Larkin leads Spring-Ford to shutout of Phoenixville

PHOENIXVILLE >> In the second week of the regular season, Spring-Ford is still trying to establish an identity. 

Conor Larkin confirmed one for himself Wednesday: Lights-out starting pitcher. 

In the Rams’ game with Phoenixville, Larkin showed a form not seen often before midseason. The Spring-Ford junior threw six innings of masterful baseball, providing the lion’s share of a mound collaboration with Ryan Moore that produced an 8-0 victory over the Phantoms at Kennedy Field.

Larkin threw two-hit ball for his time on the mound, racking up nine strikeouts and walking none. He and Moore, who closed out the game with a one-hit seventh, complemented a plate attack that lit things up from the fourth inning on, expanding the 1-0 lead the Rams (2-1 PAC-10) protected through the first three.

“The first couple innings, I struggled with my curve,” Larkin said. “But as the game wore on, I got it and my fastball working. I was happy to have my pitches come together.”

Three of Larkin’s whiffs were on called third strikes, including the first two batters he faced. He needed to throw just 77 pitches to get through his six innings, and only three Phantoms were able to reach base off him: Kevin Cushing and Nasir Green with singles, and Colin Hook after being hit with a full-count pitch.

“He was overpowering,” SF head coach Bruce Brobst said. “Conor did a great job.”

And he didn’t even mind not being able to record the complete game, Moore closing out the shutout but having to deal with a one-out bases-full situation before recording strikeouts to close out the contest.

“We’re at the point of the year where we’re still trying to find out what our new guys are like, and who will be a closer,” Brobst said. “I was OK with it. It was a great pitching performance by Ryan.”

The Rams’ offense proved to be doubles-happy, almost half its hits two-baggers. They also took advantage of three Phoenixville errors while bolstering their efforts with a pair of walks and sacrifice flies.

“My job as a pitcher is to get outs,” Larkin said. “It made things easier when the runs kept coming. Everyone contributed hits.”

Spring-Ford bunched three of its hits for a first-inning run. Brian Varani and Sean McHugh (double) got things started, McHugh scoring off a Quinn McKenna hit to left-center after Varani was erased at third on a fielder’s choice play.

“When you get that first run, it builds confidence,” Larkin said.

The Rams’ confidence level got a boost in the fourth, when a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk to Varani upped their lead to 3-0. Brice Abrams scored on the two-out, third-strike wild pitch to Drew Skrocki before Jeremiah Ndjali was forced in with the walk.

Three more runs in the fifth gave Spring-Ford a commanding 6-0 advantage. Larkin doubled to start the outburst, which included two errors, a single by Abrams and designated-hitter Ethan Wellberg’s RBI sacrifice fly to right

In the seventh, the Rams got run-scoring hits from Troy Lachemayer and Skrocki (double) after Wellberg’s one-out double.

“We’re still trying to figure out who we are, and what we have,” Brobst said. “But we have to be pleased, that’s for sure. Great pitching, opportunistic offense … and go home a winner.”

Phoenixville appeared in position to avert the shutout in the seventh, its first four batters reaching base. Luke LeBeau led off getting to first on an error, Kyle Bennick followed on a fielder’s choice play that erased LeBeau, Kevin Cushing hit by a pitch and Matt Palubinsky singling to right-center.

Matt Osisek-Byrne pitched the first five for the Phantoms (1-2), touched for Spring-Ford’s first six runs and seven hits against two strikeouts. Green went the last two, giving up two runs and four hits with one strikeout.

NOTES >> A scary moment in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Jared Carboy was hit in the face by a line-drive foul off the bat of Nasir Green. Carboy, who was waiting to bat, left after medical personnel were able to stop the bleeding; his at-bat was taken by Jason Vaile. … Hook was the lone Phantom to get into scoring position against Larkin, getting to third base in the third but ultimately stranded there.