BANGOR – For a while, Monday’s Senior League World Series Pool B matchup between U.S. East champ Upper Deerfield, N.J., and U.S. Central representative New Philadelphia, Ohio, was shaping up to be a pitchers duel.
The boys from Jersey changed that in a heartbeat, erupting for three runs in the top of the fifth inning and nine more in the sixth to run away with a 13-2, six-inning victory at Mansfield Stadium.
Upper Deerfield, which improved to 2-0 in pool play, got on the board in the top of the first on cleanup man Chet Godfrey’s RBI double, and it stayed 1-0 until Ohio (0-2) tied it in the fourth on an RBI single by Logan Gray.
Ohio simply didn’t have an answer for New Jersey’s offense the next two innings, as five pitchers gave up 12 runs on 10 hits.
“We were flat coming out, they put everything on the line [Sunday] night,” said Ohio manager Kevin Gray. “It’s not an excuse, but they were just beat when they started.”
Barry Larro’s fifth-inning single drove in the go-ahead run and he contributed to the nine-run uprising in the sixth with a two-run single.
“Today we started off really slow and finally just relaxed and started hitting the ball,” said No. 2 hitter Darren Fischer, who led New Jersey with four hits, including a triple in the first and an RBI single in the sixth, a stolen base and a run scored.
New Jersey sent 14 batters to the plate in the sixth, and stranded eight baserunners the whole game.
Those efforts backed winning pitcher Gage Mick, who kept the Ohio batters off-balance with a nasty curveball.
“[My game plan was to] get the hitters’ timing off [so] they wont hit the ball hard, and let the defense make plays,” said Mick, who struck out five and walked one while not giving up an earned run in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Mick was very consistent in his outing, and the only batter he walked was the last one he faced.
Other than that, he had just two, three-ball counts.
“I’ve seen it for three years now,” said New Jersey manager Jim Willis. “He hits his locations, changes speeds… He’s fun to watch, he really does a good job.”
New Jersey’s Jack Tyler knocked in a couple runs with a single in the sixth while two more runs scored on an outfield error off Mick’s bat.
That was more than enough for Mick, who singled home two runs his second time up in the sixth.
“Us scoring 13 runs, that helped out a lot, that’s a lot of run support for Gage,” said Godfrey.
Larro finished with two hits, three RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base out of the No. 3 hole while Mick added a couple runs scored to go with his two-run single.
Gray singled in a run for Ohio in the sixth. The U.S. Central champs had a chance to extend the game with the bases loaded and one out, but Fischer induced a 4-6-3 double play to end it.
rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net
990-8193
U.S. EAST 13, U.S. CENTRAL 2
Upper Deerfield, N.J. (2-0) New Phila., Ohio (0-2)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Mick, p-lf 4 2 1 2 Wheeler, cf 3 0 0
Fischer, rf-p 4 1 4 1 Mizer, p-rf-2b-3b 0
Larro, cf 5 3 2 3 Sokowoski, pr 0 0 0
Godfrey, ss 4 2 3 2 Gray, 2b-p 3 0 2
Tyler, 3b 3 1 2 2 Ripley, 3b 2 0 0
Casper, pr-c 1 1 0 0 Porter, p-3b 0 0 0
Owens, 1b 3 0 1 1 Eckstein, p 0 0 0
Willis, lf-rf 0 1 0 0 Allensworth, c 3 0
Marshall, 1b 1 0 1 0 Cozart, ss-p 2 0 0
Hamidy, c 1 0 0 0 Iacobucci, 1b-p 2 0 0
Johnson, c 1 0 0 0 Burcher, lf-1b 2 0 0
Fogg, lf 1 0 0 0 Knecht, rf-lf 2 1 0
Griffith, 2b 2 0 0 0
Overstreet, 2b 2 2 0 0
Totals 32 13 14 11 Totals 22 2 4 2
U.S. East 100 039 – 13
U.S. Central 000 101 – 2
E-Gofrey 2, Mick, Overstreet; Wheeler, Gray, Allensworth; LOB-U.S. East 8, U.S. Central 3; 2B-Godfrey 2; 3B-Fischer; DP-U.S. East 1; SB-Fischer, Godfrey, Larro; Knecht
U.S. East IP H R ER BB SO
Mick (W, 1-0) 5 1/3 4 2 0 1 5
Fischer 2/3 0 0 0 0 0
U.S. Central IP H R ER BB SO
Mizer 2 2 1 1 1 1
Iacobucci (L, 0-1) 2 2/3 5 3 3 3 3
Gray 2/3 1 1 1 1 0
Porter 0 1 3 2 0 0
Cozart 0 3 5 0 1 0
Eckstein 2/3 2 0 0 0 0
Porter pitched to one batter in the sixth
Cozart pitched to five batters in the sixth
HBP-Fischer (by Cozart); WP-Mick; Iacobucci; T-2:22; ATT-400
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