WC East rallies late to down WC Rustin
WESTTOWN >> With a little less than two weeks left in the regular season and the District 1 playoffs looming, every Ches-Mont league baseball game has taken on special meaning. Wednesday afternoon at a frigid West Chester Rustin, visiting West Chester East broke a tie in the top of the seventh inning and defeated the host Golden Knights, 6-4, in a Ches-Mont crossover game.
The Vikings (10-5 Ches-Mont, 11-5 overall) jumped out to an early 2-1 lead when junior Ryan Price lofted a very long home run off sophomore Golden Knights’ (6-6, 7-6) hurler Brody Bump in the top of the second inning.
“I was looking to get something and to drive it,” Price said. “And I thought I was going to get something good and I got an inside fastball and I drove it out. We are a team that never feels we are out of a game and we have a lot of energy and we had that today.”
The Vikings scored single runs in the top of the fourth and fifth innings to make it 4-1, and the way Matt Holgado was throwing it looked like East was home free.
Holgado had come in relief of Nick Rostock in the second inning, because Rostock was on a pitch count and left after throwing 39 pitches. Holgado was breezing along until the Golden Knights struck for three runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie things at 4-4.
Rustin started the rally when Brandon Mattei reached base on an infield error by the Vikings’ third baseman. After Chase Hatton flyed out to center field for the first out, Nick Covis singled to put two men on with two out.
Holgado got Dan Giordano to fly out and it looked like he would get out of the inning unscathed.
But Drew Brown singled in two runs and Scott Ely lifted a long and high fly ball to right center field that was dropped, scoring another run and Rustin tied the game after five innings.
“We had Nick on a pitch count and we were looking for him to get as many outs as he could,” Vikings coach Corey Webb said. “And Matt came in and did a real good job for us. We preach to not get too high and not get too low and I think that helps us come back in games and keep on an even keel.”
The two teams remained tied until the top of the seventh inning. Knights’ reliever Bill Kraft got the first two Vikings out in the inning. But an infield error put Rostock on first base with two outs.
Brady Laird followed with a single putting men on first and second with two out. Rustin then elected to put Price on first to load the bases.
Freshman Owen Rozzi then hit a slow roller to the left side off the infield and the Knights could not make a play on the ball and the Vikings scored a run to make it 5-4. Kraft then walked in a run to make it 6-4.
“I was happy they gave me that walk,” Price said. “It loaded the bases and our freshman Rozzi put the ball in play and did his job to get the win for us.”
The Golden Knights got a man on base with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning when Holgado walked Giordano.
This prompted Webb to bring Matt Delacruz in to pitch, and the submarine thrower got the dangerous Brown to fly out to center field, giving the Vikings had a very big win that helped their District 1 5A playoff position.
“Brody is only a sophomore and I thought he did a real good job and gave us a chance to win the game,” Rustin coach Brad Harkins said. “He has a real bright future but we just made too many mistakes to win the game today. We will get back after it against Kennett tomorrow.”
West Chester East 6, West Chester Rustin 4
West Chester East 020 110 2 — 6
West Chester Rustin 100 030 0 — 4
2B — Brown. HR — Price
WP — Holgado. LP — Kraft.
