RECAP >> It’s been well-documented the struggles the Emmaus baseball team has had in the second half of this 2019 season.
Things have gone from bad to worse for first year head coach Jeremy Haas’ squad.
With an opportunity to end a four-game losing streak and carry a little bit of momentum heading into the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playoffs on Saturday, the Hornets looked like they were poised to finally get back into the win column on Wednesday afternoon at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown taking on rival Central Catholic in a game that was postponed from earlier this week.
It didn’t happen.
In fact, what happened on the home field of the Philadelphia Phillies AAA minor league team, was almost unthinkable and unimaginable.
Perhaps it was only fitting in what has turned into a nightmarish season for the Hornets.
Like Murphy’s law: “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”
Seemingly in control from the start the game and taking what look liked a’safe’ five-run lead at 6-1 into the sixth inning, Emmaus somehow found a way to throw away arguably its worst loss of the season in a stunning 8-6 defeat to the Vikings.
Central Catholic, which entered the contest at just 6-8 in the EPC and 7-10 overall, sent 13 batters to the plate in the sixth and scored an incredible seven runs, as they kept alive their hopes of reaching the league and District XI playoffs by rallying for the win. As it turns out, Central Catholic’s dreams of reaching post-season play ended just a few hours later as they fell to Nazareth 7-1 later on Wednesday night at Limeport Stadium in a makeup game.
Emmaus, meanwhile, didn’t have its season end as they still, despite their second half struggles, have the EPC and District XI playoffs still ahead of them, but it sure feels like the season can’t end soon enough as the Hornets dropped their fifth straight game and seventh in the last nine as they are now just one game over .500 at 10-9, including a 9-7 mark in the league.
Emmaus will limp into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and will travel to No.2 seed and arch-rival Parkland at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The Trojans have already defeated the Hornets twice this season with the most recent victory coming last Saturday in a 8-3 win.
Much of the same problems that have haunted this team all season once again came to the forefront in a unwatchable and disastrous sixth inning.
Junior Jason St. Pierre, one of six pitchers used in the contest, suffered his second loss of the season (0-2) in relief as he struggled mightily in the sixth as he was unable to get an out. The right-hander hit three batsmen, walked one and was charged with six runs.
Central Catholic, winners of five of their last six, managed just four hits in the game and had just two through the first five innings off Emmaus starter Braden Waller who went 1 2/3 innings and relievers Everett Horton, Dylan Lehman and Jaime Hamilton.
Right fielder Noah Reasoner had two of his team’s hits, while center fielder George Hlavac drove in a pair of runs. Catcher Brian Horoshko reached base three times, had a double and drove in a run.
Vikings starter Zach Curto, who was coming off a one-run, three-hit 2-1 upset win over Parkland last week, settled down nicely after a rough first inning and allowed just a pair of runs . The right-hander scattered eight hits in six innings before giving way to Mason Abromitis who retired the Hornets in order in the seventh.
Emmaus jumped on Curto for four runs in the top of the first inning. Senior left fielder Justus Darville had the big hit blasting a three-run triple to right field. Darville reached base all three times in the game, including a pair of walks.
Junior center fielder Matt Madigan went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the loss, while senior third baseman Brandon Robinson also had two hits.
The Hornets will close out their regular-season at 4 p.m. today as they travel to Reading for a non-league game.
Emmaus – 401 010 0 – 6-8-1
CCHS – 010 007 x – 8-4-1
Braden Waller, Everett Horton (2), Dylan Lehman (4), Jaime Hamilton (5), Jason St. Pierre (6), Andrew O’Brien (6) and Sam Dietz
Zach Curto, Mason Abromitis (7) and Brian Horoshko.
WP – Curto, LP – St. Pierre (0-2)
Nytz 2b 1-4, Negron rf 1-4, Henseler ss 1-2, 2R; Robinson 3b 2-3, Dietz c 0-0, Ritter dh 0-3, Darville lf 1-1, 3 RBI, 2 BB; Madigan cf 2-3, O’Brien 1b 0-3, Waller p 0-2, Freeman ss 0-1, LePage 3b 0-1, McEllroy 0-1, Brooks cf 0-0, Gallagher 0-1