NORCHESTER 2, BOYERTOWN 1
BOYERTOWN >> It proved very good medicine for Bobby Himes.
And for his Norchester teammates, too.
Coming off June 22’s loss to Boyertown in the first game of their home-and-home series, the Bulldogs were looking to get back on track in the Berks County League’s East Division. They did so with a 2-1 victory over Boyertown at Bear Stadium ... one secured in no small part by the pitching might of Himes and Corey Hennessey.
Himes, making his first start of the season, turned in five innings of three-hit ball. Though he didn’t get the win — that went to Hennessey on the strength of his two innings of one-hit relief at the end — it still left Himes with a good feeling ... a much better one than the broken jaw he sustained in the spring that cost him his high school season.
“It was a practice,” he recalled. “The catcher made a throw down to first base. It was a low throw, I was down
low, and it got me.”
Himes’ pitching effort — he ended up yielding four walks but racked up five strikeouts, fanning the side in the first — helped make Norchester’s fourth-inning run look big. Boyertown (42) matched it in the bottom of the sixth, but the ‘Dogs got the ultimate game-winner in the top of the seventh.
The Bears made things tense for their guests in the bottom half of the frame, loading the bases with two out. But Norchester got a force for the final out, the win, and regained possession of first place in the BCL’s East ranks.
“It was a good bounce back,” Bulldog manager Rick Harrison said after leveling terms following a loss to the Bears a night earlier. “Bobby gave us an effort, and Corey came in and threw strikes.”
The Bears were able to manage just two hits off Himes through their first five at-bats, getting only one runner as far as third in that span. They caught up to him in the sixth, Cory Melchoir with a leadoff single and Tyler Kreitz and Mike Xanthopoulos drawing back-to-back walks.
Hennessey took over at that point and was greeted by Ryan Weller’s RBI sacrifice fly to center field. But the Norchester southpaw shut the door on the Bears’ rally, getting a strikeout and groundout to third to prevent further damage.
In the do-or-die seventh, Boyertown pinch-hitter J.T. Cooley got on base after being hit by a pitch and Gavin Mourar followed with a single to right-center. Melchoir’s grounder to short erased Mourar but moved Cooley up to third. Harrison then opted to have Hennessey intentionally walk Tyler Kreitz, who was coming off a 3-for-4, three-RBI effort the previous night.
“We know the quality of this (Boyertown) team,” Harrison said. “Putting the leadoff runner on made it interesting, but we felt confident in Cory. And Kreitz has been hitting well.”
Pinch-hitter Nick DiCiacco came up next. Hennessey worked a 1-1 count to him before getting DiCiacco to bounce to third, where Norchester’s Brian Siket fielded the ball and made the force on Melchoir to end the game.
“It was a little nervewracking,” Himes said. “But Corey did a good job.”
Andrew Bauer gave Boyertown a quality start and complete game. A star pitcher for Boyertown’s state-championship high school squad this spring, he went the distance touched for eight hits. But Bauer walked none and had three strikeouts to his credit for the night.
“We did not play a good game of baseball Wednesday,” Harrison noted. “Tonight we were able to string together eight hits. We had several two-out hits, which we’ve lacked the last two weeks.”
One of those was Siket’s single to left-center in the fourth, which plated Josh Fulmer (single, stolen base) for the Bulldogs’ initial 1-0 lead. Andrew Fisher had another in the seventh, to move Austin Levengood (single) around from second. A throwing error on Fisher’s hit to left field put Levengood in position to score the game-winning run.
And the Bulldogs’ rebound from Wednesday’s loss was complete.
“You shouldn’t have to say anything to the players when you’re facing a rivalry game,” Harrison said. “We know each other, and respect each other.”
“Obviously, there was emotion after that (June 22) game,” Himes added. “We couldn’t have two losses in a row. The team showed its stuff.”
NOTES >> Riley McGinley and Joe Zgleszewski each had two hits to lead Norchester. A fifth-inning double was McGinley’s second hit of the night . ... Boyertown shortstop Mike Raineri had arguably the game’s top defensive play, making an over-the-shoulder snag of Fisher’s fly ball in the third . ... The Bears took a break from Berks play last weekend, then returned to their league schedule with a vengeance. Boyertown will go on an eight-games-in-eight-days run, starting Sunday at Twin Valley and ending at Shillington the following Sunday (July 3).