Pitching has carried Frackville Red all season long.
It got the offense to go with it Tuesday to bounce back from its worst performance of the year.
Mitch Wagner and Max Nolter had three hits apiece to back a five-inning two-hitter by Bobby Wagner in Frackville Red’s 13-1, six-inning rout of DeAngelo’s Crimson in a Schuylkill County Teener League Senior Division contest at Steidle Field.
Frackville Red (8-2) was coming off an 11-4 loss to Cressona on Monday, but responded with its best showing of the year Tuesday.
It wasted no time putting Monday’s defeat behind it, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first by taking advantage of two DeAngelo’s Crimson errors early in the inning. Frackville Red added a single run in the third and three more runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
The offensive outburst was more than enough support for Bobby Wagner, who was making his first Teener League start of the season. Wagner allowed a run in the third inning on a wild pitch. He struck out two and walked one.
Alex Norris pitched the sixth, striking out two.
The victory moved Frackville Red two games ahead of Girardville for first place in the North Division.
“We haven’t been hitting all year long,” Frackville Red manager John Chuma said. “Pitching has been keeping us in games. If it wasn’t for our pitching, we’d have a few more losses. Last night (Monday) we didn’t hit, we gave up 9-10 unearned runs, a ton of walks, a ton of errors. This has been our best game so far for hitting.”
Mitch Wagner was 3-for-5 and drove in five runs, while Nolter was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Scott Grigas, Norris and Nick Kowalishen added two hits apiece for Frackville Red, which finished with 16 hits.
The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for DeAngelo’s Crimson (8-3), which dropped a game behind DeAngelo’s Black (9-2) in the East Division standings.
DeAngelo’s Crimson didn’t help it’s cause defensively in the top of the first.
DeAngelo’s Crimson starter Noah Nabholz struck out Mitch Wagner looking to start the game, but Grigas reached on an error by the left fielder. Bobby Wagner followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt, but the ball was thrown away at first as Grigas ended up at third.
The floodgates opened up from there.
Nolter brought home Grigas with an infield hit, while an Austin Dietz double knocked in Nolter to make it 2-0. Dietz scored on a single by Mike Neary. After Brandon Rockwell walked, Kowalishen made it 4-0 with an RBI single. Mitch Wagner finished off the inning with a two-run single to center, bringing home Neary and Rockwell.
It gave Wagner some runs to work with and he never allowed DeAngelo’s Crimson to get back in the game.
DeAngelo’s Crimson’s best chance to cut into the deficit was in the third. Noah Shellhammer, who was hit by a pitch with one out, later scored on a wild pitch. DeAngelo’s Crimson had two runners on with two outs but Wagner got Brent Gauntlett to swing at a high fastball to end the inning.
“I was calling mostly all fastballs,” Chuma said. “It was moving in there and when they did hit, they were mostly popping them up. Our defense played very good tonight.”
Wagner has had a sore arm since the high school season ended. With him back and healthy, Chuma likes the pitching staff he has for the upcoming league playoffs.
“He might be the fastest kid in the league and it’s great to get him back now,” Chuma said. “With Norris, Grigas and Kowalishen, those four pitchers, we would be set for the playoffs.”
Game Summary
FRACKVILLE RED (13) — M. Wagner 2b-1b 5 1 3 5, Grigas ss 5 1 2 1, B. Wagner p-cf 4 1 0 0, Nolter lf 4 1 3 1, Dietz 3b 4 1 1 1, Neary c 3 2 1 1, Rockwell rf 2 2 1 0, Crawford ph-rf 1 0 0 0, Norris 1b-p 4 2 2 1, Kowalishen cf 3 1 2 2, Burke ph-2b 1 1 1 0. Totals 36 13 16 12.
DEANGELO’S CRIMSON (1) — Baucum cf 3 0 0 0, Doyle c 3 0 0 0, Winter ss-p 3 0 1 0, Gauntlett 1b 2 0 1 0, Williams lf 3 0 0 0, Timberlake 2b 2 0 0 0, Harner 3b 2 0 0 0, Nabholz p-ss 3 0 0 0, Shellhammer rf 0 1 0 0, Ryan rf 1 0 0 0. Totals 22 1 2 0.
Frack. Red (8-2) 601 033 — 13
De. Crimson (8-3) 001 000 — 1
E — Frackville Red 1, DeAngelo’s Crimson 3. DP — None. LOB — Frackville Red 8, DeAngelo’s Crimson 7. 2B — Grigas. SB — M. Wagner, Grigas, Rockwell, Kowalishen. CS — Neary.
Frack. Red IP H R ER BB K
B. Wagner, W 5 2 1 1 1 2
Norris 1 0 0 0 1 2
De. Crimson IP H R ER BB K
Nabholz, L 3 9 7 1 1 2
Winter 3 7 6 5 1 0
HBP — by Winter (Neary), by Norris (Harner). WP — B. Wagner, Winter 2.