By Peter DiGiovanni
pdgiovanni07@gmail.com
@PeteDLNontwitter
WEST GOSHEN >> West Chester East outfielder Ryan Price just wanted to get his bat on the baseball as he came to bat in the bottom of the 10th inning Monday at Price Field. The host Vikings had the bases loaded with one out and the score was tied 6-6 with Avon Grove.
Price never did have to get his bat on the baseball as a Dylan Kurz fastball got by Red Devils catcher Caleb Strawhecker, and Josh Sherlock came steaming down the third base line, sliding in for the winning run as the Vikings prevailed in 10 innings, 7-6, over the Red Devils.
“With just one out I just wanted to make contact and barrel something up,” Price said. “And it turned out the ball went to the backstop and we scored anyway. This was a real team win. Our bullpen was great and all the guys on the bench kept up the energy. and it is hard to keep energy going for 10 innings. We really needed this win and we got it.”
Avon Grove (4-6 Ches-Mont, 4-6 overall) led for most of the game, getting gout to a 6-3 lead after four innings. And the Red Devils still held a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. But, the Vikings (6-5, 6-5) had a man on third base with two out and Jake Holdren on the mound.
Jeremy Coccia hit a ground ball toward first base that looked like it would end the inning but the ball eluded Red Devils first baseman Nathan Schwing, and Coccia reached on the error, with the tying run coming across the plate to tie the game at 6-6.
The game turned into battle of the bullpens and the Vikings’ Adam Price and Carter Reed combined to hurl five scoreless innings. The Red Devils stranded five base runners in those five innings against some very good Vikings pitching
“Our bullpen did a great job today,’” West Chester East coach Corey Webb said. “It has been little shaky lately but the guys did a great job today. and they pitched well with runners on base and did not give in to the hitters.”
Avon Grove got a two out single from Trent Dosenbach in the top of the 10th inning to bring Logan Nelson to the plate. But Reed got Nelson to pop out to Vikings shortstop Josh Sherlock to end the threat and send the game to the bottom of the 10th inning still tied at 6-6.
Avon Grove coach John Bellaver brought in the hard throwing Kurz to pitch the 10th inning and after getting the first Viking out, Kurz surrendered a single to Sherlock. Owen Rozzi, who had three hits for the game, followed with a single to put runners on first and second with one out.
Coccia came to the plate and after fouling off a bunt attempt, laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line that went for a base hit and the Vikings had the bases loaded with one out.
Price worked the count to 1-1 and then Kurz’s fastball got through Strawhecker and Sherlock slid across home plate with the winning run as the throw to the plate was late, and the Vikings’ bench exploded.
“We got behind but we kept battling,” Webb said. “And the guys did not quit. We played four games last week and we had to use our bullpen a lot, so to see them do such a great job today was a good thing.”
WC East 7, Avon Grove 6, 10 innings
Avon Grove 212 100 000 0-6
WC East 201 021 000 1-7
2B- Trent Dosenbach, Rozzi.3B-Rostock.
WP-Reed. LP-Kurz
