Union wins title in dramatic style
Wednesday October 05, 2005
Rob Ross
By Rob Ross
Times-Journal
FINGAL — Don’t invite the Union Storm to the Valentine’s Day party. They’re heartbreakers.
For the second time in three games, the Storm won in the bottom of the seventh inning for a sweep of the Glencoe Astros in the St. Thomas and District Fastball League championship Tuesday.
Kevin Lynch scored the winning run on a bases loaded, two out walk to Mark Coleman for a 6-5 comeback win during a foggy night Tuesday.
Union trailed 5-2 before tying the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on a RBI single by Troy Rick and Chris Wismer’s two-out, two-run single.
After two outs, the Storm loaded the bases for Coleman in the seventh against Astros pitcher Shaun Winship.
“I like to be patient in that situation,” Coleman said. “Coming down to one pitch you want it to be one you can put a good swing on. Really the pressure wasn’t on me. The pressure is on him.”
Coleman had three balls go by him before he took two strikes. The sixth pitch was high and outside.
“That wasn’t close. I had to let it go,” Coleman said. “Maybe a little anticlimactic. You really want to come up and knock one out of the ball park or hit a line drive to score that winning run but a walk is just as good as a base hit.”
Pitcher Dan Beecroft took the win. He allowed five runs, eight hits and two walks while striking out 11 batters.
“I appreciate any night the offence can bail me out,” Beecroft said. “Three pitches didn’t hit the spot where I wanted to and (Glencoe) made me pay every time.”
Glencoe led 4-0 after two innings on a pair of two-run home runs from Brett Neal and Bill Pisorowski.
Lynch cut the lead in half with his two-run liner over the fence in the fourth inning.
Rick Galbraith appeared to have given the Astros a little more insurance with a solo home run in the top of the sixth.
“We had them on the ropes and let it slip away,“ player-manager Tim Stover said. “(Union) is too good a team and they don’t give up. “
The Astros had the bases loaded in their half of the seventh when Ryan Wolfe was given an intentional walk but Beecroft ended the threat, striking out Neal.
Winship was handed the loss. He gave up six runs, seven hits and four walks. He struck out three.
Rick finished two for three and Lynch scored two runs.
Ron Pazitka and Pisorowski each had two hits for the Astros.
This is the Storm’s first league championship since 2001 after losing in the final in 2002 and 2003.