Aston Valley wins one for Gigi
Team caps emotional season for coach and his son with EDCO title
MEDIA » Avery and Ron Frank knew there was something special happening a few games back.
Avery, who is Ron’s son and a member of the Aston Valley Intermediate EDCO team, had made a few big catches in the outfield. Plays that would typically drop in for base hits.
“She was his Ron Frank said.
Georgeann “Gigi” Frank, Avery’s mom and Ron’s wife of 25 years, died in May following a six-year fight with cancer. Mrs. Frank (nee Grau) was a standout field hockey player in the 1980s at The Christian Academy. In later years, as the varsity coach at her alma mater, Frank led TCA to several Keystone Conference titles.
Gigi Frank’s passing happened just two days before Aston Valley began play May 17. The team wanted to dedicate the season to Gigi, so head coach Todd Kirk and his staff returned everyone’s hats to the manufacturing company for a little alteration. They had Gigi’s name stitched on the side of the caps.
Aston Valley capped off its season of remembrance for Avery’s mom by winning the Intermediate EDCO title with a 4-1 victory over Media Thursday night at Springton Lake Middle School. Aston Valley overcame a 1-0 series deficit to win the championship in three games.
“It means a lot to me,” said Avery Frank, who singled, scored two runs and stole two bases. “I wish she could be here to see it, but I know she’s looking down. “I feel it every day.” It’s a moment the Franks will remember for a long time. “It’s special,” Avery said. An intense series, which saw tempers flaring and fans barking back angel out there,” and forth, ended in unexpected fashion. Media had the tying run at bat — catcher Ryan Yeager — with two down and runners on first and second in the bottom of the seventh inning. On two occasions, Aston tried to pick off the baserunners.
Aston Valley pitcher Danny Guinan was beginning to labor after throwing six spectacular innings. He had allowed only three hits, including a pair of singles in the seventh (the first single was erased on a catch by Pat McVey at shortstop). Guinan thought, with the right timing, he could save his arm more stress if he could pick off either Zach Cimino at second base or Justin Heidig at first.
Guinan was involved in a game of chicken with the baserunners.
“I was struggling throwing strikes that last inning, I was just trying to get the ball over the plate,” Guinan said. “Me and my shortstop were on the same page.”
After running the count to 3-0 against Yeager, Guinan got the ball back, stepped off the mound and threw over to McVey, who was hovering around the second base bag. Cimino stopped dead in his tracks, unable to make a beeline back to second base. A rundown ensued. McVey threw to third baseman Justin Bradley, who applied the tag on Cimino for the final out.
“We saw him getting really far off the bag and (Guinan) just kind of gave me a look,” McVey said. “I knew to cut to the bag … and it was there. Big play.”
Only moments earlier, Guinan and his infielders thought they had wrapped things up after centerfielder Brett Howe tried to make an amazing diving catch to rob Cimino of a bloop single. The premature celebration drew a wave of jeers from the Media contingent.
But for Aston Valley, all’s well that ends well.
“I played with a lot of these guys when I was younger, then left them to go play travel ball. I was able to come back and it has been fun playing with them,” McVey said. “This whole season has been a good time.”
Aston Valley grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Ryan Kester, who twirled a three-hit shutout in Game 2, belted a solo home run over the left-field fence. Media tied the game in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Devin Delviscio
Aston Valley regained the lead in the top of the fifth when a decision to intentionally walk leadoff hitter Connor Boyd with two outs and two on backfired on Media. Howe worked back from a one-two count to coax a bases-loaded walk to drive in the deciding run. A pair of errors in the top of the seventh opened the door for two insurance runs for Aston Valley.
Guinan did the rest. He scattered three hits and struck out two in an efficient 87-pitch outing.
“I trusted my catcher (Boyd) with the pitches he was calling — fastball, curveball, changeup, slider,” said Guinan, who is a rising senior at St. Joseph’s Prep. “He’s a great catcher back there. Anything he called, that’s what I was going with.”
Media’s Evan Sides pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing only one earned run on five hits. He struck out seven. Caleb Mahalik, who tossed a one-hit complete game Tuesday, returned on only one day’s rest to get the final two outs in the seventh.