Kinney, late rally lift Tri-City in TriCo

By Tim Shoemaker
Special to The Morning Call

 

Dennis Kinney called this season the worst he's had on any level. When you're 50 years old, that covers a lot of baseball and a lot of levels.

Kinney's season got a little better Tuesday in the deciding third game of the Tri-City Fleetwings' Tri-County League playoff series with the Banko's Athletics at Scherersville.

Kinney pitched a complete game, allowing only five hits -- one after the first inning -- and the Fleetwings scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to rally for a 3-2 victory.

With the victory, Tri-City (27-12) earned a spot in the semifinals against top-seeded Gabelsville. The best-of-five series begins Thursday at Gabelsville. The ICC Pirates visit Lehigh Township in the other series.

Tri-City made Kinney's night much more pleasant with its game- winning rally. Jeremy Arner began it with a single and moved to second on Paul Santay's sacrifice.

Marcks singled in Arner, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored the game-winner on Dan Dillon's sacrifice fly to right.

That was a relief for Kinney, who dueled with a young pitcher half his age: former Bethlehem Catholic and Lafayette College star Mike Palos. Kinney, who struck out seven and walked one, fell behind early, allowing two runs and four hits to Banko's (23-16) in the top of the first.

Palos drove in a run on a fielder's choice, and Paul Woodling's RBI single made it 2-0. Ben Swatsky's first of three hits, which drove in Marcks, pulled Tri-City to within 2-1.

"This year has been my worst year ever, on any level," said Kinney, a left-hander who pitched for four Major League teams from 1978-82. "I just have been trying to figure out why. When you lose it, you lose it quick. I have had to think more and concentrate more."

"I've been studying myself the last week and a half," added Kinney, who lives in Schneckville and coaches his son's Northwestern Lehigh Connie Mack team. "I think I've figured myself out a bit."

Banko      200 000 0 -- 2   5   0

Tri-City    100 000 2 -- 3  10  1


M. Palos and Davis. Kinney and Arner.

Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.

From The Morning Call -- July 31, 2002

Copyright © 2002, The Morning Call