Magicians rally to beat defending champ Masontown

By DEAN DELLAMALVA JR.

MVI Sports

Thanks to a late rally, Mitch’s Bail Bonds secured a 4-2 victory over Masontown in the season opener of the Fayette County Baseball League at Vets Field in Charleroi.

The Magicians (1-0) scored four runs in the sixth inning after being stymied the previous five innings by Masontown starter Nick Groover. MBB’s Nate Holmes kept his team in the game early and Noah Hansen came on to pick up the win in relief, throwing three near-perfect innings, allowing just a single hit.

“Our pitchers were great, Nate did well. He got behind a little bit and his pitch count got up a little bit,” Mitch’s coach Ryan Encapera said. “I only planned to pitch him four innings anyway. He was really effective. Then Noah came in and just shut it down.”

Groover was in the groove, allowing just three hits while striking out 10 prior to the sixth inning. He struck out the side in the fifth when things got away from him in the next inning.

Mitch’s hitters came through with four consecutive singles. Lead-off hitter Donte Dimatteo singled down the third-base line then Kaleb Scott hit a seeing-eye single between third and short putting two on with no out.

Hansen drove home Dimatteo on a single that got through the right side, thanks to Masontown’s second baseman watching the runner on second, making it 2-1. Scott went to third on a passed ball then Clay Groff hit a hard bouncer that went over the third baseman’s head and Scott scored, tying the game.

Masontown coach John Palmer visited his pitcher on the mound at this point but stayed with his starter.

“I went out there to talk to him and he said he was good,” Palmer said. “He felt like he was able to finish, so I just went with that.”

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