Gloucester City: Siebert's hit secures Rotary Championship
Sunday, June 22, 2008
June 21, 2008
Rotary's
Mark Siebert singled home Patrick Rafferty with two outs in
the bottom of the
6th inning to give Rotary a 6-5 win over a stubborn Barron's team in the
Gloucester City Major League Division.
On
Championship Saturday as the sun baked down on the "Earl Moore
Field" hundreds of fans gathered
eating free food provided by the Ladies Auxilary waiting in anticipation for
the Major League Championship battle.
The
match up of the first place Rotary and last year's runner-up Barron's provided
the fans with more than anyone expected. It took every last ball, strike and
out before the Champion was crowned.
A
pitching duel between Rotary's Austin Darrow and Barron's Chris Walmsley lived
up to all the pregame hype. Darrow unbeaten on the year faced a Barron's
offense led by John Lindeborn and Ben Boyer with only one thing in mind. WIN!
Through
the first four innings Walmsley and Darrow matched strike out for strike out
while Barron's provided excellent defense behind the play of centerfielder Jack
Driscoll.
In
the 4th Chris Walsmley was forced to leave the game and was replaced by 10 year
old Vince Di Giacomo on the mound. With the tying runner on base Di Giacomo
ended any Rotary hopes with a strikeout.
Mid
way through the 5th inning with Barron's leading 4-3 Darrow was replaced at
pitcher by Mike Cox. Cox retired the Barron's and after a scoreless 5th, Cox
took the mound in 6th trailing 4-3. Barron's immediately scored an insurance
run to take a 5 - 3 lead into the last inning after a running catch by
leftfielder Mario Russo on a John Lindeborn deep flyball prevented any further damage.
In
the 6th Di Giacomo was three outs away from securing a Barron's Championship
but he was to face Rotary's top three batters, Cox, Darrow and Ryan Ziegler
with a 2 run lead.
Cox
led off the bottom of the sixth by singling through the middle, bringing Darrow
to the plate, on the second pitch delivered by Di Giacomo, Darrow tripled to
rightfield closing the gap to 5-4 with no outs.
Ziegler
followed Darrow with a grounder to first, but Walmsley fielded the grounder and
nailed Darrow at the plate leaving the score a 5 - 4 with one out. Colin
Chapman followed Ziegler with a fielder choice ground out that moved Ziegler to
second with two outs. Ziegler then promptly stole both third base and home to
tie the score at 5-5 with two outs.
With the game tied Rotary's Patrick Rafferty singled and stole second. Mark Siebert came to the plate with the winning run on second in the speedy Rafferty after two strike Siebert singled to rightfield just out of the reach of a diving Tyler Boyko and Rafferty scampered home from second with the 6th and winning run.