Thirteen-inning marathon versus Kapper leads to unheralded twin bill loss for Kaufman Realty

Apparently what took place at Lehman Field on Sunday, July 31 comes around about as often as the Hale-Bopp Comet. When Kapper Chiropractic pitcher Chris McIntyre struck out Brandon Wengerd with a blistering fastball to end the second game of the double header with Kaufman Realty, it completed a twin bill sweep for Kapper, something that hasn’t happened for as long as any of the day’s participants could remember.“I really couldn’t say when the last time we lost a double-header was,” said Kaufman coach Chuck Jarvis. “It’s been a while... a long while, that’s for sure. But my hat’s off to Kapper. They gave a great effort, and kept putting pressure on us, and their pitchers kept us off balance.”If you want to get technical, Kapper really almost swept a triple-header.That’s because the first game proved to be a test in endurance, going 13 long and arduous innings in the mid-summer heat before Kapper catcher Jeremy Fisher ended it with a massive three-run home run off Steve Miller, who had come on in relief of Kaufman starter Josh Frank, who delivered a mind-boggling 160 pitches in the game.The aces for both teams toed the rubber for the first contest, with Joe Bishop and Frank going toe-to-toe, the game knotted at 1-1 through seven complete innings. Bishop bailed, but Frank kept going, through the eighth, ninth and 10th innings.Long known as one of the top hurlers in Tuscarawas Class A ball, Frank was on fumes as he entered the 11th inning, but gave it a try, before Jarvis went out and brought Miller in after a single to begin the inning. “I really started talking to Josh about pulling him in the ninth, but he kept at it, and kept getting guys out, and said he was feeling tired but he could go on,” said Jarvis. “He has so much heart, and he is such a competitor. He said in the 10th he started to feel a little tight, and we got to the 11th and after he singled I asked how many pitches he had thrown. I was stunned.”Oddly enough, it was the second time this season Frank has gone 10 innings, neither time getting a decision.Miller got out of trouble in the 11th and cruised through the 12th, but with two outs in the 13th, he walked consecutive batters to bring Fisher to the plate. Fisher smoked a fastball over the fence to spot Kapper to a 4-1 lead.“With a guy in scoring position, I was just looking for something to hit hard,” said Fisher of his game-winning shot. “I knew I hit it hard, but I didn’t think it was out. It feels pretty great.”That great feeling almost disappeared in the bottom of the 13th inning for Fisher and his teammates, when Kaufman scored twice and had runners on second and third, but was unable to push across the tying run. Kapper had escaped the marathon with a 4-3 victory.In the nightcap, which the afternoon double-header became due to the length of the first contest, Kaufman got up early, plating a pair of runs. Justin Miller was hit by a pitch, Ross Yoder singled, then Miller scored on a sacrifice fly by Clinton Yoder and Ari Yoder singled in Ross Yoder for a 2-0 Kaufman edge.Luke Lester kept Kaufman on top, allowing one run in the fourth, but then a walk and three consecutive singles plated a pair of Kapper runs in the sixth as Kapper took a 3-2 lead. Meanwhile, McIntyre kept letting guys on base and then leaving them there. Kaufman stranded three in the fifth, and two in both the sixth and seventh innings, to secure a 3-2 victory and a sweep.“I thought that first game took a lot out of us physically and mentally,” said Jarvis. “We took a lot of really tired swings. I think the heat took a lot out of us, and then to lose that game, it was really tough to rebound.”The Kapper win marked the third time Kapper has beaten Kaufman this season, a major feat considering Kaufman has fashioned a stellar 22-4 mark this year.“There’s no magic to it,” said Kapper coach Jeff Fondriest. “We could have easily lost all three of these games. They were all one-run games, and we just came out on the right side. We were fortunate, but I was happy with the way we played today against one of the league’s best.”The two losses effectively ended Kaufman’s efforts to put the wraps on the league title. Kaufman had won the first half of the season, but, heading into the day, Kaufman was tied atop the second-half leader board with Lauren Moose with each team toting one loss. However, Kapper put an end to any hopes of getting a second half title, which would have given Kaufman the league championship outright with no playoff. But with the losses, Kaufman dropped to 10-3 on the half, trailing Lauren Moose (12-1) and Kapper (11-2)The loss sets up a winner-take-all final on Wednesday, August 3, at Tuscora Park, where undoubtedly Kaufman and Moose will provide plenty of drama as the two teams settle who walks away with the Class A title.Kaufman’s squad just hopes it doesn’t take 13 innings to decide.