Two Awesome Pitching Performances Carry Rotary To C.A.L.L. Baseball Tournament Championship (06/29/15)

(By Rotary Manager Bill Smith)

SEMIFINAL GAME AGAINST DELTA CONTRACTORS

Cal German took the mound for Rotary in the first round of the 2015 Clarion LL tournament squaring off against Delta Contractors. German began his dominance in the top of the first inning by striking out two of the first three batters he faced. Rotary then took a 1-0 lead in the first with hits by German and Brady Fowkes.

German then took the mound to face 3,4,5 batters and again stuck out two of the three batters he faced.

In the bottom of the second Delta Contractor pitcher Ryan Hummell retired Rotary in order to keep the score 1-0.

(Photos submitted) Rotary – 2015 Clarion Area Little League Champs

Noah Harrison lead off the third with a line drive up the middle. Harrison made his way to second on a past ball and eventually scored on a throwing error to third. German struck out the next two batters before allowing a triple by Hummell. Hummell was thrown out at the plate while trying to stretch the hit into an inside the park home run keeping the score 1-1.

Rotary responded with three runs of their own. Hayden Siegel and Tommy Smith both had hits to drive in Jake Smith, Siegel and German. With a three run lead German took over the game striking out 8 of the last ten batters he faced. Fowkes and German finished off the scoring in the fifth by each hitting doubles and scoring. The game ended 6-1 and Rotary was headed to the championship to face defending champs SMI.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST SMI

With his protective mask off Brady Fowkes stepped onto the mound more confident than ever. In the first inning Fowkes got Hayden Callen to ground out to short before striking out the next two batters and setting the tone for the entire game.

Clarion Area Little League Champions and Second Place Winners – Rotary and SMI

Hayden Siegel got it started for Rotary by getting hit by a pitch followed by a double by Cal German. Fowkes then helped himself by hitting a three run homerun over the center field fence to take a 3-0 lead. SMI pitcher Christian Simko then settled in and struck out two Rotary batters to end the first.

Fowkes re-took the mound to strike out the next six batters he faced. Simko started off the second inning by striking out two more before getting back to the top of Rotary’s lineup. Siegel and German both got on base drawing walks. Fowkes again came through with a two run double to center field. Fowkes scored after two past balls making the score 6-0.

In the third, Simko struck out two of the four batters and gave up a single to Reese Geiger. Fowkes managed to get through the fourth and fifth inning without giving up a hit or run.

In the fourth, Rotary was back to the dangerous top of their lineup. Siegel was walked to start it off and was followed by a triple ripped down the left field line by German. Fowkes added another hit to score German and would then score on a hit by Alex Garduno to make the score 9-0.

With two outs in the top of the sixth, SMI’s Hayden Callen singled to centerfield for their first hit of the game. Simko followed with a towering shot to right that fell in to score Callen. Simko would also score, before Garduno snagged a fly ball to end the game with the final score 9-2.
Thanks to all the players, coaches, parents, fans, and sponsors for a great 2015 season!