Staying alive
JEFFERSON TWP — Mike Hickey was on the verge of making a pitching change.
But his battery talked him out of it.
Hickey, the manager of Saxonburg's legion baseball team, walked to the mound in the top of the seventh inning of Thursday's Butler County elimination game against Cranberry Township at Laura Doerr Park.
The pitcher on the mound was Brandon Stull, who had allowed back-to-back singles to Brandon Lynd and Nate Kouns to begin the inning. Saxonburg's 7-5 lead suddenly seemed tenuous.
“I asked Brandon if he wanted me to bring in P.J. (Gourley),” said Hickey. “Both he and Dylan Swarmer, our catcher, said no.
“They talked me into it (leaving Stull in). P.J. was playing first base and it would have taken a while for him to get warmed up.”
“I knew I had a good defense behind me and I just had to throw strikes,” said Stull, who escaped the threat with no runs given up, helping Saxonburg reach the championship round against Valley on Saturday.
The first batter Stull faced after talking with Hickey was Sean Cavanagh, who flied out. Brett Steinmiller then singled and pinch-runner Dan Vigrass rounded third base and hesitated before continuing on to home plate, where he was thrown out easily.
“That was my fault,” said Cranberry Township manager P.J. Lynd, who was coaching third base. “I told Dan to stop and it was too late.”
Stull hit Justin Gaydos with a pitch to load the bases, but the former got Jack Connors to hit a grounder for the final out.
Cranberry led 4-2 after three and a half innings, but Saxonburg stormed back with a 3-run fourth frame.
Against Cranberry starter and losing pitcher Kevin Everly, Mike McCarty walked and scored on a triple by Andy Pipes. Stull singled in a run and he scored on a base hit by Ben McMillen for a 5-4 lead.Saxonburg added to its edge with two more runs in the fifth off of reliever Matt McKenna — Pipes drove in a run with a groundout and Stull had another RBI-single.Cranberry had its chances to take back the lead, but despite tallying seven hits over the final three innings, the team managed just one run — Frank Cinicola's base hit chased home Everly just seconds before Kurt Walesch was thrown out at third base to end the sixth inning.For the game, Cranberry had 17 hits, but a lot of missed opportunities to go with them. In the top of the third inning, Brandon Lynd's single scored Corbin Raeford and Cinicola to give their team a 3-1 lead, but Saxonburg starter Logan Hickey left the bases loaded.“We just couldn't get the big hit and left a lot of guys on base,” said P.J. Lynd. “Errors and walks hurt us, too.”Cinicola, Brandon Lynd and Steinmiller each had three hits for Cranberry. Logan Hickey and Stull had two hits for Saxonburg.Cranberry (12-11) turned in its best season in years.“It's a great group of kids,” said P.J. Lynd. “Unfortunately, almost all of them are seniors and are done.”In the championship round, Saxonburg (18-4) must defeat Valley (14-5) twice without sustaining a loss. The two teams split their two meetings this season. Valley charged into the king's seat with tournament wins over Center Township, Meridian and Cranberry.“Valley is a good team with great coaching,” said Mike Hickey. “It should be a great series.”Cranberry Twp. 012 101 0 — 5 17 2Saxonburg 101 320 x — 7 10 4W: Brandon Stull 3.2 IP (1K, 0BB). L: Kevin Everly 4 IP (3K, 4BB).Cranberry Township (13-12): Corbin Raeford R, Frank Cinicola 3-1B R 2RBI, Brandon Lynd 3-1B 2RBI, Nate Kouns 2-1B, Sean Cavanagh 2-1B R, Brett Steinmiller 3-1B, Kevin Everly 2-1B 2R, Kurt Walesch 1B, Matt McKenna 1BSaxonburg (18-4): Logan Hickey 2-1B R, Addis Crouch 1B R, P.J. Gourley 1B RBI, Garrett Traggiai R, Mike McCarty 1B 2R, Andy Pipes 3B R 2RBI, Brandon Stull 2-1B R 2RBI, Matt Cornetti 1B, Ben McMillen 1B RBISaturday: Saxonburg at Valley, 6 p.m.
