Bulldogs top Bears for title
Tomlin’s sac fly denies Bears, lifts Norchester to Berks championship
Hitting has been contagious for the Norchester Legion baseball team all season long.
On Monday night, Nate Tomlin served as a prime example at Wilson High School’s Owl Field at Ted Palka Park.
Tomlin, a pitcher with only two plate-appearances to his credit prior to Monday, delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the Bulldogs past Boyertown, 5-4, in the Berks County Legion championship game.
“This feels amazing,” said Tomlin, who also earned the win on the mound when he came on in relief. “When I got up (to the plate), I was looking for something I could put in play.
“My coaches, my teammates, they trusted me with the bat at that point. I’m just glad I could make something happen.”
Second baseman Josh Fulmer scored the gamewinning run from third base after starting the rally with a leadoff single back up the middle.
“As soon as I heard the crack of the bat, I knew it had the distance,” said Fulmer of Tomlin’s sac fly. “I knew I had to get back to the bag and be ready to run as fast as I could. There was no better feeling in the world than when I jumped up and had my teammates all around me at the plate.”
Fulmer finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, a triple and an RBI as Norchester pounded out 15 hits. Shortstop Riley McGinley finished a clean 5-for-5 with a double and two runs out of the two-hole while catcher Joe Zgleszewski and right fielder Eric Keppel each had two hits and a double each.
“Our offense has been hitting the ball well all season,” said Tomlin. “As a pitcher, that hasn’t usually been my job, but I’m glad I was put in that situation.”
Norchester starting pitcher Alex Condello lasted 6-1/3 innings before giving way to Tomlin in the seventh. The right-hander scattered four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out four. Tomlin allowed just one hit during his 2-2/3 innings of relief.
Boyertown starter Andrew Bauer pitched into the seventh inning, but was credited with six full innings where he allowed 13 hits and four earned runs.
An uncharacteristic start for the right-hander, Bauer admits the hardest part was watching a dog-pile in the championship game for the third straight season.
“We’ve finished in second place all three years
I’ve been with the team,” recalled Bauer. “It definitely hurts, but to know that we’ve gotten to this point three seasons in a row — we’ve still got to be proud.
“That’s a really good hitting team,” he added. “My catcher (Ryan Weller) and I were talking — we ran out of stuff to throw. Whatever we threw, they (Norchester) were either taking or they were landing hits. It was just their day.”
Center fielder Christian Wagner posted the Bears’ lone multi-hit game, where he finished 3-for-4 with a run scored. Weller finished with a hit and two RBI while second baseman Tyler Kreitz had a hit, a run scored and an RBI.
Grant Fronheiser ended up taking the loss for Boyertown. The right-hander took over in the eighth inning stranding Fulmer at third base by sitting Norchester down in-order. He allowed two hits in the ninth inning prior to Tomlin’s at-bat.
“This is why I love coaching legion baseball,” said Norchester manager Rick Harrison. “We played a great game that means something. Win or lose, each one of these guys were going to leave this field knowing they gave everything. As a coach, that’s the best part for me. These guys deserve this moment.”