Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Pitch Perfect
Neskie shuts down unbeaten Jays as Englund’s gets huge win
A dominant starting pitcher can overcome anything in a single baseball game.
Even an undefeated, first-place team.
Englund’s got a sterling fivehit, six-inning, pitching performance from Justin Neskie Tuesday night to cool off the previously undefeated Jays for a 3-0 West Chester Adult Baseball League win.
The win solidifies Englund’s (12-5) hold on second place behind the Jays (14-1) with the league playoffs two weeks away.
“My changeup was really working well for me tonight,” Neskie said. “And I was really locating my fastball well. I felt good and loose tonight.”
Neskie and Jays starter Andrew Benham were locked up in a pitching duel with the game scoreless through three and a half innings.
Both starters were in complete command, but Englund’s broke through in the home half of the fourth inning.
Nate Guers led off the fourth with a solid single to right field. Guers stole second base and moved up to third on a passed ball while Benham was getting both Chris Cowell and Jason Stackhouse to fly out. So, with a man on third and two out in the scoreless game, Scott Stevens hit an RBI single to left field, making it a 1-0 Englund’s advantage after four innings.
“When it was scoreless I didn’t worry because we have a real good lineup and the guys do a good job of moving runners over and getting into scoring position.” Neskie said.
The Jays got a leadoff single from Steve Posner in the top of the fifth inning. But, Neskie promptly picked Posner off first base and then retired the next two Jays batters to hold on to the 1-0 lead.
The Jays replaced Benham with Jason Catchmark to pitch the bottom of the fifth inning. Englund’s jumped on the Jays’ hurler when Tim Kurucz led off with a single that was followed by a single by Shane Stackhouse to put runners on first and second with no one out. Andrew Czachor advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt and Mike Douglas broke the game open with a two-run double to deep right field for a 3-0 lead.
Neskie breezed through the Jays sixth inning but Englund’s manager Bob Stackhouse went to the bullpen for Jack Dovidio to pitch the seventh with a 3-0 lead. The Jays did not go away easily. With two outs, Steve McCardell lined a hard double to right center, McCardell’s second hit of the night. But, Dovidio got the next Jays batter to pop out and the Jays experienced something they haven’t in a calendar year: a loss.
“I honestly did not know they were 14-0,” Neskie said. “But, I was a little extra motivated because I knew they had beaten us earlier in the season. This was a good win for us.”