Council Rock North's surprise run produces district title
With two weeks left in the regular season, Council Rock North, which had struggled out of the gate, was on the outside looking in when it came to being one of 26 teams to qualify for the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA baseball tournament.
With two weeks left in the regular season, Council Rock North, which had struggled out of the gate, was on the outside looking in when it came to being one of 26 teams to qualify for the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA baseball tournament.
Down the stretch, the Indians, with improved pitching and more disciplined hitting, flourished in must-win road games and earned a playoff berth.
Thursday afternoon at Glen Mills, Matt Schram's 15th-seeded squad continued its surprising and impressive run by edging No. 4 North Penn, 4-3, for the program's first district title since 2010 and third overall.
"It's amazing to put something together like this at the end of the year," do-everything junior Brandon McIlwain said. "We were focused but loose. That's what got us here."
Down by 4-1, the Knights made things interesting by scoring twice in the sixth. In the seventh, after Mason Nadeau's two-out single to left field put the tying run on, McIlwain had to face La Salle recruit Jared Melone.
"He's a great hitter," McIlwain said. "Coach Schram came out to the mound, told me not to throw anything down the middle but to still attack him."
McIlwain, who came on in relief of starter Noah Hartwell with one out in the sixth, got Melone to foul out to the first-base side.
"You always feel confident when Brandon is on the mound," senior centerfielder Cole German said. "[Melone] is a real threat, but we liked our chances."
The Indians (16-7) will take on Governor Mifflin, District 3's third-place qualifier, in the first round of states Monday at a site and time to be determined. The Knights (18-4) will open against District 12 runner-up Olney.
German, a Charleston Southern recruit, paced a 12-hit attack by going 3 for 4 from the No. 2 hole. In a two-run sixth, his perfectly placed, left-side bunt moved a hustling McIlwain from first to third.
Seth Leuz followed with an RBI single to left, plating McIlwain, and German, after racing to third, came home, with what turned out to be the decisive marker, on a errant throw to second base.
In the sixth, Anthony Cameron's RBI sacrifice fly to right cut the gap to one. With two outs and a runner on third, McIlwain escaped with a three-pitch strikeout.
North Penn 000 102 0 - 3 10 3
Council Rock North 020 002 0 - 4 12 0
WP: Noah Hartwell. LP: Colin Healey. 2B: CRN-Hartwell; NP-Mike Christy, Zach Ziegler.
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