Nyce hits grand slam, 3-run HR as Dock Mennonite rolls past Jenkintown

TOWAMENCIN >> Having already hit a grand slam the previous inning, Garrett Nyce went ahead and made his Tuesday afternoon even better with a walk-off home run.

“I always like to hit homers,” the Dock Mennonite senior first baseman said. “But the kid on the bump, I knew him, he played me at golf – didn’t like him very much so I wanted to take him yard.”

Nyce did exactly that to cap the Pioneers’ Bicentennial Athletic League contest with Jenkintown. With two on and two out in the bottom of the third, he swung on the first pitch offered and belted it over the fence in left field to give Dock a 15-0 victory over the visiting Drakes in three innings.

“Just trying to take a hack,” said Nyce of his sealing blast. “See what I could do.”

Nyce finished with seven RBIs and three runs scored in going 3-for-3 – hitting a single and scoring during the Pioneers’ seven-run first, connecting on a grand slam to make it 11-0 in the second then adding another longball to left in bringing home the last three of Dock’s four runs in the third.

“Took some swing, came in ready to hit,” Nyce said. “Warm day.”

Sam Laux hit a two-run home run in the first while JD Bennett went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored as the Pioneers (7-2) bounced back after consecutive non-league losses to Lansdale Catholic last Friday and Holy Ghost Prep Monday.

“I mean, we can play with those boys,” Nyce said. “We had our center fielder (Pete DePolo), broke his ankle yesterday so we kind of got low, that hurt the energy. But it’s kind of just energy stuff. When we keep our energy up we play a lot better.”

Dock compiled nine hits – four in both the first and third – while also putting 10 runners on base with five walks and five being hit by pitch. Carter Jagiela, Logan Hinnershitz and Zach Frederick each scored three runs.

“We needed this game,” Laux said. “We needed a good get back on track game and this is definitely it. We just got to keep going back the same way.”

The loss ended a six-game win streak for Jenkintown (6-2), which last lost in its season opener to Lansdale Catholic March 30. The Drakes’ Charlie Levy led off the game with a first-pitch single but the next batter grounded into a double play.

Jenkintown did not get another baserunner off Dock starting pitcher Matt Miles until a one-out error in the third. Miles, however, got the next two batters to fly out.

“It’s hard, you’re trying to manipulate the schedule, you’re trying to figure out which guys to throw and who to throw against,” Jenkintown coach George Vafiadis said. “So we wanted to see what some pitchers had, couple threw strikes where a couple had a hard time. It was good to see them out there though and trying to do their thing.

“I mean, we got the bat on the ball, couple guys hit the ball hard. Made a couple good plays, a couple double plays so there’s things to look at and think positive about.”

Miles got the win for Dock, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out one. Jenkintown starting pitcher Sam Schumm did not record an out in taking the loss, giving up five runs – all earned – on two hits and three hit batters.

Both teams host BAL games 3:45 p.m. Thursday. Jenkintown, second in the District 1-1A power rankings faces No. 1 Faith Christian. Dock, which tops the Class 2A standings, takes on Church Farm School.

“We know what we can do, we know what we’re good at,” Laux said. “And Garrett’s really leading us out here, Carter, all of our captains are doing good and that’s what we need, just leading all the way through districts.”

In the bottom of the second, Jagiela was hit by a pitch with one out while consecutive walks to Hinnershitz and Frederick loaded the bases for Nyce, who brought everyone home with shot over the fence for a 11-run lead. The grand slam was his second of the season, having hit his first against The Christian Academy April 6.

“I was way up in front in the first pitch and I sat back on it, kind of saw it in,” Nyce said. “You saw what happened.”

Jagiela kept the bottom of the fourth alive with a two-out single. After a Hinnershitz walk, Frederick’s RBI single scored Jagiela to make it 12-0. Nyce followed with his second homer of the afternoon to enact the 15-run rule.

“I’ve hit them in back-to-back games but never in the same game,” Nyce said.

Dock sent 11 to the plate, the first eight reaching base as the Pioneers grabbed a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Nate Lapp led off by getting hit by a pitch, stole second, went to third on an error and came home on a Bennett RBI single. The next at-bat, Laux smashed a two-run homer to left for a 3-0 lead.

“He was floating fastball up there early and I know how to be on time,” Laux said. “He was throwing a little slower than most guys we see. So I just had to be on time and got to watch the pitches and just caught one.”

Still with no outs, Jagiela and Hinnershitz were both hit by pitches with a Frederick walk loading the bases. Jagiela scored on a wild pitch while an error on the play allowed Hinnershitz home, putting the Pioneers up 5-0.

After Nyce’s base hit, a Miles RBI single to left plated Frederick. Nyce scored to make it 7-0 on Zach Neff’s RBI sacrifice fly to right center.