Mathes on top of his game against Pottsgrove

NEWTOWN TWP — Pottsgrove simply couldn’t solve Marple Newtown starter Alden Mathes Wednesday

The University of Richmond-bound lefty Marple starter Alden Mathes was on top of his game as the Tigers topped the Falcons, 4-1, in the quarterfinal round of the District 1, Class 5A playoffs.

Mathes compiled 11 strikeouts while allowing only one run. Cooper Fiore’s two-out double in the fifth scored Colin Templin for the day’s lone offensive highlight.

Mathes ran out of pitches with two outs in the seventh inning, meaning Shane Benedict came on for a one-out save to end the game and clinch the defending state champions trip back to the PIAA 5A tournament.

Mathes said that winning the state title last year doesn’t make games like Wednesday’s any easier.

“Obviously, having experience helps,” he admitted, “but I still get the same butterflies before big games.”

He settled his nerves by striking out the side in each of the first two innings, and leading off the game for his side with a double, later scoring the first of Marple’s four runs.

“That’s one of the biggest things — getting an early lead makes pitching much easier,” Mathes added. “I got a hit, then two guys behind me bring in runs. It adds to our confidence.”

For Marple, center fielder Andrew Cantwell scored two runs and had an RBI. Kevin Merrone, Eric Molinaro, and Owen Mathes also drove in runs for the Tigers (16-2).

Rookie head coach Billy Haines started this season in the rare position of inheriting a state championship program. He says this year’s players have made his job considerably easier.

“When you have leaders like we do, your focus turns to just sustaining what’s already built,” he said.

Meanwhile, the No. 2-seeded Tigers have officially qualified for the PIAA state tournament for a fourth consecutive season. It’s the first step in defending their PIAA 5A state championship.

Marple moves on to battle 11th-seeded Bishop Shanahan, a 6-2 winner over Chichester Wednesday, in the semifinals of District One — a title the Tigers claimed back in 2017, but which eluded the program in 2018’s state championship season.

“We’re taking it a game at a time,” said Haines. “I haven’t even looked at states — my focus is on Bishop Shanahan, a solid, fundamentally sound team who we have on Friday. We can’t afford to look beyond districts, that’s our focus for now.”