Lilly hammer time: City League power claws back to continue reign

Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/American Legion finished off its rally from being down two games to none in its best-of-five Greater Altoona City League championship series and took Game 5 and another title Saturday night, 9-1, over Sheetz at Vets Field.

Lilly won its 21st championship in the last 24 years and its eighth in a row, but this one did not come easy.

Sheetz won the first two games of the series, and Lilly had to survive an extra-inning 2-1 thriller in Game 3 to even have a chance to win Friday and Saturday's games.

"That was their chance, obviously," Lilly's Lucas McCoy said. "They had us on the ropes. They were within striking distance of a championship, but Shane Suter gave us eight-plus innings and Aiden Coleman shut the door on them (Friday). Game 3 was the difference in this series."

Saturday's game was sealed by Lilly's timely hitting in the bottom of the third inning that led to four runs and a 6-1 lead.

Jake Hillard and C.J. McCoy singled before Pat Gully's sacrifice bunt moved both runners up. Sheetz tried to get Hillard out at home on Jim Dunlap's grounder, but Hillard's slide knocked the ball loose and he scored. Tim Fabbri walked to load the bases, and Josh Bracken and Ryan Ickes hit RBI singles to chase Sheetz starter Evan Sanders.

"We knew we were going to get to their guy today," Lucas McCoy said. "He's thrown a lot on short rest, and he wasn't sharp. We knew he wasn't going to be, and we were able to capitalize and open the game up."

Cody Gallaher, who had the game's only extra-base hit -- an RBI double in the first inning -- hit a sacrifice fly to cap the inning.

"We have been here so many times that we knew as long as we played our game, we were capable of winning three games in a row," Gallaher said. "With this group of guys here and as much as we have played together -- some of these guys on this team I have played ball with longer than I haven't -- so I know what they are doing, and they know what I am doing. As long as we play our game, we can always win three in a row. So, I wasn't worried about it."

It was the second time Lilly has come back from down two games to none in its two-decade-plus run with the previous time happening against Locker Room.

"We dug ourselves a hole, but a lot of it was our mistakes," McCoy said. "We weren't picking up runners in scoring position."

Sheetz got its only run in the first inning on a Lilly error that allowed Aidan Steinbugl to score and briefly give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Sheetz admitted the Game 3 loss played a role in deciding the series.

"It was, but I feel like we didn't just die after that," Sheetz's Chris Tromm said. "They played really well. They have won so many championships in a row for a reason. I feel like we didn't hit the ball to our potential, and that cost us."

Lilly added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Dunlap single and two more in the sixth on a wild pitch and a Bracken single. Bracken finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

"The one kid in the paper had a quote that everyone is sick of Lilly winning," Lucas McCoy said. "I think the only ones sick of Lilly winning are the teams we are playing against. I think everyone else enjoys seeing good baseball. We play baseball the right way. We play hard. If you look at our lineup today, it's predominately upper 30s, 40s and 50-year-old guys in the lineup. Should we be winning these games against kids half our age? Probably not. But we have a good thing going here. Guys know how to win. They expect to win, and they take pride in fulfilling that goal of winning a championship every year."

In addition to having players who have played in the league for decades, Lilly has also carried its franchise name for a long time as other teams in the City League have come and gone over the years.

"Our sponsor has been with us for a long time. They are the ones that get us going at the beginning of the season," McCoy said. "Tyler Conrad with Conrad Chiropractic and the American Legion in Lilly have been with us for a long time, and we're appreciative that they continue to support us."

Father Time is said to be undefeated, but Lilly's baseball team is taking him to extra innings.

"There's no plan (for how long they will keep playing)," Lucas McCoy said. "There's an expiration date on everything in life. Life itself, baseball -- time will tell what's going to happen, but we're going to enjoy this one."

SHEETZ (1): Gregg lf 301, Steinbugl ss 311, Muffie 3b 301, E. Sanders p-rf 201, Speece 1b 000, Kravetz dh 300, Treese cf 300, Detrick rf-2b 300, Young 2b-p 301, Co. Sanders c 300. Totals -- 26-1-5.

LILLY CONRAD CHIROPRACTIC/AMERICAN LEGION (9): R. Ickes cf 412, Gallaher 1b 311, B. Ickes ss 401, Hillard 2b 321, C. McCoy 3b 221, Gully c 100, Younker p 000, Smith p 000, Dunlap dh 312, McCoy ph 000, Olsavsky pr 010, Fabbri rf 311, Bracken lf 403. Totals -- 27-9-12.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Sheetz 100 000 0--1 5 2

Lilly Conrad 204 102 X--9 12 2

E--Steinbugl, Co. Sanders, Gallaher, Hillard. 2B--Gallaher. RBI--Gallaher 2, Dunlap 2, Bracken 2, B. Ickes, R. Ickes. WP--Younker. LP--E. Sanders. SO--Younker 4, Young 2, E. Sanders 1. BB--Younker 1, Young 5, E. Sanders 2.

Umpires: Sam Brunetti (HP); Rich Ball (1B); Jonathan Smith (3B).

Series: Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/American Legion wins series 3-2.

City League champions

Champions in the Greater City Baseball League since 1990:

1990 Thomas Subaru/Cadillac

1991 Thomas Subaru/Cadillac

1992 Thomas Subaru/Cadillac

1993 Thomas Subaru/Cadillac

1994 Holsinger Plumbing & Heating

1995 Holiday Bowl

1996 D&M Chrysler

1997 Thomas Cadillac

1998 Tom Dickey Law Office

1999 Thomas Chevrolet

2000 Thomas Chevrolet

2001 Thomas Chevrolet

2002 ProActive Sports

2003 Lilly Sokols

2004 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic

2005 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2006 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2007 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2008 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2009 Holsinger's Plumbing & Heating

2010 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2011 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2012 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2013 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2014 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2015 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2016 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2017 Locker Room

2018 Locker Room

2019 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2020 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2021 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2022 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2023 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2024 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2025 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL

2026 Lilly Conrad Chiropractic/AL