Another Shot
CRANBERRY TWP — It wasn’t a dominant start for Lake Pry, but it led Cranberry Township back to a very familiar place.
He walked five and allowed six hits, but most importantly, he minimized damage against the Space Cowboys in Cranberry’s 3-2 victory in the fifth and deciding game of an Eagle County League baseball semifinal series at North Boundary Park Wednesday night.
The result sends Cranberry to its fourth straight championship series, where it has lost the last three years. It will face the survivor of the other semifinal between Mars and the Captains. Mars, the defending champion, leads two games to one and can wrap up victory with a win in Thursday’s Game 4 at North Boundary.
Pry’s escape act began in the top of the first. He walked the first two batters of the game, but got Johnny Fratto to pop out before Trey Wagner lined into a 1-6 double play.
Pry then stranded runners at first and third in the second.
Along with his five free passes, Pry struck out five.
“They did a good job of not swinging at pitches just out of the zone,” he said of the Cowboys. “I just had to find my groove and remember who was playing behind me.”
Cranberry tallied just five hits in the game, but three of them came in the bottom of the fourth.
Cowboys starter Blake Gibson began the frame by hitting Tyler Yough with a pitch. Matt Evans followed with a single and with one out, Brandon Pouch and Brandon Solomon came through with back-to-back RBI-singles for a 2-1 edge.
It was a brief lead, however, for in the next half inning, Dathan Gillis singled, moved to second base on a wild pitch and scored on Brendan Koroly’s single. But again, the Cowboys had a potential big inning slip from their grasp. With runners at first and third, Pry struck out Fratto to end the threat.
“We hit the ball hard, but it was right at their guys,” said Cowboys manager Jason Gillis. “We just could not get the big hit.”
“Like Alex (Haevner, starter in Game 4), Lake has trouble with his control,” Cranberry manager Bill Clinefelter said. “A normal stat-line for him is seven strikeouts and seven walks and you’re just hoping he spreads the walks out. But he’s done pretty well his last few starts.”
Gibson began the bottom of the fifth on the mound, but after one out, he was relieved by AJ Pagone, who was greeted with Nash Matson’s double. He moved to third base on a throwing error and came home on a sacrifice fly from Matt Evans.
Elijah White worked a perfect seventh to close the win.
Cranberry (22-7) has tallied a combined seven hits in its last two games.
“We’re flat right now,” he said. “We hit the ball much better in the regular season and we have to hit our stride.”
The Space Cowboys finish their first season in the league with a record of 17-12.
“We opened some eyes,” Jason Gillis said. “We earned respect and built something for next year.”
Space Cowboys 001 010 0 — 2 6 1
Cranberry Twp. 000 210 x — 3 5 0
W: Lake Pry 6 IP (5K, 5BB). L: AJ Pagone 1.2 IP (1K, 0BB). S: Elijah White 1 IP (2K, 0BB).
Space Cowboys: Brendan Koroly 1B RBI, Corey Goeggelman 1B RBI, Trey Wagner 2-1B, Dathan Gillis 1B R, Luke Vittone 1B
Cranberry Township: Nash Matson 2B R, Tyler Yough 2B R, Matt Evans 1B R RBI, Brandon Pouch 1B RBI, Brandon Solomon 1B RBI
Next: Cranberry Township vs. Captains/Mars winner, championship series, TBD
