Published: May 20, 2008 01:52 pm            

Gilbertson helps Pirates top Model, earn spot in finals

RICHMOND — Faced with an extremely difficult decision, Berea Community coach Bill Smallwood took a chance.

Instead of putting his ace Ben Flara on the mound for Monday’s first-round showdown with Model Laboratory in the 44th District Tournament, the veteran coach handed the ball to Jacob Gilbertson.

And the crafty right-hander didn’t disappoint.

Gilbertson scattered nine hits and went the distance as the Pirates secured a spot in the 11th Region Tournament for the first time in more than a decade with a 6-3 win at Turkey Hughes Field. Flara had three hits and scored three times and Ben Miller drove in three runs for Berea (14-10), which has won six straight.

The Pirates will face either Madison Central or Madison Southern in Thursday’s district championship game. The Indians and Eagles are set to meet at 5:30 p.m. today in the other semifinal.

“We really went back and forth on it,” Smallwood said of the decision to pitch Gilbertson. “My instinct is to get the first win, but we kind of thought we’d roll the dice a little and it paid off.”

As usual, Gilbertson wasn’t overpowering and even though he allowed a baserunner in every inning except one really only got into trouble just once.

Model (1-22) scored all of its runs in the fourth, cutting a 5-0 lead to just two runs. Nick Dunaway doubled to lead off the inning, then scored on a single by Will Travis. Curtis Roberts singled, Andrew Travis reached on a fielder’s choice, then Turner Curtis delivered a two-run single.

Gilbertson bounced back and only allowed three more hits in the final three innings.

“I just tried to keep throwing strikes and let the defense make the plays,” Gilbertson said. “I’m not going to strikeout a lot of people.”

Berea got a run in each of the first two innings, then took advantage of some defensive miscues by Model in the third. Three errors allowed the Pirates to tack on four more runs, even though they had just one hit.

“That’s the difference,” Model coach Chris Robinson said of the unearned runs. “No one in the state thought we would be in this game, more less have a chance to win it.”

Berea added another run in the fifth when Flara started the inning with a single and scored on a hit by Miller.

Model had a pair or runners on in the fifth, then had chances to score runs in each of the last two innings, but Gilbertson was able to work out trouble each time.

“It’s pretty cool,” Gilbertson said of moving into the finals. “We think we can beat anybody.”

Dunaway had three hits for Model, including two doubles, and Alec Hicks and Curtis added two hits each. Dunaway started and went the first two innings, allowing two runs on three hits. Hicks gave up four runs in three innings of relief and Adam Humphreys pitched the final inning.

        

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