RANDOLPH TOWNSHIP — Friday's Region 3 matchup between Saegertown and Maplewood at Jake Boyle Memorial Field featured seven home runs and 25 total runs. Saegertown won the offensive showcase 19-6.
After two innings, it looked like the Panthers were in trouble.
Saegertown scored three runs to open the game, but Maplewood answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Kyle Jordan's two-run homer and an RBI double from Gavin Reynolds evened the score.
Ace Chase Koelle struck out three in the second to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard. Maplewood responded with another three-run inning to take a 6-3 lead after two. Jordan hit a two-RBI double before a Koelle RBI single.
Now in the hole 6-3, Saegertown head coach Nick Leslie met with his Panthers before their next serious of at-bats — and his message worked. Saegertown scored eight runs in the third inning and took a commanding 11-6 lead.
"As far as adversity, we pulled the guys in after the second inning and really kinda got their heads screwed on straight. Wyatt Burchill did a great job today hitting the baseball. Blake Burchill did a great job hitting the baseball," Leslie said. "Up and down the lineup we were able to spray the baseball all around the yard and score a bunch of runs."
The third was a nightmare scenario for Maplewood. After back-to-back errors, Levi Gardner hit an RBI single. Then, the Panthers walked two runs in and Everett Gardner had an RBI single to take a 7-6 lead. Wyatt Burchill kept momentum on their side with a two-run homer over the right field wall. Two batters later, Blake Burchill delivered a two-run homer of his own.
Blake and Wyatt Burchill, who are cousins, led the Panthers in their offensive explosion.
"There was a spark. After that third inning, there was a spark and everyone blew up," Blake Burchill said. "Everyone was hitting the ball and elevating some out of the park."
"In the third inning we started putting hits together. People were getting on base and getting home on passed balls," Wyatt Burchill said. "We just all started firing up and hit the ball."
Maplewood struggled offensively the rest of the way. Levi Gardner, in relief for Blake Burchill after the second inning, struck out six in four innings and allowed two hits.
"It's funny how games go like that, especially against one of our top rivals. We all know how well they've done the last several years," Maplewood head coach Ken Smock said. "I am proud of how we brought ourselves back from down 3-0, tied it, then up 6-3. Then it seemed like someone hit the light switch. Error here, error there, then it adds on and adds on and it's a domino effect."
The Panthers added four runs to its lead in the fifth and sixth innings, and four home runs.
Wyatt Burchill drilled a lead-off homer in the fifth. He did the exact same to open the sixth and finished with three homers on the day. Blake Burchill hit his second homer just two batters later. DeMarcus Manning added to the home run party with a two-run shot, which made it 19-6.
Saegertown was poised to keep adding to its lead, but left fielder PJ Hirosky made an electrifying catch in a full sprint in foul territory to get Maplewood out of the inning.
"It's something we work on. We work on hitting nonstop," Leslie said. "We have guys this year that did a nice job in the weight room and it shows. You have to be strong to play this game so when you are that's some of the results you get."
Saegertown had 13 hits, six home runs and one double. Wyatt Burchill, Blake Burchill, Blake Leslie and Manning each had multiple hits.
The Burchill cousins combined for five home runs, nine runs, six hits and seven RBIs. Despite ...
