Wall, Reiner help Indians surge past Perkasie in Bux-Mont Baseball Classic Opener

LOWER SALFORD >> Dashing around the bases, Conlan Wall was back where he belonged.

“Just got into the game and did what I’m used to doing,” he said. “Felt comfortable.”

Getting a chance to play again with his Souderton Area High School teammates, Wall provided a boost to Indians Baseball’s surge past Perkasie Baseball Club in their Bux-Mont Baseball Classic opener on a hot Monday night.

After racing for a triple in the bottom of the third, the Saint Joseph’s commit put his side ahead for good in the fifth as his two-RBI double gave Indians a 6-5 edge. Wall added a single in the sixth and went on to score his third and final run of the contest as Indians late offensive burst earned it a 10-5 at Vic Alderfer Memorial Ball Park.

“After the spring season was cancelled I thought it was over, but I’m super glad that we’re able to get this in,” Wall said. “The final sprint, I guess.”

Brian Reiner collected four RBIs, capping the night’s scoring by dropping a two-run double into right field in the sixth as Indians Baseball erased a 5-0 lead by plating four in the bottom of the fourth then three each in the fifth and sixth frames.

 “It felt great because I’m not playing for any team this summer other than this,” said Reiner, who is committed to play for Penn State Harrisburg. “And I need practice so I was looking forward to this all day, all week. And felt really good to get back with these guys – haven’t seen them in a while.”

Souderton never got the opportunity to defend the PIAA Class 6A title it won in 2019 due to COVID-19 wiping out the spring sports season. The six-team Classic provided members of Big Red the chance to play a few more games together.

“It means so much, all these guys are my buddies,” Wall said. “I’m just really glad I get to make these last memories before we all go to college.”

Sean Lerro was 2-for-4 with two singles and an RBI while Nick Christ had a pair of RBIs for Perkasie, which consists of players from Pennridge High School.

“I was really upset that we missed our senior year so I was ready to get a couple more games in before I hung the cleats up,” Lerro said.

Perkasie scored its first four runs in batting around in the top of the second then made it 5-0 on a Christ RBI single in the fourth.

“I think defensively we’ll be OK, our pitchers will be OK the guys we’re going to be relying on but these guys really haven’t hit live pitching in forever,” Perkasie coach Craig Whitten said. “And it showed. We started out hot and then, like I said two strikes on you, that’s your zone, you got to protect it. It seemed like a broken record everybody went up there and it was just the same thing.”

Both teams play again Wednesday with Indians Baseball taking on Casey’s Place Hooligans 5:30 p.m. at Vic Alderfer Memorial Ball Park while Perkasie Baseball Club faces Buckingham Patriots 7 p.m. at James Memorial Park.

Also Wednesday, Knights Baseball plays Allentown RBI 7 p.m. at Hostelley Field.

“It was good to get our seniors at least a game together,” said Whitten, who had his first year as Pennridge High head coach cut short before it even began due to the pandemic. “Cause these guys were texting me – Ray Knight our second baseman, (Sean) Clayton, Lerro, these guys are texting me like ‘Yo, I want to play, I want to play, I want to play.’ I’m like don’t worry man we got you covered.”

In the top of the second, Perkasie’s Kyle Moran brought in the game’s opening run with a bases-loaded walk. After Shea Grourke scored on a wild pitch, Nick Christ’s bases-loaded walk made it 3-0. Lerro followed by lofting an RBI infield single on the next at-bat.

“It hit off the handle,” said Lerro, who is attending Penn State. “I wasn’t watching it but they said it had a little bit of backspin to it. I said good thing I was at the driving range working on my chip.”

Perkasie went up 5-0 in the top of fourth when Christ chopped an RBI single over the third baseman to score Clayton, who on the previous at-bat hit a ground-rule double to center.

Indians proceeded to send 10 batters to the plate during its half of the fourth, pulling within 5-4 after a Will McCausland RBI single, Reiner’s two-RBI base hit and Jacob Horton getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

With the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, Wall put Indians in the lead with his two-RBI double to right center. Wall came home for a 7-5 advantage on Horton’s bases-loaded hit by pitch.

Indians made it 10-5 with a three-run sixth – Ryan Kagerise coming home on a wild pitch while Reiner tacked on two more with his two-RBI double to right.