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PHILADELPHIA – Neshaminy’s Tyler Orr didn’t need a whole lot of words to describe what it was like to compete in the SOL National/Bicentennial squad’s Carpenter Cup opener on Wednesday at the University of Penn’s Meiklejohn Stadium.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Orr said with a smile.
Orr had himself quite a day in the SOL/BAL’s 7-3 win over Berks County.
Not only did he collect a hit and score a pair of runs, he also had a pair of highlight reel defensive plays in right field.
His first – which effectively killed a potentially big inning - came in the bottom of the fifth with the SOL/BAL clinging to a 3-1 lead.
After Jordan Gotshall drew a leadoff walk and stole second, Chris Lloyd lined a single to right. It was a foregone conclusion that a run would score on the play.
Until, that is, Orr unleashed a strike to home plate.
The laser throw easily beat Gottshall to the plate, and catcher Greg Olenski was waiting to make the tag for the inning’s first out.
“I just saw him rounding third,” Orr said. “I got a good hop and let it rip.
“I got pretty good jump, and as soon as I got it, I saw him run. I thought I had a real good shot.”
Berks went on to score a run in the inning to make it a 3-2 ball game, but it could have been a whole lot worse had it not been for Orr’s big play. Later in the game, with a pair of Berks runners on board, Orr made a running shoestring catch of a fly ball in shallow right for the third out of the sixth inning.
“You have to lay it on the line,” Orr said. “You get your chance to shine, and you have to take advantage of it.”
The SOL/BAL took advantage of its opportunity to shine on Wednesday, and the squad will face 2008 runner-up Lehigh Valley on Friday at 12:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to next week’s semifinals at Citizens Bank Park. Lehigh Valley edged the Inter-Ac /Independents squad 3-1.
“It’s amazing,” said Council Rock South’s Eric Ebert, who is making his third straight Carpenter Cup experience. “It’s a real good experience playing down here. It’s a lot of fun every time I come down.
“We want to keep winning. We want to play at the Bank.”
Wednesday’s game started slowly for both squads.
Truman’s Josh Patman worked two scoreless innings to open the game for the SOL/BAL, but Berks had a pair of runners on board in both innings. Twin Valley’s Brad Smith retired the SOL/BAL in order in the first two innings.
The Berks squad took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the third, but the SOL/BAL got that run back in the fourth with Council Rock North’s Scott Runzer contributing the inning’s only hit.
In the fifth, the SOL/BAL staged a two-out rally. Neshaminy’s Rick Brebner got things started with a single to center, and Christopher Dock’s Ryan Seiz – the hero of the SOL/BAL’s title run last year – followed with a booming triple off the center field wall. Olenski’s double plated Seiz, and the SOL/BAL led 3-1.
That lead was trimmed to 3-2 in the bottom of the frame, but the SOL/BAL answered with three runs in the sixth. The inning started with Ebert reaching first on an error.
“The game wasn’t going our way in the beginning, but in the second half, it picked up,” Ebert said.
Orr followed with a single to center, and Ebert raced home when Council Rock North’s Matt Hone ripped an RBI double to deep left field.
“You get here and play your game,” said Hone. “It’s different with all the great players, but you have to play your game.”
For Hone and his Rock North teammates, the Carpenter Cup is an opportunity to put an exclamation point on a memorable season that saw the district runner-up Indians advance to the state quarterfinals.
“It’s was a lot of fun – the music, the big field, the good competition,” said Hone, who was competing in his first Carpenter Cup. “I know all the guys on the team already basically playing with them in summer ball. It’s always great playing with the better players in the league.”Hone took off his hat to reveal a cleanly shaved head. Gone was the mohawk that became the Indians’ trademark during their post-season playoff run.
“I shaved it the night after we lost,” he said of his team’s season-ending loss to eventual state champion North Penn. “Everyone’s is gone.”
Although the mohawks are gone, Hone and his Indians’ teammates are still winning, and the SOL/BAL led 6-2 after back-to-back sacrifice fly balls by Truman’s Christopher Bechter and Bristol’s Adam Moore.
Berks plated an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to make it a 6-3 game, but the SOL/BAL tacked on a run in the eighth when Orr, who had walked, scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Abington’s Corey Hower.
Abington’s Jake Ruch tossed a scoreless ninth to close it out.
