Smith, Rodriguez go yard as Methacton beats Perk Valley 10-0
FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> So far this spring, Methacton manager Paul Spiewak has been preaching patience to his players.
He’s been urging his hitters to keep swinging the bats and put the ball in play — the hits are bound to come.
On Wednesday afternoon, those hits came in bunches as the Warriors used an eight-run outburst in the fourth inning to claim a 10-0 win over Perkiomen Valley in a Pioneer Athletic Conference matchup.
“We knew there would come the day when we would break out,” said Spiewak. “All we’ve been talking about is, ‘It’s gonna come, it’s gonna come, it’s gonna come.’ We just needed to keep having good at-bats, keep putting the ball in play with two strikes.”
With just one swing of the bat, junior second baseman Conor Smith put an exclamation point on one of Methacton’s (5-2 PAC Liberty, 7-2 overall) best hitting days of the season. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Smith welcomed the Perk Valley (2-4, 4-4) reliever with a grand slam to straightaway center field that bounced through traffic on Germantown Pike.
“It was two outs, bases loaded and a new pitcher, so I was expecting a fastball right down the middle,” recalled Smith his at-bat. “I saw it well, got a good swing on it. That was the first one I’ve ever hit out of here.”
On the day, the Warriors’ offense racked up eight hits and worked three walks. Smith finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored while center fielder Demetrio Rodriguez broke the game open with a two-run shot of his own in the bottom of the first inning. Rodriguez finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
That strong offensive showing made senior Josh Dubost’s efforts on the mound even more worthwhile. The right-hander held Perk Valley to just three hits and no walks across all five innings. He mixed in eight strikeouts — three of which he caught the hitter with the bat on their shoulder.
“It was about time our bats came alive,” he said. “That eight-run inning was great to be a part of. It made my job a lot easier.”
Mixing in his fastball with some filthy off-speed, Dubost had the hitters off-balance and chasing pitches out of the zone.
“Josh has been outstanding in all three of his starts,” said Spiewak. “He was outstanding for us again today.”
Perkiomen Valley starter Mikey Gama was strong in his own right over the first three innings. The lefty was mixing his pitches well early in the early going, plagued only by a fastball he left up for Rodriguez. He finished the game with five strikeouts in 3-2/3 innings pitched.
“He was cruising through the second and third innings,” said Perk Valley manager Ryan Hinkle. “He was doing well and then they (Methacton) just went off. They were hitting the ball hard and hitting it well.”
Offensively, the Vikings left three runners on base, including Gama stranded at third with one out in the bottom of the second. Would a run there have changed the outcome?
Who knows. But it certainly could have made things interesting, says Hinkle.
“It’s a different ball game mentally for us if we’re able to tack on a run or two early on,” said Hinkle. “Those guys get a different attitude when we leave runners stranded.
“We’ve got to have a different attitude when we step into the box.”
Turning Back Time >> Starting out the season 2-4 certainly isn’t how Hinkle had envisioned the Vikings getting this season underway.
That said, he’s drawing inspiration from the 2013 season, his first at the helm with the Vikings. That season, Perk Valley started out 3-5 and ended the year 12-6 in the PAC.
“We’re trying to have our guys develop confidence along the way,” said Hinkle. “We’ve got to know that it’s a long season. We’ve got 10 league games ahead of us. It looks like everyone in the PAC is beating up on each other right now. We’ve got to have a couple things fall our way, but most importantly we’ve got to do business ourselves.”
