Oltman delivers Perk Valley past Phoenixville, 7-2

GRATERFORD>> For six of seven innings Tuesday afternoon, Perkiomen Valley pitcher Jess Oltman dominated the Phoenixville lineup.

And in the one inning she struggled in the circle, she made up for it at the plate.

Oltman’s two-out, two-run single broke a 2-all tie in the fourth inning Tuesday, and Perkiomen Valley rode the senior righty’s arm the rest of the way to a 7-2 victory over visiting Phoenixville.

“It sure felt good to get that hit,” Oltman said after the game. “I’ve been struggling a bit (at the plate.)

“I think the pitch was in on my hands a bit. But I felt confident up there today.”

Confidence and relaxation were a big part of the game plan for PV (6-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference, 7-7 overall), who bounced back from Monday’s defeat at the hands of Owen J. Roberts to keep their PAC Final Four hopes alive.

“When we relax, have fun, play loose … we’re a much better team,” said Oltman. “Hopefully we can continue playing like this the rest of the way.”

Oltman went the distance in the circle, striking out eight and allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits. She finished the game without issuing a walk, a fact not lost on head coach Joe Bogus.

“(Oltman) has done a great job for us all year,” said Bogus. “She threw a couple of one-hitters earlier, and she’s always around the plate. She’s got great concentration, and nothing seems to rattle her.”

Ashley Bangert got PV on the board, plating Sam Nuneviller with a first-inning single. Oltman and her Phoenixville counterpart, freshman Kendall Brown, held the respective offenses in check until the Phantoms’ fourth-inning rally.

Susan Duncan and Brown both registered infield singles, and Becca Cooper found open grass with a flare to left. After a forceout, Katie Rutledge’s RBI groundout knotted the game at 1 before Phoenixville took the lead when PV was unable to come up with Emma Rakowski’s pop fly.

In the bottom of the frame, Kasey Souder’s RBI single tied the game back up at 2-2 before Oltman found space between third and short to drive in a pair of runs and give the Vikings the lead for good.

Kara Fusco put the game away for PV with a two-run triple to right-center field in the bottom of the sixth. Fusco advanced home on an error on the play, providing the final run for the 7-2 margin.

Despite the loss, Phoenixville head coach Grace Henderson pointed to positives, including the performance of freshman pitcher Brown, who went the distance herself and stood toe-to-toe with the Vikings for the first five innings.

“Kendall and Courtney (Gable, Phoenixville’s other pitcher) are both freshmen,” said coach Henderson. “They’re learning a bunch this year, they’re battling, win or lose.”

For the Phantoms (5-6 PAC, 7-6 overall), the wins have been coming often enough that the team is still in PAC playoff contention, and currently stands to host a first-round District game.

“Our goal is to qualify for states,” Henderson revealed. “Susan (Duncan) is our only senior this year, and that was her wish.”

Victorious Perk Valley turns its attention to Wednesday’s game with Boyertown before facing league-leading Spring-Ford on Friday. Every game is pivotal for the Vikings’ postseason future at this point, but Bogus refuses to look ahead.

“One game at a time,” he stressed. “You can’t be thinking ahead to any particular opponent. If you’re not focused on the moment — that’s when you get into trouble.”