High School Sports
Email
Print
Ledford eliminated in 2-A baseball
Journal Photo by Lauren Carroll
Ledford’s Patrick Koontz dives back safely into first base as a pickoff throw is overthrown. Koontz advanced to second base.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: May 25, 2008
WALBURG
East Rutherford had its ace on the mound and an ace in the hole, eliminating Ledford with an 11-4 win the third and deciding game of the Class 2-A semifinal series last night.
Cullen Park, East's 6-2 right-hander, limited Ledford to four hits, and No. 9 hitter Dylan McNeilly exploded with two three-run homers as East (22-9) gets the chance to defend its state championship in a best-of-three series against Hillsborough Orange, which will be held next weekend at an undetermined site.
Ledford (25-8) was unable to use its top two pitchers, Justin Livengood and Ricky Vaughn, who pitched in the first two games of the series. And while starter Cory Alcon and relievers Travis Vogler and Ryan Fitzgerald were touched for 14 hits, it was a costly error in the third inning that eventually undid the Panthers.
With two on and one out in the third, Drew Reynolds hit a grounder in the hole to the right side of the infield that was fielded by Livengood, who flipped to Alcon covering the bag. The umpire ruled that Alcon didn't touch the bag, and the error loaded the bases.
After a strikeout, the Panthers nearly got out of the inning when Reynolds -- who lost track of the number of outs -- tried to take second base. Eventually Livengood threw across the infield to third, but Michael Milam was able to jar the ball loose from Sam Berrier's glove and the bases remained loaded.
Seth Arrowood followed with a two-run single, then McNeilly launched a fastball from Alcon deep over the left-field fence, giving East -- which scored two in the first -- a 7-2 lead.
"We really needed a better first inning than what we got, but to be honest, the third inning told the tale of the whole game," said Coach Chris Adams of Ledford. "We had them for five unearned runs. If we get out of the inning there, it's still 2-0. The bottom line is we didn't give our best shot defensively in any game of the series."
McNeilly struck again in the fifth when he unloaded on an off-speed breaking ball from Vogler for a three-run homer, and Reynolds provided the final run with a solo homer to right in the seventh.
Coach Bobby Reynolds of East said that he had used a designated hitter in place of McNeilly off and on down the stretch. But he promised that wouldn't happen in the state-championship series.
"I promised him he might get pinch-hit for in the state championships, but he won't be DH'd for," Bobby Reynolds said. "He secured a few more at-bats, I can tell you. He came up big for us, and he's got that potential. He can hit the long ball and he probably has more extra-base hits than he does singles.
"He took advantage of his opportunities and came up big for us."
McNeilly, who also had a double and a single and was 4 for 4, said: "It's the first time in a while (that he had hit a home run) and it was a good time to step up I guess."
Fitzgerald ripped a two-run single as part of Ledford's three-run third inning, and Patrick Koontz hit an opposite-field home run off the hard-throwing Park in the sixth for Ledford's final run. Koontz, who was 2 for 2 with two walks, was the only Panther with more than one hit.
"We felt like we really needed to win that first game," Adams said. "Ricky (Vaughn) threw a four-hitter and we still got beat, then (Friday) we did get it done but we had to use Justin (Livengood) to do it . We had to use some guys tonight that we didn't have to count on much during the season because of the job Ricky and Justin have done.
"Our boys battled and fought hard and it's a special, special group of kids."
■ Mason Linker can be reached at 727-7324 or at mlinker@wsjournal.com.
E. Rutherford 205 030 1 -- 11 14 1
Ledford 000 301 0 -- 4 5 1
Park and Arrowood. Alcon, Vogler (4), Fitzgerald (6) and Koontz. WP -- Park. LP -- Alcon. 2B -- Baldwin, McNeilly (ER), Fitzgerald (L). HR -- McNeilly (2), Reynolds (ER), Koontz (L). Records -- East Rutherford 22-9, Ledford 25-8
Email
Print
