Norchester downs Boyertown, 5-2
‘Dogs lock up top seed in Berks County League
It couldn’t have picked a better scenario.
Not for the lift it gets going into the upcoming post-season, and the opponent that stood in the way of the rewards it garnered.
Norchester scored a timely victory over Boyertown Wednesday at Bear Stadium. A 5-2 win over the Bears, which gave the Bulldogs a sweep of their three-game season series, also clinched for the ‘Dogs first place in the Berks County League’s regular season. That translates into the top seed for the playoffs, and a first-round bye in the seven-team field.
And it came against a Boyertown unit that alone stood between Norchester and its various prizes. With just two games left to complete the regular season, Norchester (13-3 league, 21-10-2 overall) gets the opportunity to rest and position themselves for the tournament grind ... no small deal for the ‘Dogs.
“It gives us flexibility,” Bobby Himes, who pitched a complete game for Norchester, said. “We have a chance to rest pitchers and give work to pitchers who haven’t had much chance to pitch.”
Himes was stalwart for Norchester. Even while being touched for nine hits and three walks, Himes survived bases-loaded situations in the fifth and seventh innings while limiting Boyertown to single runs in both instances.
“They had a lot of hard hits,” Himes noted. “I was trying to get ahead in the count. But our defense made amazing plays up the middle when they put the ball in play.”
While Norchester revels in its success, Boyertown (9-7) faced a fight for seeding in games the rest of the week against Exeter and Twin Valley, both wins that left the Bears and West Lawn level in the final standings at 11-7.
“We could have gained ground,” Boyertown manager Rick Moatz said. “Beating the other teams with us is the important part.”
The Bears kept within reach of the Bulldogs through the first five innings,
Norchester holding a tenuous 2-1 lead going into the sixth. But Norchester got itself some breathing room with two in the sixth — both without benefit of any hits — and scored more elbow room with a hitless run in the seventh.
“I feel we didn’t play a good offensive game,” Norchester skipper Rick Harrison said. “Getting five runs on just four hits wasn’t expected. We need to play better offense.”
The Bears’ more-substantial offense was stymied by a pair of Bulldog double plays in the third and fourth innings. Their defense committed three errors along the way, which provided sufficient augmentation to the Bulldogs’ lesser hit production.
“We wasted opportunities to get guys on base in scoring position,” Moatz noted. “We killed ourselves with our mistakes.”
Norchester got the on scoreboard in the top of the third. Ryan Cusic led off with a double to leftcenter field, then moved to third off a wild pitch. After Nate Cummins drew a walk, Andy Fisher singled to bring Cusic home.
The Bulldogs went up 2-0 in the fourth. Andy Blum hit a leadoff single, moving up off Riley McGinley’s hit toward the mound. Brian Siket followed with single that plated Blum.
The ‘Dogs took advantage of loose play by the Bears to improve their lead to 4-1 in the sixth. Josh Fulmer (hit by pitch) came home as Riley McGinley reached on a twobase error. McGinley then stole third base and trucked home when the throw from the plate went high of third base.
In the seventh, Leif Wergeland drew a leadoff walk and took second while Cusic was bunting to the left side of the infield. Wergeland came home when the relay throw to first off Andy Fisher’s hit to third was misplayed, enabling Fisher to get to second.
Boyertown got one back in fifth. Chris Davis reached base off a Bulldog error, then moved up on Shayn Horrocks’ single to right. A walk to Tyler Kreitz loaded the bases with two out, and J.T. Cooley (3for-3) was hit by a Himes pitch to force Davis in.
From there, the Bears were held to Mike Raineri (fielder’s choice play) scoring off Mike Xanthopoulos’ fielder’s choice hit.
“We always have great games with them,” Himes said. “They (Boyertown) get their bunts down. It’s quite a rivalry we have with them.”
The Bulldogs now get to enjoy a more relaxed pace going into the post-season, with some time off as a bonus.
“The first-round bye is like a blessing,” Himes said.
“Last year we were second in the league, and it benefited us to play in the first round,” Harrison added. “But this year we have a more veteran team, and the league is more balanced. It will be a benefit to have the extra day off.”
NOTES » Sean Sutterby, who got the pitching nod for Boyertown, logged six innings of four-hit ball with two walks and one strikeout. Drew Hartman took over for the seventh. ... Cusic’s double was the game’s lone extra-base hit.