Baseball: Turner and Young lead Downingtown West over Coatesville

DOWNINGTOWN- On a cold blustery day at Downingtown West High School, we may have seen a glimpse into one of the next big time Ches-Mont League pitchers. Downingtown West sophomore Drew Turner pitcher five stellar innings as he struck out 10 Coatesville batters and allowed just three hits and one run. Turner was aided by a long two run home run by Cooper Young and the Whippets took the season opener 3-1, over the Red Raiders.

 

“The cold did not bother me too much,’”Turner said. “I mean it was the first game of the season and the adrenaline kicked in and it was all good. Coatesville has a real good lineup and i was able to locate my fastball and throw my off speed pitches off of that. It feels great to get the first win of the season.”

 

Coatesville (0-1)jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top third inning when the Red Raiders scored a run with no hits and they used a walk and a wind blown fly ball that dropped to give their pitcher, senior Alex Kuehn, a 1-0 advantage.

 

But the lead was short lived as the Whippets (1-0) finally struck against Kuehn, who pitched a very good game for Coatesville. Jack Benis laced a single to left field to move Jack Kucera, who had walked and stole second base, scampering home with the first Downingtown west run and it was a 1-1 game.

 

But Downingtown West was not done. After Kuehn struck out Connor blench and Greyson Kovatch, Cooper Young took a Kuehn fastball far and high over the left field fence for a two run home run and suddenly it was a 3-1 Downingtown west lead after three innings.

 

“Cooper’s timing has been a little off the first two weeks of practice,” Downingtown west coach Scott Rambo said. “But it only takes one pitch to get going and he timed that pitch up right and it got our bench going and gave us the lead and it allowed our pitchers to do their job.”

 

With the Whippets up 3-1 Turner kept breezing through the potent Red Raider attack and Benis gave Downingtown West a 4-1 lead with a home run to left field in the top the sixth inning off Red Raiders reliever Will Dean to make it a 4-1 game. Coatesville came back to score a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 4-2 game off Downingtown West reliever Tyler Conlan.

 

Coatesville started the rally as Joe McCann drew a leadoff walk. Harrison Susi hit into a fielders choice and after Dean struck out, Zach Kudlacik hit a slow roller to short that was fielded but the throw to first was wide and the Red Raiders runner came charging home and it was a 4-2 game going to the bottom of the sixth.

 

Josh Howe entered the game to pitch the bottom of the sixth inning for Coatesville and the Whippets used three walks and a single to plate a run to make it a 5-2 Downingtown West lead going to the top of the seventh inning.

 

Conlan allowed a meant to reach firs tase via an error in the top oft he seventh inninng but retired the dangerous Kuehn and Howe to end the game and the Whippets had a tidy 5-2 win opening day win over the Red Raiders.

 

“We just struck out too many times today and were not aggressive at the plate,” Coatesville coach Hal Ziegler said. “And I thought Alex pitched a real good game for us today.”

 

After the win Rambo talked about his young hurler.

 

“Drew was very good for us and he was able to locate his fastball and use his off speed pitches off of that. He is going to be a good one for us.’”Rambo said.

 

Downingtown West 5, Coatesville 2.

 

Coatesville               001 00 1 0-2

Downingtown West  003 011 -x-5

HR-Young, Benis. 2B-Kuehn.

WP-Turner. LP-Kuehn.

EOF