D’town West blanks East for tie atop National

DOWNINGTOWN » When you get a champion down you have to finish the job, or risk letting him get off the mat and take what he feels is rightly his. The Downingtown East baseball team has led the Ches-Mont League National Division for most of the season with three-time reigning champion Downingtown West in hot pursuit.

Monday afternoon, behind a great pitching performance by Drew Britt, who allowed the Cougars five hits and struck out eight in his six innings of work, and home runs from Eric Grintz and Steve Posner, the Whippets picked up a convincing 4-0 triumph that left the two teams tied for the division lead with three games left in the regular season.

“We definitely have a little chip on our shoulders because we are league champs,” Grintz said. “But East got out early on us this year and it just made us work and practice harder. It was a good win today for us. On my home run I hit a fastball and the other two hits were on offspeed pitches. We just have to keep playing hard because anything can happen in this league.”

Grintz got off early on Downingtown East (13-3) ace Hutch Gagnon. After Tom Eliasion led off the game with a walk and was sacrificed to second base by Evan Williams, Grintz took a fastball and hit a towering two-run shot over the left field fence for a 2-0 Whippet lead. No one knew then that would be all the Whippets needed with Britt throwing a gem.

But, East did threaten Britt in the top of the third inning. Matt Sepanski led off with a single to left field. Austin Taylor hit into a fielders choice and Albert Choi singled to put two men on with just one out. Tommy Hammett hit a slow roller to short with West getting the out at second base. But, with the Cougar runner going to third, Hammett rounded the base and was caught off for the third out and Britt was out of his only trouble of the day and West still had a 2-0 lead.

“I actually was more relaxed this time than the lat time I pitched against East,” Britt said. “Fastball, curve, everything was working well for me today. I was pitching with a lot of confidence today and getting out to that early lead was big. Eric also called a great game behind the plate.”

The Whippets (13-3) scored another run off Gagnon in the bottom of the fourth inning. Posner worked the Cougar ace to a 3-0 count and then lofted a Gagnon fastball hit and far over the left center field fence for a 3-0 Whippet lead after four innings.

“I got the green light on 3-0 and it was a fastball a little up and I just got a good swing on it,” Posner said. “We just have to keep working hard and anything can happen in this league, so we have to take care of our business.”

There were not many chances for Downingtown East against Britt the way the Whippet ace was dealing. But, with one out in the top of the fifth, Joe Janick roped a fastball to right field that hit the fence on one hop. Janick rounded first and headed to second, but was cut down, and the Cougar threat was over and East was all but dead.

Britt was done after six innings and West scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on no hits, two walks and a nice RBI bunt by Williams for a 4-0 lead. Adam Grintz came in to pitch the seventh inning for the Whippets and after walking Connor Munnelly to lead off the frame, struck out Zack Burton, Joe Cestare and Janick to end the game and tie up the National Division race with three games left for each team.

“Hutch pitched well for us today,” Downingtown East coach Pete Susi said. “The difference was they barreled up two pitches and we did not. Drew Britt pitched well for them. He threw strikes and we could not get to him.”