Plymouth advances to semis
PLYMOUTH >> It was the Diamonds that did the crushing.
Plymouth pounded out 13 hits, scored runs in bunches, and put together an impressive 11-3 win over Conshohocken to complete a 3-0 sweep of the quarterfinal playoff series Wednesday night at Villanova Ballpark.
“We were hoping to get it done just so we have some extra days off,” said second baseman Anthony Swenda. “We knew we were gonna play well this series — we have all season.”
Second-seeded Plymouth will now wait to see who it faces in next week’s semifinals.
The Diamonds led 4-0 after their first at-bat and also scored the final seven runs of the contest.
“We do that from time to time,” Swenda said of the big innings.
Swenda, an Upper Merion grad who now plays at Potomac State College in West Virginia, went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and three RBIs.
“I felt pretty good. I’m trying to work on stuff for school, getting ready to go back,” he said. “We’re trying to win the title — I wanna go back to school on a good note.”
Plymouth struck first, collecting five hits in the first inning against right-hander Thomas
McLaughlin.
Mike Hutchinson belted a double to left center and came in to score on a ground-ball single up the middle by Swenda.
Hutchinson stole second, then stole third, and reached home on a throwing error to make it 2-0.
Ben Kollender’s RBI double to right added to the lead and Nate Campbell, who singled, scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
Seventh-seeded Conshohocken answered in the second.
Cole Kriger connected for an RBI double against lefty Ryan Reiber and then scored on a hit by Chase Fike.
Jake Stoller drew a bases-loaded walk to tighten things to 4-3 against Reiber (six K’s).
But then it was all Diamonds.
Plymouth widened the gap in the second, with an RBI double by Swenda making it 5-3.
The Diamonds padded their lead further.
Hutchinson, Owen Petrich and Kevin Reilly all drove in runs in the fourth to make it 8-3.
In the fifth, R.J. Huth smashed a triple to right, Andrew Booth singled to left, and Hutchinson doubled to the gap in left center, as the margin ballooned to 10-3.
Swenda’s ground ball scored Hutchinson to push it to 11-3.
It was an offensive showcase for Plymouth.
Eight different players had hits for the Diamonds, including Hutchinson (2for-3, HBP, 3R, 2RBI), who had a pair of doubles. Kevin Reilly (2-for-4, R, RBI), Huth (2-for-4, 2R) and Andrew Booth (2-for3, 2R, RBI) also contributed multiple times at the plate.