Published: July 08, 2009 10:47 pm      

Close shave

Helmick hero with home run

BLUEFIELD — Gary Helmick’s face was covered in shaving cream. He wasn’t planning to shave.

Helmick earned a hero’s reward with a solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, leading the Bluefield Orioles to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Danville Braves in front of 1,098 fans on Wednesday afternoon at Bowen Field.

A day game in the Appalachian League is rare, but Helmick certainly enjoyed it.

“It was cool, it was different,” Helmick said. “It was nice to see a good crowd out here for a day game like that. We were very surprised, it was very nice.”

Bluefield (10-6) returned to the top of the East Division. The Orioles, which travel to Danville for a pair of games starting tonight, will return home on Saturday against Princeton in the first game of the annual Mercer Cup series.

“If we keep doing the stuff we’re doing and play hard and don’t give up until the last out, that is the key,” Bluefield manager Einar Diaz said.

Trailing 2-1 in the eighth, Bluefield rallied to take the lead on a two-run single by Luis Ramirez. Danville tied it at 3-3 in the ninth, and no one scored again until Helmick took a two-out, 0-2 pitch from Luis Avilan and deposited it over the left field fence.

“I had a good feeling it was gone, but I didn’t want to take any chances,” Helmick said. “I was just trying to run around the bases.”

Helmick was greeted at the plate by his teammates, who mobbed him in celebration. In the clubhouse after the game, the free agent signee from Towson University became the object of a long-time baseball tradition.

“Man, it’s priceless,” said Helmick, only moments before his face was covered in shaving cream by an appreciative teammate. “I can’t even say how excited I am.”

Bluefield, which has won seven of its last eight games, was led by Ramirez with three hits, and two from Javier Santana. Helmick had the biggest blast, his second solo shot of the season.

“It was good to see the team battle, that was good,” Diaz said. “Helmick got the home run, that was good, man. We battled and battled and made the plays really good. It was a good game, huh.”

Danville, which defeated Pulaski 23-7 on Tuesday night, was out-hit 11-10 in this game, and managed to score single runs in three different innings.

“There were numerous opportunities on both sides, it was just a matter of time before somebody was able to catch a break,” Danville manager Paul Runge said. “It was good pitching on both sides.”

The Braves (9-7) scored first in the third, with Travis Adair reaching on a force play, moving to second on a single by L.V. Ware and scoring on a two-out base hit from Mycal Jones off Bluefield starter Justin Moore, who allowed just six hits, struck out three and walked none in six innings on the mound.

Travis Phelps followed with two perfect innings, and even though Josh Dowdy allowed Danville to tie the score in the ninth, the Bluefield closer pitched the final four frames to earn the win.

“They did a great job,” Helmick said. “(Danville) has been swinging it pretty well so for us to hold them to three runs that is pretty good.”

Diaz added, “(Dowdy) kept us in the game and that’s what you need. If he keeps us in the game then we’ve got a chance.”

Bluefield tied the score at 1-1 in the sixth when Helmick reached first and second on force plays, and then scored on another force play, running from second to home when Teheran retired a runner at second on a bouncer back to the mound, but shortstop Jones dropped the ball.

“We made two defensive miscues that cost us two runs today, we make those plays and it would have been a different outcome,” Runge said. “That’s the game of baseball, that’s how it works. It was good pitching on both sides, it was a good game.”

Played in front of a large collection of area youth, the Orioles thrilled the hometown audience in the eighth. Santana led off with a single, and Luis Rivera reached on a bunt attempt when Teleran’s throw to second drew Jones off the bag. Helmick then used small ball, sacrificing them over, and Ramirez followed with a single to right for the 3-2 lead.

Danville tied the score in the ninth, but nearly did more. South African Riann Spanjer-Furstenberg — the league’s leading hitter at .459 — singled, and Robert Hefflinger — the circuit’s top home run slugger with six — hit a long drive to right-center field for a double.

The ball bounced narrowly missed sailing over the fence. Spanjer-Furstenberg scored on a sacrifice fly by Kuyaunnis Miles. However, Hefflinger never crossed the plate, and Runge remembered.

“We hit quite a few balls on the nose today,” Runge said. “It’s really a game of breaks. Hefflinger’s ball hit at the very top of the wall in right center field, and we lined out a number of times right at somebody. That’s just the way the game goes.”

It was Helmick’s shot that did go over the fence that decided it in the 12th. Avilan took the loss after Teheran — whose fastball was clocked as high as 94 miles per hour — allowed eight hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings.

“I had two strikes and I was trying to cut down on my swing,” Helmick said. “He threw me a curveball down the pitch before and I was lucky to foul it off.

“He just threw it again back-to-back and he hung it and I stayed back and hit it pretty well.”

Bluefield didn’t play flawless baseball, committing one costly error, while having three runs caught stealing and another — Santana — picked off first base earlier in the final frame.

“There were a couple of mistakes that shouldn’t have happened right there, but we’ve just got to keep working,” Diaz said. “It’s a good thing we won the game. They played really good too, but somebody had to win today.”

Runge, whose Braves were led with two hits apiece by Ware and Jones, refused to make any excuses, such as following a Tuesday night game with playing under the afternoon sun the next day.

“It was a beautiful day today,” Rungs said. “It was a great day to play baseball.”

No one would agree more than the game’s hero.

“That was a great game,” said Helmick, with a smile.

—Contact Brian Woodson

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com



at Bowen Field

Danville.............001 100 001 000 — 3 10 1

Bluefield...........000 001 020 001 — 4 11 1

Julio Teheran, Luis Avilan (8) and Daniel Etorriaga-Matra. Justin Moore, Thomas Phelps (7), Josh Dowdy (9) and Dashenko Ricardo. W—Dowdy (1-0); L—Avilan (0-2). HR—Helmick (2), 12th, 0 on. Att—1,098.