Northampton ends H-T’s Region 2 run

SPRING >> A pitcher only at North Penn this past spring, Jadon Dormer got to try a bit of hitting this summer for Hatfield-Towamencin Legion.

The NP grad and future Arcadia hurler went out with a big swing, smacking a double to the gap in left center to give his team a jolt in the fifth inning against Northampton Saturday afternoon.

It would be the Titans’ only hit of the contest against tough lefthander Cam Cooper (complete game, six K’s), as Hatfield-Towamencin’s season came to a close at the Region 2 Tournament, but it was quite a run and a summer for Post 933.

“I just shortened up, tried to put a good swing on the ball,” Dormer said with a smile of his hit in the fifth. “It’s ‘see the ball, hit the ball’ sometimes.

“This was a great group of guys. I loved the environment in the dugout and we had a lot of fun practices.”

Cooper pitched Northampton to a 6-0 win, advancing to a 1 p.m. game Sunday.

The Titans’ own lefty, Michael Lennon, pitched two scoreless innings to start out, but then succumbed to the heat, with temperatures climbing into the mid-90’s. Lennon would come out after four

innings and the Titans committed an uncharacteristic three errors.

“We battled today,” Dormer said. “Our last four games were all onerun games so we stayed in it. Our defense kinda broke down today. It was hot and just really tiring. You could see it in the field - everyone was tired. It was a long season, back-to-back games a lot of days, and we put together a good run.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t play good defense and that’s what’s carried us most of the way,” said H-T coach Kevin Harder. “We’ve had good pitching and good defense, and today we just didn’t have it.

“The bats have been something we’ve struggled with. We’ve had just enough to skirt by. Today, their pitcher pitched very well, kept us off balance, and did a great job.”

Northampton collected five hits in the first three innings and was able to capitalize in the third.

Joseph Kerbacher singled to left to lead it off. Cullen Cooper’s blooper initially moved Kerbacher to second, and then an error by the Titans allowed Kerbacher to advance to third, then race home.

Northampton loaded the bases and made it 2-0 when Lennon was called for a balk.

Will Erie’s two-run single and Joseph Kerbacher’s RBI single made it 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Northampton capped the scoring in the sixth on a hard-hit chopper by Vince Santostefano, which brought in Logan Wolfe (single).

The Titans had tried to counter but Cooper didn’t allow a hit through the first four innings.

He retired the first six Titan batters, and then Sean Brennan drew a leadoff walk in the third to give Hatfield-Towamencin its first base runner of the contest.

Cooper got out of the inning and then added two more strikeouts in the fourth, giving him three to that point.

But in the fifth, Dormer put a smooth stroke on the ball and cranked one to left center, giving the Titans some life.

“He’s been DH’ing for us. His first at-bats have been during Legion season. It gives guys a chance to try some different things in Legion. North Penn is such a big school, great team, great program - (coach) Kevin Manero runs a great program. So it’s a great opportunity for these guys to do some different things.

“It’s a good group of guys. They care a lot, and they put a lot of effort and time in.”