MIDLAND, MI – Now the question, do the Jarvis Travelers have enough left in their tank to pull off the coveted three-peat?
They will certainly get their chance after beating the Pennsylvania PA Power 5-1 in the losers bracket final of the ISC World Tournament, Saturday afternoon.
The Travelers (5-1) will meet the undefeated Hill United Chiefs in a Saturday night game at Currie Stadium in Midland to decide the championship.
Jarvis scored single runs in the first, second and third innings to take a 3-0 lead.
HALE CHASING RBI RECORD
Donnie Hale’s solo homer in the second was the highlight of the scoring, giving him 14 for the tournament; just one shy of the ISC World Tournament record of 15 set in 1998 by Steve Price of Ballston Lake, NY.
Jarvis finished off Power by scoring their final two runs in the sixth for the final score. Brandon Horne, the hero in the Travelers 5-4 win over the New York Gremlins in the previous game, continued his hot-hitting by ripping a single to left field that brought in the final two runs.
Freddie Terkelsen and Tyron Bartotillo started the inning with back-to-back singles and scored on Horne’s hit.
CLEARY AND KOERT SHARP
Cleary started for the Travelers, pitched five innings, while striking out 10 and allowing one run, an RBI double by Frank DeGroat, which scored Derrick Zechman, who reached on an infield single.
Paul Koert relieved Cleary in the sixth and shutdown Power on one hit, a walk, and two strikeouts over the final two innings to earn the save.
LOB’s COSTLY
The Power squandered a golden scoring opportunity in the second inning by loading the bases with one out. But Cleary struck out DeGroat on a hard drop ball, and Karl Gollan on a sharp rise ball to end the inning unscathed.
Lucas Mata started for Power, but left in the first inning after facing only three batters. He reportedly has elbow trouble that wouldn’t allow him to continue. Gollan replaced Mata and threw well the rest of the way.
But the Travelers proved too difficult a task on this day as they continue their quest for a three-peat ISC World Tournament title. However, awaiting them in the championship game is a well-rested Six Nations Ontario Hill United Chiefs.
The big question for the Travelers?
Do they have enough pitching left with Cleary, Koert and Todd Martin to beat the Chiefs and capture a third consecutive ISC championship?
MARY STAR IN TRAVELERS SITES, NITEHAWKS UNTOUCHABLE
The last three-peat champion was the Mary Star All-Stars (Calif), 1952-1954. And the Long Beach Nitehawks (Calif) won six in a row from 1955-1960, and are the all-time leaders with 10 championships.
The Chiefs most likely will send Adam Folkard (4-0) to the circle. It’s territory where he’s dominated. In 2009 and 2010, he earned the ISC Most Outstanding Pitcher award by pitching these same Travelers (2010) and Broken Bow Patsy’s (2009) to the title.
Certainly, Folkard would like nothing better than slipping a third ISC championship ring on his crowded fingers.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be watched live on the ISC Network.
