Kelly’s timely home run pushes Nor-Gwyn over Ambler
“It’s been a frustrating couple days with a big-time rut. Finally caught a barrel and it just felt great.”
– Anthony Kelly Nor-Gwyn left fielder
UPPER GWYNEDD » Anthony Kelly needed a swing like the one he had in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon.
The Nor-Gwyn left fielder’s bat has been a bit cold this summer, starting during his Pendel season with the Houston Astros and carrying over to the start of Perky League play with the Packers. Baseball is a game that affords many chances however, and Kelly reversed course with a big swing that won his team a game.
Kelly’s two-run home run was the difference as NorGwyn topped Ambler 2-1 in a pitcher’s duel at Hostelley Field.
“It’s been a frustrating couple days with a big-time rut,”
Kelly said. “Finally caught a barrel and it just felt great.”
Ambler player-manager Pete Moore and the Nor-Gwyn duo of starter Liam Grande and reliever Ross Mintzer were quick, effective and very, very stingy on Sunday as few men reached base and even fewer scored.
The Brewers scratched out their only run in the first inning. Dustin Kology hustled out of the box on a ground ball and was rewarded when an error made him safe at first base.
Jim Fasano’s two-out single scored Kology, tagging Grande for an unearned run but the Packers’ pitching wouldn’t give up anything else.
“Liam’s been with us for four years now, Ross was with us about five years ago and came back,” Nor-Gwyn manager Tony “Pep” DiBricida said. “Guys like that; they know what they’re doing.”
Moore gave up a leadoff double to Justin Horn and an out
field error put runners at the corners, but Ambler was able to throw out Horn at home on an attempted double steal. After leaving two men on to end the first, Moore only allowed three total baserunners between the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.
Ambler’s defense helped, with Brett Reynolds starting a 4-3 double play to end the fourth and three other ground balls being dealt. Moore struck out the side in the second after the first two men reached and chalked up seven total strikeouts on the afternoon.
“That was vintage Pete Moore right there,” DiBricida said. “You’re not getting anything from him when he’s going like that. He left one ball in the right spot and Anthony took advantage of it.”
Grande, a Perk Valley graduate and current Millersville hurler, also allowed just three runners spanning the second to fifth inning before the hardthrowing Mintzer took over in the sixth. The efficiency of both teams’ pitchers wasn’t lost on the participants.
“Once we got out of that first inning, I thought we had a chance to get out of here in an hour-and-a-half,” Kelly said. “It was such a quick game, but we played amazing. I can’t believe how well our pitchers threw, they just kept pumping strikes and our catcher (Dan Visnov) was back there blocking balls like his life depended on it.”
Before he even stepped into the box for the first time, Kelly had to face a couple heaters coming his way. A group of youth baseball players watching the game had clustered by the Nor-Gwyn dugout and asked the questions all kids love to ask, including “how many home runs do you have?”
Kelly, playing along, said he had not hit any this season. Cue the tough follow-up
of “then why are you batting fourth?” which Kelly answered “I’m not sure.”
Of course, it has to be noted that mob of kids were the ones cheering loudest when Kelly came through a few innings later.
“I was joking around with them, it was all fun, I love seeing the kids out here and so into the game,” Kelly said.
Corey Stouffer, a North Penn graduate now at West Chester, drew a one-out walk ahead of Kelly in the sixth to set the table. Kelly has gone up against Moore, who also plays in the Pendel League, quite a bit over the past few years, so he knew the Ambler righty wasn’t to offer him much to hit.
Moore’s 0-1 pitch stayed up enough that Kelly was able to drive it straight into left, where the ball carried over the fence for the go-ahead score.
“I’ve seen Pete the last two or three years and he always pitches me the same way,” Kelly said. “He catches too, so he throws a lot of off-speed and locates. Luckily, he hung one a little bit, I caught a barrel and the wind was in my favor.”
Mintzer sealed the win with a scoreless seventh that he capped by starting a gameending double play. The late comeback handed Nor-Gwyn its fourth win in the last five games and evened the Packers’ record at 4-4.
The first act of Kelly’s summer ended well when Horsham won the Pendel title last week and he’s hoping Sunday’s shot can get him on track for the back end to finish just as strong.
“I was glad I was able to help pick them up,” Kelly said. “They’ve been picking me up all season so it felt good to help.
“Hopefully I get a chance to win another title. I just want to play baseball, the coronavirus almost ruined the summer and I’m starting to get up there in age, so I’m just trying to get in as much baseball as I can.”