Missed chances doom Downingtown West in 1-AAAA semifinal loss

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> In baseball, as in life, to be successful you have to finish what you started.
Tuesday afternoon at Methacton High School in the District 1 Class AAAA semifinals, the Downingtown West baseball team did not complete that mantra, leaving eight men on base in the first five innings against Council Rock North senior Matt Hand. The Indians got an RBI single in the fifth inning from Cavan Tully to end a stalemate and held on for a 2-1 triumph over the second-seeded Whippets.
Sixth-seeded Council Rock North (19-3) will now play Pennridge as the Indians try for back to back District 1 Class AAAA titles, while the Whippets will host Boyertown in the third-place game Thursday at 4 p.m.
“The difference in the game was we just could not get the big hits,” said Downingtown West coach Dave Oleszek. “Everybody who was here knew that was the difference today, both coaches knew it. We hit some balls hard and some were right at them. It was a real close game and we needed that big hit and we did not get it.”
Things started out well for the Whippets as John Paul Bell launched a rocket to right field off Hand in the bottom of the first inning for a 1-0 Downingtown West lead. But, the Whippets could not score the rest of the way as Hand wiggled in and out of trouble in his five innings of work. The Indians senior allowed six hits, had just two walks and struck out three Whippet batters on the day.
“They are a very tough hitting team,” Hand said. “They are the best hitting team we saw this season. Even when I got them down at 0-2, they battled back and went 2-2 or 3-2. On the home run, the hitter laid off a changeup the pitch before and then he smacked the fastball over the fence. They are a very impressive team.”
Sophomore starter Drew Britt was very good on the hill for the Whippets as he went six innings and only allowed the potent Indians attack two runs, while walking just one batter. But with two out in the top of the second inning, three straight Council Rock North singles produced a run and a 1-1 tie. Britt allowed eight hits in his six innings of work.
Downingtown West stranded runners in the first and second innings and then in the third they had first and second with two outs. But Hand struck out Eric Grintz with a nice changeup and the game remained tied at 1-1.
The song remained the same for West in the bottom of the fourth. After getting J.J. Freeman to ground out to second base for the first out, Hand allowed a hard single to Reyce Curnane, who hit the ball all three times at bat Tuesday. Britt then skied one to center field for the second out, but Robbie Note poked a single to left field and the Whippets were in business again. Hand worked the count to 3-2 against Ryan Giordani and then got the leadoff hitter to fly out to right to end the latest threat.
“We knew reading up on them that they were a great team,” Council Rock North coach Matt Schram said. “And they gave my pitcher a two-hour workout today. They battled him and battled him but he came through when he had to and it is nice to be playing for a second straight district title.”
The Indians broke through against Britt in the top of the fifth as James Closser led off with a single and was bunted to second by Jackson Parker. After getting Matt Shebot for the second out, Tully stroked a single to center to make it a 2-1 game, and that would be the difference in the taut contest.
But, here came the Whippets again in the bottom of the fifth. Bell led off with his second hit of the day — a single to right field — and then stole second base. Nick Campana moved Bell over to third base with a groundout. Mike Mollenhauer skied out to short right field, with Bell holding at third. Grintz followed by working a two-out walk, but Hand got out of the jam again as he got Freeman to ground out sharply to end the threat and hold the Indians 2-1 lead.
“I really had to bear down with men on base,” Hand said. “And now we get to play for a second title in a row and that has never been done before in school history and it would mean a whole lot to do it with these guys.”
That was all for Hand as the Indians brought in C.J. Kilgariff to pitch the final two innings and he set down the Whippets in order in the sixth and seventh innings, striking out Campana to end the game and sending the Indians to Thursday’s final.
With the loss, the Whippets now play the consolation game for state seeding. A win Thursday would pair them up with the District 11 champion in a state opener, while a loss would mean a date with the District 12 champion.
“We are going to have a good day of practice Wednesday and go after it on Thursday. We want to win the game and get us on the right track for the state playoffs.”

Council Rock North 2
Downingtown West 1
CRN    ab    r    h    bi    DWEST     ab    r    h    bi
Shebot lf    4    0    0    0    Giordani ss    4    0    0    0
Tully ss    4    0    2    1    Bell cf    4    1    2    1
Schram c    3    0    0    0    Campana c    3    0    0    0
Hand p    3    0    1    0    Turner cr    0    0    0    0
Brwning cr    0    0    0    0    Mllnhuer rf    2    0    0    0
Leuz rf    2    0    1    0    E. Grntz 3b    2    0    0    0
D’Arcnglo 1b    3    1    1    0    Freemn 2b    3    0    0    0
Nowmos 3b    3    0    1    0    Curnane 1b    3    0    2    0
Closser dh    3    1    2    1    Britt p    3    0    0    0
Kilgariff 2b    0    0    0    0    Note lf    3    0    1    0
Parker cf    1    0    0    0
Totals    25    2    8    2    Totals    28    1    6    1
Council Rock North    010 010 0 — 2
Downingtown West     100 000 0 — 1
2B – Curnane. HR – Bell.
    IP    H    R    BB    SO
Council Rock North
Hand, W    5    6    1    2    3
Kilgariff    2    0    0    0    0
Downingtown West
Britt, L    6    8    2    1    1
A. Grintz    1    0    0    0    0