Section 6: Day 2 Recap

NEXT: Council Rock Newtown will face an opponent to be determined on Wednesday night at 6:00. The game will be heard on Eastern PA Sports Network, featuring EPASN founder Scott Johnston and LSV Sports founder Cody Brady. Pregame begins at 5:45. On Tuesday, Franklin Township will face Southern Lehigh in an elimination game at 6:00.

Council Rock Newtown 4, Southern Lehigh 3

Listen to the entire replay of the game HERE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H	E
Southern Lehigh	2	0	0	1	0	0	3	5	1
Council Rock Newtown	0	1	0	1	0	2	4	7	3

What has become a bitter rivalry in recent years was renewed Tuesday night in Holland, as Council Rock Newtown and Southern Lehigh met in the winners bracket final. The Blue Dawgs defeated the Spartans in last year’s section tournament 4-1. The winner tonight would be just a win away from the state tournament.

Tyler Neeld got the start on the mound for Newtown and found himself in a jam early. Lucian Magazzu walked on four pitches in the first inning, followed by an error by Dean Hamilton on a ball hit by Austin Showalter. Thomas Roth then hit a weak comebacker that died in no-man’s land for Neeld, who didn’t have a play. With the bases loaded, Jayden Ney did something he has done before and laid down a beautiful bunt single. Irvin Brunner worked a full count and a bases loaded walk. Southern Lehigh looked to keep tacking on for an early lopsided number, but Neeld recovered, striking out Aydin Bekiri and inducing a ground out against Bud Johnson to strand the bases loaded.

Neeld continued to heat up in the second inning, striking out the side after a Logan Davis leadoff single. His counterpart, Beckett Spigelmyer, ran into some second inning trouble, as Gavin Caudill doubled and Rocco DaBronzo singled up the middle. Brody Gage hit a sac fly, bringing in Caudill, making the score 2-1 afer two innings.

Southern Lehigh threatened again in the fourth, as Roth led off with a double, but was gunned down at third off a bunt from Jayden Ney. Ney would move to second on a passed ball and then to third on a fielders choice before coming home for a big insurance run on an E4.

In the bottom of the inning, Brody gage knocked in his second run of the night with a single to left, scoring Sav Longo and pulling Newtown within 3-2.

Sav Longo, who had struck out 34 and allowed just three hits over 15.2 innings pitched in postseason play, entered the game in the fifth with Hal Lahneman on first. He struck out last night’s Player of the Game Jameson Driscoll and then walked Ruffin Nuhfer. Lahneman advaned to third on a couple of passed balls. With runners on the corners and one out, Nuhfer broke for second base and was thrown out. Lahneman stayed on third. Spigelmyer struck out at the hand of Longo to end the threat and struck out three more in the 6th, playing an enormous role in keeping Newtown down by just a run entering their final at bat.

Austin Showalter came on to pitch the bottom of the sixth. In the closing role, Showalter quickly struck out Brayden Peiffer and got Neeld to fly out to right. With power bat Sav Longo up, Travis Ney and his players conferenced. The decision was made to pitch to Longo and he would single into left.

Greyson Gage stepped up to bat, having gone 0/2 on the night, popping out to short and striking out in his previous at bats. This time, on a 1-2 pitch, he clocked the ball to deep center field, over the head of Spigelmyer. Longo scored easily from first and Gage had himself a triple. But he wasn’t done. As the throw came in, Gage took off for home. The throw came in to Thomas Roth who chased down Gage and made the tag at the plate, but the home plate umpire quickly called interference on another infielder for blocking the plate. In stunning fashion, Council Rock Newtown secured their spot in the Section 6 championship game to be played Wednesday night at 6:00.

Newtown is now just a win away from making states for the second consecutive year. It hasn’t been perfect, as the team left eight runners on base tonight and 17 over the first two games.

“I’m Still shaking. It was great. Sav shut them down both innings and he was around for me to hit him in. I went for the slide. I thought I was out, but he called interference and the rest is history,” said Greyson Gage after scoring the game winning run. “Sav did great, he’s one of our best pitchers. [Coach told us] it was one of our worst games, but we still came out and won.”

Manager Brad Hamilton had more thoughts on the incredible finish. “It was a fun game to watch. It was good to be on this side of it. We struggled. Southern Lehigh pushed our limits. I will tell you, Greyson is a powerful kid. When he makes barrel contact he drives the ball. The boys in the dugout had this desire. Even when they don’t play their best, they find a way. I told them that anybody on this team can be a hero.”

Franklin Township 6, Stroudsburg 2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H	E
Stroudsburg	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	1	1
Franklin Township	1	0	1	2	2	X	6	9	1

Stroudsburg opened the tournament without their ace pitcher, Jordan Volino. However, Tuesday night he returned to action and was on the mound for his team. He was opposed by Carter Spotts, who had been Franklin Township’s cathcer prior to tonight. With a depelted staff, Franklin had to call on someone who had not yet pitched in the postseason.

Spotts proved to be quite the weapon, striking out five of the first six he faced and protecting an early 1-0 lead for his team. That ruin came on his sac fly RBI in the first, scoring Ethan Laible. Spotts got Stroudsburg in order again in the 3rd, bringing his strikeout total to six. He would walk and come around to score in the 3rd as Stroudsburg threw the ball around the infield, making the score 2-0.

Stroudsburg finally broke through in the fourth, getting their first hit on an RBI single by Frankie Revitt and scoring Wyatt Smith. Dom Marinaro grounded into an RBI fielders choice and just like that, the teams were tied at 2.

Marinaro replaced Volino on the mound in the bottom of the inning and Jayce Hunsberger was hit by the pitch on a 3-0 count. Roman White hit an infield single and Colby Sol brought Hunsberger in on a sac fly to put Franklin Township back on top 3-2. Parker Cummins dropped a ball in behind second base to bring home White and extend the lead.

Spotts struck out the side in the fifth and added one more in the sixth to finish his night with 11 strikeouts to just two walks. He was forced to exit the game having reached the 85 pitch limit and his dominant performance kept Franklin Township alive in the tournament, as they will now face Southern Lehigh Tuesday night at 6:00 in an elimination game. Tat winner will need to defeat Council Rock Newtown twice to advance.