Tri-Valley uses 5-run 6th to beat Christopher Dock in PIAA A 1st round

ROYERSFORD — With ace Daniel Sabath firmly in control, throwing five shutout innings for the Christopher Dock baseball team, the Pioneers had multiple chances to get that first crucial run and push ahead of District 11 Champion Tri-Valley Wednesday afternoon.

But every time he needed to, Bulldog senior starter Hunter Bordner beared down and pitched his team out of multiple jams. Tri-Valley, its bats coming alive late, scored five runs against the Pioneer bullpen en route to a 5-1 victory in the first round of the PIAA Class A Playoffs at Spring-Ford’s Ram Stadium.

“We didn’t hit in the clutch, and we have to give credit to their pitcher — that kid was throwing strikes,’ said Pioneer coach Ed Melendez, who guided his team to a District 1 crown and 16-5 overall finish. “We had eight hits, and unfortunately we did not hit in the clutch.’

Sabath struck out the side in the top of the first and then Dock loaded the bases in the bottom half, including a single by Tyler Alderfer.

But Bordner struck out Seth Frankenfield and then got Rashid Saint-Fleur to hit into a fielder’s choice, as the Bulldogs got out of the inning with the score still at 0-0.

Sabath would continue to dominate, retiring the Bulldogs (16-8) in order in the third and fourth innings and not allowing a hit until Mark Klinger ripped a single to left in the top of the fifth.

The game went into the sixth inning still deadlocked at zero. District 11 Champions in three of the last five years and in five of the last 11 seasons, Tri-Valley was determined to find a way to Round Two.

“I can’t say enough about the two guys that got us through this game — Hunter Bordner and Logan Yoder,’ Bulldogs coach Bob Felty, Sr. said of his pitcher-catcher duo. “Hunter has started for me for four years and I can honestly say he never disappoints me. He goes out there and battles and gives us his best.

“And Logan keeps stepping up for us at key times. He’s not a freshman anymore. He’s been in pressure situations and he hits the ball solid.’

With no outs and the bases loaded in the sixth, Yoder smacked a two-run single to left off Dock reliever Andrew Walters, putting Tri-Valley in front 2-0.

The Pioneers would go to three different pitchers in the inning but the Bulldogs drew six walks to plate three more runs and build a 5-0 lead. Tri-Valley was closing in on its first state quarterfinal appearance since 2005, when it fell to eventual state champion Christopher Dock.

Saint Lafleur belted a towering double to deep left to drive in a run for the Pioneers in the sixth, but Bordner retired the final two batters of the inning and finished things off in the seventh to send Tri-Valley a showdown with Southern Fulton Thursday.