Burns and Burns Downs Pizza Pub 14-5 (05/19/14)
(By Burns and Burns Manager, Kenn Staub)
On Sunday, May 18th, Burns & Burns squared off against Pizza Pub on the Little League diamond at Paul A. Weaver Park, to make up a game which had been rained out the previous Thursday. It was Burns & Burns who prevailed on a beautiful day for baseball, with the boys in blue-and-orange parlaying seventeen hits and a couple of big innings into a 14-5 victory.
Burns & Burns, the away team, opened the scoring in the top of the first. Jordan Pezzuti singled with two outs and moved into scoring position with a steal of second. The next batter, Tyler Schmader, put the ball in play on the right side, plating the hustling Pezzuti. Not to be outdone, Pizza Pub surpassed Burns & Burns’s one run effort by scoring two of their own in the bottom of the frame. Connor Kromer led off with a single to left field, stealing second and third in quick succession. Josh Craig, batting behind Kromer in the order, proceeded to hit a shot to the deepest part of center field, which though caught by a back pedaling Ethan Burford, scored a tagging Kromer. Nate Datko followed Craig with a double, stole third, and then scored on a hard grounder hit to the shortstop by the following batter, Ian Larson.
Down 2-1 entering the second, Buns & Burns used some heads up base running and timely hitting to surge ahead. Burford, Burns & Burns’s speedy lead-off hitter, singled to the left side and advanced to third when the next batter, Shane Carbaugh, singled to right field. Carbaugh was followed by Bryan Andreas, whose double scored Burford and pushed Carbaugh to second. Hayden Callen came to the dish with two outs and stroked a single to left field that allowed Carbaugh to scored and advanced Andreas to third. Burns & Burns appeared finished, but then Lake Staub smartly took off for first on a bounced third strike. In the confusion which ensued on this odd play, both Andreas and Callen scored while Staub found himself perched on third. Pezzuti scored Staub with a single to the left side and then took home himself on a Schmader double to right field. By the time the dust settled, Burns & Burns had scored six runs, finding themselves with a 7-2 lead.
Pizza Pub was set down in order during the bottom of the second, with Burns & Burns unable to get anything going in the top of the third. This lull in scoring was broken by Pizza Pub when they came to bat in the bottom half of the inning. Kromer hit his second lead-off single of the day, stealing second and third before being driven home by a one out Datko single to center field. Datko scored when the next batter, Larson, doubled. Callen, on in relief of Burns & Burns’s starter Staub, struck out the next two batters on six pitches to quell the Pizza Pub uprising and set the score at 7-4 after three complete.
Having seen their lead diminished the previous inning, Burns & Burns came alive and added to their lead in the top of the fourth. The first two batters of the inning, Callen and Staub, each reached base on hit balls, with both moving up spots on steals. Callen then scored and Staub pulled into third when the following batter, Pezzuti, reached first on a dropped third strike. Staub trotted home with the second run of the inning and Pezzuti ran to third on a Schmader single to right field. Burns & Burns could score no more, as Pizza Pub relief pitcher Datko struck out the next hitter, picked the runner off third, and then fanned the final hitter to close out the frame. Ahead 9-4 Callen took the hill for Burns & Burns in the bottom of the inning and struck out the Pizza Pub line-up in order.
Burns & Burns was unable to score in the top of the fifth, though Pizza Pub got a run back in the bottom of the inning. Kromer again led off with a single, stole second, and made it to third when Craig, batting next in the order, also singled. Another Datko hit, a single to center field, brought Kromer home for Pizza Pub’s only run.
Ahead 9-5 the Burns & Burns exploded in the top of the sixth. Staub led off with a single to left field, stole second and then scored when Schmader hit his second home run of the season, a one out blast over the center field fence. Burford followed Schmader with a walk, and then used his speed to steal second and third before Andreas walked with two outs. Reece Geiger, next in the order, put the ball in play on the right side, earning himself first while pushing Burford home and Andreas to second. A single by Jordy Hesdon loaded the bases, with a run forced across the plate when Callen walked. Staub, batting for the second time in the inning, scored Geiger from third with an infield single to give Burns & Burns a 14-5 lead that would hold up through the end of the game.
Schmader (two singles, double, home run), Staub (three singles), Callen (two singles), Pezzuti (two singles), and Geiger all had multi-hit days for Burns & Burns. Burford (single), Carbaugh (single), Andreas (double), and Hesdon (single) each added hits to the blue-and orange cause. Schmader was credited with four RBI and Callen two, with Staub, Pezzuti, Andreas, and Hesdon all knocking in one. Boith Kromer (three singles) and Datko (two singles, double) had multiple hits for Pizza Pub, with Craig (single), Larson (single), Mitch Knepp (single), and Michael Snyder (double) contributing to the cause. Datko and Larson were credited with two RBI apiece, while Craig had one.
Staub started and earned the win for Burns & Burns, striking out three in two innings of work. Callen relieved Staub, fanning five in two innings. Schmader closed out the game for Burns & Burns, striking out two over the course of two innings. Staub, Callen, and Schmader combined to finish the game in under 100 pitches. Larson started for Pizza Pub and struck out two in one-and-two-thirds innings. He was relieved by Craig who struck out five, many on an effective change-up that had the Burns & Burns hitters guessing, in an inning-and-a-third. Datko pitched two-and-a-third innings, notching four strike outs. Kromer, in addition to being an offensive catalyst for Pizza Pub much of the day, also threw for two-thirds of an inning.
(Thanks to Kenn Staub for this article.)