Appell sparks Clarke win pitching and hitting
Clarke starting pitcher #14 Chis Appell delivers in the first inning. (March 24, 2012) Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin
It is statistically impossible for a pitcher to start and save the same game, but in a sense, Clarke's Chris Appell did just that Saturday.
The senior righthander dominated on the mound for 52/3 innings, and rescued the Rams from a near collapse with the winning single in the top of the eighth inning that gave Clarke a 4-3 victory at Half Hollow Hills East.
"Appell has been great for us for two years now," Clarke coach Tom Abruscato said. "We've always known he's got the guts for these types of games."
Joe Fusco earned the win, pitching 22/3 innings of relief, including a five-pitch bottom of the eighth that sealed the victory for Clarke. Stephen Woods started for Hills East and allowed three runs over 52/3 innings with nine strikeouts, but Dylan Levy took the loss in what was the non-league season opener for both teams.
After Clarke had blown a three-run lead, the game was tied at 3 in the top of the eighth. Centerfielder John Fogarty walked with one out and stole second and then third. Appell came to the plate and sharply hit the ball back toward the mound where it deflected off Levy's glove and into rightfield, allowing Fogarty to easily score from third.
"Getting [Fogarty] on base was key," Appell said. "I wanted to make contact and get the run in, that's all I was trying to do."
Clarke led 1-0 after the first and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third when second baseman Joe Brillantino tripled to deep centerfield with a runner on, and scored on the same play after a Hills East error.
Appell was in command on the hill but was pulled with two outs in the sixth and two runners on base, having only allowed two hits with seven strikeouts. Fusco came in to try to preserve the shutout, but the Thunderbirds rallied for three runs to tie it on a single, a walk, a hit-batter and an error.
"The entire team was annoyed to give it away the way we did," Abruscato said. "I told them to calm down and adjust and we did to a point."
Hills East put two men on base in the seventh but could not score, leading to Appell's winning single in the eighth.
Abruscato and Appell both felt a gritty win like this would serve as a good lesson down the line.
"We've got to stay in games," Appell said. "We can't leave them, we've got to keep playing."
