Mitch's Bail Bonds wins Game 1 of FCBL finals

July 31--The Fayette County Baseball League's championship series is a short best-of-three affair, which meant that Thursday's Game 1 between Mitch's Bail Bonds and visiting Mill Run took on plenty of importance.

Getting out of the gate strong was the goal for both teams, but it was Mitch's Bail Bonds pitcher Brian Fisher who controlled the game from start to finish, which allowed the Charleroi-based team and top seed in the playoffs to take the first game 6-0.

Mitch's Bail Bonds (21-3) can claim the FCBL crown with a win in Game 2, scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Mill Run. If necessary, a third and deciding game would be played Sunday at Charleroi, but Mitch's Bail Bonds coach Ryan Encapera is hoping to avoid such a scenario.

"It's good because we were able to carry the momentum from the last series (2-1 semifinal series win over New York Pizza) and getting the first win, now puts us in line to win it," Encapera said.

The first win in the championship series didn't require a lot of offense by the home team as Fisher tossed a three-hitter that included two strikeouts and three walks.

"Each time he pitches, he puts us in a good position to win," Encapera said. "He throws a ton of strikes, and for the most part, he is in complete control. He was outstanding."

Knowing its chances would likely be limited, Mill Run (13-10-2) tried to push the pace of the game early in the first inning. Garrett Brooks led off with a walk but was caught stealing on a botched hit-and-run attempt.

"We tried to be aggressive with the hit-and-run, and it didn't work out," Mill Run coach Ray Orndorff said.

Seth Bruner followed with a single, but was erased on a double-play, one of two Mitch's Bail Bonds turned. The only other hits for Mill Run were singles by Grant Wortman and Grant Witt.

Mitch's Bail Bonds managed just six hits against pitcher Austin Puskar, but they came at critical times.

In the second, the home team took a 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI single by Eric Holt and a sacrifice fly by Josh Luko. A sacrifice fly by Matt Sabatini made it 3-0 in the third. Then in the sixth, Mitch's Bail Bonds put it away with three more runs. Holt, who finished with three hits, ripped another RBI single before Luko completed the scoring with a two-run triple.

"We put a couple of hits together," Encapera said, noting Holt and Luko each came through in the clutch.

As for Mill Run, a couple of errors, and no offense is not a recipe for success.

"I thought Puskar pitched a good game and so did Fisher," Orndorff said. "But you have to score to win. We have to minimize the mistakes, and we can't give them anything."

Jason Black is the local sports editor of the Daily Courier. Reach him at jblack@tribweb.com.

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