It started like so many summer games do: a couple hits, a couple runs, and the feeling that maybe this would be one of those back-and-forth affairs. But by the time the second inning ended, the Philly Bandits Collegiate squad had turned Tuesday’s matchup into a full-blown rout.
Down 3-0 before recording an out, the Bandits erased that deficit in a heartbeat—then buried Rake under a 16-5 avalanche that featured 15 hits, five stolen bases, and homers from Peter Crespo and Leor Kedar.
Yeah, that’ll do.
Rake jumped out early, plating three in the top of the first behind RBI knocks from Bobby Hansen and Ryan Madden. But the Bandits, apparently unfazed, responded with five runs of their own in the bottom half—including the two-run Crespo blast to left that sent a clear message: game on.
Then came the second inning.
Six runs. Four hits. One error. A wild pitch. And a barrage that turned a tight game into a seven-run cushion. Kedar and Charlie Cordisco each delivered RBI singles, Daniel Mateffy knocked in a pair, and by the end of the frame, it was 11-3 Bandits.
Kedar added another RBI knock in the third, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 day with five RBIs and three runs scored. He wasn’t alone. Cordisco, Tahir Parker, Wyatt Spinks, and Matt Zuppo each posted multi-hit games. Zuppo also walked twice, swiped two bags, and generally seemed to be everywhere.
Meanwhile, Rake starter Lucas Kimbrough had a day to forget, charged with nine runs and nine hits in just 1 1/3 innings. Madden led the Rake offense with two RBIs, while six players tallied hits.
Hardnock Hammer: Quakers Ride Slam to Win Over ASBA Futures
It was one of those swings that changes everything.
One pitch. One towering shot to center. And four runs later, Luke Hardnock and the Philly Fightin' Quakers had snatched a win from what looked like a missed opportunity.
Hardnock’s fifth-inning grand slam turned a two-run deficit into a lead the Quakers wouldn’t relinquish, carrying them past the ASBA Futures Collegiate Team, 6-5, in West Chester on Tuesday.
Let’s talk about the blast. Bases loaded. One out. A high fastball in the zone—and Hardnock didn’t miss. He crushed it to straightaway center, giving the Quakers a 6-3 edge and flipping the vibe on a game that had been slipping away.
Frank Provenzano put the Quakers on the board in the third with an RBI single. But the Futures came right back with a two-run homer by Conor McCartney and an RBI knock from Owen Ripple to take the lead. They tacked on another with Christian Cerone’s solo shot in the fourth.
Then came Hardnock’s moment.
And suddenly, a back-and-forth battle had a hero.
Evan Bush got the win out of the bullpen, giving the Quakers four innings of three-run ball, while Dylan Holmes closed it out. Nolan Walker started and struck out five in two innings despite issuing four walks. On the other side, ASBA starter Andrew Unrath was electric in defeat—13 strikeouts across seven innings—but one pitch did him in.
Provenzano had a day—going 3-for-3 with an RBI. Mikey Amrhein and Stone Powell each chipped in with multi-hit efforts, while the Quakers stole four bases and turned a double play.
ASBA Futures racked up 11 hits of their own, with Cerone, Ripple, Jacob Ruddell, and Drew Brown all collecting multiple hits. The defense was clean, the effort was there, but in the end, the grand slam was just too much to overcome.
