Council Rock North baseball answers late in win over Springfield
NEWTOWN – Facing a 3-1 deficit entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Council Rock North needed a jolt, something to spark the offense. To that point, the sixth-seeded Indians managed just two hits off Cougars junior lefthander Mike Smith in a District 1 Class AAAA second-round pairing Wednesday afternoon, May 25 in Newtown.
Offensively, No. 22 Springfield was taking Rock North starter Matt Hand deep in the count and had strung together seven hits in the first five innings.
Smith batted with two outs and a runner in scoring position in the top of the sixth so you just knew he was coming back out in the bottom of the frame.
Indians catcher Jared Schram greeted Smith with a double to left field and that ignited a three-run, four-hit barrage that gave defending D-1 champion Rock North a 4-3 win and a District 1 quarterfinal date with Upper Dublin, ironically a 4-3 winner over No. 19 Harriton.
“He’s been great all season,” commented Hand. “He hasn’t really had any ups and downs and his average shows that.
“That was huge for him to start that up for us. He really barreled that up and that started off the rally.”
“We needed an extra-base hit. We needed something through the outfield to get things moving,” said CR North head coach Matt Schram. “Once Jared got that hit in that inning, I knew right then and there, we were going to get to (Smith).”
The Indians DID get to Smith – and two additional Springfield pitchers in the sixth inning. Hand finally chased the Southpaw with a single to centerfield moments before senior outfielder Seth Leuz greeted reliever Dave Strawley with an identical hit that drew CR North within a run.
While Strawley struck out first baseman Chase D’Arcangelo for the first out in the inning, the righthander couldn’t get another. Indians third baseman Tyler Nowmos followed with a squeeze bunt that Strawley failed to handle and just like that, the score was tied at 3-all.
When CR North designated hitter Juliano Kovalcik looped a single just inside the right field line for the Indians’ fourth hit in the inning, Cougars head coach Brian Francis pulled Strawley in favor of senior Ben Thorpe.
While senior centerfielder Jackson Parker failed to register a hit in this game, his sacrifice-fly to left field was probably the most significant stroke of the bat for the Indians in the District 1 duel.
“That was huge for us,” added Hand. “Fortunately, we were able to string some hits together in that inning and come back and win it but we seemed to kind of be not very energetic in the first couple innings and we really have to get that back.
“In the beginning of the year, that’s what we were best at doing – scoring a couple (runs) and getting ahead. So we gotta get back to that.”
For its part, Springfield – which upset 11th-seeded Conestoga 4-3 in a District 1 opener – wasn’t having any difficulty putting the ball in play against Hand. The Cougars greeted the Lehigh University bound righthander with infield singles in each of the first four frames and scored a run in the third inning on a single by junior Brandon Dichiacchio, a stolen base by the shortstop, a sac by senior Nick Gorman and a ground ball to third base by designated hitter Jared Morris.
Dichiacchio also sparked a two-run rally by Springfield in the fourth inning when he stroked a 2-run double that found the field when it dropped just inside the left field line and out of the reach of North sophomore Matt Shenot that scored Cougars infielders Andrew Paulus and Brett Sheeran, who reached base on back-to-back singles.
“That kid hit a bloop single – nothing you can do about it,” said Hand. “It was down the left field line and he was late on it and it just kind of popped over the third baseman’s head.
“It was a tough one today,” added Hand. “We knew this team was hot right now. They fight and they beat a good pitcher in Conestoga and they just seem to have great at-bats all the time. Some at-bats were nine, 10 pitches long.
“I don’t think I had my best stuff today. I was leaving the ball up and I wasn’t really able to get ahead of hitters, which I usually am.”
Hand helped himself offensively with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate including a two-out RBI single that scored shortstop Cavan Tully and put the Indians on top, 1-0, in the bottom of the first inning.
“I just felt like I was seeing the ball well today,” said Hand. “This pitcher here was a good lefty. But I was just trying to sit on my pitch – that middle-in fastball – and he seemed to make a couple mistakes and I was able to shoot it through the holes.”
Senior C.J. Kilgariff recorded the win for the Rock, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Hand. Kilgariff struck out two batters and didn’t walk any while giving up two hits.
For North seniors like Kilgariff, Hand, Schram, Parker, Kovalcik, D’Arcangelo, Nowmos and Leuz, the win meant a chance to move on one last time.
“We had some success last year but we always say ‘last year doesn’t really matter,’” said Hand. “This might be our last game on this field, depending on what happens at the Upper Dublin game.”
“We had a great showing today and we had some alumni here watching so it was big for us to get a ‘W.’
As it turned out, two days later, the Indians won the Upper Dublin game in convincing fashion, guaranteeing them a return trip to states.
NOTES: One of those CR North alums attending the Springfield duel was recent graduate Brandon McIlwain, who recently wrapped up his first baseball season at the University of South Carolina.
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
DISTRICT 1 CLASS AAAA (second round)
Council Rock North 4, Springfield (DC) 3
(May 25 at CR North)
SPRINGFIELD 001 200 0 – 3 9 1
CR NORTH 100 003 X – 4 6 0
WP — C.J. Kilgariff 2IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB, 2SO; LP — David Strawley 0.1IP, 1R, 2H, 0BB, 1SO.
MULTIPLE HITS: S — Brandon Dichiacchio 2-for-3, Brett Sheeran 2-for-3; CRN — Matt Hand 2-for-3, Juliano Kovalcik 2-for-3.
EXTRA-BASE HITS: S —Dichiacchio 2B; CRN — Jared Schram 2B.
RBI: CRN — Hand, Seth Leuz, Jackson Parker; S — Dichiacchio 2, Jared Morris.
