Kennedy’s gem lifts Ambler
Right-hander throws complete game one-hitter to lead Brewers past Royersford
Colin Kennedy was simply dominant Monday evening.
The Ambler right-hander threw a complete game one-hitter in an 8-1 Perkiomen Valley Twilight League win over Royersford at the Spring-Ford 9th Grade Center.
Kennedy struck out 10 batters to just one walk while allowing one unearned run.
“I felt like my fastball going inand-out, switching up locations and whatnot,” Kennedy credited for his success. “My curveball was definitely my out-pitch tonight. I think guys were really biting at that. It felt really good. I felt my most success was working off my fastball and getting the bite off the curveball and I think that really helped me out tonight.”
“He’s hitting spots left and right,” Ambler player-manager Pete Moore said. “It’s like a video game where you can call whatever you want and setup wherever you want and you expect him to hit that spot and he expects it of himself. The ability to continue to pound both sides of the plate with his fastball, a little bit of increased velocity, he’s done a great job for us in his three starts this year and we look for him to be a big part of the rotation moving into the playoffs.”
Kennedy took the mound already holding a two-run lead in the first inning and that was all he needed. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning — with the only blemish a second-inning error. He hit a batter with one out and that was followed by another error. With two outs, Tom Fogerty hit an RBI single to breakup the no-hitter and shutout.
“I know with these guys that this year we haven’t really gotten the timely hit that we want to be able to score runs,” Kennedy said of getting the early lead, “but I know once we scored in the first inning there’s no looking back for these guys. I know they are all behind me ready to hit the ball whenever. I know they do a good job at the plate. It felt really good going out there in the first inning being up 2-0 already.”
Kennedy improved his record to 3-0 this season and has allowed one earned run in 20 2/3 innings — a 0.34 ERA.
“My hat’s off to Colin Kennedy,” Royersford manager John DeBrigida said. “He’s got some of the best stuff in the league. For him to be doing that at the age that he is, he’s going to be a stud for years
to come. He was phenomenal tonight. He was getting the outside corners and he kept throwing it there and they kept calling it a strike. Hat’s off to him. He did a great job.”
He is coming off his freshman year at La Salle University. He posted a 1-7 record with an 8.87 ERA.
“My biggest thing this year in school was I couldn’t really locate my off-speed,” Kennedy said. “It was kind of up in the zone a little bit. It didn’t look as sharp as it has been this summer. This summer I’ve really been focusing on getting my changeup working, my slider, curveball working low, getting more in on the hands when I go inside with my fastball. Just trying to be more of a locational guy, especially with my offspeed pitches, trying to get those down.”
He definitely showed off his inside fastball Monday, breaking a handful of Royersford bats.
This is Kennedy’s second season playing for Ambler. After finishing up his senior year at Hatboro-Horsham High School, he joined the Brewers and Moore, who was also his high school coach.
“He calls me Pete now instead of Coach Moore,” Moore joked of how their relationship has changed over the past year, “so that’s a step in the friend direction. A bunch of these guys I’ve had that same relationship with. Player-coach then it turns into friends and teammates. It’s a natural progression. Colin is a mature kid so that didn’t take very long.”
“I’ve always had the respect for Pete and to have him be able to go from coaching me and calling pitches off to the side to being able to sit back there (catching) and call pitches for me,” Kennedy added, “I know he’s a great player and a great coach. It feels good to have him back there. Obviously I do call him Pete now, it’s another step in the more friends and teammates direction than coach.”
Ambler’s offense
The Brewers didn’t need much offense with Kennedy’s performance, but they got it anyway.
Moore put them ahead in the first inning with a tworun single.
“Started me off with two fastballs for balls,” he recalled. “Then I was sitting on a fastball but he left a curveball up. It was a good pitch to hit and luckily I got it into center field and got us a couple runs.”
Royersford starter Elias Gabel-Tripp settled in after the bumpy start and didn’t allow another run until the fourth inning, when Matt Altieri hit a solo home run over the left field fence.
The Brewers added two more runs in the sixth — one on an error and another on a Shaun Thomas groundout.
In the seventh, Jason Kelmer hit a solo homer, Nobel Unger an RBI single and Thomas a sacrifice fly to finish off the scoring at 8-1.
Tough luck for Rattlers
Royersford has had to deal with a ton of injuries so far this season. They only have three healthy players remaining from their opening day starting lineup.
“This has been a first,” DeBrigida said. “I’ve had teams where we had trouble getting guys showing up, but as you can see we had 17 players on the bench tonight and only 11 of them available. We’re using a lot of pitcher-onlys in the field right now. It’s just one of those seasons. I’ve had to release I think nine players this season for seasonending injuries. I still have three players on the IR — if I had more room on the IR I’d have more players on there. Really right now we’re going to bat with a lineup that is full of 18 and 19-year olds. In this league you can’t do that and win.”
Playoffs looming
With around two weeks left in the regular season, Monday’s win moved Ambler over .500 at 10-9-2 and in fifth place in the nineteam league.
“Last year we had a great regular season,” Moore said. “We only lost three times all year — we tied a bunch of games. We got to the playoffs and towards the end of the season we weren’t really hitting the ball as well as we’d like and that continued in the playoffs. I’d like to see us have better at-bats, put some more runs on the board. Tonight was a good start for that. We’ve got a lot of guys who have run into some bad luck hitting balls hard, but we just have to string some things together and we put our pitching up against anybody’s and if we can play consistent defense and get our bats going I think we’ll be in a good spot.”
Royersford fell to 3-14-2 but the Rattlers still have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. They are right behind Stony Creek for the eighth and final playoff spot.
“We still have an outside shot at making the playoffs,” DeBrigida said. “We are one game out and we play Stony Creek twice, so really it comes down to who wins those games to make the playoffs. I’ll say one thing about my team — they battled. We were two feet away from tying it up on a threerun home run (against Ambler). Not saying we would have won the game or something like that, but they battled and they’re still competing. The future looks great for us because we have a good core. It’s just been a tough season.”