Coatesville starts fast, blows out WC East
WEST GOSHEN >> The Coatesville baseball team suffered a last inning loss to West Chester Rustin Wednesday, but the Red Raiders rebounded in a big way Friday afternoon at Price Field.
Coatesville scored two first inning runs and broke the game open with a six-run fifth to down host West Chester East, 11-1, in a five inning mercy rule win.
The win sets up a winner-take-all for the Ches-Mont National Division crown Monday night against Avon Grove.
The Red Raiders (12-5 Ches-Mont, 13-5 overall) banged out seven hits, walked nine times and got a superb two-hit pitching outing from junior Josh Howe to take the victory over the Vikings (10-7, 11-7).
“My fastball was really good today,” Howe said. “I was able to locate it where I wanted to on the outside corner of the plate. And getting those runs in the first inning relieves things a little and you have some room for error. It changes things when your team scores early for you.”
Vikings’ starter Matt Holgado could not find the plate as he walked four Coatesville batters in his one and a third innings of work.
The Red Raiders plated two runs on just one hit in the first inning off Holgado to get out to a 2-0 lead.
Coatesville extended its lead in the top of the second inning as control problems continued to hurt West Chester East. Spencer Ferguson led off the second for the Red Raiders and he drew a walk. Holgado then walked Jake Martin to put men on first and second with no one out.
Dylan Jeffers then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to put men on second and third with one out. Holgado then went to a 2-0 count on Shane Monaghan before Vikings’ coach Corey Webb went to the bullpen for Jack Maguire.
Monaghan drew two more balls from Maguire to load the bases with one out. Coatesville catcher Joey Mozzone then ripped a two-run single down the third base line and Coatesville was off and running with a 4-0 lead.
“It was a 0-0 changeup and the infield was playing in so I was just trying to get something on the ground and I hit it hard down the third base line,” Mozzone said. “And it was a big hit because when Josh went back out to the mound ahead 4-0 he seems to relax a little more.”
West Chester East made it a 4-1 game in the bottom of the third inning when Nick Rostock roped an RBI single to left field but that would be all the scoring against Howe for the game.
After scoring a single run in the top of the fourth inning, Coatesville blew the game wide open in the top of the fifth when the Raiders sent 10 men to the plate and scored six runs on three hits.
The big blow was a bases clearing three-run double from Justin Weaver to make it an 11-1 game.
“We scored early and that lets everybody relax a little,” Coatesville coach Hal Ziegler said. “Josh knew he did not have to be perfect after those runs. We have been playing from behind a lot this season and it was nice to change things up a little.”
Coatesville 11, West Chester East 1 (5 innings)
Coatesville 220 16 — 11
West Chester East 001 00 – 1
2B — Weaver.
WP — Howe. LP – Holgado.
