Peluso provides life for Wayne’s party
SPRINGFIELD » Joe Peluso came to Church Road Park Saturday in street clothes, not expecting to pitch at all during Wayne’s doubleheader with Springfield. Plans changed.
In Game 2, Wayne and Springfield went into extra innings. Peluso was called upon in the seventh and went the rest of the way. Wayne scratched out two runs in the top of the ninth thanks to a clutch knock by Tommy Bradley and Peluso shut the door on a 7-5 victory.
“I was supposed to start Monday and I didn’t expect to pitch today,” said Peluso, a West Chester University and La Salle High grad. “It’s always good to get a win against them, especially taking two. I was told I could go home, but I said I’d stick around because we might need it. Good thing I didn’t leave.”
Peluso retired all nine batters he faced, but perhaps his biggest contribution came at the plate. If he didn’t imagine getting the ball Saturday, well, Peluso never in his wildest dreams pictured himself with a bat in hand in a tied game and two runners on base in the ninth.
Wayne manager and third-base coach Brian Fili gave Peluso a heads-up that he would be asked to bunt if anyone reached base. Sure enough, Matt Briner and Cam Mathes began the frame with back-to-back walks against Springfield reliever Ben Mutz.
When was the last time Peluso laid down a sacrifice bunt?
“Never,” he said. “I mean, it took a two-out hit by Tommy, a big hit to get them in. I knew if anyone was on first base with less than too outs, I was bunting. I just wanted to give Sean (Mohollen) a chance behind me, but he got hit by a pitch. Tommy then came up with the big hit to get it done. They’re good, they’ve played us tough all year. They can hit, they can pitch. It’s nice getting two wins against them.”
Bradley hit a flare to shallow left field to drive home two runs in the ninth. He finished the game 3-for-5.
“It’s been a long day and we all want to go home,” Bradley said. “I kind of just wanted to put the bat on the ball and try to get a run home.”
Wayne (8-0) is alone in first place in the Delco League. Last season the team failed to reach the league championship series, which is unusual for a franchise that has captured a record 17 league titles since its inception in 1986.
“We don’t have all of our guys yet and I know it’s the same with (Springfield). It’s still early in the season, but guys are stepping up for us,” said Bradley, a BonnerPrendergast grad.
Wayne trailed 5-3 at the start of the sixth inning. Veteran second baseman Dan Williams was hit by a pitch and Bill Ford and Reece Malek coaxed walks to load the bases. A wild pitch by Springfield reliever Joe Sperone enabled Williams to score with two outs.
In the seventh, a throwing error by shortstop Connor Scanlan allowed Briner, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, to come across to score the tying run.
Jake Siani singled and eventually scored on a
passed ball to give Wayne a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Springfield tied the game in the bottom of the first when Bonner-Prendergast rising junior Austin Cannon smashed a leadoff triple and scored on a groundout to second base off the bat of Mutz. Wayne went ahead 2-1 in the third on an RBI grounder by Shane Wells.
Andrew Cantwell tossed four solid innings for the
host Colonials. He scattered three runs on five hits and struck out five. Sperone and Mutz combined to throw the last five innings. Saturday was Cantwell’s first outing since leading West Chester to a win at the NCAA Division II nationa tournament June 8.
“It was good to get back out there. I felt pretty good,” Cantwell said.
Springfield sent eight men to the plate and scored
three runs in the third. The big blow was a two-RBI knock by Cannon. Mutz singled up the middle to make it 4-2. Mutz added a run-scoring hit in the fifth to give Springfield a 5-3 advantage.
Mathes, a Marple Newtown and Villanova product, started the game for Wayne. He gave up four runs on four hits, striking out three. Ford pitched two innings in relief before
Peluso took over in the seventh.
In other Delco League action:
WAYNE 5, SPRINGFIELD 4 »
The Colonials rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but Wayne escaped to take Game 1. Ashton Raines got the save for Anthony Ehly, who allowed one unearned run on four hits with five strikeouts in five innings of work.
Briner was 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Mohollen added a single, double and run scored. Reece Malek singled twice and Jayce Tharnish was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
Will Kelley was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Springfield. Reed Farrell, Ben Mutz and Luke Cantwell all knocked in a run.