After finishing one of its greatest regular seasons ever, Huntingdon Valley wasn’t ready to go out without a fight. So when Evan Horn’s team was trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth, they knew it was time to start the comeback.
Valley scored two runs in the fifth inning and then put up a six-spot in the sixth to cap a huge come-from-behind win in an 8-5 victory over visiting Cedarbrook in a Lower Montco American Legion Baseball League playoff game at Bryn Athyn on Monday evening.
In what was the loser’s bracket game to advance to the championship round, it was Valley (15-7-2), the No. 1 seed, which will now face the Morelanders on Tuesday in what will be Valley’s first trip to the championship game in 21 years.
“I wasn’t worried about us not coming back,” coach Horn said. “I noticed that they were playing a little scared and I just thought it was a matter of time. We left 11 guys on base through five innings and the way we were hitting the ball, we knew things were going to turn our way. They fielded every single ball for two straight games, but one way or another, we knew we had to catch a break.”
That break came in the sixth, when Valley sent 10 batters to the plate and got a huge hit from Jack Titus for the second consecutive inning.
After Titus ripped a two-run double to right-center field in the fifth, he roped an RBI single to put Valley up for the first time all game in the sixth.
“It was amazing,” Titus said. “I was just trying to stay upbeat the whole game. We came back all season, so five runs was nothing for us. I knew we were going to turn it around and all season I’ve been trying to hit, but I was hitting the ball right at guys. I was just trying to pick up the team and I was very excited to be able to do it and help us get a spark.”
After Titus’ big hit in the sixth, team captain and shortstop Rafael Fernandez hit a two-run double to deep left field to give Valley some insurance and an 8-5 lead over the Angels.
“Things happen,” Cedarbrook coach George Vafiadis said. “It’s baseball. You know, you just take some situations and things as they come. Sometimes, things go right and sometimes, things go wrong. You can just learn from them and that’s all.”
Cedarbrook jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one inning after John DeAngelis and John Craig drew bases loaded walks. In the third, the Angels put up another three runs, but it would be all the offense Cedarbrook would be able to record all day, as the Angels continued to leave runners on base all game.
In the bottom of the seventh, with the bases loaded and the tying run on first base, Valley pitcher Jordan Pocrass made a big stop on a hard hit groundball by DeAngelis to end the game. It was the fourth time that the Angels had stranded the bases loaded.
Cedarbrook was led by Azaan Harris, who finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Craig went 1-for-2 with two walks, one run and one RBI.
The loss ended the Angels’ season with an overall record of 12-12.
“I’m proud of them,” Vafiadis said. “At the end of the day, they worked hard, they battled and you can’t ask for anything more.”
Valley, which will face the Morelanders at Masons Mill Park on Tuesday at 5 p.m., was led by Fernandez, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Titus finished 2-for-3 with a run and three RBIs, while Brian Buckley finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. Lou Palmer went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Paul Buckley finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
“We’re a little short on pitching right now, but we’re going with Mark Rushton tomorrow (against the Morelanders),” Horn said. “We expect him to throw the way he did all season long – very well and very tough.”
Box Score
CEDARBROOK (5) AT HUNTINGDON VALLEY (8)
CEDARBROOK AB R H BI HUNTINGDON VALLEY AB R H BI
Azaan Harris 4 1 2 0 Rafael Fernandez 3 0 2 2
Patrick Stillma 3 0 2 0 Callan Palmer 4 0 0 0
Gregory Wagner 3 1 1 0 Ryan Killion 3 1 1 0
John Deangelis 4 0 0 1 Jordan Pocrass 3 0 2 0
Kevin Graham 4 0 0 0 Brian Buckley 3 1 2 0
Brett Bernstein 2 1 0 0 Lewis Palmer 4 2 2 2
John Craig 2 1 1 2 Paul Buckley 2 2 1 0
P Ryan 4 1 2 0 Jack Titus 3 1 2 3
Joseph Tsung 4 0 1 1 Lance Goodman 2 0 1 0
*Peter Ebert 0 1 0 0
TOTALS 30 5 9 4 TOTALS 27 8 13 7
CEDARBROOK 203 000 0 -- 5
HUNTINGDON VALLEY 000 026 x -- 8
LOB--CEDARBROOK 14, HUNTINGDON VALLEY 12. ERR--Callan
Palmer. 2B--Jack Titus, Brian Buckley, Rafael Fernandez.
3B--Rafael Fernandez. HBP--Brett Bernstein, Jordan Pocrass,
Paul Buckley, Brian Buckley, Ryan Killion, Callan Palmer.
SACB--Patrick Stillman, Jack Titus. SB--P Ryan, Paul
Buckley.
CEDARBROOK IP H R ER BB SO HR
John Deangelis 5.33 11 6 6 3 2 0
James McGovern 0.00 0 1 1 1 0 0
John McGlade 0.67 2 1 1 1 0 0
HUNTINGDON VALLEY
Paul Buckley 1.33 3 2 1 4 2 0
Jordan Pocrass 5.67 6 3 3 4 2 0
PB--Brett Bernstein (3), Ryan Killion (2). SO--P Ryan (2),
Kevin Graham, Joseph Tsung, Brian Buckley, Ryan Killion.
BB--Brett Bernstein, John Deangelis, Gregory Wagner (2),
Patrick Stillman, Azaan Harris, John Craig (2), Lance
Goodman (2), Paul Buckley, Rafael Fernandez (2).
