Oct. 11, 2008
Box Score 
NORMAL, Ill. - The Dave Bergman All-Stars scored 15 runs over the final three innings and turned a pitcher's duel into a 16-4 victory over the Buzz Capra All-Stars in game two of the Redbird Fall Series at Duffy Bass Field Saturday.
The Bergman All-Stars' top three hitters combined to go 8-for-14 and drove in eight runs, while keying the late inning explosion and helping the team even the series at one game apiece. Anthony Ruffolo and Ryan Court had three hits and team captain Mike Stalowy collected two hits in the leadoff position.
"It feels pretty good to get our first win," Stalowy said. "They had their ace on the mound and I think our guys battled. Early on we had some base runners on base in scoring situations and we didn't come through. We played well today and it really showed."
Team Bergman starter Dan Sorce and Team Capra starter Ryan Copeland were nearly flawless through five innings, both allowing just four hits and issuing one walk. Copeland allowed three of his hits in the first inning, including an RBI single by Ben Ihde - the game's only run through the first five frames.
Sorce retired the first seven batters he faced and struck out two batters before leaving after the fifth with a 1-0 lead.
"My main focus was to come out and get ahead of hitters and throw strikes," Sorce said. "My fast ball was good - my two-seam and my four-seam - and my cutter and curveball too. I was mixing everything in and out, up and down."
The Capra All-Stars scratched across a run in the bottom of the sixth after right fielder Travis Weldon dove and narrowly missed a ball hit by Gabe DeMarco. DeMarco made it all the way to third, and scored Collin Salzenstein to tie the game.
The Bergman All-Stars answered in the next half inning, scoring five runs with two outs. Ruffolo swung at the first pitch from Jim Sajewich with the bases loaded to push two runs across, and Court cleared the bases with a two-run triple and scored when the throw got by the third baseman.
Team Bergman added another run in the eighth but broke out again in the ninth with nine runs on just four hits and four costly Capra All-Stars' errors.
"We knew we were going to have our hands full (against Copeland)," Stalowy said. "He was around the plate and he was throwing pitches down. If you take the pitch chart and look at it later in the game, the pitches the pitchers were throwing were up and we were doing the little things right - moving runners over, hustling out ground balls that should have been outs. That was the difference. It always feels good to break out offensively."
DeMarco finished 3-for-4 for the Capra All-Stars, including a solo home run to left center during a three-run rally in the eighth. Matt Mirabal and Salzenstein also had multiple hits for Team Capra.
The Redbird Baseball Fall Series continues Monday with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. at Duffy Bass Field.
