ALLENTOWN - Facing one of the best pitchers in the Lehigh Valley Legion League, Carbon Monarchs manager Don Rehrig knew his team would have to scrounge for hits. He also knew that his team had a pretty tough competitor on the mound in Justin Marykwas to face South Parkland in the opening game of the playoffs. What Rehrig didn’t know was that Marykwas would match Parkland’s A.J. Palumbo and the two teams would need 10 innings to decide the game.

A bases-loaded infield single by Koby Stavecki scored the deciding run in the bottom of the 10th as South Parkland beat the Monarchs 2-1 to advance in the winner’s bracket of the league’s double-elimination tournament.

Palumbo gave up a base hit to Brad Buzzard with two outs in the first and didn’t give up another hit until the sixth inning when he allowed back-to-back singles to Dan Keer and Logan Pagotto. A throwing error allowed Keer to take third base and Pagotto to move up to second. One out later, Collin Haupt hit a long fly ball to right-center field that seemed destined to find the grass but Adam Mellinger made a nice running grab to keep the game scoreless.

“That ball looked like it was going to be in the gap and you have to hand it to their guy, because he made a nice play on that ball,” said Rehrig. “He covered a lot of ground and if he doesn’t make that play we get two runs out of that.”

Palumbo started to tire in the seventh and gave up a one-out walk to Noah Snisky that ended his day. Josh Miller came on to pitch and hit Aaron Miller with a pitch to put runners on first and second. Jake Taras then popped a ball to short and the infield fly rule was called. With Snisky edging off the bag, shortstop Jeremy Piatkiewicz let the ball drop. Taras strayed off the bag and got into a rundown before being tagged out on his way to third, ending the inning.

“I thought the call was made kind of late on that pop-up and Jake kind of got caught in-between,” Rehrig said. “It was just one of those plays that happen, it wasn’t his fault that he got caught in that situation.”

With the game scoreless after seven innings, Keer and Pagotto again picked up back-to-back singles with one out. Keer went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a fielder’s choice by Brad Buzzard to give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead.

Keer, who relieved Marykwas after six innings, walked Piatkiewicz to start the bottom of the inning. Piatkiewicz stole second, but Keer got the next two hitters and looked like he would work out of the jam and give Carbon the upset win. Stavecki blooped a ball into center field that fell between fielders, allowing Piatkiewicz to score and tie the game 1-1. Stavecki attempted to steal second but was thrown out by Taras to end the inning.

In the bottom of the tenth, Piatkiewicz walked with one out and Mellinger hit a soft grounder to short, and Piatkiewicz beat the throw to second to put two runners on with one out. Alex Oliver then worked a walk to load the bases. Rehrig had his infield and outfield playing in and Stavecki hit a weak ground ball toward short that Pagotto charged and fielded but couldn’t make an accurate throw home as he fell to the ground, allowing Piatkiewicz to score the winning run.

“I told our guys that we can’t hang our heads because they’re a really good team and we were facing probably the best pitcher in the league tonight,” said Rehrig. “Justin [Marykwas] pitched really well, too. He matched him pitch-for-pitch and in the end, we just weren’t able to get a big hit or make a big play to tip the game in our favor.”

UP NEXT

... Carbon falls to the loser’s bracket and will face West Allentown at home today, looking to avoid elimination.

Carbon 000 000 010 0 - 1 7 2

South Parkland000 000 010 1 - 2 7 2

Marykwas, Keer (7) and Taras; Palumbo, Miller (7) and Russell. W - Miller. L - Keer.