Newtown scrambling
to catch up in Legion play
By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
What, me worry.
That’s the attitude of Newtown Legion skipper Bob Maley as he and his Post 440 Legion baseball team scramble to make up half the season’s schedule in the upcoming weeks.
With Council Rock North earning a berth this spring in the District One Class AAAA finals as well as the PIAA tournament, all of Newtown’s games were suspended until the Indians were eliminated from states.
Post 440 missed 11 games in all--matchups that must be made up by July 6 in time for the July 7 start of the Lower Buck Legion playoffs. Additionally, a June 9 pairing against Yardley-Morrisville was rained out. That’s a dozen games in a 24-game season.
“I’m not worried; we’ll catch up,” stated Maley, who is just finishing up the first week of a season that’s three weeks old for the rest of the league.
After opening PIAA play June 1 with a win over Central, CR North had a pair of dates rained out in their state quarterfinal pairing against North Penn. The battle against the Knights finally took place on June 6, with North Penn edging the Rock, 2-1.
Newtown finally got going Sunday, June 7, falling 3-0 to Falls Post 834. In that one, Post 440 managed just two hits.
Again, Maley is not worried.
That’s because Newtown turned the tables on Post 834 last night (June 11) at CR North’s field, crushing Falls, 19-1, in a 5-inning game shortened by the mercy rule.
“We couldn’t buy a hit in the first game against Falls. Half the team was worn out from states. The other half was rusty from sitting around for 3-and 1/2 weeks waiting,” stated Maley.
“Hopefully, last night is more of an indicator of what we’re going to do this season”
The 19-1 thumping was Post 440’s first visit to the win column. Newtown lost Wednesday’s (June 10) matchup to Northampton, 5-2.
Despite his team’s 1-2 record, Maley is excited about Post 440’s prospects for the season. The reason for Maley’s enthusiasm is simple--plenty of pitching.
While the coach scrambled to fill the rotation last year in his first season at the Post 440 helm, Maley says he has plenty of arms to go around this season.
That’s because several pitchers including CR North seniors Scott Runzer and Kelly Adams who were working elsewhere last season, are back with Post 440 this year. Add Keith Terry and Jared Weed to the mix and Connor McFarlane, a freshman lefthander for PSU-Abington, and you have a pitching coach’s dream come true.
Pile on Sean Duckworth, of Archbishop Wood, Mike Buckley, of Holy Ghost Prep and Pennsbury righthander Tom Herring and you might have a hard time getting enough mound duty for each and every pitcher.
Playing the field for Newtown this year is Matt Hone, a CR North senior selected to this year’s SOL-National/ Bicentennial Carpenter Cup team along with Adams and Runzer. Ryan Maley, a third baseman at Rock, will play second for the legion team. Zach Stegers, of Pennsbury, is positioned at third base. Holy Ghost junior Mick Conway, Matt Kane of Archbishop Wood and Gywnedd Mercy College freshman Kevin Smeraglio will see action in the outfield.
Connor Flannery will see time at short, second base and the outfield says Maley. “He has a big bat so we’re going to play him wherever we can get him into the lineup,” says the coach.
In order to catch up to the rest of the league, Newtown has 10 games scheduled in the next nine days. There are two games added to this week's lineup including a home game at noon, Sunday, June 14 against Yardley-Western. Wednesday's road matchup against Northampton has been turned into a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader.
Hopefully, the rains that have hit the region repeatedly the last several weeks will hold off long enough to get the games in.
Again, the coach is not worried. According to Maley, Post 440 will catch up.
Sports Editor
What, me worry.
That’s the attitude of Newtown Legion skipper Bob Maley as he and his Post 440 Legion baseball team scramble to make up half the season’s schedule in the upcoming weeks.
With Council Rock North earning a berth this spring in the District One Class AAAA finals as well as the PIAA tournament, all of Newtown’s games were suspended until the Indians were eliminated from states.
Post 440 missed 11 games in all--matchups that must be made up by July 6 in time for the July 7 start of the Lower Buck Legion playoffs. Additionally, a June 9 pairing against Yardley-Morrisville was rained out. That’s a dozen games in a 24-game season.
“I’m not worried; we’ll catch up,” stated Maley, who is just finishing up the first week of a season that’s three weeks old for the rest of the league.
After opening PIAA play June 1 with a win over Central, CR North had a pair of dates rained out in their state quarterfinal pairing against North Penn. The battle against the Knights finally took place on June 6, with North Penn edging the Rock, 2-1.
Newtown finally got going Sunday, June 7, falling 3-0 to Falls Post 834. In that one, Post 440 managed just two hits.
Again, Maley is not worried.
That’s because Newtown turned the tables on Post 834 last night (June 11) at CR North’s field, crushing Falls, 19-1, in a 5-inning game shortened by the mercy rule.
“We couldn’t buy a hit in the first game against Falls. Half the team was worn out from states. The other half was rusty from sitting around for 3-and 1/2 weeks waiting,” stated Maley.
“Hopefully, last night is more of an indicator of what we’re going to do this season”
The 19-1 thumping was Post 440’s first visit to the win column. Newtown lost Wednesday’s (June 10) matchup to Northampton, 5-2.
Despite his team’s 1-2 record, Maley is excited about Post 440’s prospects for the season. The reason for Maley’s enthusiasm is simple--plenty of pitching.
While the coach scrambled to fill the rotation last year in his first season at the Post 440 helm, Maley says he has plenty of arms to go around this season.
That’s because several pitchers including CR North seniors Scott Runzer and Kelly Adams who were working elsewhere last season, are back with Post 440 this year. Add Keith Terry and Jared Weed to the mix and Connor McFarlane, a freshman lefthander for PSU-Abington, and you have a pitching coach’s dream come true.
Pile on Sean Duckworth, of Archbishop Wood, Mike Buckley, of Holy Ghost Prep and Pennsbury righthander Tom Herring and you might have a hard time getting enough mound duty for each and every pitcher.
Playing the field for Newtown this year is Matt Hone, a CR North senior selected to this year’s SOL-National/ Bicentennial Carpenter Cup team along with Adams and Runzer. Ryan Maley, a third baseman at Rock, will play second for the legion team. Zach Stegers, of Pennsbury, is positioned at third base. Holy Ghost junior Mick Conway, Matt Kane of Archbishop Wood and Gywnedd Mercy College freshman Kevin Smeraglio will see action in the outfield.
Connor Flannery will see time at short, second base and the outfield says Maley. “He has a big bat so we’re going to play him wherever we can get him into the lineup,” says the coach.
In order to catch up to the rest of the league, Newtown has 10 games scheduled in the next nine days. There are two games added to this week's lineup including a home game at noon, Sunday, June 14 against Yardley-Western. Wednesday's road matchup against Northampton has been turned into a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader.
Hopefully, the rains that have hit the region repeatedly the last several weeks will hold off long enough to get the games in.
Again, the coach is not worried. According to Maley, Post 440 will catch up.
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