GARNET VALLEY, PA- It was a great day to play baseball, and an even better day to be a Jaguars fan.
From the start, this game became difficult for Penncrest quickly. To start off the first, pitcher Ryan McGhee went right to work. With the exception of a leadoff single, the Lions would go down in order and the tone of the game would ultimately be set.
Garnet on the other hand was ready to strike and they took no time to get started. In the bottom of the first after just five pitches, Garnet tacked on the first run after a walk and a single by Chris Schaller allowed a runner to score. This wouldn’t last long though. With runners on first and third, Kevin Klein would single scoring the second run, and after a fielder’s choice, Brady Thompson would cross home and quickly this game was 3-0.
Looking for a spark in the second, Penncrest was immediately shut down by McGhee once again. On the day, McGhee would allow just two hits from this Penncrest team striking out nine of them and completed the start to finish effort for the Jags.
With McGhee taking them from start to finish, the Jags offense took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first and quickly turned it into a 6-0 lead within just a few minutes. On just the second pitch of the inning Zach Gordon would smash a double into left field to get the rally started and with the help of a walk and an error later, the bases would be loaded. (whoops). At this point, Penncrest pulled starting pitcher Liam Wray after just 1.1 innings of work, and he was replaced by Connor Finan.
In a tough spot with just one out and the bases loaded, Finan would get the Lions out of the inning, but it would come with a cost. Thompson would have a sacrifice fly scoring Garret Hosterman. One run on the bases loaded, good deal, right? That was until Harrison Maull had something to say about that, with a single two more runs would come home and this game was 6-0.
All good things (scoring) must come to an end at some point though. Garnet Valley would score two more in this one, once more in the third after a Gordon single brought in a run, and to put the icing on the cake one last time in the sixth, with a groundout scoring Cole Lombardo but nothing like the rallies in the first and second.
Although this was a whole team effort for Garnet, they had three guys leading the way in starting pitcher Ryan McGhee 7IP, 2H, 9K’s, Chris Schaller 2/4 2B, 2R, RBI, and Zach Gordon 2/3, RBI, 2B to help lead the way.
This win will get Garnet (5-3 in Central League) back to .500 on the year overall (5-5) and back in the win column in preparation for their next game tomorrow in an early morning matchup against Upper Dublin AWAY at 12:00pm.
Penncrest (2-5 in Central League) on the other hand will host Radnor (5-1) at 3:45 on Wednesday for another Central League matchup.