CONNIE MACK R & amp;J Trucking falls in tourney opener
Springfield Armoloy posted a 5-2 victory over the local entry.
By MARK W. MILLER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STRUTHERS -- Springfield Armoloy scored five runs on five hits in the first two innings as it posted a 5-2 victory over R & amp;J Trucking of the Class B League Saturday in first-round action of the 43rd Connie Mack State Tournament at Cene Park 2.
"[Armoloy's] first base coach was picking up signals from our catcher [Jim Pasquine] to our pitcher [Lou Coppola] and relaying it to his hitters the first two innings," said R & amp;J Trucking manager Bill Sattler.
"I went out told our catcher and pitcher what was going on and from then on our catcher hid the signals. After that they got just one other hit," said Sattler.
Leaver halts Truckers
Jason Leaver, the Armoloy pitcher who will play baseball at the University of Georgia, held R & amp;J Trucking to four hits and struck out 10 batters. Leaver, who has struck out 82 batters in 46 innings this year, fanned all three in the sixth inning and the last two in the seventh.
"He pitched a nice ball game for us," said Armoloy manager Al Fulk. "This was a typical game for us. We come out and score three or four runs and [Leaver] keeps us in it."
Armoloy (29-7) had seven batters hitting .400 or better in June, but have fallen into a slump recently, Fulk said.
R & amp;J Trucking scored its two runs in the third inning. C.J. Morris walked and, one batter later, Pasquine tripled Morris home. Pasquine scored on a single by Ed Rohan.
"After the third inning we weren't hitting and you aren't going to win with just four hits," said Sattler. "We never really rallied after that. It just seemed like we couldn't hit him. Maybe because he bared down.
"We'll now have to play one game at a time and do our best."
Coppola, who struck out five, retired the side in order in the third and sixth innings. The only other hit, a bunt single, came in the fourth inning, when Armoloy left three men stranded.
Early lead
An error, a fielder's choice, a single by Leaver, a double by Loren Fleischman and a triple by Bryce Whittington gave Armoloy a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
The only other extra base hit was by R & amp;J Trucking's Dave Diorio, which was a double.