“It’s great,” Ruch said. “I love playing with this group of kids. They’re great ball players, and it’s a great opportunity to play with different people.”
Was it unnerving to take the mound with all the scouts looking on?
“A little bit, but you can’t worry about that,” Ruch said. “You worry about playing the game.
“I just tried to be comfortable, throw strikes. You just have to do the job when you’re called upon. It was great coming in that last inning and finishing it out. It’s fun. I love it. I love the game.”
EXTRA INNINGS: Holy Ghost’s Andrew Strenge notched the win, allowing one run in two innings. Council Rock South’s Greg Welsh allowed a pair of unearned runs in his two innings. Neshaminy’s Ray Hyjurick threw two scores innings, setting the stage for Ruch to close it out.
SOL NATIONAL/BICENTENNIAL 7, BERKS COUNTY 3
SOL National/BAL: Rick Brebner ss 2 0 1 0; Billy Fleming ph/ss 2 1 1 0; Ryan Seiz dh 3 1 1 1; Johnny Schiotis dh 2 0 0 0; Greg Olenski c 2 1 1 1; Brian Beyer c 2 0 0 0; Scott Runzer 1b 3 0 1 0; Brad Lampson 1b 2 0 0 0; Shane Coleman 3b 1 0 0 0; Eric Ebert 3b 2 1 0 0; Nick Mascioli rf 2 0 0 0; Tyler Orr rf 1 2 1 0; Brian Fiocco 2b 2 0 0 0; Matt Hone 2b 2 1 1 1; Christopher Bechter cf 2 0 0 0; Kelly Adams cf 1 0 0 1; Pat Traczykiewicz lf 0 0 0 0; Adam Moore lf 1 0 0 1; Corey Hower lf 1 0 0 1; Josh Patman p 0 0 0 0; Andrew Strenge p 0 0 0 0; Greg Welsh p 0 0 0 0; Ray Hyjurick p 0 0 0 0; Jacob Rush p 0 0 0 0. TOTALS 33 7 7 6.
Berks County: Gabe Fellin cf 3 0 1 0; Eric Wertz lf 1 0 0 0; Brett Hauck 2b 2 0 0 0; Tim Ravel 2b 2 0 0 0; Jordan Gotshall 3b 1 0 0 0; Blaise Fernandez ph/3b 2 0 0 0 0; Sean Hagen c 2 1 1 0; Chris Lloyd ph/c 3 1 2 1; John Marchiano ss 2 0 1 0; Frankelvin Reyes ph/ss 2 0 0 0; Kyle Hartman 1b 1 0 1 1; Shawn Heck ph/1b 3 0 1 1; Jonah Pulford rf 2 0 1 0; Chad Wisniewski ph/rf 2 0 0 0; Rob Cala dh 2 0 0 0; Garrett Gittler dh 2 0 0 0; Nick Riegel lf 2 0 1 0; Clinton Faust cf 2 1 1 0; Brad Smith p 0 0 0 0; Brandon Esterly p 0 0 0 0; Brock Krumanocker p 0 0 0 0; Brent Rhoads p 0 0 0 0; Kyle Stoudt p 0 0 0 0; Jason Henderson p 0 0 0 0. TOTALS 36 3 10 3.
SOL National/BAL 000 123 010 7-7-2
Berks County 001 011 000 3-10-2
E-Berks 2, SOL/BAL 2. DP-Berks 1. LOB-SOL/BAL 6, Berks 13. 2B-Olenski, hone, Hartman, Faust. 3B-Seiz. SB-Hower, Fernandez, Hagen. S-Adams, Moore.
IP H R ER BB SO
SOL National/BAL
Patman 2 2 0 0 2 1
Strenge (W) 2 4 1 1 0 3
Welsh 2 3 2 0 3 2
Hyjurick 2 1 0 0 0 0
Ruch 1 0 0 0 1 1
Berks County
Smith 2 0 0 0 0 2
Esterly 1 1 0 0 1 2
Krumanocker (L) 2 4 3 3 1 1
Rhoads 2 2 3 2 1 1
Stoudt 1 0 1 0 1 0
Henderson 1 0 0 0 0 3
WP-Patman, Stoudt. HBP-Patman 1 (Hauck), Krumanocker (Olenski)
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