Peters Township falls in back-and-forth game with Los Mochis, Mexico
While overzealous sprinklers reduced the grass of Lew Hays Pony Field to a swamp at some point Monday morning before the start of Peters Township’s Pony League World Series elimination game against Los Mochis, Mexico, the grounds crew turned the surface into something playable.
Despite the remaining muck, and resulting delay of the first pitch by close to two hours, neither team’s offense was slowed. In fact, the opposite proved true as Los Mochis outlasted Peters Township, 13-9.
“That actually might have played to our advantage a little bit, getting a little time to get acclimated back into it,” said Chris Peters, Peters Township’s manager, of the delay. “We swung the bat great coming out of the gate.”
Unfortunately, so did the opposition. In a rematch of the series’ opener, a 4-1 Mexico win, the two combined for 22 runs spread across seven innings, the highest single-game total in this world series and the most since 2013.
“Really a lot of back and forth,” Peters said.
While the momentum did swing both ways often, the lead did not. Peters Township put together the first scoring spree of the day. But once Los Mochis eliminated the initial hole, it never trailed again.
Instead, the Mexico Zone champions added to their run total every inning to keep Peters Township at bay each time it scored.
“We showed that we can compete,” Peters said. “We showed that we belonged here.”
After losing its first game to Mexico Friday night, Peters Township, which was a late invitee to the tournament after Caribbean Zone champion Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was forced to drop out because of visa issues, scored a dramatic, 6-5, comeback win in an elimination game against Johnstown.
That momentum carried over Monday morning when the first three Peters Township batters reached base, all scoring to give their team a 3-0 lead.
Unfazed, Mexico pushed two runs across in the first inning and grabbed a 6-3 advantage in the third.
Catcher Brayan Guerrero led his team’s offensive push with a pair of home runs, the first a towering shot well beyond the fence in left-center field that was part of a three-run third inning.
His second homer was a solo shot in a three-run sixth inning.
Each time Peters Township would respond, Mexico would counter.
First baseman Sam Petrarca brought around two runners with a double in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 6-5, but Mexico responded with a pair of runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to retain its three-run lead at 8-5.
“We had opportunities,” Peters said. “You give up another three (in the sixth) it’s hard to come back in one inning.”
Mexico did its damage against four Peters Township pitchers, including starter Shane Bartszak, who allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Despite his team’s struggles, Peters credited the members of his pitching staff for attacking the strike zone rather than trying to pitch around batters and avoid contact.
“It’s tough when you’re seeing the ball get beat around the field and you’re the next guy in there,” said Peters, who pitched six seasons in the major leagues. “They came in, they threw strikes. They weren’t afraid.”
Rigoberto Borbolla threw a complete game for the victors, allowing the nine runs, all earned, on nine hits, while striking out five and walking two.
“We knew we could play with them,” Peters said. “Certainly coming in here, I thought, and they felt, we had a chance to win.”