Oxford rallies to beat Rustin in slugfest, clinches Ches-Mont American title

WESTTOWN >> For the third straight season that Oxford was playing Ches-Mont League baseball, the Hornets can call themselves Ches-Mont American Division champions.
After winning the title in 2018 and 2019, and missing last year due to COVID-19, Oxford rallied for a wild 13-12 win Monday afternoon that took three plus hours to finish at West Chester Rustin High School.
Trailing 10-2 after five innings, Oxford rallied for 11 runs in the final two innings, then had to fend off a bases-loaded threat from the Golden Knights to take the title.
“This is my first American title and what a game,” Oxford coach Tim Rector said. “We did not play well early and a lot of that is a little immaturity, because we didn’t have a lot guys with varsity experience coming into the season. We walked about 11 batters and had four errors, but when guys stopped swinging hard and decided to put the ball in play, we got going. The bench came alive and we got some key hits.
“This team just battles though. We almost lost to Kennett and came back, and we almost lost to Great Valley and we came back from a hole. When this team decides to hit, we are OK.”
West Chester Rustin (3-11, Ches-Mont American, 3-12 overall) took a commanding 10-2 lead over the Hornets (11-3, 11-3) by scoring runs in each of the first three innings. Pete Reinheimer had four hits and four RBIs for the game and Evan Wittman smacked two doubles for the Golden Knights.
With Oxford pitchers having trouble throwing strikes, the West Chester Rustin lead ballooned to 10-2 going into the top of the sixth inning.
Oxford exploded for five runs on three hits in the sixth inning, with the two big hits being Joey Morton’s second two-run homer of the game and Chris Walton’s long three-run blast.
“On both home runs I hit fastballs that were a little on the outside corner of the plate,” Morton said. “We did not start real well today and we made some errors but once we decided to hit, the bench came alive and all of a sudden we were getting good at bats.”
With a 10-7 lead, West Chester Rustin coach Brad Harkins went to Reinheimer, the third Golden Knights pitcher, for the seventh inning. Oxford sent 10 men to the plate and scored six runs on six hits with Connor Reilly ripping a two-run single and Walton lacing a fastball for a two-run single.
Oxford had a 13-10 lead going to the bottom of the seventh inning, and used its fifth pitcher of the game, Joey Kelly, to try to finish off the Golden Knights, but West Chester Rustin rallied. After Reinheimer flied out to center field for the first out, two singles and two walks cut the Oxford lead to 13-12 and Record called on Ryan Dewees to try to finish the game.
After Bryce Kelly reached first base after striking out with the ball getting past the catcher, the Golden Knights had the bases loaded with one out, trailing 13-12. But, Dewees took care of the next two Golden Knight hitters and Oxford had a wild win and a division title in its possession.
“We have a lot of fight in us,” Oxford catcher Connor Booth said. “We seem to come on late in games no matter what the score is and we finish out games strong like we did today.”
Harkins talked about the fight his team has shown all season like they did Monday afternoon.
“These kids have really battled this season,” Harkins said. “They all play for each other and they have really shown good character all season.”

Oxford 13, West Chester Rustin 12
Oxford 200 005 6-13
WC Rustin 244 000 2-12
2B-E.Wittman 2, Covis.
HR-Morton 2, Walton.
WP-Hovick. LP-Reinheimer.