Drumbore hurls Quakertown to Tri-Co win

By Ernie Long
Of The Morning Call


Tom Hartman proved that it takes a pitcher to know a pitcher during Quakertown's 3-2 Tri-County League victory over visiting Limeport last night.

In an emergency move, the Quakertown pitcher donned a catcher's mitt and teamed with fellow hurler Bob Drumbore for a magnificent four-hit win.

The victory kept the Orioles' playoff hopes alive as the South Division team improved to 14-11. Limeport (16-6) is still within reach of North Division-leading Stahley's.

"He did a good job back there, he's a pitcher so he knows what he's doing," said Drumbore, who entered the contest with a 0.99 ERA and a 6-4 record.

One Quakertown catcher had already planned to miss the game and another was a no-show -- leaving Hartman, who co-manages the club along with Drumbore, to get behind the plate.

"The reason I caught was because you can't just go in there and catch Drumbore without knowing what he throws. He has so much different stuff. He was throwing smoke and had a nice tail on his fastball," said Hartman, who admitted that Drumbore did some shaking off of pitch calls.

Limeport right-handed pitcher Bruce Alpaugh also pitched well, except for the first inning. That's when he hit a batter, walked a batter and then allowed an RBI single by Dean Reiman and two-run single by Kevin Kershner.

Then he retired the next 12 in a row and 16 of the final 17 -- allowing just a walk in between.

"He didn't seem to have command in the first inning. But even then they only had two hits," said losing manager Ishky Fatzinger, whose club was still feeling the effects of Thursday night's eight-inning, 4-3 victory over Stahley's.

Limeport came back in the seventh after Joe Fatzinger's lead-off single, Bill Fatzinger's bobbled grounder, Bob Fatzinger's RBI fielder's choice and Chris Kernick's opposite-field, RBI single.

Drumbore, a seasoned southpaw, then fanned the next batter looking and got the final out on a grounder to first.

The game was only an hour old by the start of the last half inning.

"I guess I work fast, but they swung at a lot of first pitches so there weren't deep counts," admitted Drumbore.

Ishky Fatzinger said, "We hit the ball hard, but at people. It was one of those nights when you have to walk away from it and say it wasn't our night."

Drumbore finished with four strikeouts and no walks.

"That says something," said Hartman, "when you're throwing to someone you don't normally throw to and pitch as well as he pitched tonight. He was just super."



ernie.long@mcall.com

From The Morning Call -- July 12, 1991

Copyright © 1991, The Morning Call