2007 RHS BASEBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

 

Radnor Seniors Show the Way in Victory  -- DelcoTimes article

 

Radnor – When Radnor entered the 2007 season, it knew that it could go as far as its pitching could carry it.  When you think of Radnor pitching, you think of current Radnor senior standouts Taylor Smith and Ryan Hammonds who have been chewing up innings for the past three seasons for the Red Raiders.

But, on Tuesday, Radnor just may have found itself another ace in sophomore transfer student from The Bronx, Jon Coleman.  Coleman shutout Strath Haven for six innings before giving way to Ryan Kraus to finish Radnor’s 6-2 victory over the Cougars.  Coleman did not walk a batter for the first five innings before walking two in the sixth before getting out of a bases loaded jam.

Radnor notched its first run on Tuesday in the third when burly Andrew Rufo, who has a knack for getting in front of pitched balls, was hit by pitch.  Mark Ducceschi followed with a double to right-center and Drew Mohoric was also plunked to load the bases before Smith delivered a sacrifice fly to left that scored pinch runner Pete Reed.

The Raiders took a commanding 5-0 lead in the fourth when Kraus and Hammonds walked to set the table for three doubles by Rufo, Ducceschi (his second of the day), and Mohoric.  Radnor plated its sixth run in the fifth when Smith singled, stole second, Brooks Bentz singled, and Kraus hit a sacrifice fly to score Smith.

Radnor now finds itself in a first place tie at 3-1 after having played the top four teams in the Central League standings.  And, it has got to this lofty position despite scoring just 13 runs in four league games—lowest in the Central League. 

Radnor – The Red Raiders seniors delivered on the mound and its juniors delivered at the plate as Radnor defeated Springfield 2-1 in an important Central League victory on Monday.

For the second game in a row, Smith yielded just one run before yielding to closer Ryan Hammonds in the seventh.  Smith’s pitching style is all about control as he continued to paint the outside black of the plate against the frustrated Cougars.  The right-hander, however, was quick to give credit to his battery-mate, Andrew Rufo.  “Rufo kept calling them low and on the outside corner so that’s where I kept throwing them.”  Easier said than done, but Smith’s record speaks for itself—just two walks allowed in 12 2/3 innings of work this season.

Smith gave up just two hits and fanned five in six innings of work and appeared to be cruising on this sunny early April day.  Nevertheless, Manager Jason Sherlock went to his closer, Ryan Hammonds, to finish out the game in the seventh.  After retiring the first two batters, Michael Delaney got an infield hit and Corey Hepfer walked, until Hammonds whiffed the final batter on a 3-2 curve ball.

Springfield’s starting pitcher Stan Sauk had a perfect game through the first three innings until Radnor’s Drew Mohoric belted a double deep to left field to lead off the fourth.  Two hitters later, Brooks Bentz smacked a base hit to left to plate Mohoric and give Radnor a 1-0 lead.  Springfield used a rare Smith walk and a Radnor error in the top of the fifth to tie the game.

In the home fifth, Radnor got the decisive hit—Sean Grimes’ double to right center that scored Marcus von Hertsenberg who had pinch run for Rufo after his single started the rally.  “It was a fastball right down the middle,” said Grimes.

The Radnor win takes on an important significance in that Springfield, along with the Red Raiders, is one of only three AAA teams in the Central League.  Radnor and Springfield are now both 2-1 in the league this year and the Red Raiders have to feel good about coming out of its first three games against some of the top competition in the Central with two victories.

The Royals took the lead in the second inning when Mike Desanto doubled to left field to knock in Upper Darby’s run.  The hit appeared to be a single, but it took a wicked hop on the left field turf and got by Marcus von Herstenberg.  Von Herstenberg recovered, however, and threw a perfect strike to Brooks Bentz who relayed to Spencer Holm to nail Desanto at third.

Drew Mohoric got Radnor going in the fourth with a blast to the wall in left center for a double.  After Smith and Bentz reached to load the bases, Ryan Kraus was hit by pitch to force in a run.  Ryan Hammonds and Andrew Rufo followed with RBI walks to give Radnor a 3-1 lead.  Holm, with the bases loaded, ripped a base-clearing triple to right field to give Radnor a commanding 6-1 lead.

Mohoric combined with Kraus to turn a double play in the fourth to stop another Upper Darby rally.  Hammonds shut down the Royals in the final two innings with another strong outing out of the bullpen.

If the game was in any doubt, Radnor ended any Upper Darby hopes in the seventh when Holm, Mohoric, Smith, Bentz, and Hammonds got hits to give Smith his third victory of the season.

CLICK HERE FOR SHUTTERFLY ALBUM

Norristown – Andrew Rufo singled in the sixth inning on a 3-2 count with two outs to score Taylor Smith with the winning run as Radnor defeated pesky Norristown 8-6 on Friday.

Smith had reached on a frightening hit by pitch that plunked the tough senior in the back.  Brooks Bentz followed with a walk until Rufo got his important base hit.  Marcus von Hertsenberg followed with a single, his second of the day, to score Bentz and give Radnor a 8-5 lead.

Radnor skipper Jason Sherlock used the non-league contest as a chance to rest some of his regulars and give some playing time to his bench players.  Radnor senior Shane McKenna earned the first start of his varsity career as did junior Pete Reed.

The game started out to be all Radnor.  As sophomore Jon Coleman blanked Norristown for the first two innings, the Red Raiders scored three times in the first inning on singles by Bentz, von Hertsenberg, and Mark Ducceschi.  Radnor added two in the second when Bentz singled to left field only to have the ball get by the Norristown outfielder as Bentz scampered to third.  Scoring on the play were Spencer Holm who had singled and Reed who had walked.

