Making it happen for Mascaro

McDonnell sets the table at top of Haulers lineup

WORCESTER » JP Mascaro can’t ask for much more from Ryan McDonnell at the top of the batting order.

The recent La Salle College High School graduate is batting .372 this season from the leadoff spot and leads the team in hits (16), runs (15) and stolen bases (six).

“A lot of energy,” JP Mascaro coach Lucas Denczi said of McDonnell’s game. “He gets on base a lot. He’s a heck of a bunter, too, so that always helps. He’s good at hitting deep in the count as well. A lot of guys at this age they get down two strikes and they kind of get their head out of it, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders where he can drive the ball with two strikes and hit it to all fields.”

In Thursday night’s 9-1 win over Whitemarsh, McDonnell went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI.

While he has no home runs this year, McDonnell does have some power. In the third inning Thursday he crushed a ball just foul that landed at the top of the hill beyond Methacton High School’s left field fence. A couple pitches later he hit an RBI double.

“I got it a little on the end of the bat,” McDonnell said. “I was out a little bit in front of it. If I got all of that it probably would have gone over. It was just tailing a little bit at the end, caught a little bit out in front.

“To start the game the most important thing is I’ve just been focusing on putting the ball in play, trying to get it started early. Then later in the game if I get a pitch, just try to crank it — put some more power into it — because I have the power in there, just have to find it on my pitch.”

He will be attending Blooms

GENE WALSH — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Whitemarsh’s Zachary Redican is forced out as JP Mascaro’s Ryan McDonnell throws to first. McDonnell went 3-for-4 Thursday night with three runs scored and one RBI.