Henderson pounds out 13 hits in five-inning victory over Downingtown West

By Peter DiGiovanni
pdgiovanni07@gmail.com
@PeteDLNontwitter

WEST CHESTER >> Bob Owens Field felt more like Wrigley Field Friday afternoon as the intense winds made every batted ball quite an adventure. But, the host West Chester Henderson Warriors largely controlled the elements and visiting Downingtown West quite well.

The Warriors pounded out 13 hits in four innings and made every play in the field as West Chester Henderson overwhelmed Downingtown West, 12-1, in a five inning Ches-Mont National Division affair.

Henderson jumped on Whippet (7-5 Ches-Mont, 7-5 overall) starter Connor Blench early and often in the one-sided affair. The Warriors got singles from leadoff hitter Kevin Wheeler and Dean O’Neill to start things off in the bottom of the first inning. After Eddie Smink struck out, Brett McCartney knocked in a run on a fielder’s choice. Jackson Rutecki and Eric Angle then banged out RBI doubles and the Warriors (8-2, 8-4) were off to the races.

“We really had good at bats today and we all put the ball in play,” Wheeler said. “It was good for us to get out in front of them because we knew they were a good team so we needed the momentum. I think we are coming together really well right now as a team.”

Warriors’ starter Jackson Snyder did not have his best stuff on the day but he was good enough to limit the Downingtown West offense to just one run on five hits in five innings. Snyder got his pitch count up early but with the way the Warriors were swinging the bats, it did not matter.

After plating a single run in the bottom of the second inning to make it 4-1, the Warriors broke things open with five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Angle led things off with a single to right field, and after Dylan Grim grounded out to shortstop for the first out, Snyder helped his cause by ripping a RBI double to left center for a 5-1 lead. Wheeler then laced an RBI single — his third hit of the game — and O’Neill followed suit with an RBI single to left center and the Warriors were up 6-1.

Downingtown West contributed to the big inning for the Warriors by seemingly coming unglued a bit by committing four errors in the frame, three of them throwing errors. When the inning was over the Warriors had put up five runs on five hits and they took a 9-1 lead after just three innings.

The game was put into the mercy rule in the bottom of the fourth inning when West Chester Henderson scored three more runs on just two hits as the Whippets hurt their cause with two wild pitches and a throwing error. After four innings the Warriors led the Whippets 12-1.

“We had a real good day of practice yesterday,’ Rutecki said. “And those three runs in the first were very big for us. We kept our foot on the pedal and had good at bats. We have real good coaches who teach us the right way and today we played a very good game.”

It was not just the Warriors’ offense that was hot. West Chester Henderson outfielder Zach Klein made two very nice catches in right field, fighting the wind the whole way. And Klein doubled off two wayward West base runners. Wheeler had two big fielding plays at second base and all in all the Warriors were pretty close to flawless on the day.

“We made the plays when we had to today,” West Chester Henderson coach Luke McNichol said. “We were thinking about our next move with Jackson getting his pitch count up but our bats took care of things today. We had some really good at bats.”

West Chester Henderson 12, Downingtown West 1, five innings.

Downingtown West                       010 00-1
WC Henderson                                315 3-x12
2B — Rutecki, Angle, Grim.