Top seed Lower Moreland survives Pottstown with walk-off win in District 1-4A semifinals
BETHAYRES >> Character games don’t always result in winning outcomes.
That was the unhappy fate Pottstown experienced Tuesday. In their back-and-forth District 1-4A playoff semifinal, the Trojans were edged out by Lower Moreland, 13-12.
The ebb and flow of the game dismissed any pre-game perception of a mismatch between fourth-seeded Pottstown (3-16) and the top-seeded Lions. Five times the locals either pulled ahead of, or even with, Lower Moreland. They extended the host Lions to a seventh-inning walk-off win to qualify for next Tuesday’s (May 28) winner-goes-to-states championship matchup with Springfield-Montco.
“To be 3-15 and go against the number-one seed … I told the guys they had to bounce back,” Pottstown manager Geoff Thomas said after huddling with his players and coaches one last time. “I’m proud of the way the guys represented Pottstown. They’ve had to deal with adversity.”
The final adversity came in the bottom of the seventh, with one out and two Lower Moreland runners on base. A single to right enabled Kenny Wieczerek and Tim Kennedy — both players started off the at-bat with singles — to score after Pottstown went up 12-11 in its half of the frame, courtesy of Josiah Wiggins’ RBI sacrifice fly to center.
“I was blocked out on the play,” LM manager Tony Martino said. “I was just trying to get runners in.”
Both teams were hitting the cover off the ball, combining for 32 hits to fuel a run production headed by the eight the Lions plated in a second-inning bataround. Six of the hits went for extra bases, the biggest a grand slam by LM’s Colman Peppleman to cap the Lions’ big at-bat.
“We had a lot of guys with hits,” Martino noted. “You never know who’s going to help you out.”
Peppleman’s solid showing (2-for-4, five RBI, three runs scored) was complemented by teammates Max Cousins (3-for-5), Cody Levine (2-for-2, two RBI), Jake Doneker (2-for-4, triple) and John Davies (2-for-3, RBI). It made for a long day for Pottstown pitchers David Hicks and Daulton Mullen, who were tagged by LM for 17 hits.
“One thing this team does is fight,” Martino said. “It battled when we were several down.”
Jake Eagle had the hottest bat for Pottstown, going 4-for-4 with three doubles and five RBI. Wiggins (double) and Mullen (2-for-4) each drove in pairs of runs to bolster the Trojans’ own hit parade against LM’s Matt Haggerty and John Davies.
“I was really pleased with our offense,” Thomas said. “Eagle hit the ball well, and I was pleased with how we bounced back after going down 9-5.”
Hicks ended up touched for the Lions’ first 11 run through four innings’ work. Mullen offered solid relief, yielding just five hits and keeping Lower Moreland at bay until the seventh.
“David was having problems with his left ankle,” Thomas noted. “He didn’t have his ‘A’ game, but he was out there battling.”
The Trojans’ best individual at-bat was the second, when they scored four times with two away to break an initial 1-1 tie. Kevin Zvodar and Wiggins drew back-to-back walks before Mullen hit an RBI single to center. Eagle then drove in two runs with his first two-bagger, and Cole Miller followed with a run-scoring single.
“We have a core of juniors I’m looking forward to working with,” Thomas said, mentioning the likes of Eagle, Hicks and Brendan Gebhard. “I’m sad to see guys like (Jeremy) Adams and (Shane) Duncan go. It was a pleasure working with those guys.”
NOTES >> Thomas pointed out Pottstown was in 6-7 games decided by two runs or less this spring. … The Trojans racked up five stolen bases on the day. Zvodar had a pair of swipes while Wiggins, Mullen and Adams each stole one. … The 4A title game will be played at the Villanova University ballpark in Plymouth Township. Only the district champ advances to the PIAA tournament.
