Julian Turner helps Holy Ghost Prep baseball to key win at Lower Moreland
HUNTINGTON VALLEY – With his team hanging on to a 3-2 edge Friday afternoon, April 15 at Lower Moreland in a key Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) matchup, Holy Ghost Prep senior Julian Turner (3-for-4, 4 RBI) sparked his team with a two-run home run in the fifth inning, helping the visiting Firebirds to a 7-2 triumph over the Lions.
“I’m just more mentally ready this season. I have two varsity years under my belt so I’m used to the pitching,” said Turner, after the ‘birds earned their fifth win of the season against no losses.
“Last year, I was caught off guard the beginning of the year. This season, my level of play is just a little bit better; I’m ready to hit every pitch when I’m up at bat. I’m just more prepared, overall.”
While the home run put the Ghost on top, 5-2, Turner also belted a two-run single in the sixth inning to push the score to its 7-2 final score. Both hits came with two outs.
“That was the biggest moment of the game right there,” said Firebirds head coach Vince Rossomando. “At that point, they had all of the momentum.
“After they walked Nolan (Jones), for him to come up big in that spot and get a two-run shot, that was huge. That allowed everyone to take a breath and calm ourselves down and get back to playing good baseball.”
“I was just trying to hit a ball hard up the middle,” added Turner. “He came with an off-speed pitch so I was a little bit out in front so I had a chance to drive it.”
Defensively, HGP junior righthander John McCrane tossed a 2-hit gem, allowing only a two-run rally by Lower Moreland in the fourth inning on just one hit. McCrane mowed through the Lions’ lineup in each of the first three frames, struck out the side in the fifth while fanning two more batters in the sixth.
“It’s fun playing behind him because he throws a lot of strikes, he works quick and the ball is hit in play a lot so the fielders get a decent amount of action,” said Turner.
“You are pretty active with him on the mound.
“I didn’t get too many fly balls but any action at the plate, the fielders are moving on balls that are hit in play so it’s more exciting that way.”
After failing to get a baserunner on board the first time through the lineup, the Lower Moreland offense came alive in the fourth.
Lions outfielder Pat Furphy pushed the first run across the plate for Lower Moreland in the fourth inning with a ground ball out to shortstop with a pair of runners on and no outs. The Lions also scored a run when infielder Jordan Leiber raced home on McCrane’s attempted pickoff that squirted past first base.
Unfortunately for the home fans, that’s all the offense Lower Moreland would muster.
“We had two mistake pitches – that’s four runs right there,” said first-yeard head coach Tony Martino. “A couple of our hits come through and it could have been a closer game.
“It’s something to build on. We only have two seniors and a lot of juniors. We’re focusing on carving out a win and cutting out those type of pitches and that’s going to help us win baseball games.”
HGP senior shortstop Nolan Jones set the stage for the visitors when he hit one of those ill-advised offerings from Lions starting righthander James Laurenzi over the right field fence for a two-run home run with no outs in the first inning.
“A huge part of the game is getting off to a good start,” said Turner. “Once you get off to a good start, it kind of shuts the opponent down.
“The rest of the lineup, they see guys getting hits, it makes them more confident.”
“That was huge,” added McCrane. “You get a two-run lead that early, it gives you such an advantage.
“You just go out there and throw strikes and trust your fielders behind you.
Firebirds outfielder Sean Hayes provided the winning edge, stroking an RBI single with no outs in the first inning to score Turner from third base. Julian stole second and third to get into scoring position.
With his team on top, 5-2, Turner also stroked a two out single in the sixth that scored leadoff hitter Sean Kerrigan and Jones.
After yielding three runs in the first, Laurenzi – who sustained the loss – settled down and tossed shutout ball through the next three innings.
“I thought he battled – gave up a couple runs in the first (inning) and he battled,” said Martino. “That’s what we talked about with this game – keep battling through.”
“They got three in the first then three straight innings with no runs. The whole team battled; it was good.”
The Lions benefitted from three errors committed by the Firebirds in the fourth inning including two committed in one at-bat that allowed Lower Moreland’s second run to score. All told, Ghost committed four errors in the contest.
“It was a rough day for us, defensively,” said Rossomando. “I can take physical mistakes but there were some mental mistakes today and they bother me.
“That’s tough when your pitcher is getting into a groove. It adds up at the end of the game; four errors ends up making your pitcher throw 15 to 20 more pitches.
“That’s something we’re going to have to get cleaned up.”
On Thursday, April 21, the Firebirds host two-time defending District 1 Class A champ Devon Prep, which won the PIAA championship in 2014. Rossomando, however, refuses to look past the next game, which sends Ghost to Paoli on Tuesday, April 19 when the ‘birds face Church Farm School. While the Griffins are 1-6 in the BAL Presidents Division, the first-year head coach says HGP can expect to see the best effort put forth by any division foe.
Ghost is now 5-0, overall, 5-0 in the BAL Independence Division while Lower Moreland falls to 2-3 overall, 1-2 in the BAL.
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
Holy Ghost Prep 7, Lower Moreland 2
(April 15 at Lower Moreland)
HOLY GHOST PREP 300 022 0 – 7 9 4
LOWER MORELAND 000 200 0 – 2 2 1
WP – John McCrane 6IP, 2R, 2H, 1BB, 6SO.
LP – James Laurenzi 5IP, 5R, 6H, 6BB, 5SO.
MULTIPLE HITS: HGP – Nolan Jones 2-for-2, Julian Turner 3-for-4; LM – none.
EXTRA-BASE HITS: HR – Jones (HGP), Turner HGP).
RBI: HGP – Jones 2, Turner 4, Sean Hayes; LM – Pat Furphy
