Crossin’s perfect game lifts Perkiomen in PAISAA opener

PENNSBURG — He had never been through the experience before.

But that fact didn’t prevent Devon Crossin from making all the right moves — both on the mound and in the dugout — for Perkiomen School Tuesday.

Crossin got the Panthers off to the best possible start in the Pa. Independent School Athletic Association (PAISAA) playoffs. He threw a perfect five-inning game at Westtown School, highlighting his team’s 10-0 victory over Westtown School.

Striking out six batters through the first three innings — and seven for the game — Crossin limited Westtown to just one ball hit to the outfield: A fly ball to Josh Cruz in the first. The remainders were handled by the infield, with shortstop Christian DelToro and third-baseman Tom Aaron each making two plays.

“I decided I was going to put it (ball) in the zone and let them try to hit it,’ Crossin said.

And even while he suspected he had something special in the works, Crossin didn’t let nerves kick in before the final out — a five-pitch whiff of Sam Pinsky — was recorded. Afterward, the junior southpaw good-naturedly accepted an ice-water shower from teammates and ribbing from head coach Ken Baker about “hugging everybody’ on the sidelines.

“It’s maturity,’ he said, “and a lot of it is command of my pitches. I was throwing a two-seamer (fastball) that moved … that and a curve.’

Crossin was also a model of economy, throwing just 55 pitches on the afternoon. He ran only two full counts: One of them an ultimate nine-pitch duel with Pat Culcasi that ended with the Westtown first baseman grounding out to third to start off the third.

“This is as well as he’s pitched all year,’ Baker said of Crossin, who clocked his strikeouts on six different Westtown batters. “He got a couple of them (batters) on off-speed pitches.’

While the Perkiomen defense played solidly behind Crossin, the offense made the most of the opportunities presented by the visitors. The Panthers (18-4) stretched their seven-hit attack by waiting out eight walks, also making Westtown throw the ball around for three errors, one wild pitch and one passed ball … all of which factored in the locals bringing the “mercy rule’ into effect with none out in the fifth.

It was kick-started in a three-run first, Angel Lopez tripling home Cruz (walk, stolen base) and Levi Stoudt (single) before scoring off Javi Quinones’ grounder to second. Thoughts of an early finish were bolstered by a third-inning bataround that produced six more runs, in addition to finishing Westtown starting pitcher Kevin Hendriksen.

“He was as good a pitcher as we’ve seen all year,’ Baker said of Hendriksen, who left after putting Perk’s first eight batters on base with no outs. “We just got pressure on him, getting people on first base.’

Six of the Panthers’ first nine batters reached base on walks, Quinones and Saul DeLeon hitting singles while Lopez reached on a Westtown fielding error. At the bottom of the order, David Juechter, DelToro and designated hitter Alex Soriano all drew walks to force in runs.

“They were overwhelmed,’ Crossin noted. “We play good small ball.’

Jonathan Moldoff took over for Hendriksen and got the visitors out of the inning. He followed with a 1-2-3 fourth, only to be touched for the early finish in the fifth.

DeLeon drew a leadoff walk before Juechter and DelToro followed with singles to load the bases. Soriano then applied the closer, a single to right that plated DeLeon.

Next on tap for Perkiomen will be a quarterfinal-round contest Thursday with either Hill School or Penn Charter. The tournament’s semifinal and championship rounds will again be staged Saturday at Perkiomen School and Upper Perkiomen High’s Bonekemper field.