Luzens, two-out hitting help Collegeville even series with Nor-Gwyn

UPPER GWYNEDD >> Cole Luzens stepped into the batter’s box in a pivotal spot and delivered.

The Collegeville shortstop, batting in the No. 9 spot, started a massive two-out rally with his second inning RBI single Monday to kick off a huge night for the White Sox offense. Collegeville’s Perky League semifinal series with Nor-Gwyn has been anything but boring and both teams were hitting the ball long into the night of their Game 4 clash.

In the end, it was three hits and four RBI from Luzens and a cascade of two-out hits that carried the Sox to an 18-10 win over the host Packers at Hostelley Field.

“I looked at today as a do-ordie situation the entire game and the rest of the guys came ready to play,”Luzens, who went 3-for5, said. “We had a lot of guys here

early taking batting practice before the game and it was one of the first times we’ve had those kind of numbers.”

Collegeville, the No. 3 seed, will host No. 4 seed Nor-Gwyn in the deciding Game 5 at 5:45 pm on Monday at Norristown High School. In the two prior games hosted by the White Sox, the final outcome was decided by just a single run.

The two games at Hostelley Field have been absolute slugfests. Nor-Gwyn won Game 2 by a 17-8 score and looked primed for another big night with a fourrun first inning outburst highlighted by Jon Mcglone’s three-run home run to right field.

With two men on and two out in the top of the second, Luzens stepped in

for the first time.

“I was looking to take it left-center,” the shortstop said. “My swing’s been struggling a bit so I really focused on timing today and the leg-kick. That really helped me and I got a couple pitches like a slider at the hands and the timing really helped me and I got a good swing on it.”

Luzens’ RBI single made sure Collegeville got something out of the inning then his teammates just carried it on.

The shortstop’s single started a streak of eight straight batters reaching base with Kyle Feaster collecting an RBI single, Lenny Del Grippo a two-run knock and Scott Young an RBI single before Bryan Mulhearn’s three-run double made it an eight-run rally. In total, the White Sox had seven hits in the frame and went from down 4-0 to up 8-4.

Nor-Gwyn was happy to come back and erase Collegeville’s four-run lead in the home half of the frame. Dave Tatotian’s two-run shot to the deepest part of the park and an RBI single by Mcglone helped the Packers push four across for an 8-8 tie.

“This series has been insane, I was thinking about it toward the end of the game and we’re somehow plus-one run in the series,” Nor-Gwyn manager Tony DiBricida said. “Games 1 and 3 were one-run games, we won by nine runs in Game 2 and they won by eight today. You look at it that way, and we’re about dead-even so now it’s winner-take-all for a chance to go to the finals.”

Luzens said there was a feeling on the Collegeville side that no run would be big enough so they were going to try and keep hitting. Collegeville re-gained the lead for good with a fourrun fourth inning.

Third baseman Cody Clarke hit the go-ahead two-run single with two out before Luzens and Feaster added RBI singles for a 12-8 advantage. Relief pitcher Brett Clarke, who had entered in the second inning, threw scoreless frames in the third, fourth and fifth to help the Sox hold momentum.

“We had to put up big numbers and we were clicking, I think the batting practice helped us a lot,” Luzens said. “We weren’t satisfied with what we had. They put up a 17-spot on us two games ago.”

Luzens also completed the rare feat of getting a hit off three different pitchers in one game. After Scott Young’s solo home run, the only Collegeville run of the game scored with less than two outs, started the scoring in the fifth, Luzens came up with a chance to do more.

With the bases loaded, the shortstop ripped the first pitch of the at-bat just inside the left-field line for a two-run double. The shortstop, a Phoenixville grad, said his approach was to swing early all night and he felt getting his first hit early and always batting with men on helped him out.

“It was probably the purest swing I’ve had all year,” Luzens said. “I’ve been struggling all year, especially hitting to the left side of the field so to be able to wrap it around third base, I was real early which I was a little surprised with. It was one of those let-loose and see if you can hit that first fast ball over the middle looks and luckily I got an even swing.”

An error brought in three more runs for a six-run Collegeville frame that gave the White Sox an 18-8 lead.

Nor-Gwyn added a run back on an RBI single by Jason Mills in the sixth inning and another on Eric Lewandowski’s RBI single in the seventh. Mcglone went 3-for-3 with four RBI while Mills, Lewandowski and Shane Manieri each had two hits.

“We’ve gone at it with these guys for years,” DiBricidia said. “One day we get them, the next day they may get us. This will be fun, it should be a good game and we’ll see what happens.”

With both offenses showing an ability to plate a ton of runs, the deciding game will likely come down to which side can get outs in key spots to prevent those big innings from happening. With top-seed Lansdale waiting for the winner, Nor-Gwyn and Collegeville know what’s on the line.

“It was batting tonight but pitching (Tuesday),” Luzens said. “This team is good, if you let them get on base, they’re going to shortgame it, they’ll move runners over. We just have to limit the walks and put that pressure on them.”