Big hit sends Montgomery past Canton in D4 semi-finals.
By: Chris Manning | Towanda Daily Review | May 24, 2015 | Photo courtesy Chris Manning
2015 NTL and District 4 News
WILLIAMSPORT - If football is a game of inches then baseball is a game of plays.
And on Saturday one big play was the difference between Montgomery and Canton.
Nursing a 1-0 lead Canton's John Bowman was dominant on the mound. But in the bottom of the fifth with a runner on, Montgomery's Bailey Wilk laced a triple to center field to score Levi Lowe.
Wilk then scored on a Dylan Gordon single, which proved to be enough as the Red Raiders edged the defending District IV, Class A champions 2-1.
"They just had that one big hit and that really hurt," said Canton coach Bob Rockwell.
The Warriors out hit them 6-5 while Montgomery had three errors to their side but also had a few run saving plays.
"It was a well played game both sides," said Canton coach Bob Rockwell. "There was a few things we just didn't execute. Their pitcher was tough, it could have gone either way. You have to give them credit, their kids played just a little bit better than us today."
The winning pitcher Dylan Gordon went all seven innings, striking out two on 83 pitches. He allowed six hits, one walk and no earned runs.
Bowman pitched well enough for the victory as he was perfect through three, striking out eight of the nine first batters he faced.
The second time through Montgomery started timing him better but he still finished with 13 strikeouts on 81 pitches. The senior allowed one walk, which was intentional, five hits and the two earned runs.
"You always get a good effort out of John," remarked Rockwell.
Bryce Cole led Canton at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI while Tyler Cole, Mason Moore, Brenden Landis and Clayton Tymeson also had hits.
For Montgomery Wilk was 1-for-2 with the big RBI triple while Keanu Sauers, Thomas Geotz, Lowe and Gordon had the other hits.
The Red Raiders only really threatened twice, in the fourth and fifth innings, while Canton had chances in the second (when they scored their one run), fourth and fifth.
In the top of the second Bowman led off and swung on a strike three pitch, but the throw was wild and rolled to the backstop allowing him to reach first. He would take second on a bad throw from Gordon on a pick-off, setting up Bryce Cole's RBI single.
Canton would continue the strong offense in the inning as Mason Martell reached on a fielder's choice followed by hits from Landis and Tymeson. Martell tried to reach home from second base on Tymeson's single to right field but was thrown out at the plate.
In the top of the fourth Cole again reached with a 1-out single followed by Moore getting on off an error.
Martell moved the runners over to second and third with a ground out to the pitcher but Landis wasn't able to capitalize as his hit was gobbled up by Goetz at shortstop and he was thrown out at first.
In the bottom half of the inning Sauers and Goetz led off with back to back singles, then were sacrificed over. But Canton got out of the inning as Bowman got Mike Alexander to strike out followed by Matt Miller hitting a line-out to Martell at first.
In the top of the fifth the Warriors had their last best chance to score.
With one out Travis Butcher reached on an error followed by a Tyler Cole single. They moved up to second and third on a wild pitch.
Trevor Route would walk to load the bases.
Bowman hit a hard ground ball to the third baseman who threw out Butcher at home. Then on the next at bat it looked like Bryce Cole would get an infield single but Goetz had the defensive play of the day, barehanding the slow roller and throwing Bryce Cole out to end the at bat and save the run.
Montgomery used that momentum in the second half of the inning as Lowe led off with his single followed by Wilk's big triple. Gordon would knock him in to put the Red Raiders up 2-1.
He would steal second and third but Bowman ended the threat, striking out three of the next four batters to end the inning.
In their last two at bats Canton wasn't able to seriously threaten Montgomery again. Moore got on to start the sixth off a hit by pitch but the Red Raiders got a double play off Martell's hit.
Montgomery will now take on North Penn-Mansfield, 3-2 winners over Sayre, in the championship game Wednesday with a 4:30 p.m. start.
