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Imler’s pitcher key to victory over Cumming Motors

Altoona AAABA FInals: Game 1

By John Hartsock 4 min read

Cumming Motors is bidding for its seventh consecutive AAABA Regional Tournament championship.

But Leland Baer tossed a wrench into its opening plans Friday night.

Baer turned a workhorse performance for Imler's Poultry, throwing eight innings, tossing an unofficial 135 pitches, and allowing just five hits and one unearned run, as Imler's won the first game of the best-of-three games championship series between the two teams, 4-2 at Vets Field Friday night.

Both managers had words of praise for Baer, a right-hander who struck out six batters, walked three, and allowed a total of just two runs. Imler's can clinch the championship by winning tonight's Game 2 at Vets, which will start at 5 p.m.

If a third game in the series is necessary, it will be played Sunday at 5 p.m.

Regardless of which team wins this regional championship series, both will advance to the AAABA National Tournament in Johnstown, which begins on Monday, Aug. 3.

"He battled -- what an outing,'' Imler's Poultry manager Adam Plummer said of Bauer. "It was a great performance. He was in command of his off-speed pitches tonight, and he kept the ball low in the strike zone.

"He was able to locate his pitches very well, and that was a key for him tonight,'' Plummer said.

Cumming Motors manager Chris Sanders also gave Baer plenty of credit.

"Hats off to their pitcher - he threw a hell of a game, and kept us off balance tonight,'' Sanders said.

After spotting Cumming Motors a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, courtesy of runs that scored on a wild pitch and an error, top-seeded Imler's Poultry took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Imler's capitalized on five walks in the inning to score the three runs on just one hit — a bases-loaded RBI single by Brayden Parsons that scored Gavin Fowler, who had drawn a one-out walk.

Jake Hall and Nick Kraft also scored in the inning after drawing walks against Cumming Motors starting pitcher Kade Sell, who had opened the game by throwing three scoreless and hitless innings.

"Sell was sailing tonight, throwing a very nice game, and we were able to get a couple of runners on in that inning and capitalize,'' said Plummer, whose team scored the second and third runs of the inning when Chase Plummer and Brady Steiner drew bases-loaded walks.

Imler's punched across a big insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Owen Oakes reached first base on a wild pitch after striking out, and eventually scored on a two-out single to left field by Kraft.

Imler's, which was actually outhit in the game, 6-4, wriggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the ninth inning after Baer had departed the mound. Brandon McClure came on to get the save, inducing a double-play line-out that shortstop Brady Steiner snared before running to the second base bag to complete the play and end the game.

With his team facing elimination, Sanders is promising a strong effort from Cumming Motors in Game 2 tonight.

"We've been a resilient team all season,'' Sanders said. "We'll come back, always do. We'll be ready to go.''

CUMMING MOTORS (2): B. Oakes rf 401, Angus cf 401, Ebeling lf 311, Thornburg eh 301, Sell p-dh 310, Mierley ss 300, Klotz 1b 200, Miller 3b 401, Helms c 201, Sacco cr 010, Boland 2b 300. Totals - 31-2-6.

IMLER'S POULTRY (4): Fowler 2b 311, Hall cf 210, Kraft c 311, Plummer dh-rf-3b 200, Parsons rf-1b 301, Farabaugh 1b-p-1b 300, Steiner ss 201, McClure 3b-p 200, Szynal lf 300, O. Oakes eh 310. Totals - 26-4-4.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Cumming Motors 000 200 000 -- 2 6 1

Imler's Poultry 000 300 01X -- 4 4 0

E--Steiner. RBI--Kraft, Plummer, Parsons, Steiner. SB--B. Oakes, Sell, Angus. CS--Sacco (Baer to Fowler); Kraft (Neiding to Mierly to Boland). LOB--Cumming Motors 9, Imler's Poultry 4. HBP--Helms (by Baer); Klotz (by Farabaugh); Plummer (by Neiding).

PITCHING

CUMMING MOTORS: Sell (L) 3 2/3IP, 1H, 3R, 3ER, 6BB, 5SO; Neiding 3 1/3IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 4SO.

IMLER'S POULTRY: Baer (W) 8IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 3BB, 6SO; Farabaugh 1/3IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1SO; McClure (SV) 2/3IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO.

Umpires: Sam Burnitti (plate); Tom Beaver (1b); Brian Burns (3b).

Time of game: 2:24.

Starting at /week.