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Four-run seventh pushes Danville into finals

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Created on Sunday, 21 August 2011 23:15

Written by Administrator

The South Royalton Royals played flawless defensively for six innings. In the seventh, the wheels fell off.

Three errors, a walk and two hits allowed Danville to score four runs in the top of the seventh and the Indians held on to take a 5-4 victory, advancing to the Div. IV championship game.

Danville wasted little time to get things going as they jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the first. A five pitch walk to Derek Chamberlin to lead off the game and an RBI single by Andrew Gilbert after a sacrifice bunt by Brett Elliott had the Indians ahead 1-0. Danville loaded the bases in the frame but a double play started by Royals third basemen James Spaulding got South Royalton out of the jam.

South Royalton answered with a run in the bottom of the frame when Mike Murphy walked and scored. The Royals also loaded the bases but couldn't take the lead.

In the third a leadoff double by Jack Howe resulted in a run and then in the fifth, off relief pitcher Brett Elliott the Royals added two more runs to take a 4-1 lead.

Murphy pitched the first five innings for South Royalton before giving way to Brian Falzo, who pitched a perfect sixth inning before it all came apart in the seventh for the Royals.

Ian Sackett reached on a one-out error and advanced on a Kyle Johnson single. With two on, Falzo got Matt Chamberlin out swinging and the Royals were just one out away from a trip to the finals. The junior Scott Remick then singled in a run to keep the inning alive and Danville had runners at first in third. The Royals chose not to hold the runner, Remick, at first so he advanced to second two pitches in, putting the tying run in scoring position. Then, on a 3-1 count, Brandyn Gadapee hit a grounder to second which was bobbled before being thrown to first and sliding in safely was Gadapee. Scoring from third was Johnson and coming all the way around from second to score the tying run was Remick. Derek Chamberlin then walked before Brett Elliott infield grounder was misplayed and Gadapee came in with the go-ahead run.

Kyle Johnson, who came on in the sixth gave up a one-out hit in the seventh but got a strikeout and a flyout to the infield to secure the victory for Danville.

The win moves the Indians into the finals where they will face off against rival Blue Mountain.