NETHER PROVIDENCE — Jake Mon’s last name inspires some good-natured razzing by his Strath Haven teammates.
When he steps to the plate, you can hear a chorus of “Mon! Mon! Mon!” emanating from the Strath Haven bench. This goes on for every pitch. Since print isn’t the medium to share sound, just imagine the scene in the Disney classic “Finding Nemo” where the seagulls spot Nemo’s dad, Marlin, in the Sydney Harbour, and are waiting to pounce on the little guy and his friend, Dory.
If you haven’t seen the movie, well, what are you waiting for?
It’s hard not to laugh, then, when you hear the Panthers joshing in the dugout. It’s a rallying cry for Mon, like when he worked a full count in the bottom of the seventh inning in a tie game against Penncrest Thursday afternoon.
Mon had timed the fastball of Penncrest reliever Evan Rosenberg, who gave it everything he had not to walk in the winning run. He fouled off four pitches, but Rosenberg’s final one landed square on the back of Mon, the proud recipient of a walk-off, hit-by-pitch.
Strath Haven 3, Penncrest 2. That’s one way to win a ballgame.
“My mindset was to just stay on top of the fastball and have a good at-bat, stay up the middle,” Mon said. “I know I have to be ready for anything.”
In that situation, though, no one is really expecting to take one for the team.
“He had a great at-bat,” said Haven pitcher Koll Peichell, who hurled a complete game. “I’m just hoping and praying, cheering him on and hoping for the best. (Mon) struggled a lot during the season, so I was glad to see him up there with the chance to win the game for us.”
Mon’s sacrifice was made possible by Peichel’s pitching. After a shaky first inning, in which the Lions scored two runs on a sacrifice fly by Danny McLaughlin and an RBI groundout off the bat of Jeff Lunger, Peichel was excellent.
“I was definitely relying on my curveball because my changeup wasn’t working today,” said Peichel, who allowed five hits and two walks while striking out seven. “I knew I could throw my curveball for a strike when I needed to. I was able to get batters out with that.”
Of course, he received some help from his star catcher, senior Brady Mutz, who picked off Matt Arbogast dancing off third base to quash a second-and-third, one-out rally in the fourth inning. Peichel said Mutz “changes the game,” with his elite ability.
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Strath Haven’s Koll Peichel threw a complete game in a 3-2 win over Penncrest.
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