Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Baseball
son triple.
After trading scoreless half-innings, Wiss pulled away in the bottom of the sixth. Nine Trojans batted in the frame and four crossed the plate – Ryan Culp on a wild pitch, DeFeo on a Junker double, Junker on a Weiss double and Weiss on a DeVincent single – to extend the lead to 7-1 with one inning remaining.
Aside from Dickson’s triple, DeVincent kept William Tennent off the scoreboard for six innings. He struck out five batters to one walk and allowed three hits.
“Nate pitched well,” Noga said. “This is his first start since (St. Joe’s) Prep which was the first week of the season. He’s been doing a very good job for us out of the pen. We trust Nate a lot when he comes in and throws strikes. He’s got electric stuff – very good fastball with a lot of life and a good breaking ball. He did a good job trusting our defense – it was a new defense out there, it wasn’t the same infield he’s used to dealing with. He did a great job just pounding the strike zone and trusting our defense.”
The right-hander got into
trouble in the first two innings but escaped with his shutout intact. In the first inning he stranded runners on second and third before loading the bases with no outs in the second. He got a strikeout, fielder’s choice at the plate and pop up to shortstop to end the threat.
“Just throw strikes,” DeVincent said of his mindset in those situations. “Nothing too much – hope they put it in play and hope our defense makes a play. Hopefully I can get some strikeouts.”
Mike Scheller started for
Tennent and took the loss. In 3.1 innings he allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out five batters to two walks. Kevin Ralston came on in relief and allowed four runs on four hits in 2.1 innings. He struck out three batters to no walks.
“Early on we left five guys on through two innings,” Tennent coach Lucas Denczi said. “That’s been a little bit of a problem up to this point this year. We just couldn’t get the hit. Then going into the sixth it’s a 3-1 ball game and it just ran out of steam there on a back-toback.”
New coach
Denczi is in his first season in charge of the Panthers. He teaches at the school and coaches JP Mascaro in the Greater Norristown American Legion Baseball League.
“The legion background has given me a good start to jump over to schools,” he said. “I’m happy to be with this bunch. It’s a good group of kids and I’m happy I could take over this year, especially with the tough year last year – the seniors not having a junior year.”