Schreiber in hurry to win one for Ridley

RIDLEY TWP. — No one wanted the game to end more than Ryan Schreiber.

The Ridley High catcher  stood in the batter’s box with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, no outs and a chance to be the hero.

Schreiber smoked a pitch by Penncrest relief pitcher Andrew Rosenberg the opposite way to right field, sending the Green Raiders home happy with a 5-4 Central League victory.

“I knew Schreiber was going to get a hit,” said TJ McNeely, who started the inning with a triple. “I knew if I got on base, we were going to win. I wasn’t trying to hit a triple, I was just trying to get on base.”

Ryan Schreiber walks it off for @RidleyBaseball. Final: 5-4 pic.twitter.com/Dbm8Y50YGl

— Matt Smith (@DTMattSmith) April 24, 2019

Schreiber had somewhere important to be and couldn’t stick around for a post-game interview. After the game winner, he more or less hugged a few of his teammates and ran to the parking lot. He was being honored by The Community’s Foundation at its 18th annual Recognition Reception at Springhaven Club in Wallingford. Schreiber was one of 15 local high school seniors to receive a scholarship award at the ceremony.

Later in the evening, though, he found time to call the Daily Times and discuss his walk-off hit.

“Unfortunately I got the hit, shook hands and had to get going. I didn’t even get to be in the huddle after,” he said. “It just feels great being able to help the team win, you know? Ridley hasn’t been to the playoffs (in a long time) and if we can get a league win and help with that, it’s pretty nice.”

Schreiber almost didn’t get the chance to be a hero. After McNeely’s three-bagger, Trent Pierce hit a ball deep in the hole and reached base without a throw. McNeely stood his ground at third. Cleanup hitter John Lockhart worked a 2-0 count before Penncrest coach Steve Smith called for an intentional walk. That set the stage for Schreiber.

“I was trying to make them sorry for walking the guy in front of me,” Schreiber said. “So, I don’t know if you saw my first swing, but I kind of gave myself one pitch to let me take a big hack at it. After that, I tried to shorten up and put the ball in play and give our team a shot to win.”

Schreiber was clutch with the bat, but he saved the game in the top of the seventh with his arm, throwing out Jeff Lunger attempting to swipe third base. It marked the second would-be base stealer that Schreiber threw out. Ridley reliever Ethan Pecko, who started at shortstop, retired the next two hitters on strikes to retire the side.

Schreiber was a designated hitter for most of the 2017 season, but is the No. 1 catcher for the Green Raiders (7-3, 6-3) this year.

“You can always count on him,” Ridley coach Anthony Monzo said. “He’s kind of the leader back there and he’s come up big in more than one situation for us. He’s a line-drive hitter, a kid who found his way in the lineup last year and we’ve counted on him to carry us a few times this year.”

Ridley showed its grit by overcoming a 4-1 deficit in the second inning. Jack Liberio, the team’s left-handed ace, had trouble hitting his spots and battled through six innings. He gave up all four runs in the second inning when Penncrest batted around. Liberio, who has dominated at times during the season, allowed four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.

“Today, I just didn’t have my best stuff,” said Liberio, a senior. “When you’re out there, you’ve got to find a way to beat these guys and I say to myself, they’re not better than me. And I also trust my defense behind me. With a good hitting team like that, I’ve got to trust my fielders and they came up huge. I can’t thank them enough.”

When Liberio is struggling, he can lean on Schreiber to help him snap out of a funk.

“I’ve been throwing to him since freshman year, and I’ve had no better relationship with a catcher than him,” Liberio said. “I play on multiple summer teams every year, but he’s the guy that I go to. I’ll call him and up and say, ‘Yo Schreib, how do you feel about throwing a pen today?’ He’s always there for me. In those last four innings, he called the game and he did an excellent job. I tip my hat to him after every game. He blocks the ball, he throws the ball. He threw two guys out today to save my butt. He’s one of our star guys right now and he’s really lighting it up.”

Despite three league losses, Ridley still has a shot at claiming a piece of the Central League title. Wednesday’s dramatic win could be a turning point.

Schreiber was 3-for-4 with two ribbies. His run-scoring single in the first put Ridley up 1-0. Pierce was 3-for-4 with a double and leadoff batter Cam Farro was 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Lockhart walked three times.

Kevin Mills’ two-run single in the second inning gave the Lions a 3-1 lead. Dylan Bittle added two hits and a walk, Matt Arbogast had a single and an RBI, and Lunger tripled and scored a run.

In other Central League games:

Garnet Valley 3, Strath Haven 0 >> Dom Picone hurled six scoreless innings with 10 punchouts, while Steve Theisen led the undefeated Jags at the plate with two hits and an RBI. Reece Malek went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Noah Atsaves pitched six solid frames (five Ks) for the Panthers.

Haverford 7, Radnor 3 >> Nick Sammartino paced the Fords with two hits and three runs scored and Mateo Gonzalez doubled and drove in a pair of runs. Dan Kelleher struck out nine in five innings to earn the win.

George Hoysgaard homered for the Raiders.

Marple Newtown 8, Lower Merion 3 >> Andrew Cantwell fired 6.1 innings with 12 Ks to earn the win and Kevin Merrone had a triple and three RBIs for the Tigers. Jack Mulgrew was 2-for-4 with a three-base knock.

Conestoga 7, Springfield 0 >> Cam Marcus pitched a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts for the Pioneers.

Harriton 14, Upper Darby 0 >> Duncan Attig and Will Silverman combined to no-hit the Royals in five innings. Ethan Boni homered for the Rams.