Richmond’s double lifts Upper Moreland
Bases-clearing double highlights five-run fifth inning in comeback victory
DOYLESTOWN » Justin Richmond’s towering, bases-clearing double to deep left field swung Upper Moreland into the lead one final time Tuesday night.
“That was big. I was having a rough night so it was good to get it,” the third baseman said. “I was thinking, I just better hit this. I was glad to help the team.”
Richmond’s three-RBI blast, part of a five-run fifth inning for Upper Moreland, gave the Falcons a 6-5 lead, and they would go on to win 9-8 over Doylestown in a Bux-Mont Connie Mack contest at George M. Bush Park.
“It wasn’t pretty but we scrapped it out, I guess,” Richmond said with a smile. “We really couldn’t get the bats going until the fifth inning. That inning, we just kept going.”
With two outs, Nick Harley (single), Josh Huddy (error) and Greg Wiley (walk) all reached to load the bases.
Richmond cleared them with his double, and then Charles Jones (double) and Sean Dallahan (single) each drove in runs to extend the lead to 8-5.
Xavier Siostedt helped Doylestown with an RBI single in the sixth, tightening things to 8-6, but Upper Moreland padded its lead in the bottom half when Connor English singled in a run to make it 9-6.
English, who pitched the final five innings for Upper Moreland, got the win on the mound, holding off Doylestown in the seventh after the visitors clawed to within 9-8.
“Good to get the win,” said Richmond, a rising junior at Upper Dublin.
EARLY EXCITEMENT » Upper Moreland opened the scoring in its first at-bat.
Nick Lombardo led off with
a walk, stole second, and then raced home to score when English sent a chopper through the left side of the infield.
Doylestown came roaring back in the second.
The visitors started with a single by Harrison Yim and a walk by Michael Bliss.
With two outs, Carter Behm reached on an error and Yim scored to tie things up.
Tom Donnelly smacked an infield single to put the visitors in front, and then with the bases loaded, Siostedt belted a two-run single to left, inflating the margin to 4-1.
Upper Moreland began to chip away.
The Falcons sliced the gap to 4-2 in the third when Nick Harley’s double Connor English (walk), and then Upper Moreland crept to within a run when Charles Jones doubled in Richmond (hit by pitch) in the fourth.
John Perillo doubled and later scored for D-town in the fifth to make it 5-3, but Upper Moreland’s final push was on the way.
Doylestown travels to Central Perk at Perkiomen Valley Middle School Sunday at 6 p.m., and Upper Moreland hosts Harleysville at 6 p.m. on Monday at Mason Mill Park.