NB vs. TM
Re: NB vs. TM
Here is the article from the Mirror...
EVERETT - The Northern Bedford High School Black Panthers have developed a mystique when it comes to the District 5 Class A baseball playoffs, and, in the semifinals, it certainly seemed like some amazing grace - with a capital 'G' - was in their corner.
Cody Grace's two-out single in the top of the eighth drove in the go-ahead run as the three-time defending 5-A champion Black Panthers rallied from a three-run deficit to oust second-seeded Tussey Mountain, 4-3, Wednesday at Everett Elementary School.
The Panthers trailed, 3-0, heading into the fourth inning, but Matt Snyder's tenacious pitching held Tussey at bay long enough for Northern to knot the score with two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth, all coming with two outs. The Titans had won both regular-season meetings by a combined score of 15-1.
NBC (14-7) will try to beat a third straight higher-seeded team, Fannett-Metal, in Friday's championship at a site to be announced.
"Cody put a real good swing on the ball, and, oh man, we were really happy after that. I knew he could do it,'' Snyder said. "The experience definitely helps. We've been here before. We know what to do in certain situations and just how to work off fundamentals. That's what wins games.''
It showed. Northern Bedford was more solid in the field - committing two errors to the Titans' five - and only stranded eight baserunners compared to the 17 Tussey left on base.
That put the No. 6-seeded Panthers in position to win the game when Joel Suter singled to open the eighth and was sacrificed to second by Dan Sollenberger. After Ross Hershberger came in to run for Suter, Grace, 0-for-3 at that point and hitting under .280 for the season, lined an 0-2 pitch by Titan ace left-hander Dave McMurtrie into left field to plate the go-ahead run.
"I wasn't really hitting the ball too well today, and then I was down in the count. I was a little nervous there, but I just hit it,'' Grace, who also reached on a error than scored two runs in the fourth inning, said.
Tussey loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the frame, but Joe Risbon relieved Snyder and struck out the final two batters. It was the fourth time the Titans (16-4) left the bases loaded.
"We've done that a lot all year,'' Tussey coach Rob Reed said of stranding runners. "We've got a team that can hit up and down the lineup. We seem to always get guys on. But we left a ton.''
McMurtrie took the loss hard. He scattered seven hits, walked two and didn't allow an earned run until the eighth inning.
"It's a different atmosphere whenever you get to the semis,'' said McMurtrie, whose team also came within a win of the finals last season. "We accomplished a lot this year. I'm really impressed with our attitude and coaching.''
Tussey appeared poised to rough up the Panthers for the third time this year when it plated three runs with one out in the first, the last two coming on the first of Dane Diehl's two doubles. After that, though, Snyder settled down and didn't allow more than one hit in another inning until the seventh.
Although many of Northern's players were on last year's district title team, Snyder was the lone returning starter.
"This is one [5-A final appearance] in a row, as far as I'm concerned,'' Panther coach Scott Burda said.
EVERETT - The Northern Bedford High School Black Panthers have developed a mystique when it comes to the District 5 Class A baseball playoffs, and, in the semifinals, it certainly seemed like some amazing grace - with a capital 'G' - was in their corner.
Cody Grace's two-out single in the top of the eighth drove in the go-ahead run as the three-time defending 5-A champion Black Panthers rallied from a three-run deficit to oust second-seeded Tussey Mountain, 4-3, Wednesday at Everett Elementary School.
The Panthers trailed, 3-0, heading into the fourth inning, but Matt Snyder's tenacious pitching held Tussey at bay long enough for Northern to knot the score with two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth, all coming with two outs. The Titans had won both regular-season meetings by a combined score of 15-1.
NBC (14-7) will try to beat a third straight higher-seeded team, Fannett-Metal, in Friday's championship at a site to be announced.
"Cody put a real good swing on the ball, and, oh man, we were really happy after that. I knew he could do it,'' Snyder said. "The experience definitely helps. We've been here before. We know what to do in certain situations and just how to work off fundamentals. That's what wins games.''
It showed. Northern Bedford was more solid in the field - committing two errors to the Titans' five - and only stranded eight baserunners compared to the 17 Tussey left on base.
That put the No. 6-seeded Panthers in position to win the game when Joel Suter singled to open the eighth and was sacrificed to second by Dan Sollenberger. After Ross Hershberger came in to run for Suter, Grace, 0-for-3 at that point and hitting under .280 for the season, lined an 0-2 pitch by Titan ace left-hander Dave McMurtrie into left field to plate the go-ahead run.
"I wasn't really hitting the ball too well today, and then I was down in the count. I was a little nervous there, but I just hit it,'' Grace, who also reached on a error than scored two runs in the fourth inning, said.
Tussey loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the frame, but Joe Risbon relieved Snyder and struck out the final two batters. It was the fourth time the Titans (16-4) left the bases loaded.
"We've done that a lot all year,'' Tussey coach Rob Reed said of stranding runners. "We've got a team that can hit up and down the lineup. We seem to always get guys on. But we left a ton.''
McMurtrie took the loss hard. He scattered seven hits, walked two and didn't allow an earned run until the eighth inning.
"It's a different atmosphere whenever you get to the semis,'' said McMurtrie, whose team also came within a win of the finals last season. "We accomplished a lot this year. I'm really impressed with our attitude and coaching.''
Tussey appeared poised to rough up the Panthers for the third time this year when it plated three runs with one out in the first, the last two coming on the first of Dane Diehl's two doubles. After that, though, Snyder settled down and didn't allow more than one hit in another inning until the seventh.
Although many of Northern's players were on last year's district title team, Snyder was the lone returning starter.
"This is one [5-A final appearance] in a row, as far as I'm concerned,'' Panther coach Scott Burda said.
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