(cover photo of Malvern Prep starter Jack Herbein)
MALVERN, PA — For anyone out there that just assumes Malvern waltzes to state titles every year, it isn’t that easy. Germantown Academy gave them everything they had today, but the Friars scored three in the sixth to escape with a 4-1 win to advance to the state title once again.
Starter Jack Herbein gave Malvern Prep 5.2 excellent inning with one unearned run. He struck out two and had just one walk while allowing five hits.
The was scoreless in the bottom of the second with Herbein and Germantown Academy’s Holt Record both throwing well. Brady Abate worked a leadoff walk and after stealing second, Andrew Pellicciotta broke the tie with a base hit to left field to put Malvern Prep up 1-0.
The next few innings were rather uneventful to be honest.
Cooper Burkholder, an eighth grader facing the best team in the state, relieved Record after three innings and tossed a scoreless fourth and fifth.
Things got really interesting in the top of the sixth on a play that did not look like it would be interesting. With two outs and no one on, Alex Meyers hit a routine ground ball to Tommy Sergio at third base who fired over to first but Owen Hammond was not able to make the catch at first.
Tyler Nolan then singled, and Nathaniel Knapp followed that up with another single to shock the stadium and tie this game up at 1-1. The inning was all but over, but now, we had a tie game. Taig McErlane came on to finish off the inning with a pop out.
After two quick outs for Malvern in the bottom of the sixth, it looked like we may have been headed for the seventh inning with a tie game. However, Chase Ecker worked a walk, Jake Bauer slapped a single, and then Luke Moore etched his name into Malvern lore when he smoked an RBI double down the left field line to put the Friars ahead 2-1.
The dagger for Malvern came off the bat of Ryan Capobianco, who followed that double up with an RBI single that scored both Bauer and pinch runner Jalen Bowman to make it a 4-1 Malvern lead.
Taig McErlane went back out to try and close out the game and after a ground out to start the inning, found himself in a bit of trouble. He issued a walk to Cooper Wilson and then Jake Bulicki reached on an error to put the tying run at the plate.
McErlane then slowed things down a bit when he picked up a strikeout, then got Lucas Albert to fly out for the final out.
Malvern Prep will now host Episcopal Saturday morning at 10:30 for the PAISAA State Championship. I would like to have a word with whoever decided to have that at the same time as the PCL Championship, but regardless, it should be an excellent game.
Expect to see Inter-Ac MVP and William & Mary recruit Chase Ecker on the mound for Malvern in that one and Hunter West getting the ball for Episcopal.
Malvern will look to win their third consecutive state title.