It turned out to be a game of differences, but it was a very close contest. Martin Oil turned a pair of doubles into a walkoff 4-3 seventh-inning 4-3 triumph
Dick’s Pharmacy struck all at once, putting up three runs on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. At the time, that game the visitors at Bellwood’s Stadium Drive ball diamond, a 3-0 lead. Except for several baserunning mistakes the score could have been higher. Martin Oil turned a pair of double plays helped out by baserunning mistakes and threw out a runner attempting to steal second base, who was out a literal mile.
Dan DePaulis singled and Tom Seasoltz smacked his second straight double to put runners at second and third for Dick’s Pharmacy. Tyler Stiffler singled to score DePaulis and losing pitcher Shane Gillman reached on an RBI grounder that was misplayed to score Seasoltz. After Martin Oil pitcher Chris Alley fanned Brent Clouser for the first out, Josh Ross lifted a fly to center that scored Stiffler with the third run. Gillman wondered off the base nearly all the way to second base, but was able to get back to first on a mental error by the Martin Oil defense. If the Defense had been alert, a double play would have resulted that would have ended the inning with only two runs scored.
After that frame, Alley mowed down Dick’s Pharmacy with no serious threats over the final three at bats for Dick’s, while Martin Oil finally came alive to chip away a run at a time.
Although Martin Oil managed a base hit in each of the first three innings, Gillman kept the Oil men from scoring.
In the fourth, down 3-0, Martin Oil started their climb toward the victory. Zach Tomchick doubled to left and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Blaze Winterstein walked to give Martin Oil runners at the corners with no outs. Gillman induced Chad Coho to swing at the first pitch and hit into a double play, with Tomchick scoring to put Martin Oil on the scoreboard.
Dustin Harris reached on a error, with one out in the fifth. Harris stole second base and Earnie Kelley walked. With one out, Troy Brunner ripped a single to slice the Dick’s Pharmacy lead to one run, 3-2.
Continuing their one run each at bat pace, Martin Oil tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. Winterstein singled to deep short and continued to second on an errant throw. Winterstein moved over to third base while Coho flied out to right field. Alex Miller got Winterstein home with an RBI groundout.
With the game tied 3-3, in their final at bat, Martin Oil led off with Kelley. Earnie rapped his second double of the ballgame to open the home half of the seventh inning. After Gillman struck out Alley in a battle of opposing pitchers, Brunner belted the ball over the left fielder’s head to score Kelley and give Martin Oil the walkoff victory.
“Coming from behind, seems to be the trend of the season,” said Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “Fortunately, we are winning more than we are losing right now, coming from behind. I don’t know id we can keep up this pace. Last night, we won coming from behind and tonight we did the same thing again. We have done it a couple other times in the past few weeks.
“We got a good pitching job from Chris Alley, who went seven strong innings for us. We really needed that to get us through this thing tonight. After they got three runs, he shut the door down. We had some key hits. Earnie Kelley had a couple big hits, Troy Brunner, Blaze Winterstein had some nice hits. We are still not hitting the ball the way we need to hit it. We’re leaving too many guys on base. Sooner or later, I’m sure it will catch up with us.”
Martin Oil (8-4) has Wednesday off before traveling to Hollidaysburg on Thursday for a game at the Hollidaysburg Senior High School against Hoss’s.
Martin Oil 4 Dick’s Pharmacy 3
Dick’s Pharmacy – DePaulis, cf, 4-1-2; Seasoltz, ss, 3-1-2; Stiffler, 3b, 3-1-1; Gillman, p, 3-0-0, Mencer, cr, 0-0-0; Clouser, 1b, 2-0-0; Newenberg, 1b, 1-0-0; Ross, lf, 2-0-0; T. McCaulley, c, 3-0-0; Zemelduck, cr, 0-0-0; R. McCaulley, rf, 2-0-1; Riggleman, rf, 1-0-1; Ruddy, 2b, 3-0-1. TOTALS 26-3-8.
Martin Oil – Harris, cf, 4-1-0; Kelley, 1b, 3-1-2; Alley, p, 3-0-1; Brunner, ss, 4-0-2; Tomchick, rf, 3-1-1; Winterstein, c, 2-1-2; Coho, 3b, 3-0-0; Miller, 2b, 3-0-0; McDaniel, lf, 3-0-1. TOTALS 28-4-9.
Dick’s Pharmacy 000 300 0 3-8-1.
Martin Oil 000 111 1 4-9-1.
2B: Seasoltz 2, Kelley 2, Alley 1, Brunner 1, Tomchick 1.
RBI: Stiffler 1, Gillman 1, Brunner 2, Miller 1.
SO: Gillman 5, Alley 7.
BB: Gillman 2, Alley 1.
WP: Alley LP: Gillman
