Collings makes sure Marple Newtown’s fun continues

PERKIOMEN TWP. >> The equation was pretty simple for Ricky Collings Tuesday afternoon.

The Marple Newtown shortstop was playing in what could’ve been his last high school baseball game, the third such potential capper in nine days. And that fate was to be avoided at all costs.

“I’m just taking the most of what I can get from high school baseball,” Collings said. “I’m just trying to make it as fun as possible, and having fun is winning games.”

Collings ensured the Tigers enjoyed at least one more day, setting the early tone with three hits and two RBIs in powering No. 9 seed Marple to a 5-2 win over No. 5 Perkiomen Valley in the playback semifinal round of the District One Class AAAA tournament.

Marple Newtown (17-7) advances to Thursday’s fifth-place game, where it will play for the district’s final PIAA tournament berth. The Tigers will take on No. 10 Spring-Ford — which drubbed No. 3 Upper Dublin, 9-0 — at West Chester Henderson at 4. Perkiomen Valley (18-6) is eliminated.

Collings played a starring role from the first inning, when his double down the left-field line plated Alden Mathes. Scott Hahn followed with a towering sac fly to center to double the margin to 2-0.

In the third, Collings led off with a single and scored when pitcher Cameron Mathes grounded out. Then the Widener-bound shortstop singled home Alden Mathes in the fourth, Hahn following with an RBI base knock that opened up a 5-1 lead.

“I’ve been having trouble sitting back a little bit this year on slower pitchers, and I was just sitting back and waiting for a good pitch to drive,” Collings said.

That offense was all that Cameron Mathes required on the mound. The junior masterfully hit spots in a complete-game gem. He scattered seven hits, striking out six and walking none, needing 99 pitches to finish the job and improve his record to 7-2.

Most importantly, his mix of curveballs and changeups avoided the fat part of Perk Valley’s potent bats. He delivered first-pitch strikes to 18 of 29 batters, consistently staying ahead and keeping hitters off-balance.

“Definitely changing up speeds is what you have to do against these guys,” Mathes said. “They’ve got a bunch of great hitters on their team. Defense made all the plays we had to make today.”

“He kept us off balance,” said Perk Valley centerfielder Sean Moriarity, who collected three hits. “He had a pretty nice curveball. And he threw a lot of first-pitch strikes, so he got us behind in counts a lot. We weren’t aggressive enough at the plate.”

Ricky Collings’ 3rd hit scores a run. It’s 4-1 Marple. pic.twitter.com/2RSShgj8Ce

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 31, 2016

Mathes’ quick start was vital in buoying Marple’s confidence. In last Friday’s quarterfinal, the Tigers couldn’t string together outs via four pitchers in a 13-9 setback against Pennridge. But Mathes put those struggles in the past, one concise inning at a time.

“Last game, we couldn’t stop anybody,” he said. “They were scoring in almost every single inning. (Today) we felt that if we could just hold them and put a few runs up, it could be a good day for us.”

Marple was the beneficiary of a rocky start from Perk Valley’s Brock Helverson. The righty labored through 2.1 innings, plunking four batters and allowing three earned runs.

There was plenty of contact between horsehide and flesh to go around. Marple winged Helverson with a pair of hot-shot comebackers, Alden Mathes clubbing an infield single off his landing leg in the second and Cameron Mathes catching his glove shoulder for an RBI 1-4-3 putout in the third.

Two pitches later, Helverson’s day was done.

“It’s tough for sure,” Moriarity said. “Brock’s given us a lot of good innings all year, and having him come out and struggle like that, it’s tough.”

The Vikings limited the damage, though. Dylan Boyd inherited two men on base in the third and stranded them with a strikeout and groundout. He also rallied in the fourth, with two on and two men in, two flyouts ameliorating the threat and adding to the nine Tigers stranded.

Tyler Strechay worked the final three frames, allowing just a Reilly Fillman triple.

Even with PV’s staff providing a window for a comeback, Cameron Mathes would have none of it. He was touched up for a triple by Joe Gorla to lead off the second inning, Gorla scoring on a Zach Alcott sac fly, but that was it for the inning. Moriarity picked up his third single of the day in the fifth, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Nate Yoder’s single to right.

But Mathes strengthened as the game wore on. After Yoder’s RBI single in the fifth, he got cleanup man Matt Szczesny to fly out meekly to right. He authored his first 1-2-3 inning in the sixth on harmless flyouts to Perk Valley’s spacious outfield.

Scott Hahn the short way. Final: @MNBaseball1 5, Perk Valley 2 pic.twitter.com/UHzRg6SoBf

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 31, 2016

When Ryan McCourt poked a single through the infield to lead off the seventh, there was no panic. Mathes got a popout to second, forced Moriarity to wave through a breaking ball and induced a two-hopper from Adam Gaines to third that Hahn took the short way to second for a force … and at least one more game this season.

“It’s a great feeling, knowing that I don’t want to stop playing,” Collings said. “… I’m just trying to have fun and make the most of this in high school.”