Moyer, Kane lead Harleysville past Fort

Garrett Moyer sees every opportunity on the mound as a chance to improve.

“My command’s definitely gotten better throughout the games,” he said. “And I don’t know, it’s just a good feeling, you just feel better each time you go out.”

The right-hander kept visiting Fort Washington’s offense at bay with a solid complete-game effort while his Harleysville side posted three-run bursts in the first and fifth innings Monday night in claiming a 6-2 Bux-Mont Connie Mack A victory at Vic Alderfer Memorial Ball Park.

“I haven’t pitched in a year and I thought I’d be done pitching, so it’s just kind of nice to get back out there,” Moyer said. “And now I have another option when trying out for JV, I guess.”

Harleysville’s three through five hitters in the lineup — Dante Bruno, Justin DiCesare and Jude Kane, respectively — combined for six of the team’s eight hits with catcher Kane finishing 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs as Harleysville won for the third time in its last four games.

“For the most part, we don’t

hit that well as a team so I think stringing a couple hits together was what we needed,” Kane said. “Dante, Justin and me all stringing a couple together was really what got us going.”

Bruno went 2-for-2 with a walk and scored twice while DiCesare was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Moyer, meanwhile, held Fort Washington (3-7) scoreless until an unearned run in the top of the fourth pulled the Commodores within 3-1.

“Just mix up tempos, keep throwing curves, fastballs, changeups,” Moyer said. “Just mess with the hitters.”

Fort, however, could not plate another against Moyer until Jack Vitella’s one-out RBI groundout in the seventh.

The Harleysville righty proceeded to strike out the next batter looking to cap his complete-game victory.

“Garrett has probably been our best pitcher this year,” Kane said. “We have a lot of times where our pitchers come out, aren’t very consistent so it’s nice to catch a game where he’s throwing strikes.”

A rising sophomore at Souderton, Moyer allowed six hits, struck out six and walked two.

“Probably my curveball’s my most accurate pitch, if I can get it over the plate it’s good,” Moyer said. “Fastball, it’s accurate. Changeup I’m still developing.”

Brett Smith was 2-for-3 for Fort Washington, which hosts Deep Run 6 p.m. Tuesday. Harleysville is home against Upper Moreland 6 p.m. Thursday.

Monday’s win moves Harleysville into a threeway

tie for sixth place with Doylestown (5-7) and Montgomery Township (5-8) at 10 points. Fort Washington sits ninth at six points. Top eight teams qualify for the league tournament.

“I think we’ve just got to keep doing what we did today,” Kane said. “For the most part we don’t do that. I think if we can keep playing consistently like that, we’ll be OK.”

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Bruno drew a walk. DiCesare followed with a single while Kane plated both runners by ripping a two-RBI double into left.

“In the cage before the game I was swinging and missing on everything,” said Kane, a rising junior at Souderton. “So I guess bad day in the cage, good day at the plate.”

Kane came home for a 3-0 lead on the next atbat after Calvin Radcliff

reached first on an error.

Fort Washington cut the margin to two in the top of the fourth as Jacob Hammill, who started the inning with a double, scored when Aiden McCarthy reached on a two-out error.

Harleysville, however, added more cushion to its advantage with another three-spot in the fifth.

Krieg Pierce led off with a double, took third on a wild pitch and scored due to an error on a steal.

After an Aidan Sweeney RBI sacrifice fly made it a four-run game, Bruno, DiCesare and Kane followed with three consecutive singles — the last one by Kane a RBI base hit through the infield’s left side to put the hosts up 6-1.

Fort Washington scored a run in the seventh when Matt Lagowski, who began the inning with a walk, scored on Vitella’s RBI groundout.