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August 30, 2009

Miners repeat as CVBL champions

Lyon Mountain tops Meron's/Reniz's for championship repeat

By JOHN CORYER



PLATTSBURGH — So much for the thought of age creeping up on the Lyon Mountain Miners.

Scott Baker and David Waldron hit home runs and the fourth-seeded Miners posted a 7-5 victory over the Meron's/Renzi's Expos Sunday at Chip Cummings Field to complete a two-game sweep of their Champlain Valley Baseball League playoff championship series.

"This is our fifth title in 11 years and it makes it easier when you have Jerry Kowalowski, Tom Kowalowski, Jamie Juntunen and Scott Baker around," said Miners manager Bill Chase. "Jerry turns 40 in two days and that will make all those players 40 years old or older.

"And, Nick (Chase) left us in 2002 and this is his first year back. And, we're able to pull off a win."

Baker, who put the Miners ahead to stay with a solo homer in the fifth inning, had a combined 11 hits and 10 RBI in the playoff semifinals and finals.

"We definitely put together a total team effort," Baker said. "Once, we got Nick Chase back this year, we felt comfortable that he could come in and close a game for us.

"We battled with the bats. We practice during the season and take care of our field. It all pays off in the long run because I don't think other teams work as hard as we do. This is the first time we've repeated as playoff champion and I knew we had a chance as long as we kept believing in ourselves."

It wasn't easy for the Miners, who finished fourth in the CVBL regular season standings and then had to go through the top-seeded Fourth Ward Cardinals and second-seeded Expos in the playoffs. The Miners rallied for a 9-7 win over the Expos the weekend before.

"It's been ugly at times this season for us," Bill Chase said. "It has been very competitive all year with everyone in the league.

"However, we came together in the playoffs and definitely were able to get some clutch hitting."

Sunday, Meron's/Renzi's got off to a good start in the bottom of the first, scoring three times off winning pitcher David Waldron. Mike Bordeau rapped a RBI single, Steve Criss a long RBI double and Billy Davis a sacrifice fly.

"We got down, 3-0, but we kept chipping away," said Baker, the playoff Most Valuable Player.

The Miners scored a run in the third on Baker's RBI single and then grabbed a 4-3 advantage in the fourth when Tom Kowalowski singled, Juntunen doubled, Justin Besaw doubled in two runs and Nick Chase hit a sacrifice fly off losing pitcher Mike Bergman.

The Expos tied it in the bottom of the fourth before Baker's home run in the fifth put the Miners ahead to stay. Waldron then homered in the sixth to make it 6-4.

Meron's/Renzi's scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to pull to within a run before Lyon Mountain got the run back in the final inning on a passed ball.

Tom Kowalowski paced the Miners with three hits, while Baker and Kyle Kowalowski added two each.

Waldron, the playoff's Most Valuable Pitcher, went five innings for the win. Chris VanHouten allowed one run in pitching the sixth and Nick Chase a scoreless seventh for the save. Steve Criss rapped a double and single for the Expos, while Justin Mahan, who had an outstanding playoff series, chipped in with two hits. Bergman pitched into the sixth inning and Davis went the rest of the way.

The Fourth Ward Cardinals' Adam Porter, who won the Triple Crown this season, was chosen as the league's regular season Most Valuable Player and the Expos' Bergman as the Most Valuable Pitcher.

—

Miners 7, Expos 5

Miners 001 311 1 — 7 12 3

Expos 300 101 0 — 5 8 1

Waldron, VanHouten (6) and N. Chase (7) and J. Kowalowski. Bergman, Davis (6) and Brighton. WP- Waldron. LP- Bergman. Sv- N. Chase. 2B- K. Kowalowski (M), Besaw (M), Juntunen (M), Criss (•  . HR- Waldron (M), Baker (M).

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