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Reese rescues Reds
Kevin Reese tosses a 4-hitter to lead
Coplay to a 1-0 win over Limeport to avoid sweep.
LIMEPORT -- Kevin Reese pitched a four-hit shutout and did not allow a
runner past second base to lead Coplay to a 1-0 win in Game 3 to stave off
elimination in the best-of-five Semifinals. Limeport still leads the series 2-games-to-1.
Reese, a sophomore at Lafayette College, was matched up against Limeport's Scott
Stewart, who, ironically enough, is an assistant coach on Lafayette's baseball
team. Both pitchers were strong, allowing four hits apiece and zero earned runs.
Reese seemed to get stronger and more confident as the game progressed. Early
on, he could not throw his curveball for strikes. But right around the fourth
inning, he started throwing the deuce consistently for strikes and by the time
the sixth inning came around, you could see Reese kick it into another gear as
he could smell the shutout, and he fired it up a notch the final two innings to
complete the masterpiece.
It is a good thing Reese brought his "A" game because the Reds still seem a
little flat after that tough loss in Game 1 of this series on Friday night. A
lot of that flatness can certainly be attributed to Stewart, who threw a gem of
his own, only allowing two runners past second base the entire game while not
allowing an earned run.
Stewart was perfect through two innings, but an error on a slow chopper to short
to lead off the third put J.R. Graver at first base. Kirk Mueller sacrificed him
to second. After a strikeout, it appeared Stewart might strand Graver in scoring
position, but Kyle Rhoades turned on an inside fastball and laced it just inside
the third-base bag for a RBI double and 1-0 lead for the Reds. Joe Bubba stepped
up next and lined a single to center. Luke Pile charged the ball hard and made a
strong throw to the plate which beat Rhoades arrival by a whisker, but it
appeared as though Rhoades may have beaten the tag. But the home plate umpire
motioned that Rhoades never touched the plate and called him out as Limeport's
Doc Neiman blocked the dish nicely for the put-out to end the inning and keep
the score 1-0 Coplay.
Meanwhile, the Bulls just could not mount a rally off Reese.
An opportunity did arise in the fourth inning, but the "rally" did not start
until there were two outs. Jeff Cavanaugh singled up the middle off the first
pitch he saw and then Shawn Brown went the other way nicely on a 2-2 pitch and
grounded a single between first and second to put two runners on with two outs.
But Reese would get a fly-out to center to end the inning.
And Limeport would only get one more base-runner the rest of the way, as Neiman
got a one-out single in the fifth, but was promptly erased from the base-paths
on the next pitch after a 6-4-3 double-play.
Coplay was unable to add any insurance runs over the final two innings, but they
didn't have to. Reese made that one run stand up as he retired the side in order
the last two innings with four ground-outs and a pair of strikeouts.
Nobody had two hits in the game and Rhoades, a sophomore at Shippensburg
University, had the only extra base-hit, a double, knocking in the game's only
run.
Game 4 will be played at Scherersville #5 at 5:45 on Tuesday as Paul Giovannoli
is scheduled to start for Coplay while Limeport will send veteran Pat Toner to
the mound.
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