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Reichlin stars as Downingtown East nips Downingtown West

By Peter DiGiovanni

pdgiovanni07@gmail.com

@PeteDLNontwitter

UWCHLAN >> The Downingtown East baseball team has been having trouble scoring runs in the early part of the young season. Monday afternoon, the host Cougars received a much needed walk-off single from senior Jack Reichlin, to defeat Downingtown West, 5-4. The game was halted for 55 minutes in the bottom of the fourth inning due to lightning in the area.

Reichlin had homered off Whippets’ (5-2 Ches-Mont, 6-2 overall) starter Drew Turner in the bottom the third inning to tie the game 1-1. Quinn Henicle had homered off Cougars’ (4-2, 4-3) ace Dylan Nansen in the top the first inning to give the Whippets an early 1-0 lead.

“On the home run I hit a high fastball,” Reichlin said. “Drew is a great pitcher so honestly I was just thinking to get on base, and then to hit a home run it was a little like icing on the cake. I feel we can do well this year. We have the arms and we will start hitting. It is early in the season, we will get the bats going.”

The two pitching aces both left the game after the lightning delay and Whippets’ coach Scott Rambo turned to Jake Mello to go the rest of the way. Cougars’ coach Pete Susi went to senior Mike Devenney to hold down the Whippets.

Both pitchers held the opposition scoreless until the Cougars broke open the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kyle Mandirola worked a one out walk to start the rally. Conor Kelly followed by popping out to first base for the second out of the inning. But Chase Martin reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Matt D’Ottavio to put two men on with two out.

Up stepped sophomore Will Roth. He drilled a two-run single to right center field for a 3-1 Cougars lead. Ryan Kuzmcik then ripped an RBI triple to make it 4-1 lead heading to the seventh inning.

But the Whippets did not go away easily. Mike Jaserczek singled with one out. Jake Kucera then walked to put men on first and second with one out. Stephan Furia loaded the bases with a sharp single to center field, and Devennney was in big trouble.

Henicle then ripped a two-run single, his third hit of the game, to make it 4-3. The dangerous Jay Slater followed with an RBI single to left field, scoring Henicle, who had stolen second base, and it was a 4-4.

The Cougars responded against Mello in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jack Lerch reached on another throwing error by the Whippets’ infield. Sam Bates then reached on a bunt single to put two men on with one out. The dangerous Reichlin then ended the game with a blistering single to right center and the Cougars came away with a much needed win.

“Jack is a tremendous hitter,” Susi said. “And today he was up at the plate when they had to pitch to him, and not pitch around him, which has been happening a lot so far. And this team has a lot of positive energy and they did not get down after West tied things up. And Will Roth had a big game for us. He had a very big hit for us.”

Downingtown East 5, Downingtown West 4

Downingtown West                                   100 000 3 – 4

Downingtown East                                     001 003 1 – 5

3B — Kuzmick. HR — Henicle, Reichlin.

WP — Devenney. LP – Mello.