Ambler draws even in Game 2
ROYERSFORD » Down one game to none, Ambler came out swinging like a defending champion.
The Brewers’ first three batters all singled, Phil Pierfy smacked an opposite-field double to right center, and Ambler would bat around in a six-run first inning, quickly shoving this one towards the win column Thursday night.
“Couldn’t have had a better start,” said Brewer right fielder Eric Ruhland, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, a pair of walks, four runs and four RBI’s in the Game 2 victory. “We were really disappointed yesterday so we wanted to come right out and set the tone right away.”
Ambler’s 15-3 victory evens the best-of-five series at a game apiece, with Game 3 scheduled for Friday evening at 5:45 at Temple Ambler.
“We were confident (after the first) and just kept applying pressure,” said Ruhland, who also had a diving catch in right to add to
the festivities. ”It worked out good for us today.”
Ambler’s big first began with three straight singles by Ryan Pater, Chris Hens and Nick Fasano. Fasano’s single scored Pater and a ground ball out by Casey Saverio enabled Hens to race home, quickly making it 2-0 at the SpringFord Ninth Grade Center.
Phil Pierfy’s double to the gap scored another, and after Pete Moore drew a walk, Ruhland’s single to center scored two, extending the lead to 5-0 against Jays starter Josh Freed.
Brett Reynolds came through at the No. 9 spot, sneaking one past second baseman Justin Leamy and into right to bring home Ruhland and widen the margin to 6-0 for the top-seeded Brewers.
“We kind of felt like we awoke a sleeping giant with the win yesterday,” said Blue Jays owner John DeBrigida, whose squad notched its first postseason victory in franchise history on Wednesday. “We knew they were gonna come out hot.
“And it was whether or not we could withstand that. But we’re right where we need to be (even at 1-1).”
Ambler right hander Kevin Long began the game in commanding
fashion, retiring the side in the first, including a strikeout of David Clay to end the inning.
RBI hits by Pierfy and Hens made it an 8-0 Brewer advantage before No. 8 Royersford reached the scoreboard in the third.
Jake Breyer drew a twoout walk, turning things over to the top of the lineup, and Derek Freed and Matt Seiple answered with back-to-back singles, driving in Breyer to make it 8-1.
Just when the Blue Jays got a little something going, however, Ambler bats broke it open further.
The Brewers sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth, by this time forcing the Blue Jays to go to their third pitcher of the evening. Reynolds, Fasano and Saverio all knocked in runs, as the Ambler lead ballooned to 13-1.
Coming on in a tough spot in the fourth, Dante DeBrigida pitched well for Royersford, retiring four of the first five batters he
faced, not allowing a run.
Matt Boyde had an RBI double for the Jays in the sixth before Ruhland capped the scoring for Ambler with his two-run shot to left in the seventh, making it 15-2. Ryan Fuscaldo doubled and scored for the Jays in the bottom half.
“I was just swinging hard like I usually do. I caught a couple of them pretty well — all in all it was a good day,” said Ruhland of his homer and four RBI. “We had 18 hits as a team and that’s what we were aiming for coming back from yesterday. We wanted to get out, apply pressure, and the whole team did that.”
“We kind of felt like we awoke a sleeping giant with the win yesterday. We knew they were gonna come out hot. And it was whether or not we could withstand that. But we’re right where we need to be (even at 1-1).” — Royersford owner John DeBrigida