A large, boisterous crowd was on hand at Ridgeland Common on Friday to witness Kolovitz Movers slug their way to a 13-2 victory over Oak Park Strikes in the semifinal of the Bronco Division playoffs.
Kolovitz utilized aggressive base running, an all out offensive attack at the plate, and top notch defense to get the huge victory.
“Everybody hit well, our pitchers did great, and the team played good defense,” said an ecstatic Don Cundari, head coach of Kolovitz, after the game. “It was a team effort, and I couldn’t be any prouder of our guys.”
The Strikes, on the other hand, were doomed by shaky defense. The team finished with five errors, which afforded Kolovitz six unearned runs.
The game was a tight one for the first two and a half innings, until the Movers broke it wide open with five runs in the bottom of the third. Using effective small-ball fundamentals, and being let off the hook with two errors, helped Kolovitz to an early lead. The Movers scored five runs before any outs were recorded in the inning.
Kolovitz pitching staff also played a key role in the Movers’ win. Starter Gus Visse pitched three strong, scoreless innings, giving up one hit, while striking out three. The defense bailed out Visse twice with a pivotal double-play in the second inning and an inning ending pick-off at second base in the third.
In the top of the fifth, the Strikes threatened by loading the bases with no outs. The Movers replaced pitcher C.J. Pospil, who relieved Visse in the fourth, with Kyle Arquette, who responded by collecting hard-earned back-to-back strikeouts and finishing off the inning with a forced pop-out.
In the fifth, Kolovitz followed relatively the same script as the third, with the Movers getting lots of base runners and benefitting from the Strikes’ poor defensive effort. The Strikes committed three errors in the inning, which led to three runs. The Movers ended the game, via the 10 run rule, when Will Hoffenkamp smacked a two-run double to left field.