Wednesday July 26

Solid Defense lifts Gamecocks over Crushers in Tri-State opener

Copyright Gerry DeSimas Collinsville Press 7/26/23

Some big hits gave the Connecticut Gamecocks the lead over the Canton Crushers in Wednesday night’s Tri-State League playoff game at Bucks Hill Park.

Some big defensive plays enabled the Gamecocks to keep control of the game.

Two Connecticut pitchers combined to allow just four hits and strike out to eliminate the Crushers, 7-2 in a single-elimination contest. Connecticut advances to the first round of the league playoff tournament this weekend when they face top seed Tri-Town, the two-time defending league champion, in a best-of-three series. The Crushers, in just their second playoff appearance, end the season with a 5-16 record.

Connecticut had a 4-1 lead when the Crushers threatened in the top of the fifth inning. Nick Michanczyk led off the inning with a double and scored when Jeff Mulhall reached on a throwing error to cut the Gamecock lead to 4-2. With one out, Mike Sullivan was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Leadoff hitter Ben Sullivan had a hard-hit drive to center field that looked like it could fall but Connecticut center fielder Angel Torres made a diving catch on his belly for the second out of the inning. “Angel made an amazing diving play which I honestly think saved us the game,” Gamecock manager Pat Smith said. “They tie up the game if that ball drops.”

When Connecticut starting pitcher Christian Peterson walked Matt Rose to load the bases, the Gamecocks went to reliever Kyle Simpson to face extra hitter Jack Rose. Jack Rose fouled off two pitches and had two strikes when he belted a long, fly ball down the third base line. It was right on the line but drifted foul at the last moment when outfielder Nate Crocker made a diving catch in foul territory to end the inning. “There was a good hitter at the plate,” Smith said. “He could have easily got a hit that tied the game. It’s a whole new game when you are tied or you are hitting from behind.”

After ending the previous inning with a great defensive play, Crocker made things happen offensively. Leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, Crocker took the first pitch he saw and ripped it into right field for a single. He promptly stole second base, moved to third on an error and scored on a second error to extend the lead to 5-2. Simpson pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, striking the side in the seventh inning to secure the win. Canton just made too many errors (four) to be competitive in a playoff elimination game.

Nearly a week ago, Canton starting pitcher Jim Spirito pitched a complete game shutout in a 1-0 win over the Gamecocks. Connecticut jumped on him early on Wednesday night. Leadoff hitter Christian Peterson walked and moved to third base on a double from Tyler Fernandes. Both scored on a Josh Dobratz single. Dobratz scored on Smith’s RBI double to an early 3-0 lead for Connecticut.

The Crushers got a run back in the second inning on a RBI single from Nick Michanczyk (2-for-3, one RBI). Connecticut extended their lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning when Smith doubled and scored on a throwing error. Steve Dubois and Spirito each had singles for Canton. On the mound, Spirito (3-6) allowed five hits, struck out two and walked two.