A shakeup of Upper Perkiomen's lineup paid some early dividends last week. The team celebrated an extra-inning victory over Oley Valley on Thursday, April 6.

            Head coach Frank Mercon expressed hope that the victory will help settle the

Braden Rieg, left, prepares to tag an Oley Valley base  runner sliding home at Bonekember Field.  Upper Perk- iomen won the game in extra innings.

team, which has performed unevenly on offense and defense. He said the players have been pressing.

            The coach said his recent implementation of three new starters was intended to create consistency. Isaac Bugman, Cole Pierce and Brody Weiss each made their second straight starts for the Tribe (3-4 overall, 0-3 Pioneer Athletic Conference) against the visiting Lynx, who reached the Berks Conference title game and the District Three Class 3A semifinals last season.

            Pierce, a sophomore who plays third base, had a direct role in the conclusion of a 9-8 ninth-inning win at Bonekemper Field.

            Pierce's sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the ninth advanced Devlin Kranich, who led off the inning with a double. An errant throw on the play by the Oley Valley third baseman allowed Kranich to score.

            "We really needed the win," said Mercon, whose team snapped a three-game losing streak despite committing four errors.

            The Tribe – which scored twice in the third and fourth innings to overcome a two-run deficit – pressured Oley Valley on offense, stealing 12 bases. Peyton Borchelt swiped three of them and scored three runs. Evan Sands and Owen Williams each stole two bases. Sands finished with two hits.

            "We made solid contact," said Mercon, whose team trailed 4-0 through two innings and 6-4 midway through the fourth inning. "We hit quite a few balls hard. Hopefully it's a step in the right direction."

            Bugman, a junior, hit second against the Lynx. He worked two walks, scored a run, drove in another on a sacrifice fly and stole two bases. He was charged with one error.

            Pierce, a 10th grader, hit eighth and played shortstop. He stole one base and scored a run.  Weiss, a freshman catcher, hit ninth. He finished with one hit and drove in two runs. "Brody is fundamentally sound behind the plate," the coach said.

            Kranich, who played right field in a 2-1 loss to Phoenixville two days earlier, and most recently served as the designated hitter, welcomed the shift according to Mercon. The coach said he conferred with Kranich, a senior three-year starter and a returning First-team All-Frontier Division selection behind the plate, one week before making the change.

            "Devlin was awesome about it," Mercon said. "If it was going to make the team better, then he was in favor of it. He is a tremendous leader."

            The coach would not commit to sticking with the changes moving forward. Mercon said the key is finding the right offensive and defensive combinations.

            An unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning lifted Phoenixville to a 2-1 victory over the Indians in the PAC on Wednesday, April 5. Bugman delivered a double, the team's only extra-base hit.

            Kyle Mazzie, who surrendered the run, absorbed the mound defeat despite permitting just two hits in two innings of relief. Starting pitcher Gavin Weiss allowed one run on three hits over three frames.

            Braden Rieg drove in Bugman with a single in the fourth inning to force a 1-1 tie. Bugman added a double for the Tribe. Owen Williams had the team's only other hit.

            Dyan Antonini tossed six innings to earn the mound win for the Phantoms. Hudson worked a scoreless seventh.

            The Tribe resumes its schedule with a pair of Pioneer Athletic Conference games. The team was slated to travel to Boyertown on Wednesday. It will host Pottsgrove, a Frontier Division opponent, at 4 p.m. Thursday.