Baseball: Downingtown West holds off late Great Valley rally

EAST WHITELAND- Coming into Wednesday afternoons Ches-Mont League baseball game between Downingtown West and Great Valley, Downingtown West coach Scott Rambo said he was looking for his team to put all three phases of the game together.

 

Well, the visiting Whippets did just that as Downingtown West got a superlative six inning pitching performance from sophomore Zach Griffin and the Whippets made the all the plays in the field as they held off a late Great Valley rally to take the victory, 6-4 in Ches-Mont League action.

 

Griffin pitched six innings of two hit baseball while striking out nine batters and walking just one Great Valley (2-5, 2-5) batter. The only blemish Griffin allowed was a long solo homer from Matt Curtis in the bottom of the fourth inning.

 

“I felt really good today,” Griffin said. “All my pitches were working pretty well. My curveball and change up were really moving and I was a blue to command my fastball. And we got some early runs and the guys really picked me up. I have a lot of confidence in this lineup. When you get an early lead it allows you to pound the strike zone.”

 

Downingtown West (7-2, 7-2) scored a single run in the top the second inning when Cooper Young drilled a solo shot over the left field fence for a 1-0 Whippets lead. But Downingtown West came alive in the top of the third inning when the Whippets scored three runs on two hits.

 

The big blow was an opposite field two run double from Josh Morse to make it a 3-0 Whippets lead. The fourth Whippets run scored when a third strike got by Great Valley catcher Danny Carr and the Whippets were off and running.

 

“We really needed a good game from our starter today,” Downingtown West coach Scott Rambo said. “We used three pitchers yesterday against Bishop Shanahan and Zach was tremendous today. he had good command and he moved the ball around and when they hit the ball our guys made the plays for us.”

 

Great Valley reliever Luke Nemeth did a great job of holding the Whippets at a 4-1 lead. Nemeth came in relief of Tyler Iams in the third inning and shut the Whippets down until the top the seventh inning.

 

The Whippets seventh started with ringing double by Jake Kucera. After Cole Henicle struck out, morse ripped an RBI single, scoring Kucera to make it a 5-1 Whippets lead. That was all for Nemeth but the Whippets charge continued as Young ripped an RBI double to make it a 6-1 game and the Whippets had scored two very valuable insurance runs on three hits.

 

Griffin was done after six innings as he threw 96 pitchers and reliever Greyson Kovatch came in but could not find the strike zone. Kovatch walked the bases loaded before striking out Ryan Over for the first Patriots out.

 

But Kovatch hit Justin Nadwondy with a inside pitch as that forced in a run and it was a 6-2 Whippets lead. In came Brett Alansky from the Downingtown West bullpen and he promptly struck out Andrew Bircher for the second out but the bases were still loaded and the Great Valley bench was roaring, hoping for a late game miracle.

 

Carr and Iams walked and Great Valley scored two runs on those two free passes and suddenly it was a 6-4 game with the bases still loaded and the dangerous Curtis coming up to bat. Alansky did not flinch however and he ended the game by striking out Curtis on a perfect curveball and the Whippets survived the late scare, 6-4.

 

“It was definitely a tough situation to come in a game for, Alansky said. “i just wanted to throw strikes and not walk anybody. I struck Curtis out on a curve and I feel I can handle any situation I am asked to come in to no matter how tough it is.”

 

Downingtown West 6, Great Valley 4.

 

Downingtown West 013 000 2-6

Great Valley            000 100 3-4

2B-Kucera, Young, Kovatch.

HR-Young, Curtis.

WP-Griffin.LP-Iams.

EOF-