Czachor carries Devon Prep into state championship game

PINE GROVE >> The members of the Devon Prep baseball team have never felt pressure like a state semifinal.

And to ramp up that pressure, imagine being asked to move from shortstop to the pitchers mound in a clutch spot.

Tide senior Andrew Czachor came in from shortstop in the fourth inning on Tuesday to relieve starter Bere Bauers with two South Williamsport runners on base and no outs in a 1-1 game.

To view a photo gallery of Devon Prep’s state semifinal win click here

All the Devon Prep senior did was strike out the side and get the Tide out of a very sticky jam. He followed that up by roping a big double in the top of the sixth inning and went on to strike out nine of the 12 Mounties he faced as Devon Prep went on for a thrilling 3-1 win that sends the Tide in the PIAA Class 2A Championship against Serra Catholic Friday at Penn State’s Lubrano Park at 4:30 p.m.

“I am used to those situations because I pitched a lot in relief this season,” Czachor said. “I started two games but I was mainly a reliever. This was not that big of a deal. I knew I had to throw strikes and bear down and I did that. Going to Penn State is a dream for us. We knew the 2014 team won the state title and for my last three years we just tried and tried to get back there and to finally do it is a big thrill.”

Devon Prep (12-13) only had one hit against Mounties (19-5) starter Tripp Breen through the first five innings, but the resilient Tide broke through in the top the sixth. Aaron Nuble led off with a sharp single up the middle and Czachor followed with a ringing double to left center to put men on second and third with no one out. Up came Jackson Joinik, who had struck out twice on just seven pitches in the game, but Joinik came through with a long sacrifice fly to right and the Tide took a 2-1 lead.

“That at-bat by Jackson was huge,” Devon Prep coach Mark Aquilante said. “He struck out twice and he had two strikes on him and he really hit that ball well and gave us what we needed at that time.”

Pat Coleman gave Devon Prep some needed insurance when he roped an RBI single to left field, and the Tide had a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth. With the way Czachor was dealing, it might as well been 31-1, as he completely dominated the South Williamsport lineup.

Czachor continued his mastery of the South order as he set the Mounties down in order in the bottom of the sixth and he also struck out two more Mounties in the process, and one could almost see the seeds of doubt in the eyes of the South hitters.

“Andrew was really, really good today,” Devon Prep catcher Paul Grycewicz said. “He was pounding the strike zone and I thought this was the hardest he threw all season. We are used to seeing good teams because we play in the Philadelphia Catholic League, and we lost our first game something like 13-0, but we really came on this season.

“We really wanted to get back to the championship because we knew the 2014 team did that and that was something we talked about all season.” Grycewicz said. “We did not get down when we lost games in the league because we knew we had a good chance in states. We also have great chemistry as a team. We are friends on and off the field. To go to Penn State is almost an unthinkable feeling.”

With only three outs left to punch the ticket to Penn State, Czachor did not let down. After getting Luke Winner to pop out to short for the first out in the bottom of the seventh, Czachor punched out the final two South batters and he was mobbed by his teammates in a dog pile at the pitcher’s mound.

“Andrew is just so cool in those situations,” Aquilante said. “He missed 10 games this season, and he has come back and done a great job. We more than held our own in the Catholic League and that gave the kids confidence. We gear everything to the end of the season. We play a lot of guys early on to see who is our better players.

“And then everybody knows their role and we always have great team spirit and we always have each other’s backs,” Aquilante said. “The kids are very close with each other and they really believe in what we teach them and they believe in each other. And to beat a pitcher like they had who is very good shows what this team is made of.”

Devon Prep 3, South Williamsport 1

Devon Prep 010 002 0-3

South Williamsport 010 000 0-1

2B-Winner. Czachor.

WP: Czachor. LP: Breen.