Pennridge rallies past Hatboro-Horsham
HORSHAM >> It was somewhere around the fourth or fifth inning when the winds of change began to blow Pennridge’s way.
“It was more of a momentum game,” Pennridge center fielder Bobby Croyle said of Friday’s contest with Hatboro-Horsham.
Gusting winds and a 4-0 hole did not deter the Rams.
Riding the persistent right arm of Matt Dubyk and finding a way to get it done at the plate, the Rams battled back to draw even in this Suburban One League non-division contest, and then Croyle came through with a clutch single to left.
“(Hatboro) just changed their pitcher (to Ryan San Angelo) so watching him throw, I knew he – and most pitchers when they first come in – would throw a first-pitch fastball. He went curve for a 1-0 count, I took one, and then I knew if I got something around that area again, I was swinging no matter what,” Croyle said.
“He put one right there, and I was able to put a barrel on it and it went to the right spot.”
In a much-anticipated return to the field for both teams, after the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season, Croyle knocked in the go-ahead runs in a spirited 6-4 Ram victory on Opening Day.
“Great way to start the year,” Croyle said.
Pennridge coach Craig Whitten’s first ‘W’ was a wild one.
“Every single emotion in a baseball game that you can have,” said Whitten, who finally got to coach his first game for the Rams, after the 2020 season was cancelled.
Hatters jump out >> Hatboro-Horsham used aggressive base running and singles by Justin Kahrimanian and Cole Fisher to plate three runs in the second.
The Hatters boosted the lead to 4-0 in the third when Eric Sonntag’s blooper to left brought in Kahrimanian.
Lefty Jimmy Tooley, meanwhile, kept the Rams scoreless the first three innings. He would surrender two runs, one earned, while striking out five with no walks in his three and two thirds innings of work.
Said Hatters coach Pete Moore: “I’m proud of the way Jimmy threw. He really threw the ball well for us.”
Of his young team, Moore said: “We need to hit better with men in scoring position. We got some guys on and I love the way we ran the bases. We need to put teams away but we have to learn that. We’ll learn and we’ll grow from it.”
Rams strike back >> Pennridge cut the margin in half in the fourth, thanks in part to an RBI double by Joey Calabretti.
The powerful gales made just about every play an adventure, and each team committed three errors along with some passed balls and wild pitches.
“This wind is so difficult for everybody,” Whitten said. “I told Dubyk when we got here that the wind is in his favor because it blows into a right-handed hitter, and it’s in his face the whole time. So I told him to feed off of that.
“And he and Timmy Mastrogiovanni have a pretty good relationship as pitcher-catcher. I trust everything ‘Mastro’ calls and I trust everything Dubyk throws.”
Dubyk hung in there for five strong innings, allowing just one earned run while racking up eight strikeouts.
“Dubyk is a bulldog,” Whitten said. “He’s one of the quietest kids on the team but probably one of the toughest. I’d give him the ball in Game Seven of the World Series any day of the week because this kid pitches with so much heart.”
With Dubyk bearing down, the Rams pushed ahead in the fifth.
Dubyk and Wells each drew walks and came in to score on an error and a wild pitch, and then Croyle delivered his second hit of the contest.
“Bobby Croyle had a heck of a game,” Whitten said.
“We don’t really have anyone where it’s like, ‘oh, he’s our best player,’ or, ‘wow, that guy’s insane,'” Croyle said. “We’re just good friends, going out and playing together.”
Pennridge hosts Lansdale Catholic Monday and Hatboro-Horsham hosts Truman that same afternoon.
Pennridge 6, Hatboro-Horsham 4
Pennridge 000 240 0 – 6 5 3
Hatboro-Horsham 031 000 0 – 4 5 3
WP: Matt Dubyk (5IP, 4R, 1ER, 4H, 8K, 4BB, 1HBP).
LP: Ryan San Angelo (11/3IP, 0R, 0ER, 1H, 1K, 1BB).
2B: P-Joey Calabretti; HH-Jack Elwell.
Multiple hits: P-Bobby Croyle 2-for-3, 2RBI; HH-Justin Kahrimanian 2-for-3, 2R.
