Broad Street Park batter Brien Cardona drives a shot down the line. Photo by Michael A. Sabo
By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
July 17: And here we go again.
For the third time this summer, Broad Street Park will meet Hamilton in an American Legion game, but this one is for much bigger stakes than the first two.
BSP guaranteed the rematch by taking a 7-1 win over Point Pleasant at Mercer Park Monday night, overcoming a 1-0 deficit with two runs in fifth and five more in the sixth.
Ray Sharpley could have been known as Ray Sharp, as that’s what he was on the mound in going the distance.
“He pitched great,” said coach Mike Petrowski, who arrived late after managing a Babe Ruth game. “He only had to throw 84 pitches.
Broad Street Park’s Shane Hoffman hustles out of the batters box. Photo by Michael A Sabo.
Post 313 entered the game with some cobwebs after an extremely frustrating loss to Brooklawn Sunday. Trailing 7-1, BSP mounted a rally and got within 7-6 and had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh when a double play ended it.
“We might have had a little letdown,” Petrowski said. “This game was extremely hard today knowing we could have been in the winner’s bracket final if we won yesterday. And you’re playing a team that Hamilton beat by the 10-run rule. It was only 1-0 in the fifth so we were down a little.
“But I’ll be honest. They’re a tough bunch of kids. They’re pretty resilient. To be down 7-1 to Brooklawn and come back, that shows you something. Their kid made a hell of a play to end it.”
With Sharpley doing his job and keeping Broad Street in it, the bats awoke in the fifth and David Zamora’s two-run double plated the tying and winning runs. BSP blew it open in the fifth, with RBI hits from Cameron Bruschini and Kyle Harrington highlighting the five-run explosion.
That sets up another elimination game with Hamilton, which will be played after the 4 p.m. winner’s bracket final between Brooklawn and Haddon
Kyle Harrington came up big in the 5th to give Broad Street Park the lead. Photo by Michael A. Sabo
Heights. BSP won both regular-season games against Post 31, although Hamilton beat their rival out by one game for the regular-season title.
“It’s tough to beat a team three times,” Petrowski said. “But I’m not a big believer in all that. Every game is its own game. We got our best guy going (Tim McKenzie) and they probably got their best guy going. It’s a shame one of us has to go home after this. I told the guys whoever wins will probably get in with that wild card (of run differential) even if they don’t finish in the top two.
Broad Street Park shortstop Jose Rodriquez makes a long throw from the hole. Photo by Michael A. Sabo
“I’m telling our guys I think it will pretty much be a Final Eight game tomorrow. You win, you probably advance, you lose and summer’s over. It’s always hard to beat them. They’re well coached, one through nine, they battle. If we play our A Game we’ve got a shot.”
