Drama: D-East walks off with win over Avon Grove

UWCHLAN » The Downingtown East baseball team learned a lesson in last season’s district playoffs, and it helped the Cougars on Friday.

East stormed back from a 4-0 deficit against Avon Grove Friday, taking a thrilling 5-4 walk-off win when Tommy Hammett hammered an RBI double to score Austin Taylor and send the Cougars into the District 1 Class 6A semifinals, and secure a berth in the state playoffs.

East will host Council Rock North in Tuesday’s semifinal, while Avon Grove will travel to Downingtown West in an elimination game for a state playoff berth.

“Last season we were the team up by four runs in the same spot and we lost it,” said Downingtown East coach Pete Susi. “We talked about it during the game and the kids kept battling and we got great relief pitching from Grant Umberger. He is only in 10th grade but he just stays so cool. He kept us in after Scott Jewett struggled and we came back. This team is very resilient.”

Avon Grove (14-7) got out early as the Red Devils scored four runs on six hits in the second inning. Andrew Brady had a big tworun single in the frame and Riley Davis and Shane Kelleher both added RBI singles to stake Ryan Gersener to an early 4-0 lead.

Gersener danced out of trouble in the first inning, but in the bottom of the third, the Cougars (17-5) scored a run on an RBI single from Connor Munnelly. after three singles to make it a 3-1 game. Meanwhile, Umberger stranded Avon Grove runners in the third, fourth and fifth innings. The Red Devils pounded out 12 hits on the day, but could not plate a run after the second inning.

“After the second inning we got a little flat and did not get the timely hits we have been getting to get to this round,” said Avon Grove coach Dave Whitcraft. “We had the bases loaded once. And second and third, and

first and second.”

Whitcraft took Gersener out after four innings due to a high pitch count and Red Devils reliever Karl Schmidt came in to try to close the victory. After a successful fifth inning, Schmidt got into trouble in the bottom of the sixth.

After striking out Connor Lynch, Schmidt got into trouble. Matt Szepanski reached on an infield error with one out. Hammett walked to put two men on and Albert Choi knocked an RBI single to center field to make it a 4-2 game. Mike Rodriguez followed with a long sacrifice fly to make it a 4-3 game, but Schmidt got the third out when Munnelly flied out to center.

Avon Grove stranded another man in the top of the seventh, leading the Cougars to mount their comeback. Joe Cestare led off the seventh and reached first when Schmidt plunked him with a pitch. Zach Burton moved Cestare up with a nice sacrifice bunt, before Taylor walked to put two men on with one out and the Downingtown East bench was roaring.

Joe Janick loaded the bases with a single to right and you could just feel the momentum swing in the Cougars favor. Szepanski tied the game with a sacrifice fly and up stepped Hammett to face Riley Davis, who came in to relieve Schmidt. Hammett took a Davis fastball deep to center and the Cougars had a thrilling 5-4 win.

“I was just trying to do anything I could to help the team right there,” Hammett said. “I hit a fastball, a little up and inside. We talked on the bench about last year and we said this was our turn to come back. It is a great feeling.”