Boyertown falls to Swoyersville, hammers Meadville to open up state tournament
BOYERTOWN » Things started out just about the way they had ended the night before when Boyertown missed out on a scoring opportunity in the top of the first inning of Sunday afternoon’s Pennsylvania State American Legion Baseball Tournament losers’ bracket contest at Bear Stadium.
But the Bears eventually knocked out 11 hits, including three bunt singles and their first home run of the year, and got five shutout innings from starter Stephen Cisik in an 11-1 win over Meadville.
The result sends host Boyertown (25-14) into today’s third round of the double-elimination tournament and a 12:35 p.m. meeting with Spring-City, a 2-1 loser to Souderton.
“It was a tough loss (6-1 to Swoyersville on Saturday night),” said Caleb Harrison, who drilled a two-run shot over the fence in left to help the Bears break the game open in the sixth. “We had to come back strong today. The execution today in the beginning of the game was awesome.”
“I think we played defensively really well and we came up with some big hits,” added Boyertown manager Rick Moatz.
The Bears put men on first and third with one out in the first and wound up with nothing when the runner on third was out at the plate while trying to score on a fly ball to center field.
But Cisik, who allowed only two hits, set the Region 8 champions down on a fly to right and two strikeouts in the bottom of the frame.
“That was big that we were able to get out of that and not get behind,” said Moatz. “He did a nice job. He battled and made pitches when he had to.”
“In the beginning, I felt good,” said Cisik. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the defense behind me. I made them roll it.”
Boyertown broke a scoreless tie in third when Broc Babb walked, Chris Davis singled, Shayn Horrocks squared around to sacrifice and beat out the bunt and Tate Yergey grounded one to short to bring in the first run. A double play grounder made it 2-0.
The Bears added a pair in the fourth on a walk, two errors and an RBI single by Nick Di Ciacco. A double by Harrison, a bunt hit by Billy Coleman and a double steal produced another run in the fifth.
Then Nolan Kline hit a big two-out, two-run single
in the sixth and Harrison followed with his homer.
“It was awesome ... the best feeling ever, “Harrison said concerning the roundtripper. “We took the momentum. It was a big game.”
“Nolan had a big twoout hit to make it 7-0,” said Moatz. “It was 5-0, but we’ve given up five runs before.
When he got that hit and drove those guys in, that was big. Broc got on base a few times. When he can get on base and the top of the lineup comes up behind him, that’s a big thing.”
“Put it where you’re supposed to,” Moatz said concerning the bunt singles. “And it’s demoralizing (for the other team).”
Cisik, who walked two and fanned three, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second on a grounder to second baseman Babb and catcher Coleman picked a runner off first with two on to end the fourth.
“It’s great to get a state win,” Cisik added. “It means a lot. I didn’t think I would ever do this a few years ago.”
*** Boyertown scored a run in the top of the sixth inning Saturday night to break a scoreless tie against Swoyersville in its Pennsylvania State Legion Tournament opening-round game. But perhaps more important than the run the Bears scored were the ones they didn’t score after going on to load the bases with one out.
The escape from a possible big inning seemed to revitalize Swoyersville, which scored six in its half of the frame and continued on to a 6-1 win at Bear Stadium.
“Could have been more. Should have been more,” Bear manager Rick Moatz said concerning the somewhat disappointing top of the sixth. “We needed to do in the top of the inning what they did to us in the bottom of the inning.”