Plymouth walks off winners in Game 1 against Valley Forge
“Having this homefield advantage is pretty huge for our team, get used to the mound. My changeup was working well I was throwing that mostly.” – Quinn Rovner, Plymouth starting pitcher.
PLYMOUTH >> Game 1 of the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League semifinal series between No. 2 Plymouth and No. 3 Valley Forge promised to be a good one with the 2019 and 2020 Pitcher of the Year award winners taking the mound and it didn’t disappoint.
Plymouth’s Quinn Rovner, the 2019 winner, and Valley Forge’s Mike Anthony, last year’s winner, both went deep into the game. Rovner got a no decision after throwing six innings of one-run ball and Anthony took the loss, 2-1, after hitting Plymouth’s Corbin Dunnick with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth Monday evening.
“It was a good battle,” Rovner said. “(Anthony) pitched well — he pitched the whole game. He hit his spot. That splitter for him was working pretty well, but our hitters just came out on top and we came ready to play.”
Rovner struck out six batters to one walk over six innings. He allowed one unearned run on seven hits.
“Having this homefield advantage is pretty huge for our team, get used to the mound,” he said. “My changeup was working well — I was throwing that mostly. Changeup, fastball combination seemed to get by them.”
In 6.1 innings, Anthony struck out six batters to five walks. He allowed two runs — both unearned — on five hits.
Plymouth’s Mike Hutchinson reached on an error to start the bottom of the seventh inning.
After an out, Owen Petrich singled to put the winning run in scoring position. The runners advanced to second and third when a pickoff attempt went into centerfield and Kevin Reilly was intentionally walked to load the bases. Dunnick followed and was hit by a pitch, plating Hutchinson for a walkoff win.
“Honestly, to make contact,” Dunnick said of his mindset in the seventh inning. “I haven’t really been hitting the ball well lately and going in with the bases loaded and one out — just trying to find a barrel on the ball somehow, but it found my body instead.”
Valley Forge took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning. Jason Smiley walked and advanced to second on a pickoff attempt. Smiley moved to third on a Matt Seiple single before scoring on a similar pickoff throw to first.
Plymouth tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Dunnick worked a one-out walk and, after a strikeout, advanced to third when Jake Stacey grounded into an error. RJ Huth was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Andrew Booth grounded into another error, scoring Dunnick to tie the game at one. Stacey was thrown out at home to keep the score even.
“Every game we play, most of the time later in the game we end up coming around and hitting the ball,” Dunnick said. “It’s all in our heads in the beginning. Later on it just comes together and we come as a team and play.”
Despite the errors, both sides made some highlight plays on defense.
Smiley hit a two-out triple in the top of the second and, when the throw to third got away, went home. Rovner corralled the ball and got it home in time to keep the game scoreless.
Two innings later, Valley Forge loaded the bases with one out and Rovner got a groundball to second, allowing his defense to turn a double play.
Plymouth loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, but a groundball back to Anthony turned into a 1-2-3 double play and he got out of the inning with his shutout still intact.
Game 2 of the best-offive series is set for Tuesday night at Heuser Park at 7:30 p.m.