By Scott Huff
BLUE BELL – Council Rock North will carry the Suburban One League banner into the PIAA District One Quad-A championship game on Thursday.
The Indians held off Owen J Roberts – 9-6 – in a semifinal game played on the campus of Montgomery County Community College to advance to the title game. Rock North [N-1] will face West Chester Henderson [S-1] which defeated Great Valley – 6-5 – in the other semifinal contest.
“We are going into the game focused on what we have to do to win the game,” said Council Rock head coach Dan Kusters. “We really don’t talk about where we were last year at this time, but we will use that experience to get us to where we want to go this year.”
Last year the talented Indians got to the District One Final – and lost to West Chester East by a 6-2 score.
“We can only worry about playing Council Rock North baseball,” said Kusters. “And if we do that, do the right things, we should do well.”
The Indians played Council Rock North baseball for the first five innings of its win over Owen J Roberts. Rock North led by a commanding 9-1, and the Indians were a hit or two away from besting the hard-hitting Wildcats by the mercy rule.
CR North scored six runs in the third inning to secure the lead. Ryan Hartley, Tim Filer, Dave Pine, and Keith Terry all drove in runs to fuel the scoring fire.
The Indians scored three more runs over the next three innings and had the bases loaded in the top of the sixth with the 9-1 lead. It looked like fans would get a reprieve from the blistering heat and humidity with a mercy-rule victory.
Wrong.
The Cats got out of the top of the sixth inning, and clawed Rock North for five runs in the bottom of the inning to make a game of it at 9-6.
A game that was a hit away from being a mercy-rule affair was a hit away in the seventh inning (two on with two outs) of being a come-from-ahead loss for the Indians.
“Owen J Roberts is a very well coached team,” said Kusters. “There wasn’t a time in the game that I ever thought we could relax.”
Indian right-hander Jared Weed tamed the Wildcats the first five innings. Weed yielded a first inning run, but cruised through the next four innings without allowing the Cats to score.
Owen J Roberts – which had scored an average of 14 runs in wins over Pennridge and Wissahickon in district play – began to dent the plate in the sixth inning.
“Jared threw the ball well, and if we could have made a couple of plays behind him, he would have gotten out of the sixth inning without giving up a run,” said Kusters. “And Darren (Lauer) did a nice job in relief.”
Lauer – who will start for the Indians in the championship game against WC Henderson on Thursday – received a save with one and one-third innings of scoreless relief.
“Darren would have thrown some today, anyway,” said Kusters. “This was just like a bullpen session for him – except that it was in a game.”
CR North senior outfielder Jesse Goldberg is excited about his club’s shot at the district title.
“We are capable of playing better than we did today,” said Goldberg who had a double and scored three runs for the winners. “Jared pitched a much better game than it looked.
“We miss Danny (Denton) in our lineup,” continued Goldberg of the powerful Indian clean up hitter who is lost for the season with an injury. “But we feel like we can still do some special things this year.”
The Indians – the top seed from the ‘North’ - will have to earn that ‘special thing’ against West Chester Henderson, the top seeded team from the ‘South.’
Neshaminy saw its season come to a close with a disappointing 12-2 loss to Downingtown East on Tuesday at Glen Mills High School.
The game was a ‘playback’ game for a possible fifth spot in the PIAA Quad-A state playoffs.
“That’s the end of that road,” said Neshaminy head coach Dennis Cox. “It was one of those frustrating games that happen in baseball.
“It seemed like we hit balls hard right at people, and they had a few bloops in there,” added Cox. “But they deserved to win the game. Only one team in the playoffs is going to win that final game of the year.
“We had a very good year between the lines, and behind the white lines,” continued Cox. “It is what it is.”
Neshaminy had a 2-1 lead after the first inning and a half, but East scored three runs in each of the second, third, and fifth innings to win going away.
Wissahickon managed only four hits in its 4-1 loss to Avon Grove in a PIAA Quad-A game played at Upper Merion. The terrific 2010 Trojan season is now in the history books.
“From where we started at 0-5, and to be just one game away from a state playoff spot is exceptional,” said Wissahickon head coach Shannon Gunby. “It shows the merit of the players on this team.
“This group of kids bonded all season, and it really helped us get to where we are,” added Gunby. “The seniors on this team were freshmen when I started coaching at Wissahickon, and they will be missed.”
Wissahickon game up a pair of runs in the first inning – closed to within 2-1 – but gave up a two-run home run in the seventh inning as its season came to a close.
Dean Roland struck out 12 Trojan batters to record the win for Avon Grove. Avon Grove will now meet Downingtown East for the fifth PIAA Quad-A state playoff spot on Thursday.
“We were fighting for our lives,” said Gunby. “It’s tough to have the season end.”
Springfield entered its PIAA Class AA District One playoff game as an underdog against top seeded New Hope Solebury.
After all, the Spartans had won just five games this season finishing in the basement of the SOL American Conference. The Lions roared through the season with 17 wins.
New Hope needed nine innings to defeat the Spartans, 7-6 at Perkiomen Valley. The loss will end the season for Springfield High School.
The Spartans made two comebacks to force the extra frames.
Springfield rallied from a 5-2 deficit to create a 5-5 tie with a three-run sixth inning. And the Spartans scored a single run in the last of the seventh inning to forge a 6-6 tie.
New-Hope Solebury will meet Devon Prep – a 12-2 winner over Lower Moreland – in the PIAA Class AA District One title game.
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