Bandits rally with three in the sixth to beat Haly Oil

WEST CHESTER >> In baseball they say you can never have enough pitching. And Monday night at Hoopes Park in a key West Chester Adult League game between the Bandits and Haly Oil, the Bandits had the deeper pitching staff and roared back with a three run sixth inning rally to down Haly Oil 5-3.

The Bandits (15-8) win gives them the inside track for the second seed in next week’s playoffs while the loss severely hurts Haly Oil’s chances of making the postseason. The Bandits got a sharp six inning starting pitching performance from Sam Spano and a key seventh inning save from Ken Kunzman to take home the win.

“There is an old saying of pitching, pitching and more pitching,” Bandits manager Jim Turner said. “And we get into the fourth and fifth innings and the other teams pitchers tend to tire out and we have starting quality pitchers in our bullpen and it showed itself again tonight.”

Haly Oil took an early 1-0 lead when Mark Wagner launched a long solo home run in the top of the first inning. And Haly Oil had a 3-2 lead after five and a half innings but trouble found Haly Oil starter Drew Haly in the bottom of the sixth inning.

James Vito led off for the Bandits and hit a long double to the base of the left field fence. Ian Tracy sacrificed Vito to third base with a perfect bunt to put a man on third with one out. Up stepped Ryan Weaver who stroked an RBI double to make it a 3-3 game. Garrett McClain worked a walk to put men on first and third with one out and the game tied at 3-3.

That was all for Haly and the call to the bullpen went to Eric Krakowitz. The new Haly Oil hurler walked Spencer Piercy and then walked Evan Spano with the bases loaded to score a run and it was a 4-3 Bandits lead. The Ban

dits plated another run on a Brendan Gray grounder that Haly Oil could not turn for a double play and the Bandits led 5-3 after six innings.

“I was just trying to get a good swing on the ballad put it in play,” Vito said. “We have a real good lineup up and down and you don’t have to do too much. Just get on base and let the lineup rip and that makes you more comfortable.”

Haly Oil, down to its last chance, mounted a rally in the top of the seventh inning. Spano walked lead off man Sean Hopkins to start the seventh inning prompting Turner went to his bullpen for Kunzman who struck out Ryan McDonough and got Jason McCormick to fly out to left field and ended the game by striking out John Iezzi and the Bandits had a very big comeback win.

“Our guys have confidence that our pitchers are going to hold the other team,” Turner said. “They just have to go up to the plate and barrel up because we have real good depth on the mound and Kenny showed that again tonight for us.” Bandits 5, Haly Oil 3.