Seven-run inning lifts Burlco in Carpenter Cup

Pitching is pitching, according to Jeff Singer and Dylan Johannink.

Starting or relieving, the job is the same: Throw strikes, change speeds, trust the fielders.

Singer and Johannink were starters for their high school teams. They were relievers Tuesday for the Burlington County team in the 26th annual Carpenter Cup Classic.

But despite new roles and steady rain, both seniors seized command on the mound and led Burlington County to a 7-4 victory over Suburban One League American/Continental at Richie Ashburn Field in FDR Park.

"They pounded the zone," said Burlington County manager Marc Petragnani, the coach at Cherokee. "They threw strikes and let their fielders make the plays."

Singer, a lefthander from Holy Cross, and Johannink, a righthander from Shawnee, each pitched three scoreless innings as Burlington County advanced to face Suburban One League National/Bicentennial in Saturday's quarterfinals at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa., home of the triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Holy Cross junior Tim Gallagher delivered a three-run double and also made a sliding catch in left field for the final out for Burlington County.

Souderton junior Cory Capaldi hit a solo home run and Quakertown senior Tyler Coleman hit a two-run double for SOL American/Continental, which took a 4-0 lead in the third inning.

Singer entered the game with two outs in the third. He got the final batter of the inning on a strikeout, breezed through the fourth and fifth, and got the first two outs of the sixth. That brought him to his limit of three full innings.

Singer faced the minimum of nine batters, thanks to a double play. He allowed no hits, walked one, and struck out four.

"I was really just trying to throw strikes," Singer said. "I knew I had a good team behind me."

As Singer did, Johannink entered the game in the middle of an inning. He got the last out in the sixth on a strikeout, breezed through the seventh and eighth, and got two outs in the ninth to reach his limit of three full innings.

He allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out one.

"I threw mostly fastballs," Johannink said. "I figured I'd let them hit it."

Burlington County rallied from a 4-0 deficit with seven runs in the fifth. Gallagher's three-run double was the big hit, Seneca senior Gabe Santone delivered an RBI single, and two more runs scored on a long fly ball by Florence senior Jake DeWitt that was misplayed into a two-run error.

SOL American/Continential had two runners on base and the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth when Gallagher made a sliding catch in the wet outfield for the final out.

"It was tailing away from me," Gallagher said. "I almost snow-coned it."

Burlington County   0000700 - 790

SOL Amer./Cont.   0130000 - 473

WP: Jeff Singer. LP: Tyler Zingle. 2B: BC-Tim Gallagher; SOL-Tyler Coleman. HR: SOL-Cory Capaldi.