No Offense: Rams' Bats Stay Quiet

One team entered Monday afternoon’s Central League baseball game at Gladwyne Elementary School 3-0, the other 0-4. It didn’t take long to suss out which was which.

Marple Newtown got three runs in the top of the first inning, six strong innings from JM Schork, 13 hits from their offense, and rolled over Harriton 10-3.

“They’re very talented up and down their lineup. All those kids hit the ball really well,” said Harriton manager Scott Kurzinsky.

“We’re a young team right now, and we’re just tryng to minimize mistakes,” added the manager.

The lone bright spot for the Rams was freshman Jake Rosenberg. Rosenberg stroked a home run to deep left center field in his first at bat and pitched a one-two-three inning in relief--the Rams' only clean inning of the afternoon--to set the Tigers down in the top of the seventh.

“He’s a freshman who’s doing a really good job for us,” said Kurzinsky. “He’s earned his spot in the lineup.”

While Harriton is young and thin, Tigers’ first-year skipper Steve Smith conversely has an embarrassment of riches on his squad. 

“We actually didn’t hit that well,” he deadpanned after watching his team put on a veritable hitting clinic, and score 10 runs for the second straight game.

The most impressive of the uniformly impressive Tigers was junior first baseman John Brogan. To say Brogan singled, doubled, and was hit by a pitch in his three plate appearances on Monday would significantly understate the power he displayed.

In his second at bat, Brogan hit a liner off Rams’ pitcher Pat Moriarty that carried across the outfield, struck the fence of the tennis court (the de facto outfield wall) and ricocheted back to the center-fielder. Brogan hit the ball so hard, that he could only advance to first base by the time it was relayed in.

“I’ve been around high school baseball for 30 years,” said Smith, “and that’s as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone hit a baseball.”

Smith said that Brogan has designs on playing baseball collegiately. He likes his chances.

“That’s a kid with a lot of potential and size. He’s just a big, strong, kid,” said Smith.

The Tigers also got multi-hit games from Joe Kelly and Brian Leon.

On the run prevention end, senior southpaw Schork pitched a gem. He held the Rams to only four hits, struck out five, and demonstrated a self-possession on the mound that has his coach optimistic about his prospects.

“He’s throwing strikes out there. He maintained his composure too. Some kids, when things go poorly, they get flustered, but he just kept throwing strikes. He’s our four or five starter now, but he’s working his way up,” said Smith.