Parker parks a walk-off in Warrington win
By James D’Arcangelo
For BucksLocalSports.com
Riding a dramatic walk-off home run by Brendan Parker and lights-out relief pitching by Zach Dennis, Warrington fought its way to the Pennsylvania Cal Ripken State Championship game in Central Perkiomen.
Mirroring Langhorne’s win the night before, Warrington trailed until the bottom of the sixth, tying it, and then winning it in the seventh with the Parker smash. Appropriately, Warrington will meet Langhorne for the state title on Wednesday night in a rematch of the Cal Ripken River League Championship.
As happens when teams close in on championship games, another pitchers’ duel set the background for the Warrington-Central Perkiomen semifinal. The bats were still for both teams in the first two innings. Central Perk’s starting pitcher, Adam Gaines, allowed three walks, but he sent down the Warrington bats 1-2-3 in the second inning.
For Warrington, T.J. Anthony dominated the first two innings, as Central Perkiomen went down 1-2-3 in each of the initial frames.
However, in the third inning, both offenses pushed back. Gabe Kolb blooped in a single for Central Perk, and Matt Perrin followed with a two-run home run to left-center field, over the ATI Entertainment (which provided the audio for the tournament) sign.
In the bottom of the frame, Warrington’s T.J. Anthony walked and Ray Maletz took first for Anthony, pinch-running for his starting pitcher and the offense was in motion. Tommy Funk crushed a long single off of the right field wall, scoring Maletz. The 2-1 Central Perk lead would hold for quite a while.
In the fourth inning, Adam Grosshanten relieved Gaines for Central Perkiomen and the pace quickened, as he threw smoke and set Warrington down with gusto. In the fifth, Grosshanten flirted with misfortune when he walked Brendan Parker and Tommy Funk, but got key strikeouts to get out of the inning without allowing a run.
As teams strapped in for the sixth inning of a 2-1 thriller, a relief pitchers’ duel was locked and loaded. Zach Dennis entered for Warrington, bringing his own branding iron fastball. Dennis found his touch, but not before he walked lead batter Adam Gaines, who, in executing a perfect hit and run, sailed to third on a Grosshanten line single to the left field wall.
Nail-biter in full force, Dennis shut down the next three Central Perk batters in order to escape without allowing a run.
The game and in turn each teams’ championship hopes were in the hands of Warrington’s batters. In the bottom of the sixth, trailing 2-1, Connor Moffat walked to leadoff the inning. Not willing to leave Moffat and his team’s season stranded on the bases, Will Moller turned on a fastball and crushed a double to left, scoring the “Moffat Man” and tying the game.
Extra innings ensued and what nails were left were being bitten off by the fans when Zach Dennis allowed a leadoff walk, before “Big Z” exerted control and struck out the side, including big-hitter Matt Perrin.
With Warrington fans on their feet for the bottom of the seventh, J.M. Clauss walked, yet again, to further ignite the bench and fans. Reaching for a knee-high fastball, next batter Brendan Parker “parked” a two-run, line drive home run 10 feet in from the right field foul pole, a virtual mirror image shot of the walk-off home run that sent Langhorne to the championship game the night before.
And, like the night before, crazy joyful celebrations by teammates and families erupted in a happiness that didn’t want to stop.
With fate marching on through the weekend (and the whole season), it seemed inevitable that Langhorne and Warrington would meet for the Pennsylvania Cal Ripken State Championship. And fate would have it that Warrington and Langhorne would get there in exactly the same fashion, with 4-2 come-from-behind-in-games-they-never-lead, walk-off wins.
With only a few key hits separating the two teams in the River League championship and the District III semifinals, no doubt, the championship game was destined to be a great one.
For BucksLocalSports.com
Riding a dramatic walk-off home run by Brendan Parker and lights-out relief pitching by Zach Dennis, Warrington fought its way to the Pennsylvania Cal Ripken State Championship game in Central Perkiomen.
Mirroring Langhorne’s win the night before, Warrington trailed until the bottom of the sixth, tying it, and then winning it in the seventh with the Parker smash. Appropriately, Warrington will meet Langhorne for the state title on Wednesday night in a rematch of the Cal Ripken River League Championship.
As happens when teams close in on championship games, another pitchers’ duel set the background for the Warrington-Central Perkiomen semifinal. The bats were still for both teams in the first two innings. Central Perk’s starting pitcher, Adam Gaines, allowed three walks, but he sent down the Warrington bats 1-2-3 in the second inning.
For Warrington, T.J. Anthony dominated the first two innings, as Central Perkiomen went down 1-2-3 in each of the initial frames.
However, in the third inning, both offenses pushed back. Gabe Kolb blooped in a single for Central Perk, and Matt Perrin followed with a two-run home run to left-center field, over the ATI Entertainment (which provided the audio for the tournament) sign.
In the bottom of the frame, Warrington’s T.J. Anthony walked and Ray Maletz took first for Anthony, pinch-running for his starting pitcher and the offense was in motion. Tommy Funk crushed a long single off of the right field wall, scoring Maletz. The 2-1 Central Perk lead would hold for quite a while.
In the fourth inning, Adam Grosshanten relieved Gaines for Central Perkiomen and the pace quickened, as he threw smoke and set Warrington down with gusto. In the fifth, Grosshanten flirted with misfortune when he walked Brendan Parker and Tommy Funk, but got key strikeouts to get out of the inning without allowing a run.
As teams strapped in for the sixth inning of a 2-1 thriller, a relief pitchers’ duel was locked and loaded. Zach Dennis entered for Warrington, bringing his own branding iron fastball. Dennis found his touch, but not before he walked lead batter Adam Gaines, who, in executing a perfect hit and run, sailed to third on a Grosshanten line single to the left field wall.
Nail-biter in full force, Dennis shut down the next three Central Perk batters in order to escape without allowing a run.
The game and in turn each teams’ championship hopes were in the hands of Warrington’s batters. In the bottom of the sixth, trailing 2-1, Connor Moffat walked to leadoff the inning. Not willing to leave Moffat and his team’s season stranded on the bases, Will Moller turned on a fastball and crushed a double to left, scoring the “Moffat Man” and tying the game.
Extra innings ensued and what nails were left were being bitten off by the fans when Zach Dennis allowed a leadoff walk, before “Big Z” exerted control and struck out the side, including big-hitter Matt Perrin.
With Warrington fans on their feet for the bottom of the seventh, J.M. Clauss walked, yet again, to further ignite the bench and fans. Reaching for a knee-high fastball, next batter Brendan Parker “parked” a two-run, line drive home run 10 feet in from the right field foul pole, a virtual mirror image shot of the walk-off home run that sent Langhorne to the championship game the night before.
And, like the night before, crazy joyful celebrations by teammates and families erupted in a happiness that didn’t want to stop.
With fate marching on through the weekend (and the whole season), it seemed inevitable that Langhorne and Warrington would meet for the Pennsylvania Cal Ripken State Championship. And fate would have it that Warrington and Langhorne would get there in exactly the same fashion, with 4-2 come-from-behind-in-games-they-never-lead, walk-off wins.
With only a few key hits separating the two teams in the River League championship and the District III semifinals, no doubt, the championship game was destined to be a great one.
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