BRYN MAWR, PA — Marple Newtown has had a flair for the dramatic so far this season. That would not change on Monday against a tough Harriton squad.
The Tigers faced a 4-0 deficit after five innings but staged a dramatic comeback, eventually winning the game 8-4 in extra innings.
Harriton got on the board early. Bryce Siegel and Sam Bohnenkamp both had RBI singles to put the Rams up 2-0 in the first inning.
Cole Chodkowski added to that lead in the third. His double scored Nate Swalley and gave Harriton a 3-0 lead.
Siegel got things going again in the bottom of the fifth. He came through with his second hit of the day, a leadoff single. Siegel stole second and came home on an RBI single from Eli Bloch.
It seemed like Harriton was in prime position to pull off one of the bigger upsets we’ve seen this spring, with starting pitcher Will Gallagher cruising on the mound. However, Marple Newtown had other ideas.
With one out in the top of the sixth, Cole Buckley got hit by a pitch. Buckley advanced to second on a fly out and managed to score following an error on a Jack Maholick ground ball.
John Matthews kept the at-bat going, drawing a two-out walk. This brought up Sean Grogan with a chance to get the Tigers even closer.
Grogan would do more than just chip away though; he would tie the game with one swing. Grogan got a pitch to hit in a 2-0 count and blasted it over the left field wall, squaring this game up at four.
The Tiger defense turned a double play to escape a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth. Gallagher and Marple reliever Kevin Wigo both turned in clean seventh innings as the game headed to extras.
Marple Newtown got out to their first lead in the eighth. Finally getting Gallagher out of the game, the bats took advantage against the Harriton bullpen.
Justin DiSantis led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on a single from Matthews, giving the Tigers a 5-4 lead.
That wouldn’t be all, though. Grogan reached on an error, Jackson Burger walked to load the bases, and Jordan DiPinto brought everyone home with a bases-clearing double.
Kevin Wigo was excellent out of the bullpen for the Tigers. With a chance to close it out in the bottom of the eighth, Wigo rolled a double play and got a ground out, sealing Marple Newtown’s 8-4 win.
Wigo’s final line was 5.2 innings pitched, two hits, three strikeouts, and one earned run. He earned the win for the Tigers.
Marple Newtown is now 3-1 in the Central League and 3-2 overall. Their bats seemed to have woken up a bit after a slow day in Saturday’s loss to Bonner. The Tigers will need some offense in their next matchup; they’ll face Luke D’Ancona and Strath Haven (3-1) on the road on Wednesday.
It’s been an unfortunate start for Harriton. The Rams are 1-4 in the Central League and 1-6 overall, but have come up just short in a few really hard-fought games. They get a chance to get back in the win column on Wednesday at Springfield (0-3).