Peichel on his game as Strath Haven remains undefeated

NETHER PROVIDENCE — Koll Peichel has several pitches in his arsenal and isn’t afraid to use any of them.

His fastball sits in the upper-80s, but he can get strikeouts with a biting curveball or wipe-out slider. The Strath Haven ace was aggressive with his pitch selection Monday against Ridley.

The Panthers also needed their senior right hander to give them length on the mound.

Several Strath Haven players were sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. The lineup was different, but the Panthers had confidence that Peichel would be his usual dominant self.

Peichel tossed a complete game with seven strikeouts as Strath Haven remained unbeaten with a 12-2 victory in six innings.

“Because I have a lot of pitches, if one pitch isn’t working for me, it’s not a big deal,” said Peichel, who is bound for Dickinson College. “I like to find my slider first and then the curveball will come. I know if I can get my two-seamer working, it will come easier for me. It’s nice to have that dominance right out of the gate because then it just quiets the other team.”

Haven’s bats handed Peichel a big lead in the first inning. The Panthers (9-0) sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored five runs. Ridley starter Evan Sivera got only two outs before Andrew Rowles took over in relief. Mike Valente led off the with a single and came around to score on an RBI groundout by Christian Thack. With the bases juiced, catcher Marc DeCarlo delivered a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give Haven a 4-0 advantage. Valente coaxed a bases loaded walk to make it 5-0.

Valente ended the game when he blasted a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning, triggering the mercy rule.

“We’re always ready to start attacking the ball,” said Valente, who finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. He reached base four times. “Koll’s been doing a great job for us. Every time he’s on the mound, he gives it his all. Everyone on the team is really amped up, everyone’s excited. We’ve been coming to practice every day and everyone is taking it seriously. We just want to keep winning games.”

Ridley made Peichel work for the complete game. Haven’s bats were limited to one hit before a seven-run sixth inning, and the Green Raiders chipped away at their 5-0 deficit in the middle frames. Mike Happersett blasted an RBI double and Braden Dean knocked in a run with a groundout in the fourth to cut Strath Haven’s lead to 5-2. Peichel got a strikeout to end the threat. In the fifth and sixth innings, Peichel relied on his infield defense. Valente started an around-the-horn double play in the fifth, then Simon Bolinger turned a 4-6-3 twin killing to get out of the sixth.

“That was huge,” Peichel said. “I trust my defense. We have two senior middle infielders and if the ball’s coming to them, I trust them to make the plays. Our defense doesn’t make that many errors, so if I roll a grounder I can walk off the field knowing my guys can make that play.”

With a 9-0 record, Strath Haven is all alone in first place in the Central League and ranked No. 1 in the District 1 Class 5A playoff rankings.