After winning one-run games to reach the final, Jeweler’s Bench and Home Expressions traded one-run leads until one rally was long enough to end the Park Department Civic League Tournament championship.
Jeweler’s Bench scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning, sending 10 batters to the plate, to pull away for a 7-3 win Thursday night at McLane Park.
“I think both teams were exhausted,” Jeweler’s Bench coach Rusty Crafton said. “Both teams battled. Both teams did a great job.”
The bottom of the lineup got things going for Jeweler’s Bench in the final inning.
Kyrie Price reached on a hit to the left side of the infield and Bentley Elliott beat the first baseman to the bag on a grounder down the line. Leadoff hitter Rapheal Gobeil tied the game with a one-out hit before Jaxton Bridgewater’s two-run single.
Charlie Pruess then circled the bases on a hit up the middle for two more runs.
“We were hitting the ball a little bit better this game compared to last game,” Coach Crafton said. “The whole team was hitting as a group.”
Jeweler’s Bench scored both of its runs in the first inning with two outs to take a 2-1 lead.
Pruess started the rally with a single and Gabby Tenchavez followed with a double. Garrett Hale’s hit to the right side pushed across one run before Logan Crunk’s hit fell in to score Tenchavez.
Both teams finished with four strikeouts against the pitching machine.
“We got better defensively and offensively as the season went on, big time,” Home Expressions coach Brennen Moore said.
Said Coach Crafton, “Credit to them, “they improved tremendously compared to the first game we played them.”
Jeweler’s Bench needed a two-run hit with one out to win the semifinal, 9-8 in extra innings over Hessling Construction.
Home Expressions held off a late rally to beat KMB 4-3 in the other semifinal Thursday.
Following a short break, Home Expression jumped on the board in the top of the first on a one-out home run to right field by Chance Goins.
With two on, Jeweler’s Bench shortstop Tenchavez snared a soft liner up the middle to end the inning.
Solomon Williams led off the top of the second with a hit and Abrahm DeBerry had a one-out single. Clayton Willis cleaned off the plate before Williams scored on his hit, then avoided a tag long enough for DeBerry to score on Ben Stigall’s hit to the third baseman for a 3-2 lead.
“Both games against this team here we struggled,” Coach Moore said of playing the top seed. “But other than that we played pretty good.”
----
Editor’s note: The game ended after the print deadline to appear in the Friday edition. It will appear in the Saturday edition.