In the game on Tuesday, Cooper Natisin was very strong as the pitcher for Quakertown. He pitched the whole game, only allowing three hits and no walks while striking out seven batters. The Panthers needed eight innings to win because Wissahickon’s Gavin Malloy also performed well for seven innings.
During the eighth inning, Natisin also contributed on the offensive side. Following Cole Reich’s double, Natisin hit an RBI single to right field. He then finished the inning perfectly to secure a 1-0 victory over the Trojans at Wissahickon High School.
Natisin mentioned, “In the last two at-bats, I was early, but my first at-bat was a double to the wall. I just knew I had to wait and focus on every pitch. A bloop to right field did the job.”
Quakertown coach Jon Pallone commented, “We needed a strong performance from him and he delivered, not only on the mound, but also at the plate.”
The victory keeps the Panthers within reach of first-place Plymouth Whitemarsh in the league standings, with two games remaining. They will face Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday and wrap up the regular season at home against Abington next Tuesday. The Colonials will play games at Upper Dublin and at home against Wissahickon.
Pallone mentioned, “We have to focus on one game at a time and can’t get distracted. We need to stay focused on the task at hand.”
Natisin faced 27 batters in the eight-inning victory and allowed only five baserunners.
He stated, “I kept throwing strikes and was able to keep the batters off-balance with my changeup and slider. I was challenging the batters and forcing them to hit ground balls.”
Wissahickon coach Andy Noga said, “(Natisin) works quickly and consistently hits the strike zone. I've seen him compete on the varsity team for the past three years.”
Natisin encountered the most difficulty in the bottom of the fifth inning when Wissahickon’s first two batters reached base. However, he managed to get out of it without allowing any runs by catching a bunt and making a double play.
Natisin explained, “I knew I had to throw it down the middle and let him bunt it, and rely on the defense. When I saw it off the bat, I thought I could catch it and made a nice, easy throw. It was significant.”
Noga noted, “Our offense has improved, but when facing a pitcher like Cooper, we have to take advantage of our opportunities because we may not get many.”
Malloy also had a great day pitching, even though he lost. He struck out five batters and didn't walk anyone in eight innings. He gave up one run on six hits. In the first inning, he left runners on second and third base, but then he got into a good rhythm and retired 12 batters in a row until the fifth inning.
Noga said, "Our pitchers have been performing well all year. Our pitching staff has been great. We've been in these types of games all year. Gavin pitched really well. I thought our defense was really good behind him. We had some good opportunities on offense but couldn't take advantage. Cooper Natisin pitched well too, and he did better than Gavin to win the game. It was a great pitching duel and a good high school baseball game."
The Trojans (12-5, 9-5 SOL Liberty) lost and are no longer in the running for a league championship, but they still have the District 1-6A playoffs ahead. They are currently ranked No. 10 and the top eight teams get a first-round bye before playing in the second round. Wiss will play Abington and PW in its last two games and could move into the top eight with two wins.
Noga said, "We have two important games left. We're playing against Abington on Thursday night, which is their senior night. We know they'll give us their best effort. Adam (Hajdak) will be pitching, so we feel confident. We just need to take care of business and the rankings will work out as needed."
Quakertown 1, Wissahickon 0 (8 innings)
Quakertown 000 000 01 – 1
Wissahickon 000 000 00 – 0
WP: Cooper Natisin 8 IP 7 K 0 BB 3 H 0 R
LP: Gavin Malloy 8 IP 5 K 0 BB 6 H 1 R
2B: Q: Cooper Natisin, Cole Reich 2. W: Josh Palutis.
