Just one day after Martin Oil had 20 runs scored on them, the crew from Bellwood-Antis stopped Dick’s Pharmacy’s bid for an upset to advance to the second round of the George B. Kelley Federation playoffs with a 14-4 victory at Vets Field on Monday.
Martin Oil started fast, then allowed Dick’s to hang around for awhile, before scoring five times in the fourth and six more in the sixth to win by the 10-run mercy rule in the final ballgame of the best-of-three round.
Cory Daly scattered two hits over the first five innings for Martin Oil and should have gotten out of the sixth without a run scoring for Dick’s. Two errors paved the way for Dick’s to score four times in the sixth. Nate Carlson came on in the sixth with two outs in relief, allowed a hit on the only pitch he threw, but got the final out of the inning when a Damion Miller-to Shawn Weiand-to-Chris Alley relay nailed Shane Stiffler attempting to go from first to third on the hit.
“Last night was sure a shame,” recounted Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “Tonight we had a real good ballgame. Cory just came out strong as the daylights and threw his heart out for 52/3 innings. A little shoddy fielding hurt, or he would have been able to finish it.”
Dan Houser opened the bottom of the first for Martin Oil by lining a double to left. Andy Brisbin singled to score Houser. Zach Stere walked, stole second and moved to third as Dick’s starter Josh Mulhollem hit both Shawn Weiand and Nate Carlson and scored when Damion Miller drew a bases-loaded walk.
In the second, Matt Albright walked, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Stere.
Martin Oil increased their lead to 7-0 in the fourth with four runs. Daly and Albright walked to begin the inning. Brisbin beat out an infield single with one out and Daly scored on an error on the play. Stere tripled to drive in Albright and Brisbin. Carlson tripled to score Stere and Derrick Miller singled to drive in Carlson.
After Dick’s put their four scores on the board in the top of the inning, Martin Oil closed out the game via the 10-run mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Brisbin singled to right for his third hit of the contest to open the frame. Stere singled to right to send Brisbin to third. Stere took off toward second base, but Brisbin was thrown out at home on the double steal attempt. Weiand scored pinch runner Dan Graham with a single. Carlson drilled his second triple of the game to get courtesy runner Nick Treese home. Derrick Miller singled to score courtesy runner Jesse Graham. Derrick Miller stole second, kept running to third when the catcher’s throw went into center and scored when Damion Miller singled. Damion stole second and wound up at third on another bad throw by Dick’s catcher. Cory Daly tripled, the fourth three bagger of the game and seventh of the three-game set for Martin Oil to get Damion home. Matt Albright ended the game by driving in Daly with a sacrifice fly to deep left.
“Fortunately the bats came alive for us in the bottom of the sixth that we were able to win by the 10-run rule,” said Davis. “Danny Houser got us started with a leadoff double. Andy Brisbin had another super night with three hits. Zach had three hits, Nate had two triples and Derrick had a couple hits. Cory had a big triple at the end. The kids really hit the ball good tonight. They staggered it out, but they played exceptionally good baseball. The base running was exceptional tonight.”
Martin Oil will open the semifinal series against ReMax, who upset second seed Park Furniture by winning two of three, including a 13-9 win on Monday, before the Martin Oil-Dick’s Pharmacy contest. The game will be played tonight, at Vets, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Martin Oil 14 Dick’s Pharmacy 4 (6 Innings)
DICK’S PHARMACY – Monahan, 2b, 3-1-0; Horton, 3b-cf, 3-0-1; Clancy, ss, 3-1-0; Bucci, lf-p, 3-1-1; Stiffler, 1b, 2-0-1; Mulhollem, p-3b, 3-0-1; McGinnis, c, 2-0-0; Poorman, rf, 1-0-0; Petucci, rf, 1-0-0; DePaolis, cf-lf, 2-1-1. TOTALS 23-4-5.
MARTIN OIL – Houser, cf, 4-1-1; Brisbin, 2b, 4-1-3; Stere, ss-1b, 3-2-3; D. Graham, pr, 0-1-0; Weiand, c, 3-0-1; Treese, cr, 0-1-0; Carlson, 1b-p, 3-1-2; J. Graham, cr, 0-1-0; De. Miller, lf, 4-1-2; Da. Miller, rf, 3-1-1; Daly, p-ss, 3-2-1; Alley, 3b, 0-0-0; Albright, dh, 1-2-0. TOTALS 28-14-14.
Dick’s Pharmacy 000 004 4-5-2.
Martin Oil 210 506 14-14-2.
2B: Stiffler 1, Houser 1.
3B: Carlson 2, Stere 1, Daly 1.
RBI: Horton 1, Mulhollem 1.
SO: Mulhollem 2, Bucci 2, Daly 4.
BB: Mulhollem 4, Bucci 1.
WP: Daly LP: Mulhollem.
