BOYERTOWN >> He has the perfect answer for opponents who intentionally walk the batter ahead of him in order to pitch to him.
It’s one anyone would be hard-pressed to debate.
Ryan Weller faced that situation Friday, when Boyertown hosted Shillington in a Berks County League game at Bear Stadium. On deck in the sixth inning, with two outs and runners on second and third, Weller watched Red Sox pitcher Austin Baker give Cory Melchior a free pass to load the bases.
“I had to laugh when they did that,” Weller said, in light of the fact he had delivered a two-run hit in the third to help the Bears take an early 4-0 lead.
Weller emphatically got the last laugh when he followed Melchior to the batter’s box in the sixth. He belted a double to straightaway center field, scoring everyone in front of him and effectively securing the Bears’ 7-2 victory to start off a busy final weekend of regular-season play.
“I just wanted to hit the ball hard,” Weller said afterward. “I’ve been doing that the last couple weeks, and luckily I did it tonight.”
Weller’s manager was just as surprised to see the Shillington strategy – and as pleased with his outfielder’s response.
“It was a pretty good answer,” Rick Moatz said. “I’m not sure why they did it, either.”
Weller’s plate performance (2-for-4, five RBI) was effective in preventing Shillington from catching the Bears (8-3) down the stretch. The Sox (6-6) cut into Boyertown’s early lead by scoring in the fifth and sixth while putting the home team down in order in between the at-bats.
But it came undone in a hurry in the bottom of the sixth. Nick DiCiacco drew a four-pitch walk that finished Shillington’s starting pitcher, Noah Angstadt. Boyertown then greeted Baker with a Nick Esz single and Quinn Mason’s runner-advancing sacrifice bunt toward third base.
The Sox got a second out prior to issuing Melchior’s free pass. Weller made them pay for the decision to pitch to him, bringing his three teammates home with a shot all the way to the center field fence.
“I stayed in there and put wood on the ball,” Weller said.
Like the other Legion players fueling the Boyertown high-school team’s run to the PIAA Class AAAA championship prior to Legion season, Weller admitted the need to pack in games right off the championship finish was a challenge … as will be the need to play three games in the next two days. The Bears will face Conrad Weiser in a doubleheader at home Saturday, then go to Shillington Sunday for a rematch that will close out the regular season in advance of the league playoffs starting the middle of next week.
“It’s going to be tough, especially over the holiday,” he said. “But it is what it is. If we play like we did the last couple games, we should be fine.”
In complement to the bats of Weller and Mike Raineri (2-for-4), Boyertown got effective pitching from starter Grant Fronheiser and Andrew Bauer.
Fronheiser made it two outs into the sixth inning, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the third and past a potential Shillington run in the first. Though touched for the Sox’ seven hits and their runs, he racked up five strikeouts.
Bauer, another star of the high-school state champs, came on to close out the game. A misplay on Hunter Reeser’s infield grounder enabled Nick Kosenske to score Shillington’s second run, but he got Boyertown out of the inning before putting the Sox down in order in the seventh.
“We tried to get him through six,” Moatz said. “It worked out. Andrew came in and threw nine pitches, all strikes.”
Held hitless by Angstadt through their first two at-bats, Boyertown broke out of the situation with a vengeance in the third. Esz reached base on an error, followed by Mason and Raineri delivering singles to load the bases.
Melchior then walked on four pitches to force in the Bears’ first run. Weller made it a 3-0 game with his single to left-center, and Tyler Kreitz added another run by scoring Melchio with his single to left.
“We’ve been playing a lot of different kids, moving people around,” Moatz said. “But no matter who we put in, they get the job done.”
Some of that was driven by the necessity of getting 14 league games played in little more than two weeks from the conclusion of the high-school champions’ season. At the same time, Moatz is putting stock in the championship mentality carrying over from the high school team to the Legion squad.
“It’s been different … difficult at times,” he said. “But we got a lot out of being champions. We’ll use it to hopefully carry on.”
“It was definitely an interesting transition, coming off winning the Pioneer Athletic Conference and state,” Weller added. “It’s a bit of a different environment. But we want to go as far as we can.”
NOTES >> Baker, who started the game in right field, plated Shillington’s first run in the fifth. His single to left-center scored Zachary Wyrick (walk). … The Sox had two multiple-hit performers in Earl Kochel and Justin DelVecchio (both 2-for-3). … Moatz on the team’s pitching situation for the post-season: “If our pitchers throw their best, we’ll have enough. In tournaments, that’s how it works. You throw strikes and make the other team beat you.” … Looking down the post-season road, Boyertown will play host to the Pennsylvania State Tournament. “But we want to earn our way there,” Weller said.