Hohlfeld handles adversity, Vikings to deliver Boyertown a PAC-10 championship

BOYERTOWN >> It’s the kind of situation pitchers hate to face.

Throw well enough to hold an opponent down, get the opposing batters to put the ball in play … and watch the defense muff normally-routine handles.

That’s what Pat Hohlfeld faced Thursday while trying to pitch Boyertown past Perkiomen Valley in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s playoff championship game. But the junior righthander didn’t let it rattle him as he hurled the Bears to a 5-1 victory at Bear Stadium.

Hohlfeld had a masterful outing to his credit, going wire-to-wire and limiting PV to three hits and a lone run in the second inning. To get to the celebratory Gatorade bath he received during the post-game celebration, though, he had to get past the Boyertown defense’s five miscues — three of which occurred in the Vikings’ second, two of them directly factoring in the run.

“It did a little bit,” Hohlfeld said of the errors making his job more difficult, “but our guys came back with some clutch hitting.”

Boyertown (18-4) got rolling toward its first league championship since 2013 with three runs in its first at-bat. It scored another in the bottom half of the second, answering Perk Valley’s lone run, then tacked one more on in the fifth with help from the Viking defense’s own loose play.

“He’s had a couple games like that,” Boyertown head coach Todd Moyer recalled, “but he lived through it. Pat shows so much maturity, coming back and attacking the next hitter after an error.”

Hohlfeld admittedly didn’t have one of his better outings, despite yielding just a walk and hit batter alongside the three hits. But he worked through the situation, with some help from the Boyertown dugout, to run his season record to 4-2.

“I struggled. I didn’t have my best off-speed pitch,” he said. “But I was spotting my fastball. The coaches helped with that, getting strikes.”

Perk Valley (17-4) didn’t have much more on the defensive side, misplaying four Bear balls. And though they had five runners reach base from the third inning on, they couldn’t convert them into run-scoring opportunities.

“The first and second inning, they hurt us,” PV head coach Ryan Hinkle said. “There were a couple plays that could have gone either way.”

An error on his hit toward third base enabled Seth Endy, the Bears’ leadoff batter, to reach base. Endy sprinted around the bases off Mitch Pinder’s double, and after Ryan Jacobs singled to left-center field, Ben Longacre hit in the same direction to plate Pinder while moving Jacobs to second.

Jacobs came around the rest of the way off Tyler Kreitz’s sacrifice bunt and Cory Melchior’s bouncer to shortstop.

“It’s tough to start a game with an error,” Hinkle said. “There was a close play at the plate that didn’t go our way.”

Hohlfeld, conversely, appreciated the lead his teammates put together.

“It’s a good way for a pitcher to settle down, knowing they have your back,” he said. “The insurance runs were big, too.”

Boyertown’s loose play was particularly pronounced in the second. It contributed to designated-hitter Zach Alcott (single) coming around for what would be the Vikes’ lone run of the game.

“It’s hard to practice what to do after you make an error,” Moyer said. “You just hope your teammates can talk you through it.”

Boyertown answered PV’s scoring play with one of its own in the bottom of the second. Jordan Shustack led off with a single, moved ahead off Quinn Mason’s sacrifice bunt toward the mound, then came around off Endy’s single to shallow center.

That ended the night for PV starting pitcher Dylan Boyd, who was charged with five of the Bears’ seven hits and four runs. Tyler Stretchay, who saved the Vikes’ semifinal-round win over Spring-Ford Tuesday, finished up with a two-hit, one-run (unearned) effort.

“I told the kids postgame I knew how bad they wanted it,” Hinkle said. “I’ve seen a lot of improvements in them. Last year was the second time we made the Final Four, and tnen we reached the title game this year.”

The Bears’ final run in the fifth saw Pinder get on base, then score, off Viking errors. In between, he was advanced by a Longacre single and Tyler Kreitz getting hit by a pitch.

Both teams now are looking toward the District 1 Class AAAA playoffs, which start next week. They figure to be around the fourth/fifth seeds based on recent power rankings.

“District play is what matters now,” Hinkle said. “That’s our next goal.”

“We have guys who didn’t play together before this year,” Moyer said. “But we’ve gotten over this hurdle, and now we’ll look to do some damage in districts.”

NOTES >> Hohlfeld got his complete game done on 90 pitches. … Adam Gaines and Nate Yoder were PV’s other batters to hit safely. … Longacre (2-for-3) was the game’s lone multiple-hit performer. … After an error led off the Vikings fourth, the Boyertown “D” played tight the rest of the way.