Baseball: Shawnee beats Lenape, 14-11

By Phil Anastasia

Shawnee coach Brian Anderson called it a "fireworks show."

The grand finale came in the fourth inning, when the Renegades hit three home runs and a double in the space of seven pitches.

"It was contagious," Shawnee senior centerfielder Jarret DeHart said after his team's 14-11 victory over Lenape in an Olympic American clash of Top 10 teams.

DeHart, an LSU recruit, hit a pair of home runs as Shawnee, the No. 8 team in The Inquirer Top 10, improved to 8-3 overall and 2-2 in the division on cloudy, blustery Friday afternoon on Lenape's field.

Shawnee senior rightfielder Eric Spires also hit two home runs. Senior catcher Brian Lawler (pictured) hit a home run and a pair of doubles and senior Nick Montefusco hit a home run and a double and earned the save with three innings of relief.

"It was a hitter's day," Lenape coach Phil Fiore said. "It wasn't a pitcher's day."

Senior left-fielder Ryan Tilley drove in four runs for No. 6 Lenape (7-2, 2-2).

The Indians were behind 14-7 with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the seventh but scored four runs and brought the tying run to the plate in designated hiter Javier Gonzales.

Gonzales' sharply hit grounder was stopped by diving Shawnee second baseman Nick Corbi, who threw from his knees to record the third out by a whisker.

"Our kids never quit," Fiore said. "But they beat us with the long ball."

Shawnee, which beat No. 2 St. Augustine by 12-9 on Wednesday, flexed its offensive muscle with 15 hits, including eight for extra bases. The six homers were the most hit by a South Jersey team this season.

The highlight was the fourth-inning explosion that featured Spires' solo home run to left, DeHart's solo home run to right, Lawler's double to center and Montefusco's two-run home run to left.

"Jarret was taking batting practice before the game and talking about how windy it was," Lawler said. "We knew it was going to be a good day for the hitters."

The Renegades added five runs in the seventh as Corbi (3-for-5) hit a a two-run single, Spires blasted a home run to right-center and Lawler connected with a no-doubt shot that nearly hit the scoreboard behind right field.

"It feels great just to be a part of this team," Spires said. "We've got a bunch of guys who have known each other for a long time and a bunch of guys who can really hit."

Shawnee 104 400 5 -- 14 15 2

Lenape 400 210 4 -- 11 14 1

WP: Dylan Mengel. LP: Steve Bohrer.

2B: S-Brian Lawler, 2, Nick Montefusco; L-Jason Clapper 2, Ryan Tilley.

HR: S-Jarret DeHart 2, Eric Spires 2, Nick Montefusco, Brian Lawler.

Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com. Follow @PhilAnastasia on Twitter.