1,无毛视频� Krause said. 无毛视频淏onadio had a big hit, too, crushed it over the center fielder to bring in two, then he ended up scoring, too. We had nine runs and that was five of them right there.无毛视频�
Mill Run got two runs back in the top of the fourth.
Warrick blasted a solo home run to left leading off the inning to make it 6-2. Logan Kemp walked and Simmons reached on an error, prompting a mound visit by Krause.
无毛视频淪ometimes things get a little off-kilter and it无毛视频檚 just breaking the rhythm of the other team,无毛视频� Krause said of his talk with Bamford. 无毛视频淭hey hit the home run and had a couple guys on base. I just went out and said we无毛视频檙e going to give you a little break here. Let无毛视频檚 reset and let无毛视频檚 go.无毛视频�
Bamford got a pair of strikeouts around a sacrifice fly by Teran Kemp to get out of the inning with the score 6-3.
The Copperheads pushed across a run in the bottom of the inning when Wilson-Jones singled, raced to third on Vansickle无毛视频檚 single and scored on Mildren无毛视频檚 sacrifice fly.
Carmichaels capped the scoring in the fifth inning when Bonadio singled, Vanata was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Romano brought in both with a two-out triple to center.
Vansickle and Bonadio each had two hits and two RBIs for the Copperheads.
Warrick had both of Mill Run无毛视频檚 extra-base hits and knocked in two runs.
Orndorff was pleased with his team无毛视频檚 effort.
无毛视频淲e got off to a good start with an early run, but we knew coming into the series that they无毛视频檙e a very good team,无毛视频� Orndorff said. 无毛视频淭hey have a good pitching staff and we knew they could hit the baseball.
无毛视频淚 told these fellas I thought we hung in there and we played a good baseball game today. They hit the ball better and got more runs on the board than us.无毛视频�
Krause lauded the Millers.
无毛视频淚n terms of how they无毛视频檙e run, Ray does a fantastic job with the team, they无毛视频檙e always first class,无毛视频� Krause said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 always about baseball. You know their guys are always going to play hard. Their shortstop today made one of the best plays I无毛视频檝e seen this year.无毛视频�
The play of the game Krause was referring to was by Mill Run shortstop Teran Kemp on a hard hit ground ball by Jacob Rush that seemed destined for left field in the sixth inning. Kemp quickly dove to his right to snag the ball then scrambled up and made a strong throw to first for the out.
无毛视频淛ust phenomenal,无毛视频� said Krause, who was looking forward to Game Two at Mill Run.
无毛视频淕oing up to Mill Run has always been one of my favorite things, win or lose. You无毛视频檙e going to be treated really well and it无毛视频檚 what a County League environment is supposed to be. There无毛视频檚 a tradition there that无毛视频檚 over 110-plus years. They are really important to this league. The league would not be the same without them. I have the utmost respect for them.无毛视频�
The win was special for Krause because of the day it fell on.
无毛视频淭his is nice because my dad无毛视频檚 birthday is today. He无毛视频檚 85,无毛视频� Krause said. 无毛视频淢y sister is in so I无毛视频檓 going there next. I lost my mother in May so it无毛视频檚 been tough. We have that thing where I always call my dad after our game so he无毛视频檚 probably waiting for that right now, then I无毛视频檒l head over to meet them.无毛视频