MEDIA, PA- It’s been a challenging stretch for Penncrest, but the Lions stopped the skid in dominant fashion on Monday, snapping a five-game losing streak with a blowout win over Upper Darby.
The home-field advantage kicked in early for Penncrest, and Upper Darby never found their footing. Aside from three scattered hits, it was all Lions in this one. Penncrest’s pitching trio—Jeremy Schneider, Zach Mullin, and Jack Jones—combined for a stellar performance, shutting the door on the Royals in six innings.
Schneider got the start and earned the win, striking out seven and allowing just one hit over four innings. Mullin and Jones handled the final two frames, giving up two more hits, but getting out of the game clean.
The Lions were just as successful at the plate. In the bottom of the first, Henry Murphy set the tone with a double that brought home Nash Grant and Lucas Punzo, who each reached on singles. That early spark put Penncrest up 2-0.
After a quiet second inning, the Lions broke things open in the third. A fielder’s choice off Schneider’s bat brought in another run, and with the bases loaded, a hit-by-pitch and a walk plated two more, quickly stretching the lead to 5-0.
The offensive power continued in the fourth. Following back-to-back baserunners, Schneider lifted a sac fly to drive in a run. Then Braden Davis delivered the knockout blow with a booming triple, pushing the score to 9-0. The Lions were held scoreless in the fifth but added a final insurance run in the sixth to officially put the game out of reach.
Nash Grant and Henry Murphy led the offense, combining for five RBI’s on the day, with Grant going 3/3.
It has definitely been a rebuilding year for a Penncrest team that has a new head coach in Austin Morgan and lost many key members like Ben Ettien, Nico Tozzi, Josh Kalinowski, and 2024 Delco player of the year Gavin Brown, but wins like these are crucial for a young core.
Penncrest (3-8) will be back at home on Wednesday at 3:45 against Harriton (3-8) in a Central League matchup looking for revenge from opening day.
Upper Darby (0-11) will continue on their quest for their first win on Wednesday at 3:45 at home against Ridley (5-6), they as well are looking for revenge after a very close opening day loss.