QUAKERTOWN — Norchester’s pitchers were solidly in the spotlight Saturday.
So for Sunday’s continuation of its Region 2 Legion Tournament experience, the Bulldogs’ batters took center stage.
In its ongoing drive to repeat as champions and qualify for the state tournament, Norchester hammered Hamburg in an elimination game at Memorial Park. The Bulldogs banged out 11 hits, scored seven times in the second inning in a 13-0 victory over the Reds in five innings.
Norchester, the Berks Legion League champ, scored at least two runs in each of the first four innings to advance to Monday’s championship-qualifier round. It will have to win three games in the tournament’s final two days to be in position to defend its state title.
“We put a lot of balls in play and cut down on our strikeouts,” Norchester coach Alex Condello said. “We executed a lot today.”
Aaron Kirby and Dylan Donaghy, among the pitching heroes of Norchester’s 3-0 win over Northampton Saturday, keyed the offense. They each went 3-for-3, Donaghy doubling and driving in three runs while Kirby scored three times. All but one starter scored at least one run.
“I credit our kids,” Condello said. “They scored early on and stayed on it the whole game. We always have the potential to do it, but it was nice to see it today.”
Pitchers David Levengood, Gavin Cinkowski and Dylan Kuss combined to four-hit the Reds, with three strikeouts and three walks.
Hamburg coach Nick Evangelista described his team as just missing the opportunity to qualify for the tourney’s winners bracket final. The Reds fell 4-2 to Quakertown Saturday, allowing three runs in the seventh.
“We had a 2-1 lead in the seventh,” Evangelista said. “We showed a lot of positive energy, but we were emotionally spent. These young kids have to learn how to recover.”
That was something Norchester didn’t allow Hamburg to do. It started in the Bulldogs’ first at-bat as they scored two runs. Donaghy had an RBI single and Levengood drew a bases-loaded walk.
Blaine Waltimyer, Tommy Lewman and Donaghy drove in runs in the second. The other two scored on wild pitches. Cinkowski and Donaghy added RBI hits in the third, and a wild pitch and Kyle O’Connor’s RBI single completed the scoring.
“We try to do as much as we can, playing our hearts out,” Kirby said. “We go in like this might be our last time; it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance and we want to close together.”
Though it’s finished with regional play, Hamburg’s postseason is not over. The Reds, who represented the Schuylkill/Berks League, will open play in the league playoffs Tuesday.
“We’re the No. 1 team from the North (Division),” Evangelista said, “and we’re going to give it our best shot.”
Schuylkill Valley will play Pine Grove at Hamburg Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The loser will play the Reds in a second game to follow.
In the South Division bracket that opens Monday, Muhlenberg plays at Wyomissing at 5 p.m. and Post 625 plays at Hamburg at 6 p.m. Monday.
Norchester, in the meantime, is looking at a rematch with Pennridge, which dropped the Bulldogs into the losers bracket with 2-1 win Friday. Norchester will play at 1 p.m. Pennridge lost 7-4 to Quakertown in Sunday’s final game.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Kirby said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Notes: Hamburg players hitting safely were Connor Licklider, Luke Bensinger, Jacob Fegley and Isaac Krick. … The fourth team in the championship-qualifier round is South Parkland, which beat North Parkland 11-10 in an elimination game that went eight innings.
Source: Berkshire mont