In a battle of endurance in the 95 degree heat of Rock Hill, S.C., the Peninsula Merchants used some extra-inning heroics to return to national fast pitch prominence with the 2008 National Softball Association World Series championship Sunday afternoon.
Zack Warne’s sacrifice fly in the ninth scored Paul Hall with the game-winning run as the Merchants defeated PA Power 9-8 in nine innings to capture the NSA World Series championship. This marked the first regional-level tournament title since they returned to action in 2007 and their first since the 1989 Amateur Softball Association Central Atlantic Regional.
The Merchants trailed 5-2 heading into the top of the seventh, but exploded for five runs. Larry Hineline started the inning beating out an infield single to deep short. Russ Rostowski drew a walk which preceded a pinch-hit single from tournament MVP Dewey Dyke to score pinch-runner Brian Harrison for a 5-3 deficit. A wild pitch scored Rostowski cutting the deficit to 5-4. After Hall was hit by a pitch, Joe Hineline followed with a single to score Dyke to tie the game at 5-all. Warne followed with a single to score Hall for a 6-5 lead. Ken Musselman drove in the final run with a groundout giving the Merchants a 7-5 lead.
Dyke, who had pitched the previous 4-3 win by the Merchants over PA Power in the winners bracket final, came into pitch the bottom of the seventh and was tagged for a pair of runs to force extra innings tied at 7-all. Warne prevented an if-game from happening making a running catch at the fence in centerfield to end the seventh inning with a runner at third.
In the eighth, Rostowski doubled in a run for the Merchants but PA Power answered with a run. In the ninth, with Paul Hall at second under the international tiebreaker rules with the last man of the previous inning starting at second, Joe Hineline sacrificed him to third and Warne followed with a sacrifice fly for the 9-8 lead.
Dyke shut the door in the bottom of the ninth walking one and inducing a fly ball to Warne in centerfield to close the game.
“With the heat down here, the young guys we have on our bench really came through today,” said winning Peninsula Merchant coach Craig Smith. “PA Power is a class program and it says a lot for the Mid Atlantic Travel League we play in that two of its teams played for this title. Dyke was a workhorse on the mound for us taking 26 innings in winning four games and saving one.”
In the winners bracket final against PA Power on Sunday morning, the Merchants held on after taking a 4-0 lead.
Joe Hineline doubled in Hall in the third for a 1-0 lead. They tacked on three more runs in the fourth, all with two outs. Rostowski delivered the big blow with a two-run single to put the Merchants ahead 3-0. Hall then doubled in courtesy runner Brian Harrison.
PA Power, which defeated the Merchants 7-1 in the final weekend of the Mid Atlantic Fastpitch Travel League last weekend, scored two runs in the fifth and one in the seventh. PA Power had the tying run at third with no outs in the seventh, but winning pitcher Dewey Dyke forced a groundout to third, a strikeout and a comebacker for the final out.
Hall and Rostowski had a pair of hits each for the Merchants. Dyke struck out seven and allowed one earned run for his third victory of the tournament.
Joining Dyke on the All-Tournament team were Hall and Warne.
PENINSULA MERCHANTS 9, PA POWER 8
Merchants 020 000 511 – 9 9 0
PA Power 003 200 210 – 8 9 0
WP: Dyke (4-0); LP: High. Standouts: Merchants, Hall 2 runs, Warne 2-4 (3RBIs), Ken Musselman 1-4 (home run 2nd 1on, 3RBIs), Rostowski 2-3 (run, RBI, double), Dyke 1-2 (run, RBI); PA Power, Zittman 1-3 (2 runs), Martin 2-5 (run), Shelton 2-4
PENINSULA MERCHANTS 4, PA POWER 3
NSA Winners Bracket Final
PA Power 000 020 1 – 3 5 0
Merchants 001 300 x – 4 8 1
WP: Dyke (3-0); LP: High. Standouts: PA Power, Sheldon 2-3 (2 runs, double); Zimmerman 1-3 (triple, RBI), Sauder 1-3 (double); Merchants, Paul Hall 2-4 (run, RBI, double), Joe Hineline 1-2 (RBI, double), Russ Rostowski 2-3 (run, 2RBIs).
