What a difference a day makes. It took just a single day to turn Martin Oil into a team that had more errors than hits, that was 10-runned and nearly no-hit in the nightcap against an extremely strong team from Ontario, Canada, after suffering an 8-1 setback in the afternoon by a team from Mt. Airy of the Western Maryland American Legion League.
The first inning of the opening game against Mt. Airy Gold Star Post 191 should have foretold the story for the rest of the day. Martin Oil loaded the bases on an infield single by Jordan Taylor, single to right by Adam Plummer and walk to Zach Stere, then couldn’t score a run. Mt. Airy came in from the field and scored twice on a crushing triple by cleanup batter Kevin Reaver and the rout was on. Mt. Airy added to their lead by scoring in pairs, getting two runs each in the third, fourth and sixth innings.
The usually reliable Martin Oil defense fell apart, committing 12 errors in the two games and the shoddy fielding and a lack of hitting never allowed the two-time Kelley Federation champs to play anything that even closely resembled the style of baseball they used to run ramshackle over George B. Kelley teams over the last two years.
After their first at bat in the opening game against Mt. Airy, Dan Houser singled in the second with two outs, Shawn Weiand reached base safely on a error in the fourth, again with two outs, and a double by Darren Horton and single by Drew Mechanowicz which scored the only run were the only Martin Oil baserunners. Horton, from Altoona First and Mechanowicz from Locker Room were two of the four players added to the roster to strengthen the squad. The otherrs were Will Russell from Tyrone Legion and Eric Bridenbaugh from Altoona First.
Nate Carlson pitched the first three innings for Martin Oil, giving up four runs, two earned on five hits, striking out one and walking none and Mechanowicz finished up the last three frames, allowing four runs, only one earned on six hits with two Ks and no walks.
Mt. Airy was led by Joe Moravec, Reaver, Ben McMurry and Bryan Cowry with two hits each. Jimmy Dahlgren tossed a complete-game win allowing one run on five hits, walking one and striking out 10.
In the evening game which followed the presentation of the Kelley Federation Awards Ceremony, Team Ontario, from Weiland, Canada, site of the recent 16-year Old All-Star Tournament, became the first team in two seasons to defeat Martin Oil via the 10-run mercy rule. Martin Oil bows out for 2002 with an overall 26-5 mark, including 19-3 mark during the regular season and a perfect 7-0 through the playoffs to record their second straight championship. Their showing at the NABF Regional does nothing to detract from those accomplishments.
Mark Tourangeau and Ian Wight combined in the nightcap to pitch a one-hitter for Team Ontario in a five-inning game. Tourangeau went the first four innings giving up no runs on no hits facing the minimum number of 12 batters. Troy Beaver, who was hit by a pitch to open the fourth inning was the only baserunner allowed by Tourangeau and Troy was the victim of a sissling lightening strike of a throw by Team Ontario catcher Greg Fleming that picked him off before Troy had time to take a step back to the base.
Wight was greeted by a single to center by Adam Plummer, the first batter he faced in the top of the fifth inning. Wight then hit Zach Stere with a pitch to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Wight recovered to record a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to finish the game however.
Greg Crane and Richard Russell led Team Ontario with three hits each. Russell belted a triple and Fleming, Crane and Jesse Murphy had doubles.
“I’m not taking anything away from my kids,” said Martin Oil Manager Ed Davis. “They won the regular season. They won the league championship for the second year in a row. I couldn’t be any prouder of my kids. It wasn’t a lack of effort on their part, they always give me 100%. Things just didn’t go our way in this thing, it’s that simple. This team from Ontario is a super ballclub. They played flawless ball tonight, their pitching was outstanding and they just crushed the baseball. We just met our match tonight.”
Both games were played at Vets Field, after the 12:30 ballgame was switched from Blair Count Ballpark where it had been scheduled originally.
12:30 p.m. Game
Mt. Airy 8 Martin Oil 1
MARTIN OIL- Beaver, ss, 4-0-0; Taylor, cf, 3-0-1; Horton, 3b, 3-1-1; A. Plummer, 1b, 3-0-1; Stere, 2b, 1-0-0; W. Russell, 2b, 1-0-0; Carlson, p, 0-0-0; Mechanowicz, p, 1-0-1; Der. Miller, dh, 2-0-0; Weiand, c, 2-0-0; Dam. Miller, rf, 3-0-0; Houser, lf, 3-0-1. TOTALS 27-1-5.
MT. AIRY- Stonesifer, ss, 4-1-2; Moravec, lf, 4-1-2; Dahlgren, p, 2-1-0; Reaver, rf, 3-1-2; Greene, cf, 3-0-1; Cardany, c, 3-1-0; McMurry, 2b, 3-2-2; Klein, 1b, 3-0-0; Lowry, 3b, 3-1-2. TOTALS 28-8-11.
Martin Oil 000 001 0 1-5-6.
Mt. Airy 202 202 X 8-11-1.
2B: MO- Horton 1.
3B: MT- Stonesifer 1, Reaver 1.
RBI: MO- Mechanowicz 1, MT- Stonesifer 3, Dahlgren 1, Reaver 1.
SO: MO- Carlson 1, Mechanowicz 2, MT- Dahlgren 10.
BB: MT- Dahlgren 1.
WP: Dahlgren LP: Carlson
8:30 p.m. Game
Team Ontario 10 Martin Oil 0
MARTIN OIL- Beaver, ss, 1-0-0; Taylor, cf, 2-0-0; Horton, 3b, 2-0-0; A. Plummer, p-rf, 2-0-1; Stere, 2b-1b, 1-0-0; Mechanowicz, 1b, 0-0-0; Carlson, 1b, 1-0-0; W. Russell, 2b, 1-0-0; Weiand, c, 2-0-0; Dam. Miller, rf, 2-0-0; Bridenbaugh, p, 0-0-0; Houser, lf, 1-0-0. TOTALS 15-0-1.
TEAM ONTARIO- Crane, lf, 4-3-3; Murphy, ss, 3-2-1; Tobin, cf, 3-0-1; Fleming, c, 3-1-1; Vella, 2b, 3-0-0; R. Russell, 1b, 3-2-3; Burnell, 3b, 3-1-2; Tourangeau, p, 2-0-0; Wight, p, 1-0-0; McGuigan, rf, 3-1-0. TOTALS 28-10-11.
Martin Oil 000 00 0-1-6.
Team Ontario 420 22X 10-11-0.
2B: TO- Crane 1, Murphy 1, Fleming 1.
3B: TO- R. Russell 1.
RBI: TO- Crane 1, Murphy 1, Tobin 1, Fleming 1, R. Russell 1, Burnell 1.
SO: MO- A. Plummer 1, Bridenbaugh 1, TO- Tourangeau 5, Wight 2.
WP: Tourangeau LP: A. Plummer
