Nazareth clinches Norco title

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Nazareth won the Northampton County American Legion crown Thursday, advancing to the American Legion regional playoffs at Wilson West Lawn on Saturday with a doubleheader win over Freemansburg that spread over four days and two ballparks. Nazareth won the first game at home, 5-1, then drove to Freemansburg to win 6-4.

It is Nazareth manager Frank Jurasits' eighth title in his 39 years of coaching. He says it will be his last.

"We get [championships] two at a time," Jurasits said. "The second game was closer, but it's weird to play two games like this. They came alive after that home run. Karl Keglovits did a good job in relief in the second game to stop their rally."

Nazareth carried a one-run lead into the third inning of the first game, resumed from Monday. It improved that to 3-1 in the bottom of the third. Shane Siebler and Jerel Elliott singled, and Mike Garzillo beat out an intended sacrifice for a hit. Siebler scored from second on the bunt and Elliott scored when third baseman Ken Johnson overthrew first on Drew Hercik's grounder.


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Freemansburg got on the board in the top of the fifth. Tyler Slonovec walked, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Herb Boger's single to center.

Nazareth added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth. Derek Charlie singled. Siebler got on thanks to a mishandled grounder. Both scored when Elliott and Garzillo singled.

Taylor Magditch pitched a complete game five-hitter for Nazareth. "My knuckleball was my best," he said. "I learned it about five weeks ago. I was hitting my spots. I threw it on my first pitch and got ahead. Nobody wants to swing at a first-pitch knuckleball."

Magditch fanned six and walked two.

In the second game, at Freemansburg, the hosts took their first lead with a quick run in the first. Sean Archer reached first on an error at third and moved to second on an overthrow. He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Greg Taylor's sacrifice fly to center.

Nazareth answered in the third with three runs. Siebler singled, stole second and moved to third on Elliott's groundout. Garzillo singled and rode home on Hercik's home run over the left field fence.

Nazareth added a pair in the fourth. Ryan Mulhern doubled to the base of the left field fence and scored on Doug Peppel's single to left. Peppel advanced to second on the play at the plate. Charlie sacrificed him to third and he scored on Siebler's single to right.

In the top of the fourth Freemansburg got a run back. Kyle Johnson reached second on a throwing error at shortstop, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when Drew Maneps grounded to third.

Freemansburg got another one back quickly in the fifth when Slanovec blasted a homer over the center field fence. One out later, Snyder walked, moved to second on Hercik's third wild pitch and scored on Keith Gordoni's single to left.

Magditch came in to relieve Hercik and retired Taylor to end the threat.

In the sixth, Nazareth scored again. Mulhern tripled to left and scored on Chris Kent's single to center. Kent replaced Charlie, who was injured twice by wild pitches. Kent and Siebler, who reached on a throwing error by relief pitcher T.J. Chambers were stranded.

Keglovits came in to relieve Magditch in the bottom of the seventh in the second game. The first two batters singled, but he then struck out the side to seal the win.

"All credit to Nazareth," Freemansburg coach Chris Medei said. "We did not play well and made too many physical and mental errors."

John Heilig is a freelance writer.

Agate

Game 1

Freemansburg000 010 0 1-5-2

Nazareth 012 020 X5-7-0

Slonovec and Snyder; Magditch and Derek. WP Magditch. 2B: F: Kaleps, Modic.

Game 2

Nazareth003 201 06-7-1

Freemansburg100 120 04-5-2

Hercik, Magditch (5), Keglovits (6) and Derek, Kent (5). Taylor, Chambers (6) and Snyder. WP: Hercik.LP: Taylor

Source: http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-norco-baseball-20100715,0,3044448.story