Spring-Ford solves Griffin, Methacton to roll into PAC title game

ROYERSFORD >> Lesson learned, and administered.

When they met twice during the regular season, Spring-Ford was unable to get the best of Zack Griffin and his Methacton mates. But with a berth in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s championship game at stake, the Rams made sure the Warrior senior and his team didn’t get a 3-for-3 to their credit this spring.

Striking for four runs in its first at-bat, Spring-Ford went on to handle Methacton, 9-2, in the league’s first Final Four playoff game at Ram Stadium. That qualified the host four-seed for Thursday’s title game against second seed Phoenixville.

Their domination of top seed Methacton was more than just a one at-bat, too. They put up a three-spot in the fourth to extend their lead to 8-2 — the Rams plated one in the third — and finished off the Warriors with another run in the seventh.

Hunter Curley headed the Rams’ batting class. The senior, working as designated hitter for catcher Jake Romeu, got things going for his team in the first with a bases-full double that plated Chase Simmons (walk), Mark McNelly (hit by pitch) and David McCurry (safe on error).

“It was a 2-0 fast ball,” Curley recalled. “We got him rattled. During the season, he shut us down.”

It would be Curley’s only hit of the game. But he figured in on Spring-Ford’s third inning run, a fly out to deep right field moving McCurry (double) to third, from where he scored off a Jason Smiley triple to right-center.

It was all part of an 11-hit offense Spring-Ford unleashed. It finished Griffin with two out in the fifth … a contrast to the teams’ previous meeting April 25, when the Rams (12-5) were limited by him to seven hits in a 6-0 loss.

“That was huge,” Spring-Ford manager Jamie Scheck said of his team’s fast start. “It’s something we don’t do a lot. We made them throw pitches, and the first inning set the tone.”

The tone was muted somewhat by Methacton scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Logan Rambo’s sacrifice fly, coming after it loaded the bases with Trevor Rambo’s single and walks to Conor Smith and Chris Douglass, halved the Rams’ lead. Logan’s fly out to center scored Trevor, and an error on the relay throw to third enabled Smith to come around the rest of the way.

But this go-around, it was the Warriors (12-5) who got schooled. They were held to a pair of hits the rest of the way by starting pitcher Zach Male, who went six innings before hitting his pitch limit, and Tyler Leonard, who yielded just one walk in the seventh.

“The first inning was tough,” Methacton skipper Paul Spiewak said. “You can’t draw up anything worse. With the four-run start, them keeping the pressure on was just as big. Our guys realized that.”

The Rams’ third-inning run was set up by McCurry (2-for-4) doubling along the first-base line, moving up off Curley’s long fly out to right and Jason Smiley booming a long shot to the fence in right that gave McCurry ample time and room to score.

In Spring-Ford’s three-run fourth, Simmons’ single to center brought home Danny Zoller — he was courtesy runner for Male (single) — and Matthew Collons (bunt single). Simmons then came home off McCurry’s single to right.

“Our guys really hit the ball,” Scheck said. “We feel at the plate a different mindset than we had mid-season.”

Methacton, in the meantime, will await the outcome of the District 1-AAA seeding meeting Thursday to see where they stack up for the post-season. Going in, Spiewak was complimentary of his team’s regular-season showing: First place in the PAC’s Liberty Division (7-3) and the Final Four top seed.

“This was not our best effort,” he said, “but the way they (Rams) played, you have to tip your cap to them.”

NOTES
Spring-Ford also benefited from Zach Kratz (2-for-4) doubling in the first. Kratz’s two-bagger scored Curley. … The Final Four semifinals were finally logged in the books after inclement weather and soggy field conditions forced their reschedules. “Monday, we were ready to play,” Curley said. “Tuesday, we had a practice that got us ready.” … Scheck on the game postponements: “We came out during lunch Tuesday and saw the outfield and warning track were wet. The way the weather was, we were all for pushing it (game) back.”