ARDMORE, PA – On a day dedicated to honoring their seniors, the Aces gave themselves even more reason to celebrate, picking up a decisive win in one of their final three regular-season league games that puts them even closer to a first round bye in districts.

With Brian Heck on the mound, the Aces took control early and never looked back. Their offense came out firing in the bottom of the first, setting the tone right away.

Gus Wright jumpstarted the action on just the third pitch of the game with a double. Brody Slensky followed with an RBI single to bring Wright home with Toby Myers keeping the momentum going with a base hit to right field, and a groundout by Nicholas Dragut added another run to give the Aces a quick 2-0 lead.

While the Royals managed to escape the inning without further damage, they couldn’t find a response. But to their credit, they held the Aces scoreless over the next five frames. In the sixth, the Aces broke through again.

Though a 2-0 lead might have been enough, some insurance never hurts. Calvin Rendle opened the inning with a single, but two quick outs threatened to halt the rally. That’s when Justin Heck, pinch-hitting for Hartstein, came through with a crucial RBI double to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Aces weren’t done. After two consecutive hit batters and a groundout by Myers, the score grew to 5-0, and that’s where it stayed.

If standings hold, Lower Merion (10-4) is poised to finish third in the Central League behind only Haverford and Radnor — an impressive accomplishment in a competitive season. The Aces will face Ridley (5-8) tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in a rescheduled home game at South Ardmore Park.

As for Upper Darby (1-14), they’ll wrap up their Central League campaign next Monday with a matchup against Conestoga (8-6), closing the book on their 2025 season.