Souderton takes advantage of errors to edge Harleysville

HATFIELD TWP. >> Errors finally separated Souderton and Harleysville in their Pennsylvania State Connie Mack Tournament game Tuesday night.

After the teams played to a 2-2 draw through six innings at School Road Park, Souderton took advantage of a dropped catch then an overthrow by Harleysville on the same play in the top of the seventh to score the go-ahead run and advance to the winners’ bracket final with a 3-2 victory.

“Souderton hasn’t been in the state playoffs in five years, this is the first team in five years that

has made it this far. Souderton has never beaten Harleysville ever in the state playoffs and we’re the first team to do that,” Souderton coach Paul Kovack said. “So that’s a big accomplishment with these kids. So it’s fantastic, fantastic win.”

Luke Shank was 2-for-3 with a two-RBI triple in the fifth and began the actions that brought in the winning run with his fly ball to left with two on and one out in the seventh. Miscommunication led to collision and drop in the outfield, with an errant throw to second allowing Danny Pineda to come home.

“It’s a tough way to lose, but it’s a seven-inning game,” Harleysville coach Garrett Buehler said. “We had some opportunities early in the game and so did they. They had more hits than us. So, they really squandered more opportunities than us, but it’s no excuse, we’ve got to take advantage of our opportunities. Noah (Horas) was pitching great we just didn’t give them the support.

The loss sends Harleysville, the defending state tournament champ, into an elimination game 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Limeport Stadium against Nazareth, which knocked out Northampton 11-1 Tuesday.

“Our backs were against the wall last year, it’s obviously going to be against the wall tomorrow,” Buehler said. “When I played in 2006, we came all the way back from the loser’s bracket, so it’s something

that we’ve done before. It’s never something that we want to do. I’m not saying that we can’t do it this year, there are a lot of good teams.

“So we’re just going to have to take it one inning at a time, one pitch at a time and come out ready to play tomorrow.”

Souderton moves on to face Towamencin in the winner’s bracket final 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Limeport. Towamencin beat Balliet 6-1 in the Tuesday’s first game at School Road Park. Souderton played Towamencin twice in the Bux-Mont playoffs and lost twice by double digits – 15-0 July 15 and 14-3 in the third-place game July 17.

“We’re ready, we’re on a roll, playing hot, we’ll come back at them whenever we play them and get at it,” Shank said.

Miles Minnick earned the win for Souderton pitching two perfect innings of relief for starter Jake Morgan. In his five frames, Morgan allowed two runs – both earned – on five hits, struck out four and walked two.

“It was a fantastic win, the boys played fantastic. It was a great game,” Kovack said. “Pitching right out the gate from Jake Morgan, what he throw, 65 pitches into the fifth inning. We brought in a reliever, Miles Minnick, and threw 13 pitches to finish the game out. Great, great game by both teams, it was awesome.”

Horas took the loss for Harleysville, giving up three runs – two earned – on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out seven.

The contest went scoreless until the fifth. The Souderton half of the inning began with an Evan Miller walk and a David Gulibon single. Horas struck out the next two batters, but Shank broke the deadlock with triple to right center to plate Miller and Gulibon.

“I swung first-pitch fastball, late, I was late on a first pitch so I was thinking get my foot down early,” Shank said. “Flipped me a curveball, then he threw another fastball and that’s the one I hit, so I was ready for it.”

Harleysville, however, responded with two of its own in the bottom of the frame. After a one-out Ryan Dalton single, Dean Shaw – who went 2-for-3 – doubled to left. Two batters later, Kyle Meiler squeaked a ball just inside the line in right for a double, plating Dalton and Shaw to make it 2-2.

The top of the seventh began with an error on Gulibon’s fly ball to left and a Curtis Gerzevske walk – Pineda re-entering to run for Gerzevske. Gulibon was forced out at third on Trevor Watts’ fielder’s choice.

Dan Knechel replaced Horas on the mound, with the first batter he face being Shank, whose fly ball ended up resulting in two errors, allowing Pineda to score for a 3-2 lead.

Harleysville had a chance early, loaded the bases with no outs in the first on consecutive walks by Tim Robinson and Meiler and a Nate Campbell single. But a force out and runner’s interference call at home made for a double play, with Morgan getting out of the jam with a ground out the next atbat.