by Erin Hogan
The Berlin Central School varsity baseball team took on New Lebanon at home on Wednesday, April 14, and got off to a quick lead with triples from Tyler Bacon and Aaron Gundlack and a double from Scotty Bamba in the first inning. But New Lebanon didn’t let Berlin keep them down. In the top of the third with the bases loaded, Jessie Conklin hit a great RBI that would tie the game up 6-6. New Lebanon got three outs easily in the bottom of the third to keep the score stagnant. The pitcher, Ryan Lowe, and the catcher, CJ Trombly, had great chemistry.
In the top of the fourth, it was clear that Berlin’s pitcher was getting tired,
and Scotty Bamba came in to offer some relief. He started off a little shaky, but once he got into the groove, he started throwing some great pitches. Even though Berlin got two quick outs at first, it wasn’t enough to hold New Lebanon. The Tigers’ Trombly got an RBI and Chris Evans stole home. Bamba ended the inning by getting a fly ball out. Berlin tried to get the bats swinging like they did in the first inning, but it wasn’t enough with New Lebanon, again, getting three quick outs. Bamba started out the top of the fifth with good pitching once again, but a dropped third strike and a quick reaction from Kyle Trombly allowed him to get to first safely. New Lebanon knew how to work the bats and the bases with Matt Evans hitting a nice RBI double. By the bottom of the 5th, the score was New Lebanon 11, Berlin 7. In the top of the 6th, Aaron Gundlack came into relieve Scotty Bamba. New Lebanon was batting smartly and scored four runs before Llew Palmer caught the last out in centerfield. In the bottom of the 6th the Berlin boys got their bats moving! When they hit, they hit very well. The New Lebanon pitcher seemed unemotional, not letting anything bother him, but Berlin seemed to be getting into his head anyway. Dylan Hover started off the inning with a triple, then there was a base hit to left field. There was an RBI double and an RBI single. The inning ended with New Lebanon’s centerfielder throwing an out to first. It was the top of the 7th and the score was New Lebanon 16, Berlin 9. The both ends of the seventh inning were scoreless, with Berlin having an epic throw out at home plate by Larry Oliginy.
Both teams played very well with New Lebanon having outstanding pitching and Berlin doing well in the batting department.
