Fourth-seeded West Side Beverage rallied
for a 21-18 victory in eight innings over defending champion Our Gang's in Game
One of the teams' best-of-five championship series in the Shenango Valley
Modified Softball League.
West Side trailed 18-15 entering the top of the seventh but forged the tie when
Dustin Kulka tripled in Nate Banick and Brad Hruska. In the top of the eighth,
Aaron DeSantis laced a two-run single that scored Rudy Banick and Wally
Carpenter. DeSantis later came in on Hruska's run-scoring triple.
Carpenter's two-run single and a three-run homer by Brian Hruska helped West
Side jump out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning. The lead grew to 7-0 in the
second inning when Gary Hinkson doubled in DeSantis.
Our Gang's charged back in the third, however, and erupted for 10 runs. Matt
DeSalvo ignited the inning with a solo homer while Eric King's grand slam
slashed the lead to 7-5. Brian Bailey's two-run triple put Our Gang's ahead and
DeSalvo closed the outburst by tripling in Bailey.
Hinkson hammered a two-run homer in the top of the fourth to help West Side tie
the game 10-10. However, Our Gang's Poog Williams broke the tie with a leadoff
homer in the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth, Steve Byerly
pushed Our Gang's lead to 16-10 with a bases-clearing double.
Brad Hruska's two-run homer in the sixth highlighted West Side's five-run rally.
DeSantis finished 4 for 5 with four runs scored for West Side Beverage while
Hinkson went 3 for 3 with four runs batted in. Kulka also drove in four runs.
Rudy Banick tripled as part of a three-hit effort and Mike Nardone also tripled.
Shawn Matsko doubled twice for Our Gang's. Todd Rearick went 2 for 4 and knocked
in three runs while Clint Ansell and Gio Rossi also went 2 for 4 each. Jason
Evakich scored three times.
Nate Banick earned the pitching victory for West Side Beverage. He struck out
two and walked five over eight innings. Bailey tossed a complete game for Our
Gang's and took the setback.
Game Two will be Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at COG in Shenango Township.
NOTES: Our Gang's is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and reached the finals with
a 2-0 semifinal series win over third-seeded Jolley Industrial Supply ... West
Side Beverage outlasted top-seeded High Street in the other semifinal series,
2-1 ... The Our Gang's franchise is in the finals for the 10th straight year ...
The team won league titles in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012 and 2013 ...