Upper Dublin pulls away with 6-run 5th, tops Wissahickon for 11th straight win
UPPER DUBLIN >> Eric Berman sees his job as providing pitchers with peace of mind every time he is patrolling center field.
“I just want the pitchers to know that when I’m out there I’m not going to let anything drop for them,” Upper Dublin baseball’s sophomore outfielder said. “Our pitching has been great all year and it’s just nice being out there getting some fly balls.”
And even when the ball finds its way to drop in, Berman is up to the task.
Wissahickon’s Shane Henrick looked to score from second base when Kasey Weiss knocked a single to center with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. But Berman delivered an on-target throw to catcher Joe Levis, who held on for the tag to maintain the hosts Cardinals’ 3-0 lead.
“Honestly, I was a little surprised he was running,” Berman said. “I kind of looked up and when I released it, I knew – I thought it had a chance. When I looked up, had it, it was just a great feeling.”
Berman provided another stellar defensive play with a full-extension diving catch in left center for the opening out of the fifth. He followed that up with a single in the bottom of the inning and scored the first of six runs as Upper Dublin sent 10 batters to the plate to pull away to beat the Trojans 9-1 Tuesday afternoon, extending its winning streak to 11.
“When he’s out there, your confidence is through the roof,” said UD pitcher Chase Sunday of Berman. “Anything in the area’s caught, it’s crazy. He’s a great player.”
Sunday threw five scoreless innings while Aiden McCarthy drove in four runs with a pair of two-RBI singles as the Cardinals remained in the driver’s seat for the Suburban One League Liberty Division title.
Upper Dublin (13-3, 13-1) has a road nondivision contest against Central Bucks South 3:45 p.m. Wednesday then visits second-place Plymouth Whitemarsh 3:30 p.m. Monday. UD hosts Hatboro-Horsham in its final division game 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17.
The last SOL title for the Cardinals – who are first in the District 1-5A rankings – came in the American Conference in 2016.
“We really want this division title,” Berman said. “We come out fired up, always in the locker room we’re always hyped at school before the games. We just want to come out there and do the best as possible and hopefully bring home a Liberty title.”
Wissahickon (11-4, 9-4), which averaged nine runs as it won its last six, avoided getting shut out for the first time this season when Jarrett Federer hit an RBI double to deep left center. The Trojans, 12th in the District 1-6A rankings, finish the week with two road games – at Quakertown 4 p.m. Thursday then Friday facing Upper Merion in nonleague matchup 7 p.m. at Heuser Park.
After going hitless the first two innings, Upper Dublin broke through with three runs in the bottom of the third. Back-to-back walks by Brendan O’Brien and Jared Levis then a Berman sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out. The next batter flew out to right but Austin Dahl reached on an infield single to bring in O’Brien for a 1-0 lead.
Dahl stole second then both he and Jared Levis scored to make it 3-0 as McCarthy connected on a single to right center.
“That at-bat he was throwing me a lot of changeups and threw the fastball and then I was just sitting on it, waiting back,” said McCarthy, who went 2-for-3. “And drove it into right center.”
Sunday gave up a single and two walks in the top of the first but got out of the inning unscathed and then settled in, the senior right-hander retiring eight straight until allowing a walk to Henrick with one out in the top of the fourth.
“My control, I lost it a little bit in the first inning, I was a little shaky but after that I locked in,” Sunday said. “And also throwing with two strikes making sure to throw hard pitches, not give them anything to hit on two strikes and just controlling the zone.”
Tyler Shilling kept the Trojans’ half of the fourth going with a two-out single to left center. Weiss followed by dropping a single to center but Berman’s accurate throw home preserved UD’s three-run advantage.
“The thing that wins (a) game is pitching and defense,” Berman said. “Obviously if our field is making a lot of plays and our pitcher’s pitching great like we’ve been doing it’s hard to lose.”
Sunday earned the win, the senior right-hander giving up no runs on three hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out four. Wissahickon starting pitcher Adam Hajdak took the loss, the righty allowing six runs – all earned – on four hits in four-plus innings. He walked four and struck out four.
Finn Olszewski led off the top of the fifth sending a pitch out to right center but Berman denied him a hit with his great diving grab.
“I just knew I had to take a chance at it,” Berman said. “And luckily it went in the glove.”
Berman began the bottom of the inning with a single with walks by Joe Levis and Dahl loading the bases for McCarthy, who came through with a two-RBI single for a 5-0 lead.
“Infield was in so just had to put it in play,” McCarthy said.” Just get it by ‘em, you didn’t have to crush the ball, just get it over their heads and you know at least one’s going to score.”
An errant throw as the Trojans tried to get McCarthy out at second allowed Dahl to score. McCarthy went to third with Bobby Keck drawing a walk, stealing second and both coming home as Nate Cairnes’ one-out, two-RBI single.
Cairnes stole second and scored three batters later for a 9-0 lead on a two-out RBI single by Leo Soriano, who was thrown out on the play attempting to reach second.
Upper Dublin 9, Wissahickon 1
Wissahickon 000 000 1 – 1 5 1
Upper Dublin 003 060 x – 9 7 1
WP: Chase Sunday 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 4 SO.
LP: Adam Hajdak 4 IP 4 H 6 R 6 ER 6 BB 4 SO.
2B: W-Jarrett Federer.
Upper Dublin: Aidan McCarthy 2-3, 4 RBI, R; Nate Cairnes 2 RBI; Austin Dahl 2 R.
