In two of its last three games, Perkiomen School's baseball team squandered

Perkiomen's Jayden Kemp thrown out at the plate during the Panther's 7-6 loss to Shipley School on April 12.

late leads. Head coach Ken Baker said his pitchers are issuing too many walks at crucial moments.

"Our pitchers are allowing too many freebies," he said. "When you start doing that, your luck begins to change."

            Last week, the Panthers (6-3) dropped a pair of non-league games to Shipley School and Episcopal Academy. In between, they rolled to a 15-0 victory over the West Mont Christian Academy on Friday, April 13. Despite the losses, Baker says he is not concerned about the psyche of his team as long as the pitchers throw strikes when it matters most.

            "We're not far from where we need to be," the coach said. "We just have to be able to get the ball across the plate. We're young, and we need to experience those kinds of situations."

            On Thursday, Perkiomen School allowed seven runs in the final two innings of a 7-6, eight inning loss to Shipley School. Down 4-0 in the top of the seventh, the Gators opened the inning by working four consecutive walks off Manny Ariza and Zach Smith. A fifth runner reached base on an error, which helped lead to six runs.

            Naty Urbina and Sam Glavin each delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extra inning for the Panthers. However, Shipley School scored the decisive run off Marc Molnar in the top of the eighth inning.

            Urbina and John Crane each finished with two hits and two RBI for Perkiomen School. David Smith and Chris Pow each scored twice. Smith, the team's starting pitcher, dominated on the mound for six innings. He scattered five hits and struck out nine on 62 pitches.

            "David did a great job," Baker said.

            On Saturday, the Panthers built a 3-0 lead through three innings against Episcopal Academy. However, the host Churchmen rallied for three runs in the fourth and fifth innings respectively. Half the runs came off starter Carlos Torres, who worked four innings. Molnar, a crafty lefthander, recorded two outs in the fifth before allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks. The decisive hit – a slow roller that drove in two runs – deflected off the first-base bag, according to Baker.

            Urbina, Perkiomen School's No. 4 hitter, finished 3-for-3 with two RBI. Pow added two hits.  "We had them on the ropes," Baker said of Episcopal Academy. "We need to stop giving the opposition too many opportunities. Once we do that, we'll be a team to reckon with."

            On Friday, April 13, the Panthers posted a convincing 15-0 victory over West-Mont Christian in the Tri-County Independent School League. Jose Aviles led their eight-hit attack with two hits and drove in three runs. Pow, Sam Glavin, Torres, Jayden Kemp and Manny Ariza each scored twice. Four pitchers did not allow a hit during the four-inning game.

            Perkiomen School's offense has been inconsistent, according to Baker. "As long as we're not trying to pull everything, we're fine," he said. "We need to keep grinding and working hard to get better."