By Dean Dellamalva Jr.
MVI Sports
A very short Fayette County Baseball League season means every game is of utmost importance.
Monday night’s showdown between Carmichaels and Mitch’s Bail Bonds at Vets Field in Charleroi was a good example.
Mitch’s beat Carmichaels last week and a win would have given the hosts a huge advantage in the standings.
However, Carmichaels picked up some revenge and evened the season series with a 4-0 victory.
The hosts’ bats were nearly silent as Carmichaels pitchers Nate Torbich and Joby Lapkowicz combined to allow only three hits.
“This was a big game for us,” said Carmichaels manager Richard Krause. “It started with Nate Torbich. He’s given us two great starts out of the gate.”
Mitch’s still had opportunities, but wasn’t able to cash them in.
“When you play a team that is as good as Carmichaels is, you have to find a way to score runs early,” Mitch’s skipper Ryan Encapera said. “If you don’t, you’re going to face someone like Joby (Lapkowicz) at the end of the game, and that’s going to be tough.”
Mitch’s had six runners in scoring position, including the sixth inning when it loaded the bases with just one out.
TJ Lux started the inning by getting hit by a pitch from Torbich. Travis Sankovich reached on an error by third basemen Logan Mayle, and Noah Hansen was also hit by a pitch. But Lapkowicz struck out Shawn Mikulan and got Drew Garth to ground out to end the threat.
Lapkowicz allowed a walk in the final inning, but struck out the side.
“(Lapkowicz) has been a dominant player in this league for a long time,” Krause said. “He came in and did what you needed him to do. I was really happy with our resilience; we had a lot of young kids playing today.”
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