By JASON BLACK
For the Mon Valley
Independent
With plenty of offense showing up for both sides, Mitch’s Bail Bonds used a 14-hit attack to pull out an important 7-6 victory over Mill Run in Fayette County Baseball League action at Charleroi Veteran’s Memorial Field on Monday.
“We knew going in and they knew going in (how important that game was),” Mitch’s Bail Bonds coach Ryan Encapera said. “In a short season, every pitch has been a battle and this puts us in a good position.”
The win clinched at least third place for the Magicians in the FCBL regular season standings. That’s important considering that the top three teams avoid the one-game playoff, which is now guaranteed to be between Mill Run and Fayette.
The fact that Mitch’s was able to put together a strong offensive attack against Mill Run pitcher Jimmy Malone, made the win even more impressive. Malone has had a lot of success against the Magicians (5-5) in the past.
“It’s huge because we’ve struggled so much against Malone for a number of years,” Encapera said. “We went with a base-hit approach instead of trying to hit three-run homers, and that’s what carried us.”
The teams spent much of the game trading the lead.
The Millers (4-7) scored in the first when Garrett Brooks doubled and came home on a single by Josh Burns. But Mitch’s responded with two in the second as Nick Kumor doubled and scored on a triple by TJ Lux. Branson Auckerman lifted a sacrifice fly that gave the Magicians a 2-1 edge.
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