After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Spring-Ford, Upper Merion Area was happy to have turned things around on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Pope John Paul II and snuck past 8-6. This was payback for Upper Merion Area, who suffered a 10-2 defeat the last time these two teams met.
The team relied heavily on Nick Varano, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of David Peck, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
On Pope John Paul II's side, Blake High was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out nine batters over 4.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off five hits (and not a single walk). High has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Pope John Paul II saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyler Timdall, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-4.
Even though they lost, Pope John Paul II kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Upper Merion Area only hit seven.
Upper Merion Area's win bumped their record up to 4-9. As for Pope John Paul II, their record is now 11-2.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Upper Merion Area is on the road again on Monday to play Phoenixville at 4:00 p.m. Phoenixville's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Upper Merion Area's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Pope John Paul II, they will head out on the road to face off against Archbishop Carroll at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The timing isn't great for Archbishop Carroll: they have been struggling with six straight losses at home, while Pope John Paul II has snatched up eight consecutive wins on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
