South Parkland still perfect; Wanderers stay alive

South Parkland is turning last-inning wins into an art.

For the third consecutive day (or night) at the American Legion Region 2 tournament, the still undefeated Lehigh Valley league champions rallied in its final at-bat to pull out another crazy victory.

South Parkland scored two runs Sunday night in the bottom of the seventh inning to top Norchester 3-2 in the nightcap of a tripleheader at Boyertown’s Bear Stadium.

The comeback kids prevailed when Alex Oliver’s sacrifice fly to right field delivered Joe Webber with the winning run. Gabe Stay’s double to deep center field sparked the rally, and Webber’s ground-ball single into right scored Stay with the tying run.

“It’s always fun to win like this,” said Stay, the team’s No. 9 batter. “It’s definitely nervewracking but it’s a lot of fun. It shows we won’t give up. You can knock us down but we’ll get back up.”

Now 23-0 overall and 3-0 in the tournament, manager Tom Kahn’s South Parkland squad plays Souderton in Monday’s 7 p.m. game. Northampton County champ Wanderers, a 5-1 winner over Fleetwood Post 625 in Sunday’s second game, meets Norchester in Monday’s 4 p.m. matchup.

South Parkland edged Quakertown 2-1 in eight innings on Day 1, tallying the winning run on a balk.

Kahn’s crew fought off Fleetwood, 5-4, with two runs in the seventh inning on Day 2. The winning run scored on an error.

On Sunday, South Parkland needed the late offense to reward starter A.J. Palumbo for an outstanding outing. Palumbo scattered six hits and surrendered one earned run in seven innings. He struck out six.

“He pitched a great game,” Stay said. “He toughed it out, all seven innings. We needed that.”

Kahn said he has not yet decided on a starter for Monday’s game, though he isn’t planning on using ace Adam Smith, who worked an inning in Saturday night’s win. Still Wanderin’ along: The plan was for Todd Erney to pitch like he pitched in his previous start.

A nine-inning, one-hitter with 10 strikeouts would’ve worked.

Well, that wasn’t the case in Sunday’s elimination game for Wanderers. Erney exited after an inning with a sore arm. It all worked out, though, for manager Dwight Pulieri’s squad as four pitchers combined on a four-hitter in Wanderers’ win over Fleetwood Post 625.

Erney, Stephen Super, Grant Hershman and Matt Klipple all took turns on the mound in the mid-afternoon heat.

“No,” Pulieri said, “that was not the plan. But they all did their job and threw strikes. Our pitching’s been great all year and it was again today. The guys all took turns and Matt, the terminator, finished them off.”

Erney got through the first. Super pitched the second and third innings. Hershman took the fourth and fifth frames. And Klipple, credited with the win, finished off Fleetwood with two hitless innings.

“I was surprised,” said Super, who threw two perfect innings with three strikeouts. “Coach told me I was in relief but Todd’s a great pitcher and I expected him to pitch six innings or all seven. But I did give two, so I feel like I did my job. I felt pain in my elbow on the curve so that’s all I could give.

“It worked out great. I loved to see Klippie get in and pitch and do a great job.”

For the second straight day, Wanderers’ offense supported its pitchers with early runs.

Eli Lesley walked, stole second and scored on Jack Lees’ RBI single in the second. In the third, Super led off with a single and scored on Caleb Tereska’s two-double to deep left. Tereska scored the team’s third run on Pat Mattes’ line-drive single to center.

The NorCo champs added two in the sixth, after Fleetwood scored one in the fifth. Lesley singled, stole second and scored on Lees’ double to right field. Lees then trotted home on an infield error.

Lees finished 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs.

“I’m seeing the ball well and I’m coming up with people on base,” said Lees, a recent Liberty High School graduate. “I’m just trying to put the ball in play hard.

“We’re all like a family and it’s been really fun so far. It’s good to get out and play even though it’s like 120 degrees. I feel like we’ve got a good chance if we can keep pitching like this.”

Gabe Rodriguez threw a three-hit shutout in Saturday’s 3-0 elimination-game triumph over Muhlenberg.

Pulieri, about 10 minutes after the victory, was uncertain who would start Monday’s contest for Wanderers, which improved to 22-4 this summer.

“I have no idea,” he said. “I’m not sure who’s left.”