JP Mascaro tops Valley Forge as storm threat shortens contest
UPPER MERION » In a shortened Greater Norristown Area American Legion Baseball League contest, visiting JP Mascaro sealed a tight 7-4 victory against Valley Forge at Upper Merion High School Monday.
After going out quickly in the top of the first inning, JP Mascaro had a huge second inning, driving in five runs on five hits and two Valley Forge errors to go up 5-0.
Three of the five hits in the second were doubles from Mark Engleman, Christopher Troemel and Michael Daddazio.
Valley Forge got one run back in the bottom of the second, but two runners in scoring position were left stranded after the last two batters, JP Batten and Justin Tornetta, struck out and
grounded out, respectively.
With a few rumbles of thunder starting to come in the third inning, the game continued as Valley Forge got one more run in the third to make the score 5-2.
JP Mascaro finally responded with one run scored off a double from Chad Evans in the top of the fourth to make the score 6-2.
Valley Forge later made it a two-run game in the bottom of the fourth as it scored two runs on two separate errors.
With the sky getting darker in the fifth, JP Mascaro managed to notch one more run as Troemel scored on an error by first baseman Jacob McGrath to settle the score 7-4.
With lightning visible and thunder hearable in the sixth, the umpires decided to let both teams finish the inning and have the game called after the inning ended, giving JP Mascaro the big victory as it continues its playoff push.
With the game called after six innings, Valley Forge head coach Rich Lachenmayer was not happy with the call because apparently the umpires saw lightning before the sixth inning.
“They told me they saw lightning before,” said Lachenmayer. “The first sight of lightning is an automatic 20-minute delay and he didn’t call that.
“Instead he let that go and then it might not have been an official game and it would have to get picked up later then he said that’s it, we’re not playing a seventh inning,” added Lachenmayer. “I’m not faulting Mascaro, they played a great game and they deserved to win, but if the umpires saw lightning, they should’ve automatically taken the teams off the field.”
As for JP Mascaro head coach Lucas Denczi, he was happy with his team’s performance no matter how the game ended.
“They came up a little slow but then finished the game in a big way,” said Denczi. “Griffin has been great for us all year in school and today and he came up firing as well as the rest of our pitching staff.”
JP Mascaro looks for its fifth straight win Tuesday when it hosts the Perk Valley Raiders at Methacton High School with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Valley Forge looks to snap a two-game losing streak as it travels to Wentz Run Park in Blue Bell to take on Whitpain at 6 p.m.