Pottstown gets past Pine Forge, 4-3
Hibbs’ three-run home run the difference in Trojans’ victory
With two runners on in the sixth inning, Pottstown cleanup hitter Tyler Hibbs took a healthy swing at the first pitch he saw from Pine Forge pitcher Nate Kline and missed.
He shook his head and smiled as he readjusted himself in the batter’s box knowing he had tried to do too much with the offering. After Kline painted the outside corner with a fastball on the next pitch, Hibbs found himself down 0-2.
With the count not in his favor, Kline hung a curveball and the Spartans’ center fielder didn’t miss this time, blasting a three-run homer over the center-field fence. The shot gave Pottstown a two-run lead that proved to be the difference in a 4-3 victory over Pine Forge Monday at Douglass Township Complex.
“First pitch I overswung a little bit,” Hibbs said. “Second pitch I wasn’t ready, and he painted the outside corner. Third pitch I was ready, and I saw a curveball hanging. I just took it and drilled it.”
Aside from the threerun homer, Kline was sharp for the Indians on the mound. He was perfect through the game’s first four innings and allowed only three hits over seven innings of work in addition to 10 strikeouts.
Kline allowed one unearned run in the fifth after the Indians’ right fielder misplayed a single by Hibbs, which allowed him to advance to third. An infield hit by Spartans’ third baseman Bailey Delp gave Pottstown its first run of the game.
In the sixth inning, Kline walked two batters before facing Hibbs, who was 2-for-3 on the day with three RBI. Pine Forge coach Andy Duffy went out to the mound to talk to Kline, but left him in the game.
“I just wanted to make sure he made some good pitches,” Duffy said. “He did, but he just hung a curveball there.”
“It’s one of those games where one pitch is going to make the difference,” he added. “Nate was cruising along, walked two guys that inning, which really ended up hurting him and made one bad pitch ... We had other chances. We had a couple innings where we had guys on second and third with one out. We just couldn’t get them in.”
After Hibbs’ heroics, Pottstown starter Sachael Sciarretta still needed to shut down the Indians’ offense.
Aaron Kratz knocked in Ryan Jacobs with a twoout single to right field in the bottom of the sixth to bring Pine Forge within one. Indians’ extra hitter Nick Chroscinski came up to the plate with the intention of putting his team in the lead with one swing.
Sciarretta turned his head and watched in fear as Chroscinksi sent a pitch deep to right field. When the ball landed in the glove of Spartans’ right fielder Dom Johnson, Sciarretta let out a sigh of relief.
“That would have been for the lead, so I was very, very happy that ball stayed in,” Sciarretta said.
Pine Forge designated hitter Jonathan Wack led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single, which ended Sciarretta’s day. The tall righty gave up three runs (two earned) and allowed eight hits over his six innings of work.
Luke DeLeo came into the game for the save as Pottstown held a one-run lead. After a sacrifice bunt and an infield hit, DeLeo got a soft liner to first and struck out Pine Forge second baseman Mitch Pinder to end the game.
“It’s a pretty big win,” Hibbs said. “This is one of the better teams in the league, so it’s a good to be able to win this one.”
NOTES » Pine Forge out-hit Pottstown 8-3 in the loss. Leadoff man Seth Endy went 2-for-4 for the Indians. Wack went 2-for-3 and scored a run. Catcher Tom Randall went 3-for-3 out of the nine hole.