Anderson keys Lenape's extra-innings win over Cherokee
Matt Anderson rounded third base, looked up, and locked his eyes on what was waiting for him. The only thing standing between Anderson and a two-run, inside-the-park home run was a catcher blocking home plate, the ball secured in his glove.
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Matt Anderson rounded third base, looked up, and locked his eyes on what was waiting for him.
The only thing standing between Anderson and a two-run, inside-the-park home run was a catcher blocking home plate, the ball secured in his glove.
It's a situation that leaves few options for a baserunner.
"I didn't have a lane," said Anderson, a big, scrappy third baseman for Lenape. "So I had to go over him."
Anderson dislodged the ball, completing the highlight of a 10-run ninth inning in Lenape's 13-3 extra-innings win at rival Cherokee on Saturday afternoon.
And in a game that largely came down to mental fortitude, there couldn't be a more fitting hero than Anderson.
Last Saturday, Anderson's mother died after a two-year battle with cancer.
Saturday marked his return to the team after missing Friday's contest against Rancocas Valley.
Anderson returned in a game filled with tension, drama, and nerve-racking moments. But those things have taken on new meaning for him.
"It was just great for me to be out here," he said. "It's great for my dad, who loves watching me play, and it's great to be around my baseball friends and family.
"I have a blast playing baseball - and it was just fun to be a part of a big win for our team."
Anderson (3 for 6, four RBIs) drove in the Indians' only two runs before extra innings on a two-run single in the fifth.
Most of the game was a pitchers duel between Cherokee's Jarrad DeLarso - a hard-throwing righthander who lasted 51/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits - and Lenape's Andrew Stagliano - a lefthanded off-speed specialist who allowed two earned runs and six hits in 61/3 innings.
Stagliano appeared stronger as the game wore on, but he allowed the tying run to cross the plate on a sacrifice fly by Mike Faunt with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Cherokee (6-6) and Lenape (7-5) both looked slightly less sharp in extra innings, a theme that exploded in Lenape's favor when the game unraveled in the ninth inning.
"This was a great game between two sister schools," said Cherokee coach Marc Petragnani. "In the end, they just took advantage of our mistakes."
Lenape 000 020 01 10 - 13 15 1
Cherokee 001 000 11 0 - 3 9 3
WP: Mike Audet. LP: Tim Morison. 2B: L-Shane Albertson. HR: L-Matt Anderson.