The Morning Call

 Sunday, August 9, 2009

SPORTS

 C-6 

 

Calarco is latest Northern star; Yanks reach Tri-Co final



By Keith Groller
 Of The Morning Call

 

As they roared to the Tri-County League's best record this summer, it was the bats of the Northern Yankees that made the most noise.

But after they got down two games to one in their semifinal series against Limeport, it was the Yankees' arms that bailed them out of trouble and got them to the finals.

About 18 hours after teammate Tim Kay tossed a two-hit shutout, Caleb Calarco fired a four-hitter on Saturday afternoon at Scherersville as the Yankees secured a berth in the Tri-Co title series with a 7-1 Game 5 win over Limeport.

  
 


It sets up a rematch of last year's finals -- Gabelsville travels to Scherersville at 5:45 p.m. Monday to start the best-of-five series.

''Calarco's the best pitcher in the league, in my opinion, and that's why I was just happy we could get to this game,'' Yankees manager Brian Polaha said. ''He's another gamer. He was the first one here today.''

The Yankees' Scherersville No. 5 field is a special place for Calarco. It's the same place where he won many big games for the championship Coplay teams in 2006 and '07.

 He spent last summer playing and teaching baseball in Belgium and while he enjoyed that Belgium brew, he'd love to taste champagne as a Tri-Co champion again.

  Photo by Kevin Mingora, The Morning Call  

Northern Yankees' pitcher Caleb Calarco (24), follows through on his delivery during the second inning against the Limeport Bulls Saturday.
   

''I don't really like to talk about Coplay because this is a different team, a different group of guys,'' the Tamaqua product said. ''But I'm having fun. I love the playoffs.''

Calarco allowed only an unearned run in the second. He struck out four, walked two.

''They got a 1-0 lead and I just had to keep them down,'' he said. ''I knew we'd score eventually. I just had to keep runners off base and stay ahead in the count.''

The Yankees broke through with four unearned runs in the third with the big blow being a check-swing, two-out, two-run single to right by Darrin Lenhart.

''That really took the air out of us,'' said Limeport manager Steve Smull, whose team finished 27-13-2.

The Yankees (30-7) went on to score single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

Landon Parker had two hits and a RBI, Rick Seltzer walked twice and had a RBI hit and Jeremy Faust walked three times.

But the story again was the pitching.

''The pitching and defense has been there and that's what you need when you're going for a championship,'' Calarco said.

Smull said give the Yanks credit.

''This was an 11-22 team in 2005 the year before Bird [Polaha] took over,'' he said. ''They've been in the playoffs ever since. They've really had a nice turnaround.''

Limeport Bulls       010 000 0 -- 1 4 2

Northern Yankees 004 111 x -- 7 7 1

Clemens, Heilman (4) and Shortall; Calarco and Faust.


 

 

keith.groller@mcall.com

610-820-6740

 

From The Morning Call -- August 9, 2009

Copyright © 2009, The Morning Call