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Creekside Fitness falls in NABF tourney semifinals
By Greg Gulas
STRUTHERS
The past two summers, Creekside Fitness finished second in the NABF Senior Division.
After dropping a 7-3 decision Sunday to the Michigan Bulls in the regional semifinals at Bob Cene Park, Creekside won’t make it to this week’s World Series. But if it’s any consolation, the team might have played the most exciting game in this year’s tournament.
Drake Lubin threw a complete game six-hitter, retiring nine of the game’s last 10 batters to lift the Bulls into the title game and earn an automatic bid into this year’s World Series.
The Bulls defeated Boys of Summer 9-7 in the championship game. Boys of Summer reached the final with a 7-1 win over Lincoln Park.
Just 16 hours after overcoming a nine-run deficit and lashing out 16 hits against the Ohio Longhorns to earn a semifinal berth, Creekside’s offense mustered just six hits against the Bulls.
“It’s the nature of the game. Everyone wants to win but sometimes it just isn’t meant to be,” Creekside manager Terry Landis said. “There are no excuses, but yesterday took a lot out of us. We had a great season and I’m really proud of the effort our players put forth each and every time out.”
Creekside took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Brady Minetti led off with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Mitch Wood’s infield single and scored on Scott Sada’s sacrifice fly.
The Bulls made it 2-1 in their half of the third as the first four hitters reached base safely — three on singles and the other via walk.
Scott Zychowski’s single scored Ian MacKinnon to knot the game at a run apiece while Joe Tenaglia’s sacrifice fly drove in Sammy Lee for a 2-1 margin.
Creekside made it 2-all in the fourth, sending seven batters to the plate and scoring when Wood was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Michigan opened a 5-2 lead in the fourth inning when Spencer VanKirk opened with a single and later scored on MacKinnon’s groundout. The Bulls then added two more runs, first on Sammy Lee’s single, then when Lee raced home on a passed ball.
The Bulls made it 6-2 the following inning when Lubin drew a two-out walk, went to third on a pick-off attempt that went awry and rolled home on MacKinnon’s third single.
Lake Sankey’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning scored Ray Scala, cutting the margin to 6-3.
Michigan got the run back in its half of the inning when Tenaglia’s single scored Lee, who led off the frame with a double.
Creekside third baseman Chase Thurber said his team went down fighting.
“The last three years we were never out of a game. We played well together, jelled early and had a lot of fun,” Thurber said. “This was a nice team both offensively and defensively and I’ll just remember the fight we had each and every game that we played.”