After a busy Saturday afternoon and rain filled night, Utica Post 229 punched the clock for a long day at DeLutis on Sunday. We won't get too far ahead of ourselves, but let's just say the long weekend was worth it. First, Utica Post sent Herkimer County Champ Ilion packing with an 11-1 win to complete the Saturday night game that was put on hold by Mother Nature.
Up next was fellow division champ Whitestown Post. A red hot nine looking to win one and pack for Newburgh.
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Problem is, Whitestown (21-7) ran into a runaway express train, that often looked like a seven train, that lost its brakes. Utica Post (24-10) plays baseball like an out of control locomotive, going full speed into a dark tunnel.
I mean, talk about aggressive, talk about man the torpedoes. When you play UP you'd better be ready to play at full tilt.
Get caught stealing, so what? We'll just steal again. You get my drift. Utica Post's up tempo aggressive brand of baseball seemed to be too much for Gold Division Champ Whitestown to handle on Sunday.
Whitestown looked like it never caught its breath or found a rhythm, or tempo, in today's first of what would turn out to be two with Utica Post.
You had to like Whtiestown's chances as they entered play with a (3-0) tourney mark coming off an impressive (9-3) win over a solid Ilion team on Saturday.
They were the rested team, they had their pitching rotation intact and rested. They had scored 40 runs in three previous games and looked like a lock to travel south to states next week.
(Utica Post pitcher Ryan Donovan delivers a 4th inning pitch.)
Up steps Ryan Donovan, Utica Post's starter in game one. Donovan simply dominated the Whitestown offensive juggernaut and cruised to an impressive complete game win to set up the second and deciding game to determine the District Five champ.
Donovan got ahead of Whitestown hitters and stayed ahead, frustrating the free swingers from Post 1136 with a spot on fastball and a hard breaking curve.
How on was Donovan? Well, he walked just one Whitestown batter while giving up 4 runs, scattering 8 hits, striking out 7.
If Whitestown wanted to get to Donovan they had their best shot in inning number one. Donovan allowed leadoff hitter Mike Sullivan to scratch out an infield hit and then steal second. After striking out Whitestown's hottest hitter, Mike Bunal, Donovan plunked two of the next three hitters to load the bases.
A big two out hit might have given Whitestown an early boost. Donovan reached deep and got Whitestown's Dan Smith to ground out to second basemen Gary McConnell to end the threat.
(Utica Post's Justin Hall slides into bag on a first inning steal attempt as Whitestown's Mike Bunal slaps down the tag.)
Things looked good for fans on the left side of the diamond as starter Matt Engler started out strong sitting down UP 1-2-3.
The applause meter went up another notch as Whitestown fans celebrated a two run outburst in the visitors second. A two out rally, the rallies managers love, staked Whitestown to the early lead.
Dan Russo reached base after an infield error and later scored to make it 1-0 when Mike Sullivan deposited a double down the right field line to send Russo speeding home.
Sully wouldn't be standing on second too long as Mike Bunal ripped a RBI single to left to put Whitestown up 2-0. By the way, Bunal can play. All Mike did was go 3-4, drive in a run, and score two run as well. Bunal had two singles and a double at the dish.
Problem is, Utica Post sucked the wind from the Whitestown sails and grabbed the lead 3-2 before you could figure out what just happened.
Up stepped Donovan, who had just been touched up for two runs. Donovan started the three run outburst, lacing a sharp single to center.
Vin Gaetano singled to center and scored the second run to tie the game at 2-2.
Mike Obernesser, who seems to be in the middle of everything, laid down a bunt that Whitestown misplayed to load the bases with no outs.
(Mike King turns on one for UP)
Up steps, second sacker, Gary McConnell who wasted little time stroking an RBI single to left as Donovan came around to score, making it 2-1 Whitestown. McConnell put his own stamp on this game, going 2-3 with a double, single, and a run batted in.
Gaetano scored to tie it when Justin Hall picked up an RBI of his own with a single to right. Hall was a thorn in Whitestown's paw as well, going 3-3, with three singles, an RBI and a run scored.
When Obie came home Utica Post was ahead 3-2, a lead they would not relinquish. Keeping the pedal to the metal Utica Post scored four more runs in the next two innings to start to pull away for good. The middle of the UP batting order made Whitestown see red rats as they banged out 10 hits to set up game two.
While the Utica Post offense was in high gear, the normally reliable Whitestown offense was stuck in neutral, thanks to the strong work on the mound by Donovan.
No Utica Post story would be complete without a tale about another ball that Vin Gaetano lost. This time Vin blasted an Engler offering over the fence in deep left center that sent a shudder through the big crowd at DeLutis.
(Whitestown's Ryan Watson follows a throw into his mitt at first.)
Talk about a moon shot. Donovan and Gaetano strutted home to make it 5-2. On the day, Vinny was 2-4 with the home run, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Mike King got his name up in lights when he chased two of his teammates home in the fourth with a two run double down the line as the ball skipped over the top of the bag at third.
When Justin Hall and Mike Lackey found the plate it was 7-2 Utica Post. UP tacked on a run in the sixth and Whitetown scored single runs in the fifth and seventh, but came up short falling 8-4 to set up a one game showdown for the District Five Championship.
Utica Post 229 (8) Whitestown Post 1136 (4)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Whitestown 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 4 8 3
Utica Post 0 3 2 2 0 1 X 8 15 1
Offensive Stars:
Whitestown:
Mike Bunal-3-4-2 singles-1 double-1 RBI-2 runs scored
Mike Sullivan-2-4-1 double-1 single-1 RBI-1 run scored
Brendan Heitz-1 single-1 RBI
Utica Post:
Justin Hall-3-3-3 singles-1 RBI- 1 run scored
Vin Gaetano-1 homerun-2 RBI-2 runs scored
Gary McConnell-2-3-1 double-1 single-1 RBI
Ryan Donovan-1 single-2 runs scored
Mike Obernesser-1 run scored-1 single
Mike King-1 double-1 single-2 RBI
