Penns Valley baseball picks up two wins over Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy on Wednesday
Penns Valley jumped out to an early lead and continued to take control of a 4-0 victory over Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy on Wednesday.
Rams pitcher McClain Welshans was totally in control on the mound. He pitched all seven innings, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out eight batters. His goal was to stay calm and execute on his pitches.
He met his goal.
“(You) just trust your defense and throw strikes and just keep it going from there,” Welshans said. “I felt good today, I was ready to go. It feels great — you’ve just got to trust your teammates and just keep working.”
Not only did Penns Valley win this game due to Welshan’s dazzling performance, but they also finished up their April 4 contest that was postponed due to darkness. The Rams won 11-10 to break their 16-day long 10-10 tie with the Wolfpack. Now sitting at 2-5 on the season, Penns Valley head coach Rich Sweitzer is looking to continue his team’s encouraging progress.
“It’s awesome to just get in the win column,” Sweitzer said following his second victory as the Rams head coach. “This is great. So, it was nice to pick this first one up and the second one right after. Our record coming in really doesn’t reflect us. A bad inning here or there is the difference.
“We pieced it together and they never quit — even now. When they have a bad inning, they come back and keep battling. It’s a testament to them. They stay after it and they’re a good team.”
The Rams took a 1-0 lead against the Wolfpack on an error. Penns Valley jumped back onto the board in the fourth inning when Jon Meyer poached second base and later scored on an RBI single by Malachi Thompson to take a 2-0 advantage.
Hunter Lyons later reached base on a hit-by-pitch in the sixth inning, giving the Rams another opportunity to strike the Wolfpack. Lyons and Miles Brooks would later score runs on a double by Thompson for a 4-0 lead.
Thompson led the push from the plate for the Rams with a 2-for-3 day with three RBI.
Evan Roach was Saint Joe’s starting pitcher. He went three innings, allowing one hit and one run while striking out eight and walking one. Jason Dribelis went the rest of the way, pitching four innings out of the bullpen, allowing three runs on four hits, while walking one and striking out two batters. Dribelis also went 1-for-2 from the plate with the Wolfpack’s lone hit.
Wolfpack head coach Ryan Hendrick is encouraged by his team’s performance. Saint Joe’s started the season with multiple double-digit scoring efforts. The second game just wasn’t one of their best outings, according to the second-year head coach.
“Our pitching was solid,” Hendrick said. “We made some mental mistakes that we haven’t throughout the season that we can easily correct. We’re a solid team — a very young team, but I’m certain that we’re going to battle through it and have a great season overall.”
Saint Joe’s (3-4) next game is a 4:30 p.m. matchup against Jersey Shore on Monday at home. Penns Valley (2-5) has a 4:30 p.m. home appointment with Mountain League rival Huntingdon on Friday.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 9:24 PM.
