LOWER GWYNEDD >> Plymouth Whitemarsh believed their pitching would be strong in the 2024 season. After four Suburban One League Liberty Division games, it seems they were correct.
The Colonials won 6-1 against Wissahickon at Wissahickon High School, improving to 4-0 on Tuesday afternoon. In the four games, they have only allowed three runs, shutting out Abington and Hatboro-Horsham and giving up two runs to Upper Dublin.
PW coach Chris Manero said, “At the start of the season at Abington, we used five or six guys. We’ve done the opposite now. The amount of runs we’ve allowed and the performance of our starting pitching has been key in these first four league games.”
PW pitcher Colin Brady said, “Our coaching and our catcher (Chase Olszyk) lead the way. They call great games and help keep us focused and ready in every game.”
Johnny Giordano added, “All of us are returning varsity pitchers. Having that experience and knowing what to throw and when to throw it is important.”
Brady pitched six scoreless innings against Wissahickon, striking out four batters, walking three, and allowing seven hits.
“The lefty credited his successful outing to the speed of the ball. His curveball and changeup mixing in. His fastball was a bit unstable at first, but mixing it up well had the batters off-balance,” he said.
Brady received support from his defense, which turned two double plays in the game. The first came on a grounder to second in the bottom of the first inning and the other came on a grounder to third in the bottom of the fourth.
“Defensively, we have many guys who are not in their second year as varsity players,” Manero said. “Most of our position players did not start in the positions they are in this year. We are really pleased with how they’ve stepped up.
Manero added, “I think it goes along with the pitching. Pitching and defense go hand in hand. We would like to see more offensive production at times, but until we do, if the guys defensively and on the mound can do their job, that’s what gives us a boost.”
Brady also picked a runner off first base in the top of the third.
Brady McGrain pitched the seventh inning, allowing one run on two hits and striking out one batter with no walks.
The Colonials offense started strong in the first inning. Gabe Caucci and Giordano, the top two batters in the lineup, got on base and scored. Caucci scored on a wild pitch and Giordano crossed the plate on Brady’s groundout.
PW took advantage of a pair of Wissahickon errors in the third inning to double the lead. Olszyk and Sam Stolzer both reached base due to errors, allowing runs to score and making it a 4-0 game.
Wiss coach Andy Noga said they need to take care of the baseball and limit free bases in high school baseball games. He mentioned that they lost the free-base war that day.
Giordano increased the lead to 6-0 in the fourth inning by hitting a two-out, two-run double off the base of the right field fence.
Giordano, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, explained that he wanted to observe the pitcher's moves after the two players before him walked. When the count was two strikes and two balls, he felt the need to swing the bat and ended up hitting the next pitch.
The Trojans (2-2) had many runners on base during the game but couldn't score until the seventh inning. They left 10 runners on base throughout the game, with six in the first three innings.
Noga commented that PW played good defense, executing crucial double plays and helping Colin Brady manage his pitch count. He mentioned that they were making contact with the ball and minimizing strikeouts but struggled to capitalize on runners in scoring position.
In the seventh inning, the hosts finally scored when Adam Hajdak hit a double, moved to third on a Josh Palutis single, and scored on a balk.
Palutis started for Wiss and gave up four runs, two of which were earned, on two hits in three innings. In the fourth inning, Jake Fuhrmeister recorded three outs and allowed two runs on one hit and two walks. Ryan Kim pitched the final three innings, giving up no runs on one hit with four strikeouts and one walk.
Noga expressed confidence in their pitching staff, particularly Ryan Kim. He praised Kim for keeping them within striking distance by consistently preventing the opponents from scoring.
Plymouth Whitemarsh defeated Wissahickon 6-1.
Plymouth Whitemarsh scored 202 200 0 – 6.
Wissahickon scored 000 000 1 – 1.
Colin Brady pitched 6 innings, struck out 4, walked 3, allowed 7 hits, and did not allow any runs.
Josh Palutis pitched 3 innings, struck out 3, walked 2, allowed 2 hits, and gave up 4 runs.
PW's Johnny Giordano hit a double, while W's Adam Hajdak hit a double.
W's Josh Palutis hit a triple.
