Haymarket One Win Away
HAYMARKET, Va. - Seventh-seeded Haymarket moved one game away from claiming the 2009 Lineweaver Cup with a 5-3 win over Covington Monday night in game three of the VBL Championship Series.
The Senators (28-23, 6-1 playoffs) can clinch the title with a win Tuesday night at Covington (26-26, 5-3).
With the scored tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth after the ‘Jacks had scored twice in the top of the inning, Haymarket answered with a single run of its own to take a lead it would not relinquish.
Zeth Stone had the game-winning RBI, driving in Sam Greenberg from second with a single. Greenberg led off the frame with a walk off of Benedy Mejia (1-1) and moved into scoring position by stealing second base.
In the eighth, the Senators pushed across an insurance run when Mike Lang singled, advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on a Stone sacrifice fly. The play at the plate was very close - Stone's fly to left was not deep and Justin Richardson's relay nearly cut down Lang at the plate.
This offense was enough for Haymarket relievers Robert Van Woert and Grant Sasser, who did not allow a Covington batter into scoring position in the final three innings.
Van Woert earned the win with 1.1 innings of relief before Sasser recorded the final six outs to post the save.
Jack Leathersich struck out six in the first 5.2 innings, but walked seven and allowed three runs on two hits.
Mejia went the distance for the ‘Jacks, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits and four walks in 8.0 innings. He struck out six.
JJ Muse paced the Covington offense with two hits in three at-bats while Lang was 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored for the Senators.