Schererville advances to the Northern Indiana Senior Babe Ruth state tournament
By Mike Clark Post-Tribune correspondent July 1, 2012 11:26PM
Updated: August 3, 2012 6:25AM
CROWN POINT — It was worth the wait for the Schererville Indians.
First the Indians and the NWI Rippers of Crown Point had to endure a nearly seven-hour delay Sunday while the Crown Point Babe Ruth field was made playable after afternoon thunderstorms rolled through.
Then there was another stoppage of play in the bottom of the sixth inning while tourney officials sorted out a protest over the eligibility of a Rippers player.
Just after that was resolved in the Rippers’ favor, the game turned the Indians’ way. An unearned run broke a tie and Schererville added two insurance runs to earn a 7-4 win in the District 1 championship game.
Schererville advances to the Northern Indiana Senior Babe Ruth state tournament, which will be hosted by the Hammond Chiefs beginning Saturday at Riverside Park in Hammond.
The Indians opened a 4-0 lead through four innings, but the Rippers tied it with two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Schererville then went back ahead for good in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Gorman, who hit a grand slam in the Indians’ win over the Rippers on Saturday, started the rally with a leadoff single to left and winning pitcher Jimmy Tarala followed with a single to right.
Then came the protest, which centered on whether Rippers pitcher Nick Gerolimos could play, given that his name wasn’t on the lineup card (though he was on the team’s roster). After it was determined that Gerolimos could play, he struck out the first batter he faced.
With runners at first and third, Timmy Telles hit a chopper to second baseman Kevin Edgington. His throw home popped out of catcher Kyle Gagliardi’s glove, allowing Gorman to score.
Tarala then scored on a dropped third strike and Zac Goldasich’s double to left brought home Telles.
Schererville, which was a district runner-up last season, got a solo homer from Adam Fulk in the second and made it 3-0 in the third when Kyle Ruthrauff scored on a wild pitch and Goldasich had an RBI single with two out.
Ruthrauff’s run-scoring single in the fourth made it 4-0 Schererville.
The Rippers started their comeback in the fifth, getting an RBI single from Jay Carson and a sacrifice fly from Casey Rapchak to cut the deficit ti 4-2.
They tied it in the sixth as Cameron Fisher hit a solo homer and Gagliardi had an RBI single.
