NOTHING DOING AGAINST NOGA
Ambler right-hander shuts out Royersford, gives Brewers a 2-1 series lead
AMBLER » Eric Ruhland homered for the second consecutive night and right hander Andy Noga was rested and ready, throwing a complete-game shutout to lift topseeded Ambler to a 6-0 victory over No. 8 Royersford and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five openinground series.
“Getting this one was big, allows us to relax a little bit. After the Game One loss, we knew it was a series,” said Noga, who allowed just three hits in his victory at Temple-Ambler, striking out seven and walking none, with one hit-batter. “The best team usually wins the series and we put ourselves in a real good position to do that on Monday.”
Game 4 is set for Monday, 5:45 p.m. at the Spring-Ford Ninth Grade Center.
Noga cruished through the first three innings, striking out six and allowing just one hit — a single by Tom Aaron.
After Ambler pushed in front 3-0 in the second, Noga gained even more steam in Royersford’s next at-bat. He struck out Justin Leamy, gave up the single to Aaron, and then struck out Matt Seiple and Derek Freed to end the inning.
Noga would retire 10 in a row from the third to sixth innings.
“This is my first time pitching in a little over a week and a half so my arm felt good,” said the righty, who retired the Blue Jays in order on three separate occasions. “We have a lot of pitching depth so I wasn’t needed early in the series.
“Tonight was a good night to come back.”
Ambler’s second at-bat began with back-to-back singles by Casey Saverio and Pete Moore. After Phil Pierfy reached on an error, Ruhland stepped to the plate with two on and launched a shot well over the wall in left, providing the defendingchampion Brewers a 3-0 lead.
Ambler doubled its lead an inning later.
Chris Kersey and Chris Hens singled to set things up, and after a rope by Nick Fasano just inside the thirdbase
line scored Kersey to make it 4-0, Moore came through again with a hard-hit chopper up the middle, plating two to widen the margin to 6-0.
“If there were one or two pitches that we could have back, that would be the difference,” Blue Jays owner John DeBrigida said. “It’s the second time our pitcher (lefty Kyle McKelvy) has thrown against them and he’s done very well. Ambler’s a good team. They hit fastballs. They hit fastballs and they hit them hard.
“There’s a reason they lost only two games all year. They’re well coached and they have very good players. They don’t have a weak spot anywhere — defensively, offensively or pitching wise. They’re just solid all the way around. But we’ll definitely be there Monday, expecting to win, and expecting to play Game Five.”
Noga didn’t allow the Blue Jays a chance to cut into the lead. In the fourth, the right-hander got David Clay to pop out, had Matt Boyde line out to center, and forced Alex Condello to ground out to second, retiring the Jays in order.
Noga had put down 10 in a row before Derek Freed broke that up with a single in the sixth. Scott Seiple lined one to center for a base hit in the seventh, but Noga got Justin Leamy to ground out to short to end it.
“Pretty much everything (was working),” Noga said. “(Catcher) Pete (Moore) and I are pretty much always on the same page. We’ve been playing together for six plus years so if I shake a pitch off, he knows what pitch I want. I was on point tonight.”