Senior ace Ventura helping in other ways for Interboro
COLLINGDALE >> Getting hit in the hand with an errant pitch is the last thing Interboro senior captain Mike Ventura wanted to have happen Thursday afternoon.
Ventura is banged up enough.
“I have a torn labrum,” Ventura said after going 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs in Interboro’s 18-3 rout of Academy Park.
Ventura is built Interboro tough, so chances of him missing any baseball games are slim. However, his injury has kept him away from the mound.
He was supposed to be Ventura the ace.
No, that’s not it …
“Ace Ventura.”
That’s better.
“I haven’t been able to pitch much this year,” he said. “I (was injured) during football season. I made a tackle and my shoulder went back. It’s a small tear … but I don’t want to risk it by pitching.”
Until he thinks he’s ready to pitch again, Ventura will man the keystone for the Bucs.
“Until my shoulder starts getting stronger, I’ll play second base,” he said. “We’ll see how it feels down the stretch.”
While Ventura gets healthy, the Bucs will rely on others to fill the void. Tim Convery, who struck out nine Thursday, has emerged as the team’s No. 1 pitcher in the early going. In the Bucs’ first meeting against AP, Convery tossed a no-hitter with 11 Ks.
“We’ve got to step up because Mike was supposed to be our ace this year,” Convery said. “Today I threw my curveball and fastball. My fastball tails and I can throw my curve (for strikes) a lot.”
Convery and Academy Park starter Barry Brown were locked in a pitchers’ duel until the fifth inning, when Interboro scored seven runs on three hits and sent 11 players to the plate. Brown was finished after 4.2 innings, having allowed nine hits and eight earned runs. Earlier in the game, he kept the Bucs off balance by locating his breaking pitches.
Interboro scored all 18 of its runs after the third inning. Ventura, Gavyn Stankiewicz (2-for-5, three RBIs), Aaron Stankiewicz (2-for-6, 2 RBIs), Jared Dellipriscoli (2-for-5, two runs), Convery (3-for-5, two runs, RBI) and Colin Shields (2-for-4, two runs, two RBIs) all collected multiple hits. Andrew Grieb reached base four times.
Special shoutout to Noah Kiely, who got pegged in three plate appearances. He rubbed dirt on the wounds and managed to pitch a scoreless seventh inning.
As for Academy Park … it’s seen better days. Senior catcher Billy Martin went 2-for-4 from the cleanup spot with an RBI double. Devon Ludwig singled twice, scored a run and walked. Hunter Dorman and Joe Armstrong each chipped in with an RBI single.
Elsewhere in the Del Val:
Chichester 18-20, Chester 3-3 >> Ryan Voyers pitched the win and was 3-for-4 for the Eagles in the opener. Anthony Carmanico and Joe Renzi collected two hits apiece.
Marcus Williams had a double, triple and four ribbies in Game 2. Renzi was 3-for-3 with a double, and Andrew Rodriguez (three RBIs) and Damian Thompson (four RBIs) both finished 2-for-2.
In the Central League:
Marple Newtown 17, Radnor 7 >> The Tigers (7-0, 5-0) scored 13 unanswered runs, aided by big offensive performances from Sean Donnell (3-for-3, four RBIs, three runs), Alden Mathes (3-for-4, three runs) and Reilly Fillman (two hits, four RBIs). Sean Standen was stellar in relief.
In the Bicentennial:
New Hope-Solebury 14, Delco Christian 4 >> Freshman Cole Levin cracked a two-run homer in the loss for DC.
Faith Christian 7, Christian Academy 0 >> Lars Specht allowed no hits and struck out eight over four innings, but poor defense (six errors) doomed the Crusaders.
In nonleague play:
Haverford 8, Friends Central 0 >> Ben Savitz and Ryan Drames combined for the shutout. Adam Stuck smacked two triples, walked once and knocked in a pair of runs for the Fords.
