Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Spring City pitching just too good for Cardinals
The record will indicate David McCurry and Kevin Hynes combined to pitch a no-hitter Saturday.
But the statistics will affirm McCurry did the heavy lifting in the Spring City American Legion team’s Chester County League playoff game with Malvern Paoli.
McCurry came up just short of completing the no-no in the Red Sox’ 5-0 win over the Cardinals. The pitch-count limit (105) was hit after the second out of the seventh inning was recorded, leaving head coach Mike Gancasz to call on Hynes to finish up.
Hynes, facing just two batters, got the closeout for Spring City in this winners’ bracket semifinal at Ram Stadium. It was a game that afforded the Sox several other benefits on a hot July midday.
“David came in and threw a gem,” Gancasz said. “Our catcher said his breaking ball was breaking pretty well. He had a good changeup, too, and he threw a ton.”
McCurry had logged 100 pitches through the first six innings, during which he issued five walks but struck out eight. He opened the seventh retiring Dylan Giandonato on a one-pitch bunt back to the mound. then threw four more before getting Dan McQueston on a bouncer to third.
But with the pitch limit reached, Hynes came on to lock down the win. After issuing walks to Jake Ridall and Lucas Cahill, Hynes got Sammy Schutz on an infield out to put the Sox into Monday’s winners’ bracket final.
“My breaking ball was on,” McCurry affirmed. “In my bullpen session, everything was on. I was ready to go.”
Another bonus for SC was answering Malvern Paoli’s regular season domination of their series. In addition to a pre-season scrimmage, the Cards won their two previous meetings by 4-3 and 5-2 scores.
“It’s hard to beat a team four times,” Cardinals head coach Brian Mikus said. “It’s difficult. I tried to fire up our guys with that fact, but Spring City is a good team. They came out and gave it their best shot.”
“We didn’t play well, or hit either,” Gancasz added. “Today we gave McCurry run support.”
The Red Sox did all the game’s scoring in the course of a third-inning bataround. Colin Amerine and Zach Male each drove in pairs of runs while Andrew Huang got the big frame started with an RBI double.
Huang’s two-bagger to the left-center gap drove in Zach Kratz (walk) with the game’s ultimate winning run. Amerine singled Huang and Tyler Horgan (walk) home with another gapper; and after Harrison Moyer drew another walk, Male delivered a single up the middle that plated Amerine and Moyer.
In the meantime, McCurry maintained his normal routine when in reach of a no-hitter.
“The last inning, I knew about it,” he said. “When I come into the dugout. I talk to my teammates. If I sit by myself, I think about pitching too much.”
SC also gets to be off from game action Sunday. It will return to action Monday against Downingtown, the league’s top seed and a 4-2 winner over Westtown in the other winners’ bracket semifinal Saturday.
That was either welcomed or not, depending on who from the Spring City team you talked.
“It will be nice to have a day off, to rest,” McCurry said.
“For me, I’d rather go day after day,” Gancasz countered.
MP, in turn, will be back at it 11 a.m. Sunday in the losers’ bracket.
NOTES » The Cardinals came to Ram Stadium off Friday’s 17-7 victory over West Chester. They had been working a threegame win streak after being swept by Lionville in a doubleheader at the beginning of July. ... SC’s third-inning outburst finished MP starter Brendan O’Donnell, who yielded only three of the Sox’ four hits but walked six. Schutz came on in relief to finish up for the Cards, touched for only one hit and three walks against two strikeouts.