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DOWNINGTOWN >> Coming into Wednesday afternoon’s game against Bishop Shanahan, the Unionville baseball team had a three-game lead in the Ches-Mont League American Division and were sitting at number three in the District 1 5A playoff rankings. They played up to their lofty reputation as Luca Urdaneta scattered four hits, walked none and struck out eight as the Longhorns came away with a 3-2 win.
“My slider and my changeup were real good today,” Urdaneta said. “They both had tight spins on them and I was able to get ahead of the hitters. It really helps when you get ahead of the hitters. Their batting average goes down a lot when you are pitching ahead of them.”
The Eagles (2-8 Ches-Mont, 2-8 overall) got a quality start from senior Jake Scott, who pitched the entire seven innings also. He held the potent Longhorns (10-1, 11-2) offense just five hits and struck out nine. Scott also had a leadoff double in the third inning that turned into the first run of the contest.
But, the Longhorns came back with a run of their own in the top of the fourth. Levi Brawley cracked a double to left field to begin the inning. Chase Parisi bunted Brawley over to third base. Brawley then scored on a wild pitch to tie it at 1-1.
“We have 12 seniors and they all work extremely hard at their game,” Unionville coach Chris Valis said. “Levi starts the inning with a double, goes to third base on the bunt and scores when the ball gets by the catcher. He really gave us a big spark with that run.”
Unionville struck again in the top of the fifth. With one out, Urdaneta singled to right field. Mason Coursey then picked out a Scott fastball and ripped an RBI double to make it 2-1. Coursey stole third base and scored when a balk was called on Scott and the Longhorns led 3-1.
“Our lineup, one through nine, is very balanced,” Urdaneta said. “We are hitting around .310 as a team and everybody can hurt you in our lineup.”
Scott singled with one out in the sixth, his second hit of the game, to start a rally. After
Urdaneta got Griffin Cerebelli to fly out for the second out, Pinch runner Nate Olivo stole second. Then, Brody Scullin hit a slow roller to second base. The throw to first base pulled Nick Diehl off the bag and Olivo came around to score to make it a 3-2 game.
Scott retired the side in order in the top of the seventh, which left them one more chance against Urdaneta.
Michael Cleary got the inning off to a hopeful start with a single. Scott then rolled a slow grounder to the left of the pitcher’s mound. Urdaneta fielded the ball and flipped to first base for the out. The Longhorns also got a second out when the runner overran second base and was caught getting back to the bag. Urdaneta then provided the exclamation point by striking out Cerebelli to end the game.
“Luca has been great all year,” Valis said. “He did not walk a batter and scattered four hits and he gave us what we needed today. He was really tough today.”
Unionville 3, Bishop Shanahan 2
Unionville 000 120 0-3
Bishop Shanahan 001 010 0-2
WP – Urdaneta. LP – Scott.
2B – Scott, Coursey.
