FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — It’s good to be choosy, but it's also possible to wait too long.
Ben Clark, the designated hitter for Methacton in the 4th position, kept this in mind when he went to bat in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and the game tied against rival Spring-Ford Rams.
“I’m just hoping for a fastball on the first pitch,” Clark said. “I've been too hesitant during the season, so I decided to be aggressive. I made a good swing, and it worked.”
Clark hit a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield to bring Bryce Lohsen, who had started with a base hit, and advanced, to lead the Warriors over Spring-Ford 4-3 on a windy Friday afternoon.
“After some difficult losses earlier, we’re in a good position now,” Clark said. “It’s been a great recovery for us. We've put ourselves in a strong position in the district and for the PAC playoffs. We just need to keep going.”
With the win, Methacton (14-4, 11-3) won both games against the Rams (11-6, 9-5) during the season and got its eighth win in nine games while ending Spring-Ford’s four-game road winning streak.
The Warriors are two games ahead of S-F in a highly competitive Pioneer Athletic Conference.
Humes scored Methacton’s first runs with a two-run double to center in the third, after Spring-Ford had taken a 2-0 lead. Ayden Fitch also contributed with an RBI single to right in the fourth shortly after Casey Behan had reached on a hit to third base.
Spring-Ford’s Nick Flores went 2-for-4 with two doubles — including a two-run hit to right-center in the third — and a run. An RBI groundout in the fifth by Brennan McVey accounted for the Rams’ other run.
“We didn’t start the game well defensively, and it was discouraging,” said Methacton coach Paul Spiewak, who has been the coach for 21 years. “They had all the momentum, but credit to (Warriors pitcher) Will Christian, who, as a sophomore, could have easily lost his composure, especially with our defensive performance, but he fought through.”
Christian pitched 6 2/3 outstanding innings, dealing with trouble from behind, and then with little to no advantage, in a game that had three combined errors and a few more plays that could have been considered errors.
“Credit to Spring-Ford’s ninth batter (Tyler Collons),” Spiewak said. “That was a crucial walk (in the third) that set up Nick Flores's two-RBI double. And their pitcher (Andrew Wible) was very dominant early, so we had to make sure we stayed focused and waited for our moment.
“Casey Humes's two-out, two-strike double in the gap to score two helped us get back in the game, not only in terms of the score, but also in terms of momentum. And later, Aydan Fitch came through with a big hit — also with two outs. Your ability to get big hits with two outs often defines you.”
Wible pitched strongly for five innings before Methacton took advantage of their bullpen late.
Spring-Ford coach Rick Harrison said Andrew Wible pitched a great game and has shown improvement since the beginning of the season. The team took two out of three games against tough opponents this week, and he hopes this challenging game will bring the team closer together and help them progress.
The coach expressed his satisfaction with how the team competed, supported each other, and showed growth and maturity, which is essential for their development.
Harrison mentioned that although the team left some base runners in scoring position, he believes they could have taken advantage of those opportunities to relieve pressure on the pitchers and help the team play more relaxed. However, he praised the team's attitude and focus.
In the seventh inning with the game tied at 3-3, Lohsen led off with a single for Methacton. Tommy Kratz was hit by a pitch, Humes executed a sac bunt, and Nick Remish was intentionally walked. The Warriors missed an opportunity to go ahead in the previous inning when they were caught stealing and had a runner picked off.
They eventually struck out in an inning that included four walks.
Coach Spiewak commented on the unfavorable outcomes and the exceptional performance of the opposing team's catcher, Ryan Cecconi. He also acknowledged the mistakes made by his team in terms of baserunning and expressed the need for improvement in that area.
He emphasized fundamental errors in baserunning and emphasized the need to avoid making outs in certain situations. Additionally, he pointed out a missed opportunity to advance on a passed ball to the opponent's dugout.
The coach took responsibility for the baserunning mistakes and emphasized the importance of improvement in that area for future close games. He acknowledged his initial reaction but commended the team for their resilience and ability to learn from the experience.
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Methacton 4, Spring-Ford 3
Spring-Ford 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 — 3 6 0
Methacton 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 — 4 5 2
WP: Austin Frank
LP: Austin Ludwig
Spring-Ford hitting: Nick Flores 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, run; Logan Babore 1-3, double, run; Tyler Collons 1-2, BB, run; Ryan Cecconi 1-3; Brennan McVey 1-4, RBI, SB; David Ruckman 0-3, sac bunt, SB.
Methacton hitting: Casey Humes 1-3, double, sac bunt, 2 RBI; Ben Clark 1-3, sac fly, RBI; Ayden Fitch 1-2, BB, RBI, run; Bryce Lohsen 1-2, BB, run; Casey Behan 1-2, run, SB; Chase McNally 0-2, BB, SB.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.
