TOWAMENCIN — The hits and runs accumulated quickly for the Faith Christian baseball team in the top of the first inning Tuesday afternoon.
The first six Lions batters in the top of the frame each collected a hit, Brandon Labs providing the longest with a three-run home run over the left-field fence to put the visitors up 5-0 on Dock Mennonite.
“That was really big, set the tone for the game,” said Faith senior Grayson Weikel of Labs’ homer. “After that, you could look in the field and they were shut down. And that really set the tone for the game.”
Jayden Spencer’s one-out RBI single gave Faith its seventh hit and sixth run of the opening inning. The Pioneers broke through for a run in the second but the Lions responded with three in their half of the third to build a 9-1 lead and went on to earn a 12-4 victory over their Bicentennial Athletic League rival.
“Energy was up in the beginning,” Weikel said. “Piled up a bunch of runs and that got us going, gave up the lead, kind of shut ‘em down from there. Lost a little bit of energy as the game went on and then we picked it back up around the fifth inning.”
Weikel collected singles on his first four at-bats, finishing 4-for-5 with an RBI and also picking up the pitching win, striking out 10 in throwing five solid innings for the Lions, who lost to Dock in last year’s District 1-1A final.
“We came into this game thinking that we knew that they were a good team but we knew that off of last year we weren’t letting that happen again,” said Weikel, who is committed to Division II Cedarville University. “We have a solid team – this is the best team talent-wise that I’ve been here for my past three years. We’re going to keep the energy going, it’s going to be a special year.”
Kendri Beltre went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs for Faith, which scored twice in the sixth then tacked on a run in the seventh. Reid Miller was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and Spencer was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
“They hit the ball really well,” said Dock Mennonite coach Erik Kratz of the Lions. “When you’re pitcher’s on the mound throwing strikes, you expect some of those balls to find some gloves and they kept swinging it and he kept throwing strikes. So it’s something that there’s a ton for James (Steinmetz), our pitcher, starting pitcher, going out there and throwing the ball really well – they hit the ball where we weren’t.
“Doesn’t happen a lot, which showed the rest of the game. If you keep throwing strikes, you’re going to get a lot of outs. They struck together a lot of good hits, a lot of well-hit baseballs.”
Ben Mascio was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Pioneers while Deven Ross connected on a leadoff home run in the fifth. Ethan Kratz went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
On the mound, Weikel gave up four runs – three earned – on six hits, one walk and one hit batter over the first five frames.
“Pitching-wise, I was off to a rough start with the top three batters,” Weikel said. “But after that I kind of recognized, worked in some off speed and that kind of helped and kept some of the runs down.”
Faith has two more BAL games this week, the Lions hosting Jenkintown 3:45 p.m. Wednesday then are home again to face Church Farm School 3:45 p.m. Friday.
Dock has a BAL matchup at Delco Christian 4 p.m. Thursday then hosts Devon Prep in a non-league contest 4 p.m. Friday.
Miller led off the top of the first with a single with Jagger Verbit dropping a ball into right center for a double. Beltre made it 2-0 when he followed with a two-RBI single.
Weikel laced a single to left to put two on for Labs, who sent a pitch out past the fence in left for a three-run homer and 5-0 lead five batters into Tuesday’s game.
Noah Wilson ripped a double to left the next at-bat, went to third on a groundout then scored on Spencer’s RBI base hit.
Dock put its first batters on the bottom of the first after Brayden Kratz reached on an error and Ethan Kratz walked but Weikel caught a pop up at home plate then posted back-to-back strikeouts.
The Pioneers made it 6-1 in the second as Mascio started the home half of the inning with a double to left then scored on Steinmetz’s two-out RBI double to right.
Faith, however, pushed the margin to 9-1 with three in the top of the third. A Spencer one-out RBI single put the Lions up 7-1. Miller’s two-out single then a Verbit walk loaded the bases for Beltre, who brought in two with his double – Dock preventing a third from scoring by getting Beltre out on the play.
Mascio pulled Dock to within 9-3 in the bottom of the third with his bases-loaded two-RBI single.
“He swung the bat well and he wasn’t afraid of the moment,” said Erik Kratz of Mascio. “And he found a lot of barrels.”
Ross got the Pioneers’ deficit down to five in the fifth with his leadoff homer to left.
But in the top of the sixth, Weikel hit an RBI single while Wilson’s bases-loaded walk two batters later put Faith up 11-4.
“I just keep my approach really simple, just think hit the ball and it’s been working for me for the season so far,” Weikel said.
Miller drove in the Lions’ last run in the seventh with his RBI single.
Faith Christian 12, Dock Mennonite 4
Faith Christian 603 002 1 – 12 14 2
Dock Mennonite 012 010 0 – 4 8 3
WP: Grayson Weikel 5 IP 6 H 4 R 3 ER 1 BB 10 SO 1 HB.
LP: James Steinmetz 4.2 12 H 9 R 9 ER 2 BB 2 SO 1 HB.
2B: FC-Kendri Beltre, Noah Wilson, Jag Verbit; D-Steinmetz, Josh Mascio
HR: FC-Brandon Labs; D-Deven Ross.
Faith Christian: Beltre 2-4, 4 RBI; Labs 3 RBI, R; Verbit 2 R; Weikel 4-5, RBI; Wilson 2 R; Reid Miller 3-5, 2 R; Justin Murray 2 R; Jayden Spencer 2-4, 2 RBI, R.
Dock Mennonite: Mascio 3-4, 2 RBI, R; Ross 2 R; Ethan Kratz 2-3, R.
