Pitching and Parris carry South Hills over Bronx
South Hills had good pitching and defense for seven innings and good hitting for one. It was a winning formula.
Four South Hills pitchers combined on a five-hitter and Johnny Parris drove in three runs – two in a three-run third inning – as the Host Area champion defeated The Bronx, N.Y., 4-2, Friday on the opening night of the Pony League World Series.
South Hills advances to play Monterrey, Mexico (5 p.m.) on Saturday. The Bronx will try to stay alive when it faces Chinese Taipei in an elimination game Sunday (2:30 p.m.).
Bronx scored in the first and seventh innings, but South Hills took a 3-1 lead in the third and then rode it pitching and defense to victory.
“We came out a little jumpy and nervous, which was to be expected. But our starting pitcher (J.T. Snyder) settled in after the first couple of batters,” said South Hills manager and former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Peters.
Snyder was followed on the mound by winning pitcher Jonah Koontz, Brody Cole and Gavin Stock, who got out of a tight spot in the sixth inning and picked up a save.
“We are so deep with pitching,” Peters said. “We have five or six guys who I have full confidence to bring into any situation. That makes it easier in a tournament like this when pitch count is so strict.”
Bronx took the lead in the top of the first inning when it loaded the bases with one out. When Anthony Basilio bounced out to third base, Joseph Calderon raced home with the game’s first run.
South Hills moved ahead during the second time through the batting order against Bronx starter Yeidry Suarez. Brody Cole doubled with one out and Gavin Stock followed with an infield single. One out later, Parris laced a double to right field that put South Hills on top, 2-1.
Dylan Koehler then drew a walk. With Jonah Koontz at the plate, Bronx catcher Bryan Cuevas attempted to backpick Koehler at first base. Koehler, however, raced back toward first base, stopped and then was caught in a rundown as Parris headed to third base. The Bronx threw away the ball as Koehler was heading back to first base, and Parris never stopped running on the play as he came around to give South Hills a 3-1 lead.
“Johnny Parris is a big-time player,” Peters said. “He has a ton of energy, a lot of confidence. He had a big hit early in the game and then gave us a cushion late, which was huge.”
It stayed 3-1 until the bottom of the sixth, when South Hills loaded the bases on an infield single by Cole and walks to Stock and Drew Opferman. Parris then hit a chopper to shortstop that allowed Cole to race home with an insurance run.
A leadoff walk for The Bronx in the top of the seventh inning was followed by the East Zone champion’s hardest-hit ball of the night. Rogerlin Paulino laced a ball into the gap but Koehler, the South Hills center fielder, ran it down in the gap.
“This is only the ninth game we’ve played together,” Peters pointed out. “We’ve scored a lot of runs, but tonight we made some defensive plays, turned a double play.”
Cuevas hit a two-out single in the seventh that scored Etriel Veras to make it 4-2.