CLASS B Line Drive Academy completes comeback



It rallied from a 9-0 deficit to win the league championship series.
By PAUL TRGOVAC
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- Line Drive Academy was down to its final strike not once, but four times, in the bottom of the seventh inning, in the deciding game of the Class B League championship series against Rondinelli Tuxedo.
Rondinelli was unable to record those final strikes, however, and Line Drive scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh, tying the score at 10 to send the game into extra innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, a bases-loaded single by Marc Sikora scored the winning run, giving Line Drive an 11-10 victory.
Comfortable lead
Rondinelli opened a 9-0 lead, scoring two runs in both the first and second innings, and five runs in the top of the third. Lee Keck had two hits and scored three times in the first three innings, while Josh Conkey had a hit in each of the first three frames, along with three RBIs. Conkey finished with four singles.
Line Drive started its comeback with three runs in the bottom of the third inning, on just one hit. It was helped by three walks in the inning, part of the 13 free passes issued by Rondinelli pitching.
After Line Drive scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to cut the Rondinelli lead to 9-5, Rondinelli scored one run in the top of the seventh inning on a balk with a runner at third base to take a 10-5 lead.
Conkey came on in relief of Rick Vickers to pitch for Rondinelli during the fourth inning and had allowed just two runs heading into the seventh.
After getting the first two outs in the seventh, Conkey hit Vasili Pahoulis on a 2-2 pitch. Then Mike Turjanica walked and pinch hitter Craig Dobos singled, with Pahoulis scoring on a wild throw. Following a walk to Jon Zizzo to load the bases, Rick Banna relieved Conkey.
Chris Tremblay coaxed a walk to score a run and a wild pitch made the score 10-8 before Dan Ford delivered a two-run, two-strike single.
Rally time
Zizzo started the winning rally with his third single of the game. After Mark Seddon struck out Tremblay, Zizzo stole second. Ford was walked intentionally, and Justin Byler hit a pop-up to short right field that was just off the glove of Rondinelli second baseman Gary Bucuren to load the bases. Sikora then lifted a fly down the left-field line that fell fair just out of the reach of Conkey to win the game.
Mike DeNiro had two hits, while Seddon, the fourth Rondinelli pitcher, took the loss. Besides the 13 walks, Rondinelli pitchers also hit two men and suffered six wild pitches.
Susany, the fourth Line Drive pitcher, went two scoreless innings for the win. He had two walks and two strikeouts and allowed only one hit. Line Drive pitchers had nine strikeouts and walked eight, three of those being intentional. Ford finished with two hits.
Line Drive, Rondinelli, Astro Falcons, Livi Steel and Wharmby Sports will represent the B League in the Ohio state Connie Mack Tournament, which starts Wednesday at Cene Park and other area diamonds.
Little b League
In the completion of a suspended game from July 8, Wolf Contracting used a seven-run fifth inning to defeat Becdir 9-5 in the opener of the Little b League championship series.
John Warren had three hits, including a double, while Kyle Milbert, Rob Sullivan and Billy Herman had two hits each for the winners. Andy Chrobak pitched a complete game for the win, allowing three earned runs, walking just one, and striking out four.
For Becdir, Aaron Pollack, Lou Kopachy and Ryan Hamilton had two hits each, while Corey Vukovic suffered the loss in relief.
In Game 2, Drew Browning tossed a five-hit shutout as Wolf Contracting won 8-0. Browning walked two and struck out four.
Brandon Skoff, JC McCoy and Jesse Alfreno had two hits each for Wolf, who scored two runs in the first and third innings and four more in the fifth. McCoy drove home one run with his triple in the third, and his bases-loaded double in the fifth cleared the bases.
Game 3 of the series will be played tonight at Cene Park.

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