C.B. South (and Mother Nature) takes out Downingtown East
UWCHLAN – There were just five outs to go, and two runs to make up. But the Downingtown East baseball squad would have loved to have had the chance to fight its way into the District 1 6A Final.
Trailing 5-3 in the sixth inning, the Cougars never got that chance. With a runner on base and the tying run at the plate, Tuesday’s district semifinal was halted due to rain. And after a false start, the contest was eventually called, which meant that visiting Central Bucks South was headed to the title game on Thursday.
“It would have been nice to have those last five outs,” said East head coach Pete Susi. “We had a runner on base and it felt like things were about to turn around. But you can’t control the weather.
“If we’d have had the chance, at least we could say it was a full game.”
The highest remaining seed left in the tournament’s final four, the No. 5 Cougars fall to 16-5 overall and will host No. 6 Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday in the third-place contest. Neshaminy topped PW 3-1 in the other semifinal and will tackle 17th-seeded C.B. South (12-6 overall) in Thursday’s final at Immaculata.
“We all obviously wish we could have finished the game,” said senior infielder Zach Burton. “But (Central Bucks South) is a good team. They capitalized when they had runners on.
“But it’s tough to swallow a loss in this fashion. We had our chances and you never know if a (weather) situation like this is going to come up.”
The rains arrived around 5:30 p.m., and following a 15 minute delay, both teams were called back to the field and the tarps removed. About 15 minutes after that, just when the field was ready, lightning appeared and then the heavy rains started. Soon thereafter, with the storm intensifying, the game was called.
“I feel like if we got a chance, we would have beaten (Central Bucks South),” said Burton, who was one of the few offensive standouts for East. “And I think they know it too.”
Nevertheless, the Cougars bats failed to produce a hit until the fourth inning, and by that time lefty starter Grant Umberger had surrendered a two-run home run. East did get to Titans’ starter Owen Petrich on the second time through the lineup, but it wasn’t enough.
“We were a little anxious at the plate early on trying to make something happen. There was a double play that ended an inning,” Susi pointed out.
Trailing 2-0 midway through the fourth inning, hits by Will Vincent and Connor Lynch put runners at second and third, and Tommy Ajjan delivered a sacrifice fly to put East on the board. Burton then belted a two-run homer to put the Cougars in front.
“It was a 1-2 count and (Petrich) hung a curve ball. I was choking up on the bat and wasn’t even trying to hit it out. I just hit a line drive and it happened to go over the fence.”
But the lead was brief as C.B. South began the fifth with two walks, followed by a Jake Trachtenberg three-run homer that chased Umberger. The junior from Chester Springs fanned seven and allowed seven hits in 51/3 innings of work.
“Grant went out there and battled,” Susi said. “He had a pitch that was up in the zone that was hit for a two-run home run.
“And then in the fifth, you can’t walk people. That’s the name of the game.”
With the skies becoming more ominous, senior outfielder Albert Choi singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but with Lynch at the plate, the rains came.
“Momentum is big and we never really got it back,” Burton lamented.
“We had the lead briefly, but (C.B. South) took it right back.”
It was East’s second straight appearance in the District 1 semis. A year ago, the Cougars fell to Council Rock North just one win away a berth in the finals.
“Albert (Choi) and I are the only returning starters from last season,” Burton said. “We lost a lot of seniors, but this will definitely help the guys for next season.”
And regardless the outcome on Thursday, East is already into the state tournament. And Tuesday’s disappointment did nothing to tamp down the Cougars’ optimism.
“We have more baseball to play,” Burton said. “We have a state tournament coming up, and we think we have a good shot of winning if we play ball.”
Susi added: “I know with the pitching staff we have, we are going to be in every game. We are solid defensively, so every time we go out, we have a chance to win.”
Central Bucks South 5, Downingtown East 4 (6 innings)
Central Bucks South 002 030 — 5
Downingtown East 000 300 — 3
2B – Loynd (CBS), Lunch (DE). HR – Loynd (CBS), Trachtenberg (CBS), Burton (DE).
WP – Petrich. LP – Umberger.
