Grizzlies win matchup of state champs
It was billed as a meeting of Junior American Legion baseball’s previous two Pennsylvania state champions.
Tuesday evening, at the venue of the Reading Fightin’ Phils’ First Energy Stadium, Boyertown handled West Lawn in the matchup of recent champs, 12-3.
The pairing of Berks Junior Independent League teams — a reconfiguration resulting from the COVID-19 pandemicforced cancellation of Jr. Legion baseball in 2020 — saw Boyertown (7-1) work five pitchers over seven innings. The Grizzlies were part of a tight mound confrontation with the Owls until the top of the seventh, when they plated nine runs for their margin of victory.
Zach Rothermel started on the mound for the Grizzlies (2019 state champs) and
worked the first two frames, yielding one hit and walk while striking out four. He and teammates Elijah Calvert, Cole Kratz, winning pitcher Ryan Young and Max Kneidinger combined to shut down West Lawn (2018 champ) on six hits while racking up nine strikeouts.
Boyertown got on the board in the top of the first, when Kneidinger reached on an error, scoring Young. The Grizzlies added a run in the top of the fourth when Kratz grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Elliot Schadler for a 2-0 lead.
After West Lawn tied things up in the bottom of the inning with a pair of RBI singles from Tommy Hunsicker and Trevor Biladeau, Boyertown retook a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth with Robbie Frankenfield hitting an RBI line drive.
Luke DiBricida (2-for-2, two RBI) and Rothermel (2-for-3) were Boyertown’s multi-hit performers.
Biladeau, Owen Geng (losing pitcher) and Nick Crocena shared pitching duties for the Owls, with Geng tagged for the loss. Evan Williams had a 2-for-2 night at the plate for West Lawn.
BOYERTOWN GRIZZLIES 12, UPPER PERK 0 » It’s showing its mid-season form now.
To be sure, the unique circumstances of the 2020 summer season have pushed baseball’s mid-season to a later date on its later-starting schedule. But the Boyertown BearCubs have been taking the change in stride, reaching their classic level of performance as July heads toward August.
The Bear-Cubs were a solid crew Monday when they hosted Upper Perk at Lee Mecherly Field. This Berks Junior Independent League game was all Boyertown, a double-digit victory the end result of their overall strong performance.
“It’s all been about playing time,” Bear-Cubs manager Neil Fox noted. “Our starters go about 3-4 innings, then we flip over.” Boyertown set the tone in a three-run first at-bat, adding two more in the third. A five-run fifth made the final outcome academic, but with the teams deciding to continue, the Bear-Cubs struck for another pair in the sixth. Peyton Moyer (groundout) and Ryan Maloney (sacrifice fly) plated Boyertown’s first two runs before Travis Souder belted an RBI triple. In the third, Troy Soto came home on a wild pitch and Moyer off Wynings’ single to rightcenter. The Bear-Cubs’ fifth-inning bataround was fueled by six walks and singles from Aidan Myers and Anthony Nigro in the sixth. Louis Panunelo and Randy Wynings combined on the pitching shutout, limiting UP to three hits. Devlin Kranich, Zach Mayza and Blake Gehman were the lone players to hit safely, Mayza tacking a stolen base onto his safety. “The kids want to be here,” UP manager Rick Rossiter said afterward. “They’re excited to be back out.”