Brian Kordal

Tiebreaker keeps Settlers from Championship play. 

Before the first pitch was thrown in the Licking County Settlers (24-14) and Lima Locos (30-9) game Friday afternoon from Athletes in Action Sports Complex in Xenia, the Settlers knew regardless of the outcome they would not be able to play for the GLSCL postseason championship after Southern Ohio beat Grand Lake 3-2.

Even if the Settlers were to win 1-0, 10-0, or 100-0 in the Pool play, where Lima, Licking County, and Southern Ohio were grouped in Pool A, it was too little too late, A Settlers victory would leave all three teams with a 2-1 record which came to pass. The first tiebreaker in a three-way tie is fewest runs allowed. After allowing five in the lost Wednesday to Southern Ohio, three in the win over Cincinnati Thursday, the Settlers eight total runs allowed surpassed the six runs the Copperheads would allow in their three games thus eliminating the Settlers.

With nothing more than pride and good times to play for, in their last outing in a Settlers uniform, the guys in gray made the most of the final game. A 9-2 victory of the 1-seed Lima Locos put a fitting stamp on what will go down as the best Settlers season in organization history.

Settlers 5-3 victors over Steam gets help from Locos to remain alive in title run.

Joe Muraski

Joe Muraski (Northwestern), now 3-2 took the mound for the Settlers in the 5th meeting between the two teams this summer. Muraski, pictured, who suffered a rain-shorted 5-inning loss on July 18th to the Steam, their only victory over the Settlers in 2009, has his summer action come to an end in grand form, gaining revenge on Cincinnati (24-13) and providing a much needed strong starting pitching performance. It took the 11th Steam batter before Muraski was touched for a hit in an outing that was one of his finest. Muraski pitched into the 7th inning keeping the Settlers in front the entire ballgame. Muraski's final start had a line of 6.2 innings pitched, three runs allowed, seven hits surrendered, two walks issued, while striking out five.

With the Steam threatening in the 7th inning, Mike Meintel (Wright State) was called upon in relief duty. With two down and a runner on third base, Meintel forced Ryan Strausborger, the Streams most dangerous hitter, to hit a lazy pop-up to end the inning. Meintel would pitch a perfect 8th inning before seeing his day conclude. Going to the 'pen one more time was Coach Kyle Sobecki as GLSCL saves leader Nick Karow (Furman) toed the rubber in the 9th inning. Karow struck out two, in a scoreless inning of relief to seal the deal and close out the 5-3 win. It was Karow's league leading 10th save which extends his Settlers single season victory record.

Dan Buchholz

Missed opportunities came back to haunt Licking County, who left the bases loaded in the second inning.  A frame later, the Settlers had a baserunner at third with no outs but failed to score. 

Only six hits on the afternoon, including two from John McCambridge (Xavier University), never allowed the Settlers to put a serious scare into the Copperheads after they claimed their early lead.  Dan Buchholz (UW-Milwaukee) gave Licking County a brief flash of hope in the eighth with a two-run home run to left field. 

In the end, however, the Copperheads had every answer, turning three double plays to end Settler threats. 

Licking County will play Cincinnati at 12 p.m. on Thursday, August 6th with a must-win situation facing the Settlers.  The game can be heard right here on settlersbaseball.com. 

With rain washing out the first day of the 2009 Playoffs, the entire format and opponents have been changed in order to complete the tournament within the alotted time.  Licking County will meet Southern Ohio at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5th in the new "pod system" tournament.  

The format breaks up the six teams into two pools, with Licking County joining the Copperheads and the Lima Locos.  The winner of each pool, which will also involve one cross-pod game, will play on Friday night at 7 p.m. in a winner-take-all championship game. 

The Settlers new playoff schedule, which will also mean a minimum of three games played for every team, will continue at 12 p.m. on Thursday, with Cincinnati on the schedule.  Then, on Friday, Licking County will take on regular season champion Lima at 4 p.m.

Click here to Listen Live to the Settlers first postseason game since 2006.  Game time is set for 12 p.m. with the Pre-Game beginning at 11:45 a.m.