Baseball: Cauthorn, Ridley make short work of Strath Haven

NETHER PROVIDENCE –  Bryant Cauthorn wasted little time helping Ridley jump out to an early lead against Strath Haven Friday. Much to Ridley’s liking, it happened very fast.

Cauthorn and the Green Raiders’ other juniors hoped the Central League game, which started 30 minutes earlier than normal, wouldn’t take long. Friday was Ridley’s junior prom night, so everyone on the team was feeling the rush.

“I’ve been nervous all day about prom,” Cauthorn said after Ridley’s stunning 10-0 victory over the first-place Panthers.

Thankfully for the Green Raiders, the game ended after five innings. The juniors grabbed their equipment and headed to their escape vehicles shortly after shaking hands with the Panthers.

Ridley ambushed Strath Haven starter Sam Milligan for five runs in the first inning. Cauthorn led off hitting a bomb for his second career varsity home run.

“It felt great,” he said. “I didn’t feel anything when I hit it actually. It kept going.”

After hitting in the bottom half of the order last year Cauthorn has developed into a productive top of the order bat. Cauthorn added a walk and drove in Ridley’s final run with a groundout to second base.

“He dealt with a back injury early on this year, but he’s coming into his own,” Ridley coach Anthony Monzo said. “He’s a dangerous hitter.”

In his first start of the season, senior Jake Naumann was in control the entire way. The right-hander went the distance, allowing only two singles and a walk. He pitched to contact and wasn’t afraid to attack Haven’s potent lineup with a slider-fastback combo. The five-run top of the first provided Naumann with a lot of confidence.

“It makes it so much easier … and it takes so much weight off your shoulders,” Naumann said. “I threw a lot of sliders and fastballs, mixed in a change up every now and then.”

Naumann also helped his cause with two hits. In the fifth inning he hit a laser to left field and slid headfirst into third. In the first inning, Naumann, batting in the nine hole, hit a sacrifice fly to give Ridley a 5-0 lead. In the third inning he legged out an infield single and later scored on an error.

Ridley catcher Dan Stickney praised Naumann’s efficiency on the mound.

“Jake was amazing today,” said Stickney, who drove in two runs with a line-drive single in the third inning. “He was hitting spots and everything was working for him. He had really good stuff.”

Ridley (2-4, 2-3 Central League) was desperate for a win. To get it against Strath Haven (7-2, 5-1) was exactly what the Green Raiders needed to get their season jumpstarted. Three of their four losses were by one run.

“We know we’ve got to keep going,” Stickney said. “Hopefully we can use this week to keep rolling into other games.”

Following Cauthorn’s homer, Jeremy Stranix, Mike Happersett, Josh Geddes and Tyler McDevitt all singled off Milligan, who retired only one batter before Zane Malarkey came on in relief. Geddes and McDevitt each knocked in a run. Zach Ladislaw, who flashed impressive leather at second base, worked a bases-loaded walk in the first and doubled and scored a run in the third.

“We knew it was there and today we finally put it all together,” Monzo said. “We have been one pitch away from winning a couple of games. There’s always a lot of fight in them, but we haven’t been able to finish. So, it was nice to see everybody play as a team and go off.”

In other Central League action:

Springfield 6, Garnet Valley 5 >> Before the game the Cougars honored the late AJ Grande, who died last fall after a years-long fight with cancer. Cody Grande, AJ’s brother, threw on the first pitch.

Shane Lennon’s RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth inning put the Cougars ahead for good. Luke Jones collected three hits and Sean Williams smashed a home run. Jake Rama pitched two innings of scoreless relief with three strikeouts to earn the win.

Drew Van Horn had a pair of solo home runs for the Jaguars.

Radnor 7, Conestoga 5 >> Andres Cruz hit an inside-the-park, three-run homer to put the host Raptors in front to stay in the fourth inning.

Teddy Monahan (three runs) and Joe Krasowski (double, three RBIs) each had three knocks for the winners. Cruz recorded a four-out save to make a winner out of Danny Armstrong.

Penncrest 12, Upper Darby 2 >> Sean O’Donnell went 3-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs and four runs scored for the Lions. Ben Ettien had three singles and a walk, while Kris Farnan went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a pair of walks. Gavin Brown contributed a double and two ribbies. Winning pitcher Josh Kalinowski gave up one hit in 4.1 innings, striking out four.

Chris Zupito tripled and scored a run for the Royals.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 5, Malvern Prep 2 >> Ryan Tansky singled and drove in two runs to help the Churchmen to an upset of the Friars. Alex Barrist and Tyler Beaulieu both had an RBI. Winning pitcher Logan Correll pitched 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts and Michael Cadden tossed 2.1 shutout frames out of the bullpen.

Penn Charter 14, Haverford School 7 >> The Fords (11-3, 0-2) held a 4-0 lead after three innings and a 6-5 edge going into the sixth, but the Quakers struck for nine runs in the last two frames to pull out a wild win. Cole Donnelly and Jaidyn Rivera both homered in the loss.

In the Bicentennial League:

Delco Christian 9, Valley Forge Military Academy 1 >> Jackson Lewis and Ian Pruessner each tripled for the Knights. Ryan Carroll added a pair of hits, including a double, and Sam Dixon picked up the win in relief.