Casey’s Place Hooligans eked out a win, and Perkasie Baseball Club lost for the first time in five games in Wednesday’s second round of the St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Tournament.
St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Baseball Tournament
CASEY’S PLACE HOOLIGANS 8, PALISADES PIRATES 7
Brandon Pierce wasn’t expecting to have a baseball season this year.
If there had been a spring baseball season, the rising junior would have been sidelined after tearing his ACL in October playing football. Two weeks ago, he received clearance to play, and his teammates are certainly glad he did.
In Monday’s 3-2 win over Southern Lehigh, Pierce accounted for all three of his team’s runs with a two-hit, three-RBI effort that included a double and home run. In Wednesday’s must-win game against Palisades, he was back at it again.
Pierce led his team’s 10-hit attack with a 3-for-4 showing that included a double, two RBIS and two runs scored. Pierce took his first swings in game action against live pitching in last week’s Bux-Mont Baseball Classic.
“I was able to throw a little bit before I was fully cleared, but I wasn’t allowed to hit or anything,” Pierce said. “It felt really good - it was pretty cool being back on the field with my teammates. It’s really fun to play with them.”
It’s hardly a secret that Pierce has been seeing the ball well.
“If my teammates are on base, I want to try and get them in without trying to do too much,” Pierce said. “I know a lot of kids on different teams from playing AAU ball. It’s good playing against people I’ve seen play.”
Palisades led 4-1 after two innings with the lone run for Casey’s Place coming in the bottom of the first when Justin Butler, who doubled to left with one out, scored on Pierce’s single to left.
In the fourth inning, Pierce singled down the third base line to lead off the frame and then stole second. One out later, he scored on Tommy Kozluski’s RBI single to left.
Palisades upped its lead to 6-2 with a pair of runs in the fifth inning, but Casey’s Place erupted for six in the bottom of the inning to go on top 8-6. Ty Everitt and Butler were safe on back-to-back Palisades errors to open the inning. Pierce’s double to left center plated a run, and Vinny Pelligrini followed with a run-scoring single to right field.
With one out, Matt Tulley singled home a run, and when Anthony Rostick was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded for Nick Anthony, who ripped a bases-clearing triple to left center to give Casey’s Place a two-run advantage.
Casey’s Place escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning when Pelligrini – who entered the game with one out, one run across and a pair on board – came up with a huge strikeout for the inning’s final out. He tossed a 1-2-3 seventh to earn the save.
Tyler Nielson notched the win, allowing four hits and three runs – none earned – in 3.1 innings on the mound. He struck out five and walked one.
In addition to Pierce, Butler and Kozluski also had multi-hit games. Butler finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored while Kozluski was 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Casey’s Place needed a win if it entertained any thoughts of advancing to Friday’s playoff round, but the numbers are working against the team. Casey’s Place is one of three teams in Pool A/Silver Creek Regional with 2-1 records, and the tiebreaker is runs allowed in the three games combined.
Based on that formula, Southern Lehigh – which has allowed just five runs – is the winner of the pool while Perkasie Baseball Club edges Casey’s Place for second place in the pool. Perkasie has allowed 19 runs, and Casey’s Place has given up 22. The final playoff bracket will be completed by Thursday night.
Palisades Pirates 220 021 0 7-6-5
Casey’s Place Hooligans 100 160 x 8-10-2
SOUTHERN LEHIGH 12, PERKASIE BASEBALL CLUB 2
Perkasie entered Wednesday’s game riding a four-game winning streak and found itself atop the standings in Pool A Silver Creek Regional. But after scoring 23 runs in the first two games of the tournament and 53 in its last four combined, the squad managed just three hits and two runs.
“I had this feeling when we were warming up – I don’t want to say they weren’t up to play the game, but nobody really showed how excited they were to play, and we just carried that onto the field to start the game,” coach Craig Whitten said. “It was definitely not the (team) we have been for the past couple of games.
“We were due for a ‘sleep game,’ so I’m not going to say we lost it. Southern Lehigh definitely won the game. They were hitting balls, putting the ball in play, and we just weren’t making plays.”
Perkasie took a 2-1 lead in the second inning, thanks to a clutch two-run hit by Bobby Croyle. Southern Lehigh knotted the score in the top of the third and then seized control with an eight-run fourth.
“It was pretty tight game, and then they just blew it open in the fourth,” Whitten said. “We were bound to have one of these. Luckily, it wasn’t an elimination game. Doing the math, I’m pretty sure we’re in.”
Tommy Mastrogiavonni singled and scored a run, and Nick Christ accounted for Perkasie’s third hit.
“Unfortunately, we did not get anything going at all,” Whitten said. “This is what happens when you strike out eight times total, five times looking. We only had eight base runners. My bottom third of the lineup only got up to bat twice. My leadoff batter (Kyle Moran) was averaging four or five at-bats the last couple of games. He didn’t even sniff that today.
“We live to fight another day. I told the kids – you can be mad when you get in your car, you can be mad on the drive home. As soon as you take that uniform off and put it in the washing machine, shake it. I’ll let you guys know tomorrow night what we’re doing.’”
Perkasie is one of three teams to finish pool play 2-1. Southern Lehigh – the team of the three with the lowest runs allowed – won the pool. Perkasie allowed three less than Casey’s Place Hooligans to finish second.
Final seedings will be determined Thursday to see which 16 teams will advance to the playoff round in the 32-team tournament.
Southern Lehigh 101 802 x 12-11-1
Perkasie Baseball 020 000 x 2-3-3
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