EWING - After losing only four games all year, the Flemington Post 159 baseball team found itself in an unfamiliar situation Wednesday night. The Indians had never trailed by six runs in any of their 37 previous games in 2016, coming into the New Jersey American Legion state semifinal contest with Gloucester Township Post 281. But that is exactly where...
EWING - After losing only four games all year, the Flemington Post 159 baseball team found itself in an unfamiliar situation Wednesday night.
The Indians had never trailed by six runs in any of their 37 previous games in 2016, coming into the New Jersey American Legion state semifinal contest with Gloucester Township Post 281.
But that is exactly where Flemington found itself, playing a very good Gloucester team, in the second semifinal game of the night. Not only that, but the Indians powerful offense had been shut down through six innings, recording just two hits.
With a third state finals berth in five years on the line, against a Brooklawn Post 72 team the Indians know very well, Flemington head coach Steve Farsiou needed two things to happen. Someone had to step up on the mound in relief of R.J. Hennessey, and quiet the Gloucester bats, and someone needed to get a big hit to wake up the offense.
Behind Austin Arndt's five innings of relief, and a eight-run eighth inning powered by Ryan Koep's huge bases-clearing double, Flemington rallied to stun Gloucester 9-8. It set up a winner-take-all state final with six-time reigning champion Brooklawn 6 p.m. Thursday night at Moody Park.
It will be the third time in five years the two state baseball powerhouse programs will meet for the coveted crown.
FLEMINGTON POST 159 DOES IT AGAIN
"I came into the game in the fifth," Arndt said. "And I am just trying to keep the score where it is at, and let our boys hit the ball really hard, and make some plays out there."
Arndt entered with the Indians down 6-0, and with the way the offense was hitting, it looked like a tall task. But Flemington got into the Gloucester bullpen, and after scoring a run in the top of the seventh, the Indians bats started to rake in the eighth.
But it was the big double from Koep that gave Flemington the momentum to push on, and make a 6-1 deficit a 9-6 lead.
"Both coaches kept us in the game the whole time," Koep said. "They told us to keep our heads up, and that we still had a lot of outs to go. We executed a hit-and-run well, and from that our confidence boosted."
"I think my double gave the guys some confidence," Koep said. "We started to think this was our game."
With a 9-6 lead, Arndt went back to work. After an easy eighth, Gloucester scored two in the ninth. The South Jersey team had the winning run at the plate, but a ground out to first base ended the rally, and sent Flemington back to another state final.
"I just wanted to keep going, and I knew if my guys made the plays, we were going to win the game," Arndt said.
Farsiou thought his team had a rally in them at some point, but the work of Arndt to keep them in the game was the key.
"Maybe it was my mistake, and I should have started him," Farsiou said. "Austin is a competitor, and a gamer. Every time he gets on the mound, we know he is going to compete. I told him, 'I am not putting anyone in the bullpen. You are finishing this game. Austin is such a good kid, and he nailed the door shut. Everyone else stepped up and did their job."
FLEMINGTON POST 159 LOOKS TO GO ONE STEP FURTHER
With Arndt throwing up zeros, it came down to the Flemington hitters, and Farsiou was rewarded late in the game.
"I have to be honest, I did feel like we were going to make a run," Farsiou said. "I thought we hit the ball hard all game, but we hit the ball right to people. We did not capitalize early, and that always hurts."
"But they just fight," Farsiou said. "I look at guys like Ryan Koep, making plays and getting key hits. (Catcher) Jeff Guile got hurt (in a collision at the plate), and I thought it was a dirty play. But we have Brent Lincoln come in, and he is such a team player."
"He gets the guys ready in the bullpen, and his number gets called and he has two great at-bats," Farsiou said. "He made a couple really nice plays. Everyone contributes on this team, and it is fun to be around."
"We had two games this year when we held the lead going into the last inning and lost," Farsiou said. "So it is about time we were on the other end of it."
Contact Sean Miller at seanmillertrentontimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheProdigalSean