Delweld’s big rally sets up showdown with Baltimore

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DAVE LLOYD/THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT Livonia’s Steve Pelletier steals second base as Delweld second baseman Austin Urban awaits the throw during the third inning on Tuesday night at Point Stadium. George Roberts is backing up Urban on the play. Delweld beat Livonia 7-4 to improve to 2-0 in the tournament. Dave Lloyd

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August 11, 2010

Mike Mastovich The Tribune-Democrat The Tribune-Democrat Wed Aug 11, 2010, 12:06 AM EDT

JOHNSTOWN — Delweld produced clutch performances on a number of fronts in the late innings of Tuesday’s second-round AAABA Tournament game at Point Stadium.

Starter Bobby Carbaugh kept his team in contention against an aggressive-hitting Livonia Coach’s Corner.

Reliever Nate Plummer entered in the seventh and immediately induced a huge double play, then followed up with a strikeout to kill a Livonia rally and help Delweld remain within striking distance.

Then came the bottom of the eighth inning. Veterans George Roberts and Drew Westover started with back-to-back doubles. Five runs later, and Delweld was on the way to a dramatic 7-4 comeback victory in front of a crowd estimated at 2,500.

The undefeated Johnstown team will play perennial power Baltimore (2-0) at 7 tonight at the Point.

“It wouldn’t be a Delweld win without drama,” Delweld manager Chris DelSignore said after his team ripped seven doubles among its nine hits.

Livonia led 3-0 through three innings after Garrett Gumm, Brad Lineberry and Steve Pelletier each had two hits in their first two at-bats of the game.

Delweld bounced back with a pair in the fourth, an inning highlighted by Westover’s double to left, a sacrifice fly by Tyler Uphouse and a run-producing single by Matt Cornetti.

“Coach never had any doubt in us. We just kept plugging away and he just said, ‘Do the job,’ ” said Westover, who had three doubles, two runs and a run batted in. “We stuck to our game plan and did what we always do. We made it happen.”

But Coach’s Corner pushed across one more in the seventh to lead 4-2. The damage might have been worse had it not been for Plummer’s double play/strikeout combination against the first two batters he faced.

“When I came in, I was just looking to get the guys to ground out and let my players do the work,” Plummer said.

In the Delweld eighth, Roberts and Westover hit back-to-back doubles to make it 4-3.

One out later, Cornetti walked, Aaron Kovach singled home the game-tying run and moved up on a throw to the plate that nearly got Westover. The ball popped loose after the initial tag.

No. 8 hitter Spencer White was walked intentionally to load the bases.

DelSignore called on pick-up player Matt Donaldson of Principle Development to pinch hit. Donaldson lined the first pitch down the right-field line for a two-run double that gave Delweld a 6-4 advantage.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the at-bat until Coach told me to go in,” Donaldson said. “I was just looking for a pitch up in the zone. He gave me one, and I just made good contact.

“You have to be prepared mentally throughout the game,” he added. “The crowd made it easy to step up and do something big.”

A bases-loaded walk to Roberts plated the final run.

“It was one of those things where we had to stay with the program,” DelSignore said.

“Nine innings is a long time to play a baseball game. Bobby Carbaugh kept us in the game. We knew that sooner or later we were going to get our chances. It was a matter of us making the most of our chances.”

DelSignore plans to start right-hander Austin Urban tonight. The Penn State signee was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 27th round in June.

Youse’s Maryland Orioles’ former manager and current GM Dean Albany is a scout for the major league Orioles.

Albany attended the local AAABA playoffs to evaluate Urban, who has until Monday to decide if he will sign a pro contract or go to college.

“Austin will have a little added incentive, and I think he’s going to be ready to go,” DelSignore said. “He’s going to pitch for his future.”

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