Pennridge notched a non-league win over Upper Perk on Thursday.
Non-league
PENNRIDGE 4, UPPER PERKIOMEN 2
The Rams rode the strong pitching arms of Aiden Fretz and Connor Flynn to a non-league victory. The duo combined for a two-hitter. Fretz started and threw four strong innings, allowing one hit and one run while striking out seven and walking just one.
“He was texting me after the game,” Pennridge coach Craig Whitten said. “He’s not a stat guy. He’s not – ‘How many strikeouts did I have? How many walks did I have?’ His very first question was ‘Coach, what was my first pitch strike percentage?’
“As the pitching coaches, we have the ideal number to get as close to 75 percent as we can. He was at 74 percent, and 90 percent of them led to an out. Basically, the cliché- get ahead, stay ahead. He was in control. He was efficient. First pitch strike per batters faced was 11-for-15. Eleven out of 15 started with a strike. First-pitch strike dictates the whole at-bat.”
Fretz threw just 63 pitches – 40 were for strikes, but in the second inning, the weather became a factor.
“It started raining a little bit, and I thought, ‘Here we go,’” Whitten said. “Joey Santora, his catcher today, knows how he grips his breaking pitches, and he knew in the back of his head – let’s just stick with as many fingers on the ball as possible. Let’s go fast ball.
“Fretz’s changeup was disgusting in the bullpen before the game. We’re like – he might be able to just throw those two pitches because his breaking ball is really good. He threw his change-up effectively in any count, and it was probably the most effective changeup I’ve seen him throw since I started coaching him two years ago.
“It sucks that he got a no-decision, but Aidan’s not a stat guy. He wants to go out there and perform, put us in a good position. I told him, ‘You put us in a position to win the game. Unfortunately, we decided to start hitting the ball after you were done, but he’s not one of those type of guys – how many wins did I have my senior year? He’s like ‘Let’s win some games. I don’t care what I need to do to contribute.’”
Flynn – who committed to Stony Brook University this winter – rebounded from a tough outing in the Rams’ scrimmage against Owen J. Roberts to throw three strong innings. After walking the leadoff batter in the fifth, Flynn retired seven in row, but with one out in the bottom of the seventh, he walked three straight to load the bases. A run scored on a fielder’s choice, and he retired the next batter on a groundout.
“He had a shaky seventh inning,” Whitten said. “I went out and talked to him. A lot of his misses were near misses. We have high hopes for both of those guys this year and obviously for Connor next year just being a junior. We’re looking for him to take over for everybody.”
The two teams were deadlocked 1-1 leading into the sixth inning with the Rams plating their run in the third, thanks to a Joey Calabretti double. The Indians evened the score with a run in the fifth inning.
In the top of the sixth, the Rams put three unearned runs on the board, capitalizing on a pair of costly errors. A sacrifice fly by Fretz plated the go-ahead run.
“After he got done pitching, he went to first base,” Whitten said. “He stings the ball hard, he’s a hard thrower. He’s quiet, he’s very reserved.”
A second run crossed the plate on a passed ball, and Ashton McCloskey’s RBI single put the Rams on top 4-1. That score held until the bottom of the seventh.
The Rams collected just five hits. Calabretti was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI.
“He stung the ball,” Whitten said. “Matt Atchley, who started last year as a freshman, went 5-for-5 on Tuesday. He went 1-for-4 today, but he hit the ball hard. The wind was blowing in from right to left really, really bad, and he’s a lefthanded hitter. He put one in right center that – if it was a calm 75-80-degree day, it would have been gone. He just stings the ball, and he just knows how to get on base. He’s the smartest 16-year-old kid I’ve ever coached in knowing the situation.”
Pennridge (2-0) will travel to Central Bucks East for its SOL opener on Friday.
Pennridge 001 003 0 4-5-1
Upper Perk 000 100 1 2-1-4
METHACTON 8, CHELTENHAM 1
About the Author
