Beideman gem, Ertel hustle help Lansdale top Pennridge

Jason Beideman will be a junior at North Penn next year but in his mind, he’s already facing the New York Yankees.

He knows he’s not really facing Aaron Judge or Starlin Castro, but it’s his mental approach when he’s on the mound pitching. Imagine the opponent as the best, then go out and beat the best.

While the opposition isn’t the AL East this summer, Beideman will face plenty of good hitters playing Bux-Mont American Legion ball and he’s hoping to gain plenty of experience with eyes on the Knights’ varsity roster.

Monday night, Beideman took a big step toward that with a complete game effort in a 3-2 win over visiting Pennridge. With his older brother Eric, a rising sophomore at Wilkes College, catching, Jason retired the last 12 Post 255 hitters he faced and threw four in-

nings of no-hit ball to close the game.

“I try to take everything like I’m playing the Yankees, that’s what my dad’s always taught me,” Jason Beideman said. “Each and every play, you’re playing the New York Yankees and you have to win the game. That’s the way I take every batter.”

Early on, it looked like Pennridge was going to force Beideman into a short night. Post 255, which is still winless after Monday’s setback, scored a run in the first and second innings and had two hits in each of the first three frames. Beideman needed 30 pitches to get out of the first inning and sat at 61 after three.

With Legion implementing a pitch count this summer, albeit one with a little more breathing room than the PIAA’s, the right-hander was still in a tough spot early. However, after he walked Luke Nuneviller to start the fourth, Beideman locked down.

“I was able to locate my fastball better in the later innings and the curve started working around the third or fourth inning,” Beideman said. “I was able to use them both to get the outs. There was (the pitch count) but that was more in the dugout. On the mound, I tried to keep it dialed in.”

Beideman went fastball heavy the first few innings, giving up three doubles among the six hits, but when he started mixing in his breaking stuff the second time through the order, it threw the Post 255 hitters off.

Eric Beideman gave his brother some help in the third inning. Pennridge’s Brock Hewitt hit a one-out single but got thrown out by the elder Beideman attempting to steal during Ian Kacergis’ at-bat. Kacergis, a DeSales commit, ended up with a long double that would have easily scored Hewitt.

For the brothers, this is likely the last time they’ll be teammates so they’re trying to enjoy it to the fullest. But with a brother who catches when he pitches, it also creates an interesting dynamic for Jason.

“It’s a weird dynamic, I have to say,” Jason Beideman said. “He’ll say things that most catchers won’t because he’s my brother and he lives with me. There’s some times where if I’m doing something wrong or something’s off with my mechanics, he’ll just scream from behind the plate instead of calling time to come out and say something.”

Lansdale is now 2-3, with two come-from-behind victories. With players like Matt Stevenson, John Lester and Tyler Siddal complementing the younger players, it’s a different team than Cannons squads of years past.

Last season, Lansdale won four games, a single-season high. Already halfway there, this team wants to qualify for the league playoff tournament this summer.

“This is a much-improved team, they’re pretty good actually,” Pennridge manager Rocky Wright said. “That pitcher threw a gem. He never let himself get rattled and he just threw strikes. He made us go fishing and we did.”

AMONG THIEVES

Even out of a North Penn uniform, it’s not hard to spot a North Penn player.

Such was the case Monday as Lansdale’s Connor Ertel was hustling his way from first to second, then second to third and finally third to home en route to scoring the go-ahead run in the Cannons’ 3-2 win. All of that came after he had reached base and delivered the tying single in the fifth inning.

Lansdale had five hits in the game and also stole five bases. It’s part of the mentality taught by the North Penn coaches.

“They teach at North Penn to have the mentality of a thief,” Ertel said. “We try to work that in here as well.”

Ertel stole second on reliever Brock Hewitt, getting there without a throw from Pennridge then advanced to third when a throw back to Hewitt sailed over his head.

On third, Cannons coach Tom Mallon told the third baseman if there was a passed ball, he had to go.

There was a passed ball and Ertel went.

Hunter Evans had three of the Lansdale steals, swiping second base after reaching in all three of his plate appearances (two singles, walk) while Dom DiCicco had the other steal after he pinch-ran following Eric Beideman’s sixth inning single.

There are different ways to be aggressive on a baseball field and Ertel, a rising junior at North Penn, is always trying to keep that in mind. Usually a middle infielder, he stepped up to play third base with a couple of Lansdale players away on Senior Week.

“I don’t like getting too deep in counts, so that plays a big part in our at-bats,” Ertel said.

WAITING FOR A WIN

Pennridge manager Rocky Wright is plenty confident in his pitching staff.

He should be, with arms like Andrew Mayhew, Ian Kacergis, Danny Sabath and Brock Hewitt headlining the rotation. But all the pitching in the world doesn’t score runs and that’s been Post 255’s problem so far this season.

After a nice start Monday, the bats went quiet.

“The score was close but they were definitely the better team the last couple innings,” Wright said. “We had every opportunity to win but we just didn’t do it. We have the best pitching staff in the league and we’re just not backing them up or helping them out at all.”

Pennridge has been in every game and the coaches think if they can pick up that elusive first win, things will continue to build in a positive way. Wright held off on starting games planning on his players’ high school teams having extended postseason runs.

However, Pennridge didn’t make districts, Plumstead Christian was bounced early from districts and Dock Mennonite, despite winning a District 1-2A title, lost in the first round of states.