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Sports

Warriors' McCormick Tosses Complete Game in Division Leader Battle

Chester County League American Legion baseball

Royersford-Red Sox centerfielder Ken Pierson said it best following Friday night’s tension packed 2-1 Spring City win over Exton Post 134 in a Chester County League American legion battle.

“We love playing baseball together,” said Pierson, who was part of the Centennial Conference champion squad from Johns Hopkins this spring. “I could not wait to get started, I am so proud of how well these guys played for the high school team, but our legion team is something special, we all want to be here and we have played together for so long, it’s a part of us.”

 Following a night where the Red Sox battled back from a five run deficit to claim a win over Lionville, lefthander Josh Mellon, who will be attending Millersville in the fall, took the hill for Post 602 and delivered a masterpiece allowing just one hit and one earned run in a complete game effort.

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“We have had a lot of games in a short time,” said Spring City Jamie Scheck. “We absolutely needed an effort like that from Josh, as we have a couple of guys battling through some injuries. He has been great all season so far, in the past two weeks he has beaten Norchester, Caln and now Exton, those are three quality teams.”

Scheck was not the only manager heaping praise in the direction of the defending Pennsylvania state champion Red Sox, as Bandits manager Steve “Smittie” Smith was quick to take and serve notice to his squad on the desire to win he witnessed in the losing cause.

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“Man I love that Gorrell kid,” said Smith, in his seventh year as the Bandits manager. “Here is a kid that hits a one hopper back the mound and is chewing his own teeth off busting it to first, they (Spring City) play the game the way it’s meant to be played.”

Smith, who was notified by his scheduled starting pitcher today that he would not be in attendance as he was making a trip to the beach, had nothing but admiration for the manner in which Post 602 carried them selves and the effort they put forth.

“There is a reason that they are successful,” added Smith. “They all play for each other and are committed to the team. Until we have a culture in place where the team’s best interest is a priority and our players give the type of commitment that teams like Spring City do, we will always be close to teams like that but never beat them.” 

Spring City got on the board early as Ricky Gorrell and Kenny Pierson drew first inning walks with two outs to set the table for Cody Clarke, who roped a double scoring both for the only two runs the Red Sox would score in the tilt.

Mellon, who allowed one earned run when a lead off walk to Zac Norton came back to bite him in the second inning as Tim Craig drove in Norton with the only base hit of the evening for the Bandits, settled in and did not allow more than one base runner in the remaining five innings.

“I was able to put my curve ball in spots that I wanted,” said Mellon. “I get up for games against team like them, I think it’s like and adrenaline thing that just give me a boost when we play the better teams in the league, I am very competitive and I really like the pressure of big games.”

With the majority of Exton’s line up being filled with members of the 2010 West Chester Henderson Warriors team that played for the state championship, Mellon and the Red Sox defense had their work cut out protecting a one run lead.

The Bandits, who lead the South division with a record of 10-4-1, managed to work one walk in five consecutive innings, but could not muster a base hit to advance a runner beyond second base, stranding three for the entire game as three were eliminated by two twin killings and a pick off my Mellon.  

“I was a little amped up and nervous to start the game,” said Exton starter and member of the Henderson championship squad Chas McCormick. “I was able to hit spots with my fastball and used the fact that they are such an aggressive lineup to get some first and second pitch swings, which led to some quick innings and got us back in batting. They are a very good, disciplined hitting team and holding them to two runs tonight my defense did a great job.”

The Red Sox, who improved to 13-1 and lead the North division, will actually be receiving two additional wins in the next few days as a result of Conestoga, who the Spring-ford squad lost the state championship to, defaulted by forfeiting their third game of the season and according to league bylaws, that forfeits the season and all remaining games.

“I thought Chas did an outstanding job today," added "Smittie" . "A lot of young kids would have turtled up in a situation like that, he responded and really kept us in and gave us a chance to win. actually we had a few guys tonight really rise to the challenge of playing a team like Spring City."

After the first inning, McCormick kept the vaunted Red Sox line up at bay by mixing in his change up and curve to compliment as lethally acurate fast ball, allowing just five hits, fanning three and stranding two Spring City runners at third in the process.   

“It’s great to win games by scoring tens runs,’ added Scheck. “These are the kind of games we need to win come playoff time, there is definitely a pride factor as we wear those patches (“2010 Pennsylvania State Champion”) on our jerseys, we know teams are marking us and it just never gets to these guys. They believe in each other and themselves that even when they are down they are going to win, and when we are winning they do not let up.” 

Extra bases- Shortstop Ricky Gorrell was involved with both Spring City double plays as he started a 6-4-3 twin killing, feeding the ball to Tom Grablewski, who in turn zipped the ball to first basemen Ryan Conway to end the fourth inning. Gorrell also snared a grounder off the bat of Zac Jones, stepped on the bag and relayed the ball to Ryan Conway to end the game.

 

 

 

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

 

R

H

E

 

Exton

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

 

1

1

0

 

Spring City

2

0

0

0

0

0

X

 

2

5

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exton

 

AB

 

R

 

H

 

RBI

 

Spring City

 

AB

 

R

 

H

 

RBI

Hooven, R

3

0

0

0

Medley rf

2

0

0

0

Hooven, K

3

0

0

0

Hoff c

3

0

0

0

Kovell  cf

2

0

0

0

Gorrell ss

2

1

0

0

Norton 2b

2

1

0

0

Pierson cf

2

1

1

0

McCormick p

2

0

0

0

Clarke 3b

3

0

2

2

Sullivan c

3

0

0

0

Rothman dh

3

0

0

0

Craig  lf

2

0

1

1

Grablewski 2b

3

0

0

0

Jones cf

3

0

0

0

Conway 1b

2

0

1

0

Nugent ss

0

0

0

0

Simmons lf

3

0

1

0

Totals

20

1

1

1

Totals

23

2

5

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IP

 

R

ER

H

SO

BB

McCormick (L)

6

2

2

5

3

3

Mellon (W)

7

1

1

1

8

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2B-Clarke   3B-none   HR- none      LOB- EXT –3            NOR-6

time of the game 2:04   game temp 83 degrees

 

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