Boyertown rallies with 10 runs in 7th to beat Tigers

by Darryl Grumling, Reading Eagle

Posted on July 15, 2006

Two losses in their final two league games didn't exactly send the Boyertown Bears romping into the Berks Legion League playoffs.

So when Fleetwood's Shawn Walbert ripped a three-run double to give the upstart Tigers a two-run lead in the sixth inning Friday night, you couldn't blame anyone for wondering if the Bears could be had.

It took all of a half-inning for Boyertown to deliver a response with four runs. And by the next inning, what had been a potential nail-biter turned into a laugher as the Bears mauled the Tigers 15-3 in seven innings at Bear Stadium.

“It (being behind) was a big wakeup call for us,” said right fielder Mike Schwager, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and three runs.

Nole Saylor singled in the go-ahead run in Boyertown's four-run sixth, and Cody Kulp doubled in three runs in a 10-run seventh for the Bears, who took advantage of 12 walks, nine wild pitches and four errors.

The three-time defending Berks champion and top seed Bears (31-4) advance to the winners bracket final against West Lawn (19-10) tonight at 7 at Muhlenberg's Gochnauer Field.

Fourth-seeded Fleetwood (14-9) faces Kutztown (12-10) in an elimination game today at 3:30 at Muhlenberg.

“It's never good to coast into the playoffs,” said Boyertown coach Rick Moatz, whose team sealed the top seed before losses to West Lawn and Gregg Post. “We'd been kind of playing like that the last week or two, so it's probably good we were in a situation like this.”

The situation looked rosy when Kenny Thorpe scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning and ace Matt Kelly took a shutout into the sixth.

It became dire, though, when Walbert's bases-loaded triple capped a two-out rally that put Fleetwood up 3-1. Suddenly the Tigers who notched their first Berks playoff win Thursday over Muhlenberg could envision the biggest victory in franchise history.

Just as quickly, though, the Bears returned the favor against tiring starter Ryan Kemmerer, who gave coach Jason Koehler five-plus gutsy innings but he also threw over 100 pitches.

Schwager tripled in a run and scored on Garrett Crable's bunt single to tie it, then Saylor's hit put the Bears up to stay and Steve Bealer scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.

“I don't know if it (falling behind) was a good thing,” Schwager said, “but it definitely put a spark in us.”

Things fell apart from there for the Tigers as Boyertown sent 13 men to the plate in the seventh

“Ryan went as far as he could,” Koehler said. “At that point, we were still in the game, but we just had too many walks and they hit the ball pretty well.”

Kelly (7-0), a right-hander, struck out seven on a five-hitter.

“We just gotta take what they give us, but we also have to continue creating our own opportunites,” Schwager said. “If we can do both, good things will happen.”

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