2024 Marlins Repeat in Liberty Bell 21+ Division of Bux-Mont (PA) MSBL
2024 Bux-Mont (PA) MSBL Baseball League, 21+ Division
Conshohocken Marlins 9, Philadelphia Dirt Dawgs 5 (Game three in best-of-three championship series)
‘Marlins Repeat in Liberty Bell 21+ Division’
Springfield, Pa – The Conshohocken Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Dirt Dawgs in a three-game series on August 19, 2024, at Cardinal O’Hara High School to win the 2024 Bux-Mont Men’s Baseball League (Liberty Bell Division 21+) Championship. This was their second straight championship for the Marlins, who defeated the Dirt Dawgs in 2023 as well.
The Marlins starter for game one was Tyler Leonard, a young arm who had just won the Division III College World Series at Misericordia University weeks prior. Tyler went head-to-head against Dirt Dawgs pitcher, Ryan Levito, for five innings before giving way to reliever Kyle Werman with the Marlins down 4-3. Werman, a jack of all trades, won the Cy Young in the Bux-Mont Men’s League in 2023 and played his college ball at the University of Virginia.
With the Dirt Dawgs leading 5-4 in the top of the seventh inning, the Marlins found themselves down to their final out when long-time veteran Scott Seiple stepped up to the plate. Behind in the count 0-2, Scott ripped a line drive to center field, scoring Mark Gervasi and tying the game. From there, pitchers Kyler Werman and DJ Newby were tangled in an extra innings pitchers duel, holding each team scoreless until the 10th inning.
With a runner on base and two outs, Kyle Leone singled to left field to give the Marlins a 6-5 lead. Werman held the Dirt Dawgs scoreless in the bottom of the 10th, earning him the win after only allowing one earned run in five innings of relief, giving the Marlins a 1-0 series lead.
Game two featured two of the best pitchers in the Bux-Mont league: Kevin McGovern and Kyle Werman, who was rolling right into the start after closing game one. McGovern had not let up a single earned run all year and had pitched in Double-A for the Cardinals organization as recently as 2021. In what many anticipated as being a low-scoring game, a lead-off triple by the Marlins’ Rob Zinsmeister led to the Marlins taking an early 1-0 lead, and more importantly, proving to themselves that they had a chance against the juggernaut McGovern.
The game remained close going into the top of the sixth inning, where the Marlins had a 2-1 lead and were only five outs away from securing back-to-back championships. A Dirt Dawgs rally, led by Anthony Kelly, gave them a 4-2 lead in the game that they never gave up.
Game three was set to start with long-time veterans Dan Stauffer (Marlins) and Matt Edmonson (Dirt Dawgs) taking the mound. The Dirt Dawgs got out to an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings. A four-run deficit at this point felt more like fourteen at this point in the day, as 20 innings of baseball had already been played and there was hard rain coming down on the field.
That all changed when Nick Sun and Kyle Werman led off the top of the third inning with back-to-back singles. With one out, Mark Gervasi stepped up to the plate and hit a no-doubt homerun over the left field fence, in what turned out to be the biggest swing of the day. This cut the Dirt Dawgs lead to one run and provided the Marlins with some much-needed energy.
With the Dirt Dawgs’ lead whittled down to one run, Kyle Werman entered the game for his third pitching appearance in three separate games, a seemingly impossible feat even for the rubber-armed Werman, to try and prevent the Dawgs’ offense from adding to their lead.
The Marlins tied the game in the fifth inning and took a 6-4 lead shortly after with the help of some clutch hits by Mark Gervasi and Jameson Cooper. With the Dirt Dawgs still in striking distance, the Marlins loaded the bases in the top of the sixth inning looking to add some insurance runs. Scott Seiple, the same player who tied game one with the Marlins down to their final strike, stepped up to the plate and ripped a bases-clearing double to left center field giving the Marlins a 9-4 lead.
As expected, the Dawgs’ offense continued to put pressure on the Werman and the Marlins’ 9-5 lead over the final two innings. The Dirt Dawgs threatened but couldn’t cash in, aided by an incredible diving play from Sam Plaugher and an over-the-shoulder catch by Seth Reigner helping Werman finish his third outing of the day and lock down the save, the Game Three win, and the second championship in as many years for the Conshy Marlins.
Notable state lines:
Sam Plauger: 5-11, 1 2B, and 4 RBI
Mark Gervasi: 7-10, 1 HR, 2 2B, 3 BB, 5 RBI, 3 SB, 4 R
Kyle Werman: 15 IP, 4 ER, 1 W (G1), 1 S (G3)/ 3-7, 2 2B, 2 BB, HBP
From the coach…
I’ll admit when I started this team in 2019, it wasn’t with the intention of winning a championship. My goal was simple: To have fun playing baseball with people I enjoy being around. To say we’ve done that over these last six seasons would be an understatement. I’m extremely fortunate to have been surrounded by a great group of guys over the years.
This 2024 championship was particularly special as we were a bit shorthanded missing some key starters we had all year. Not only did we have 3-4 players step into roles they weren’t accustomed to, but they ended up being key contributors in winning the series. That’s something I’ll never forget.
Winning these championships has been great, but I know that the relationships and memories created throughout the years are what will be remembered in the future.
It would be remiss if we didn’t thank our sponsor, Ellis Investment Partners, and our owner/biggest fan David Sun. None of this would be possible without them, and I know I can speak for everyone on the team when I say we are very thankful for the support. Nick Sun, Marlin’s manager