BASEBALL:Bristol gets robbed

Bristol won the District 21 title only days before going to states.

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Looks like the men in blue have taken yet another baseball game from our boys in red.
This one hurt, however (don’t they all) as Big Blue all but handed a state title to Williamsport last week in Coatesville.
With a state championship on the line, umpires ejected Bristol’s leadoff hitter—twice—and called a walk-off game-winning run safe in extra innings, sending the red team down in defeat, 3-2, in the bottom of the eighth July 14 at Caln Park Little League ballfields
By then, Bristol had been playing with a severe disadvantage as it was down to its last 11 ballplayers. First, the home plate umpire ejected Bryan Dean, a Neshaminy High School senior, for tossing his helmet upon returning to the dugout in the third inning.
Dean was apparently upset after getting picked off first base. In his first at-bat, Dean hit a Williamsport pitch off the fence and scored a run. But after drawing a walk in the third inning, he was subsequently picked off the bag.
In place of Dean, Bristol head coach Al Pirollo inserted Anthony Yenette into the lineup. Yenette came up to bat in the fifth inning and was ejected soon after when the home plate umpire discovered that Anthony was wearing a chain, which is not allowed under league rules.
Despite leading twice in this game—1-0 and 2-1—Bristol eventually fell, 3-2. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Williamsport got runners on first and third then loaded the bases when Pirollo opted to intentionally walk a batter.
The next batter up hit a long fly ball to outfielder Mike Devane, a recent graduate of Bristol High School. A standout lefthander for Tony Mangiaracina’s Warriors during the varsity season, Devane threw a strike to catcher Chris Bechter, who had the ball in his glove and was awaiting the tag as the runner approached.
According to Pirollo, Bechter had the Williamsport runner in his sights and was ready to ring him up.
But alas, the umpire ruled the runner safe. After making the controversial call, the umpire drew a police escort and withdrew from the facility.
Game.
Set.
Match.
Police had been called to the scene when the home plate umpire got into a verbal altercation with a Bristol parent who made the trek to Coatesville to witness the skirmish.
At one point in the heat of the battle, the same umpire threatened to throw Big Al out of the contest (I’d like to see him try it).
“By that point, he’d obviously lost control of the game,” stated Big Al.
Obviously.