Double order of grits as Doylestown and Upper Makefield advance to Final Four

By James D’Arcangelo
For BucksLocalSports

Resiliency and grit showed as Doylestown and Upper Makefield worked their way to big wins as they reached the Final Four of the Bucks County Cal Ripken District Championships last night at the Upper Makefield baseball complex.
Shaking off the mental and physical fatigue that surely comes when multiple tense games are strung together inside of a week, Doylestown beat Tri-Township 10-1, while Upper Makefield ended Warminster’s mini-Cinderella run with a 12-1 win. The two teams earned the right to face each other Saturday morning, with the winner moving to the last step qualifier for playing in the tournament championship game Sunday.
Doylestown faced what has been, for the last month, a very hot Tri-Township team in what promised to be an extremely competitive game. And it was for three innings. The teams were tied in a 1-1 pitchers’ duel as Doylestown went to bat in the top of the fourth.
But fatigue may have caught up with Tri-Township, which played Langhorne the night before. Doylestown used their depth to wear down Tri-Township with four hits and five runs in that fourth inning. They added another run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to close the game.
Blake Symanski led the Doylestown offense with two runs scored and three hits, including a game-changing line drive double that jump-started the team in that deciding fourth inning. Chris Palkovics and Anthony Russo combined to shut down Tri-Township’s potent offense.
Warminster, fresh off of its dramatic, draining, walk-off win over Plumstead the night before (in which the lead changed seven times), stepped in against a rested Upper Makefield team with something to prove after a lopsided loss to Warrington two nights before.
Sending up 13 batters, Upper Makefield jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the first and cruised from there, adding three runs in the third and two in the fifth to close out the game.
All of Upper Makefield’s starters scored, while the top of the order catalysts, Anthony Stefani and Jackson Parker, had two hits and scored three runs each. Chase D’Arcangelo had the game’s big hit with a line drive double to the fence in right. Juliano Kovalcik and TJ Roberts combined to keep Warminster’s offense in check.
So it is Final Four time with Warrington, Langhorne, Upper Makefield and Doylestown fighting for the championship. The fatigue is there for all, but those who work through it dictate who wins. Show up Saturday morning in Upper Makefield if you want to see which teams serve up a heaping helping of grits with their baseball.
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Cal Ripken D-III Tournament
ON DECK:

Saturday, July 11 – 10 a.m.
Upper Makefield Youth Baseball League Complex, 1090 Eagle Road, Newtown
Upper Makefield vs. Doylestown
Warrington vs. Langhorne
2PM – Winner of Upper Makefield vs. Doylestown vs. Loser of Warrington vs. Langhorne.