Pitching, defense keeps Yardley-morrisville on a roll
BucksLocalSports Editor
Yardley-Morrisville is continuing its recent roll in the Lower Bucks American Legion League (LBALL). Including recent wins over Newtown Post 440 and Bristol Post 382, YardleyMorrisville has now won seven league games in a row, and eight straight, overall.
On Wednesday evening, June 19 at Jay Dunlap Memorial Field, the team registered its latest triumph, a 3-1 victory over Lower Southampton. YardleyMorrisville jumped on Marlins starter Matt Kenzil right DwDy LQ WKH WRS RI WKH fiUsW, tagging the Neshaminy junior for two runs.
After leadoff hitter Kyle Marshall reached as a hit batsman, Ryan Sheaffer and Jack Seibert loaded the sacks with back-to-back sLQJOHs WR OHIW fiHOG. 0DUshall then scored on a balk and Sheaffer came home on D sDF-fly Ey -HII 7DOOPDQ.
Y-M padded its edge in WKH fiIWK RQ D sLQJOH Ey 7DOOman and an RBI double by Leo Hernandez. LoSo scored its only run in the game in the seventh. Starter Jake Goldberg registered a complete game win on the hill for Yardley, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Kenzil surrendered three runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking none in seven innings of work.
As has been the case of late, Y-M won yet another low-scoring affair.
“We have been getting great pitching all season and now our defense is start- ing to come together and that’s keeping us in games,” said Y-M head coach Mike Decembrino. “While we haven’t hit as well as we’d like to, we’ve had some key hits in certain situations.
“Because of the pitching and the defense, we’ve been able to hold on in some of these low-scoring games.”
In a recent 1-0 win over Newtown June 14 at Council Rock North, second baseman Ben Decembrino pushed home the game’s only run when he slapped D JURuQGHU WR fiUsW EDsH WKDW could not be handled by the 1HwWRwQ LQfiHOGHU.
Decembrino’s RBI scored Steve Sabatino from third base for the game-winner while lefthander Joe Sabatino recorded the pitching win, limiting Post 440 to just two hits. Tyler Scheuer took the loss for Newtown.
Dan Kleish registered the pitching win in a 2-1 victory over Bristol June 17 at Truman. In a scoreless game in the seventh inning, Steve Sabatino pushed home the fiUsW UuQ LQ WKH JDPH wLWK a suicide squeeze bunt that scored Jack Seibert from third base. Jake Goldberg came home with the winning tally on an error committed by Post 382.
Against defending league champion Bristol, Yardley took both ends of a doubleheader with Post 382, winning 1-0 and 5-1.
,Q WKH fiUsW HQG RI WKH WwLQ bill which took place June 9 at Cairn University, the duel remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Sam Paglione came through with a bunt for a base hit. Bristol then walked a batter
then booted a ball slapped tKrRuJK tKH LnfiHOd, HnDbOLnJ Paglione to cross the plate with the game’s only run.
Kleish registered the win in the second half of the dRubOHKHDdHr, D 5-1 YLFtRry tKDt IDYRrHd tKH tHDP from Yardley. According to DDn, BrLstRO DOwDys Sut uS D fiJKt.
“TwR yHDrs DJR, tKHy wRn tKHn ODst yHDr, tKHy wHrH Ln last place for a while then they come back out of nowhere in playoffs and won.”
AJDLnst FDOOs, YDrdOHy KDs HDrnHd Dn 8-8 tLH tKus IDr wKLOH suIIHrLnJ D 3-2 ORst tR Post 834.
“Falls is always a battle – tKDt’s DOwDys D Iun JDPH,” sDLd .OHLsK, D rHFHnt 3Hnnsbury grad who has attended classes with many of the Dirtbags. “They don’t lose YHry PDny SHRSOH; tKHy’YH been the same team for a IHw yHDrs nRw sR tKHy KDYH good chemistry and always turn out to play good baseball.”
OI FRursH, tKH tHDP tR beat thus far it seems is YDrdOHy 3Rst 317. DurLnJ tKH KLJK sFKRRO sHDsRn, NHsKDPLny tRRk tKH SOL NDtional Conference by storm wLtK D 13-1 rHFRrd tKLs spring and it looks like Post 317 KDs SLFkHd uS wKHrH tKH Redskins left off. As of June 20, WHstHrn Ls 10-1 RYHrDOO Dnd 8-1 Ln LBALL SODy.
SDLd .OHLsK: “TKHy KDYH Justin Andrews – who is a YHry, YHry JRRd SODyHr Dnd Cole Creighton and some other kids who always come ready to play.”
MuFK RI YDrdOHy-MRrrLsYLOOH’s suFFHss tKLs sHDsRn can be attributed to an influx RI tDOHnt IrRP tKH 2012 Y-M JunLRr LHJLRn tHDP that went to regionals and won last year.
WKLOH tKH JunLRr tHDP took opening games against BRyHrtRwn, BHrwLFk Dnd CHntrDO YRrk, Lt ORst Dn Hnsuing battle with Lower Macungie. Facing eliminatLRn, tKH bRys Ln bOuH wRn 6-5 Dnd 11-4 tR rHDFK stDtHs.
In tKH first wLn RYHr LRwHr MDF, YDrdOHy DFtuDOOy trDLOHd Lts RSSRnHnt 5-0 bHfore deadlocking the score Dt 5-DOO Dnd wLnnLnJ tKH JDPH Rn Dn RBI dRubOH by Seibert.
TrDLOLnJ LRwHr MDF 4-0 Ln tKH finDO, YDrdOHy rHbRundHd with two runs in the fourth Dnd twR PRrH Ln tKH sHYenth to send the game into HxtrD LnnLnJs. TKH kHy KLt that deadlocked the score Dt 4-DOO wDs D twR-run dRuble by Ryan Sheaffer. The BuFks bRys HxSORdHd wLtK sHYHn runs Ln tKH tRS RI tKH eight to win going away.
“All of our wins at region- DOs HxFHSt RnH wHrH FRPHIrRP-bHKLnd JDPHs,” stDtHd Sheaffer in a recent interYLHw. “TKDt Must sKRws tKDt wH dRn’t JLYH uS. WH KDYH JRRd FKHPLstry Dnd bHOLHYH in each other.
Stepping up on the hill last season for in Junior Legion were Curt Staropoli Dnd AndrHw GLObHrt, wKR registered a complete game wLn YHrsus LRwHr MDFunJLH. SHLbHrt Dnd StHYH SDbatino came through with sRPH bLJ Dt-bDts.
“EYHryRnH KDs D rROH KHrH Dnd wH KDYH FRnfidHnFH tKDt HYHryRnH Ls JRLnJ tR dR their part.”
By nRw, IROks SrRbDbOy forget that Yardley had to wLn sLx RI Lts ODst sHYHn Must tR JHt LntR tKH LRwHr BuFks Jr. Legion playoffs and take a pair of games from HDtbRrR-HRrsKDP tR HDrn D sSRt Ln tKH BRyHrtRwn RHgional Tournament.