COLUMN: Fairmont stars seem destined for title

By Mike Bowen
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT July 24, 2008 12:05 am

— A state title seems to be in the cards for Fairmont’s 11-12 all-stars.
At least that’s the way it looks the way they’ve been coming back on teams in the state tournament.
My first look at the team was Tuesday, when it took on Logan in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
But no sooner had the game started when Fairmont found itself down 7-0.
Being around sports my entire life, I know how superstitious things can become, especially at tournament time.
I didn’t want to be considered bad luck because this was the first game I attended.
But just like a couple days before against Barboursville, the Fairmont all-stars staged a comeback.
It was amazing to watch.
Starting with Brandon Plivelich’s grand slam that put his team back into the game to Luke Hrapchak’s bomb bouncing off the top of the left field fence in Logan’s cheering section that finally gave Fairmont the lead.
Manager Steve Mohr called his team “the cardiac kids.”
While it isn’t the first time a team’s been dubbed that, it fit pretty well.
And boy can those players hit.
There was a fair share of home runs when I was in Little League, but the Fairmont all-stars consistently are blasting balls out of the park on a regular basis.
And these aren’t balls just clearing the fence. These are shots that have plenty of distance on them.
Don’t forget about Johnny Kesling’s performance on the mound facing a 7-0 deficit.
Kesling has become the ace of the team, and he pitched like it Tuesday.
When the only chance Fairmont had to move on to the semifinals was to try to chip away at the Logan lead, Kesling came out firing and shut out Logan for the rest of the game.
The reason that’s important is it allowed Fairmont’s all-stars to do what they do best — stage a comeback when needed.
While Logan was struggling at the plate to figure out Kesling, Fairmont was teeing off against Logan’s relief pitchers, sending balls out of the field of play at all possible angles.
Wednesday’s semifinal showdown with Hurricane was postponed due to rain. It will be played today at 5:30 p.m. in Bridgeport.
And if Fairmont happens to fall behind at some point, I think the worrying will be a little less this time around.
After all, for the “cardiac kids,” it wouldn’t be a game without an emotional rally.
E-mail Mike Bowen at mbowen@timeswv.com.