CCBA scores 6 runs in the sixth inning to break a tie and defeat Pizza Hut

In his post-game speech to his team, CCBA head coach Dave Gromer told them that in the beginning of the season, he thought that he saw something special in his team.
That ‘something special’ transformed into a 10-4 Don Gutteridge League tournament championship win over Pizza Hut, Thursday night at JayCee Ballpark.
It marks the first trophy ever for Gromer.
“It feels great,” Gromer said. “I just feel really good right now.”
He also told his team about getting a spark.
In their previous semifinal game, Gromer said that there was that one player that made a play that sparked the rest of the team.
On Thursday, that spark came from Jimmy Ritz.
In the top of the sixth, Ritz hit an RBI single to shallow right field. On the next batter, Pizza Hut catcher Chase Cleland attempted to pick him off at first but overthrew sending Ritz to second.
But, Ritz had more time and found his way around third and subsequently scored on the same play.
“He just had nothing left as he came around,” Gromer said. “But, he just kept going.”
That was all part of a six-run inning that broke a 4-4 tie and led to the victory for CCBA.
“I thought we hit well in the beginning and loaded the bases up a few times but, we would do things like hit the ball back to the pitcher,” said Pizza Hut coach John Macary.
It was CCBA that struck first in the second with two runs thanks to RBIs from Ritz and Brenden Maxwel.
They tacked on two more in the third but Pizza Hut battled back and got a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit in half.
Pizza Hut finally tied the game in the fifth on an RBI single from VJ Piccini and a follow-up RBI single by Anthony McNeely.
With the game tied, CCBA went on a tear in the sixth and scored their six runs for the final cushion.
“I was still a little concerned,” Gromer said. “You just never know what is going to happen.”
It put Pizza Hut in a tough spot — having to get six runs over the course of the last two innings of the game.
“We knew we would have to just chip back and, maybe if they made a mistake, we could get back into it,” Macary said.
But, the mistakes never happened as relief pitcher Dylan Gromer struck out three of the final four batters in the seventh for the win.
“I told them that they had something special,” said Dave Gromer. “That came through tonight.”

Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 62-231-2600, Ext. 140. Follow Morning Sun sports at twitter.com/mssports.

JL Hutchinson baseball
Don Gutteridge League
Championship
at JayCee Ballpark
Thursday, July 9, 2009
CCBA 10, Pizza Hut 4
CCBA    022 006 0 — 10 8 2
Pizza Hut    002 020 0 — 4 6 4
Jack Villamaria, Dylan Gromer (4) and Gromer, Villamaria (4). Chase Cleland, Ross Edge (4), Anthony McNeely (6) and McNeely, Cleland (6). WP — Gromer. LP — Edge. LOB — CCBA 7, Pizza Hut 13. 2B — Villamaria, Caleb Farrington; VJ Piccini, Ryan Taylor. SB — Gromer, Matt Perez, Brenden Maxwell. CS — Villamaria, Perez.