When Ryan Hammonds scored in the third on a passed ball, it looked like a Red Raider blowout.  But, Norristown was not to be denied.  The home team struck for one in the third and four in the fourth before reliever Sean Grimes came in to get Radnor out of a bases loaded jam and preserve Radnor’s 6-5 lead.

Bentz and von Hertsenberg had two hits each and von Hertsenberg collected three RBI.  Steve Mazanek, who pitched the fifth and sixth innings for Radnor, picked up the win with Hammonds earning the save for the second straight game.

With the win, Radnor moves to 8-10 on the season.  The Red Raiders remain one game behind both Springfield and Marple Newtown in pursuit of the automatic AAA District One playoff position.

Trailing 3-2 in the third, Sean Grimes singled to center field.  Ryan Hammonds then reached on an error and Spencer Holm singled to center field to load the bases to set up Kraus’ heroics.  Kraus laced a fastball to right-center that got by the outfielders and cleared the bases to give Radnor a 5-3 lead.

Taylor Smith handled Ridley the rest of the way.  The senior right-hander bested last year’s first team All-Central League pitcher Mike Collins.  Smith scattered eight hits and struck out three before needing relief help in the seventh from closer Hammonds.  Hammonds had another outstanding outing out of the bullpen as he gave up no hits, walked none, and fanned two in the seventh for the save.

Smith got the Raiders started in the first inning with a single down the third base line.  Brooks Bentz was hit by pitch, Grimes walked, and Holm was also hit by pitch.  Kraus knocked in the second run with a fielders choice.  For the inning, Radnor got only one hit, but managed to score two runs.

Smith continued his sizzling senior season in the sixth when he belted a double to left field that scored Steve Mazanek who was running for Andrew Rufo after Rufo’s single.

Smith had two hits on the day and earned the win while Kraus picked up four RBI.

With two games to go, Radnor now stands at 7-9 in Central League play just one game behind Springfield and Marple Newtown in the battle for the Central League’s automatic entry into the AAA District Playoffs.

Media – Taylor Smith ripped an RBI triple to right center to break tie in the seventh inning and lead Radnor to a hard fought 7-6 win at Strath Haven.

Smith’s triple, his third hit of the afternoon, scored Mark Ducceschi who had reached on a single up the middle—also Ducceschi’s third hit of the day.

Sean Grimes was Radnor’s other offensive hero.  Grimes went 3 for 3 on the day with 4 RBI.  In the sixth, he gave the Red Raiders a short-lived 6-5 lead when his hit glanced off  the Panther center fielder’s glove for a double that scored Spencer Holm.  But, Strath Haven tied the game in the home sixth with a run of their own.

Radnor took the lead in the first inning when it bunched singles from Smith, Grimes, and Brooks Bentz, but Haven tied it with one of their own. 

In the second, Radnor put three more singles together from Drew Mohoric, Ducceschi, and Ryan Kraus to take a 3-1 lead.  Mohoric’s double and Ducceschi’s single in the third, gave Radnor a 4-1 lead.  Grimes’ RBI single in the fourth scored Smith and moved the Raiders lead to 5-2.

Strath Haven tied the see saw game 5-5 with two runs in the fifth.  The Panthers’ damage might have been worse except for a diving stab of a line drive by Radnor shortstop Brooks Bentz to end the inning with the bases loaded.

Radnor’s defense rose to the occasion in the seventh as well to help preserve the victory for reliever Ryan Hammonds.  After Bentz made two assists at shortstop, the Panthers put runners on second and third.  Marcus von Hertsenberg made a nice running catch of a fly ball near the left field line that could have won the game for the Panthers.

Radnor moved to 6-7 in Central League action with the win.

Coach Jason Sherlock called on Ryan Kraus to turn around the losing streak and the junior, displaying good velocity and a snappy curve, did just that. Kraus limited the powerful Haverford lineup to just five hits while striking out six in a 5-4 complete game victory.  Kraus also knocked in Brooks Bentz with the winning run in the top of the seventh to break a 4-4 deadlock.

Taylor Smith, normally the pitching star for the Raiders, was the hitting star of the game.  Smith, hitting leadoff for the first time this season, tripled in the third to begin a Radnor rally.  Spencer Holm and Ryan Hammonds each had RBI singles to tie the game 2-2.

Smith helped give Radnor its first lead in the fourth on an RBI single that plated Mark Ducceschi who had set up the run with a stolen base.  After Kraus fanned the sides in the fourth, Radnor had some sloppy infield play in the fifth that gave the lead back to the Fords 4-3.

It was Smith again who delivered in the sixth for Radnor.  After Sean Grimes belted a double to left field, Smith’s single scored Grimes to tie the game 4-4.

With Grimes ready in the bullpen, Coach Jason Sherlock decided to stay with a tiring Kraus in the seventh to protect a slim Radnor lead.  Radnor’s defense responded.  Second baseman Drew Mohoric made a great running catch of a potential double that appeared to be in no-man’s land on the right field line for the first out of the inning.  To end the game, Holm climbed the hill in foul territory near third base and made a falling grab to secure Radnor’s best win of the season.

With Radnor’s win, Conestoga now holds a one game advantage over Haverford in the Central League.  You can bet, however, that Conestoga won’t still be thanking the Red Raiders on Thursday when these cross-town rivals meet at Radnor High School for their second game of the season.