Downingtown West tops WC East in Ches-Mont National showdown

EAST GOSHEN >> In a showdown for first place in the Ches-Mont National Division Wednesday afternoon at Price Field, Downingtown West earned a 6-4 win against West Chester East, serving notice to the rest of the league that the Whippets are the team to beat this season.
With the win, Downingtown West improved to 6-0, while the Vikings dropped to 4-2, two games behind the first-place Whippets.
D-West got a superb six-inning performance from junior Connor Blench, who limited West Chester East to just three hits in six innings while striking out six batters.
Downingtown West jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Viking ace Gavin Lill in the first inning. Liam Wilson led off with a single, and after Cole Blench walked, Zach Gardner roped a hard single down the third base line, scoring Wilson.
“It was really good for me that we got out to a 1-0 lead so early,” Connor Blench said. “We have a real good lineup up and down the order. These guys are all great athletes and they all can hit. That run settled me down a little and I was on my way.”
The Whippets were not through. Cole Blench led off the top of the third by drawing a walk. After Lill struck out Gardner, Cooper Young singled in Blench for a 2-0 lead. Jake Ginsburg then ripped an RBI triple to deep left field and scored on a single by Greyson Kovatch to make the score 4-0.
“We really came out and hit the ball, and to do it against a great pitcher like Gavin is something,” Connor Blenche said. “I was really comfortable with my curve and slider today. And I have confidence to throw it in different situations.”
The Whippets had a 6-0 lead going to the bottom of the seventh, after scoring two runs in the sixth inning, Blench went to shortstop after a superb 93 pitch outing and the Whippets turned to their No. 1 pitcher, David Catanese, to finish the shutout.
But West Chester East had a different idea.
The Vikings led off the bottom of the seventh with a Ryan Price walk. Ryan Cogill singled to right center, sending Price to third base while Cogill went to second on the throw to third. Mason Griffin singled to score Price and it was a 6-1 game with two runners on base and no outs.
Catanese then got two outs, a strikeout and a fly out to right field. The next two batters walked, then Zach Smith was hit with a pitch to make it a 6-3 ballgame with the bases loaded and two out.
Sean Wilmer ripped an RBI single to left field and the D-West lead was cut to 6-4.
Downingtown West coach Scott Rambo called on freshman pitcher Drew Turner to quell the Vikings uprising. Turner went to a 3-2 count on Price, then struck him out swinging.
“We have confidence in all our pitchers,” Rambo said. “They got to David a little and I thought we needed to give them a different look and bring in Drew and he did the job. Connor was great – six shutout innings and they did not really hit a ball hard until the sixth inning. He was locating his fastball and that sets up the slider and curve for him. It was a good win for us. we are getting hits out of everybody in the lineup.”

Downingtown West 6, West Chester East 4.
Downingtown West 103 002 0 – 6
West Chester East    000 000 4 – 4
2B-Wilson. 3B-Ginsburg.
WP-Connor Blench. LP-Lill.