Disaster Sixth Inning Costs Huntingdon Valley Against First Place Warminster

For five innings, the Huntingdon Valley legion team had everything going for it against Warminster, the top team in the Lower Montco league. Pitcher Matt Lawlor was working on a shutout and Huntingdon Valley had scratched out a pair of third inning runs against fireballing pitcher Sean McCloskey to take an early two-run lead.

"I thought we put the ball in play and were playing well. We didn't have a lot of strikeouts either," said Huntingdon Valley's coach, Evan Horn.

But in the sixth inning, everything fell apart for Huntingdon Valley, allowing seven runs in the frame that led to an eventual 8-3 loss.

The bad inning began when Lawlor walked the first two batters. A bunt single, combined with a throwing error, led to Warminster's first run and put runners on second and third with no outs.

It didn't get any better for HV, as Lawlor was eventually forced out of the game with the bases loaded and Warminster leading 3-2. Relief pitcher Ross Goodman allowed a two-run single to left field, plating Warminster with a 5-2 lead. Even when Huntingdon Valley did something right, it didn't work out. A strikeout turned into an error when a wild throw by the catcher put the hitter on base and led to an unearned run. When the dust had settled, Warminster had sent 11 men to the plate, scoring seven runs. They registered just four hits, all singles, but used three walks and two errors to put the game away.

"Our pitcher lost composure," Horn said. "Calls weren't going his way and it got to him. There were a couple of close pitches. I went out there and said to him that he can't get back those strikes. But he was gone. Once you throw your arms up in the air, you're done."

Huntingdon Valley added a run in the bottom of the sixth on a rare single combined with a three-base error but Warminster scored a solo run in the top of the seventh and held on to win easily.

"I told my kids that there are two types of toughness: mental toughness and physical toughness," Horn said. "When things go south on you, you can't curl up in a ball. You've got to fight through it mentally and move on to the next play and not let the last play bother you. We have a very hard time with that."

With the loss, Huntingdon Valley dropped to 5-9. Warminster improved to 12-2, keeping it in first place in the American Legion league.