The Quakertown Blazers dropped their Tuesday night Northern Division ECCBL matchup against the Pocono Timber-Rattlers, 12-2, in an abbreviated eight-inning mercy rule game.
The Timber-Rattlers were led by starting pitcher Mason Drozal, from Lycoming College, who finished his night after four innings, giving up three hits, one run (unearned), one walk and three strikeouts.
“Throw a lot of strikes and let the defense work … trust who’s behind you,” said Drozal about his approach as the starting pitcher.
“It was kind of large (the strike zone). I knew (the ump) was giving a lot of high fastballs … so just using it to my advantage,” he added.
On the offensive side of the game, Troy Davis and Christian Maccarrone, the two-and three-hole batters, scored a combined three runs for the victors.
Maccarone spoke about the pair’s success, emphasizing the chemistry they have together as they are teammates at East Stroudsburg University.
“We haven’t had many games hitting back-to-back together, but it’s cool because we even come from the same school, ESU, so that’s comfortable,” he said.
The bullpen woes continued for the Blazers, highlighted by the top of the seventh inning when left-hander Caden DeSiato (sophomore at Alvernia) and right-hander Kannon Zdimal (sophomore at Kutztown) gave up a combined six walks, allowing four runs.
“We didn’t start off really well, giving them three runs in the first inning,” Blazers manager Mike Fitzgerald conceded. “We thought we could manage it and bring it back, but as we got deeper in the bullpen we got some guys that struggled.”
Jack Smale led off for the Timber-Rattlers and scored their first run of the game. He walked on the first five pitches from Blazers right-hander Dylan Broderick (Chestnut Hill College).
Broderick allowed seven hits in four innings and recorded four earned runs, three strikeouts and one walk.
Left on the basepath were 12 men from the Blazers compared to seven by the Timber-Rattlers.
This began in the first inning after Quakertown third baseman Casey Vaughan, the lead-off batter, was stranded by three straight outs from batters two through four.
The Blazers had five plate appearances in the first, third and fifth innings, and the offense came close to replicating this number with four plate appearances in the second and fourth innings.
It took until the sixth inning for the Blazers to turn their lineup over from top to bottom, with five batters at the plate.
Mason Woolwine, a junior right fielder from Elizabethtown, had an impressive night at the plate for Quakertown, going 2-for-4 with a single and triple.
“I was just swinging to swing in a sense, but later in the game when I focused up a little more, I was searching for one pitch in my zone … and that’s what led to that triple,” said Woolwine about finding offensive success after flying out his first at-bat.
“It comes down to grit and doing it for your teammates,” said Woolwine on the Blazers’ offensive approach.
The Blazers hosted the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Miners on Wednesday, June 19, a makeup for the June 6 rainout, and lost 1-0.
The Blazers (4-8) head on the road for their next three games and return to Memorial Park on Tuesday, June 25 when they host Southside at 7 p.m.
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