Blue Ridge title goes to Orioles again

July 27, 2010|By JACK HILL III/Staff Correspondent

SMITHSBURG -- The Hagerstown Braves started out Monday night playing the final inning of Sunday's suspended Game 5 of the Blue Ridge Adult League championship series and held on for a 6-0 win over the Brunswick Orioles.

But the Orioles finished off the night -- and the Braves -- with a 10-5 victory in the regularly scheduled Game 6 to win the best-of-7 series, four games to two.

It's Brunswick's eighth straight Blue Ridge title.

"We feel it is tradition," Brunswick manager Roger Dawson said.

"We don't want to be knocked down off of our post. I think our guys have a lot of pride in winning this league. We played shorthanded tonight. I had a few players that played out of position and we still won the game."

"They are defending champions for a reason," Hagerstown manager Mike Kipe said. "They know how to win games to get championships."

Kipe said he still was pleased with the effort of his players in the final game.

"It was one of the better ballgames that we have played this year," Kipe added. "The intensity was there all game. Basically, it came down to them getting more big hits than we did. I am real proud of our guys. That was the best performance that we have had in a playoff series in the last five years."

Brunswick (24-8) took the lead for good in the top of the first inning on a three-run homer by Mark Porter. Porter also added two doubles in the game.

Hagerstown (18-17) got a two-run double by Marcellus Sumlin in the bottom of the first to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

The Orioles added one run in the second and two more in the fourth to extend their lead to 6-2.

The Braves narrowed the gap to 6-5 with three runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run single by Fred Kreiger and an RBI grounder by Tyler Beard. It was one of Kreiger's three hits in the game.

The Orioles then put the game away with a run in the fifth, two in the sixth and another in the seventh to raise their lead to 10-5. Bryan Nolan socked a solo homer in the seventh.

Brunswick's Ty Main pitched all seven innings for the win, striking out eight.

In the suspended game, Hagerstown pitcher Kent Worthington was one strike away from getting a no-hitter when he gave up a single to center to Porter. But Worthington got the next batter out to seal the win.

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