Philly Bandits Black waited until the sixth inning Wednesday to finally create some separation.
After Total Skills Tropics tied the game in the fifth on a center-field homer by Jack Hogenauer, the Bandits answered with the kind of late-inning push that decided the game. Matt Evans broke the tie with a solo home run to left in the bottom of the sixth, and Chase Canney followed with a run-scoring single as the Bandits pulled away for a 7-4.
The game had moved back and forth most of the afternoon. Total Skills opened the scoring in the second when Mark Selverian singled home a run, part of an early stretch in which the Tropics put pressure on Bandits starter Matthew Gryn.
The Bandits responded in the third. Kenny Lutz singled, Will Henderson doubled, and Philly Bandits Black evened the game. An inning later, the Bandits took advantage of a Tropics error and a bases-loaded walk by Henderson to move in front, 4-2.
Total Skills did not let that lead last long. Hogenauer, who was the Tropics’ most productive hitter, tied the game in the fifth with a two-run homer to center. He finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Justin Peake added two hits in three at-bats.
But the Bandits’ bullpen held the line from there.
Shane Mills earned the win with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out two and walking one. Gryn worked the first five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
Offensively, the Bandits did not pile up hits, but they controlled the game with patience and pressure. They drew 10 walks, stole five bases, and played clean defense. Frankie Decembrino walked three times, Henderson drove in two runs and stole two bases, and Evans delivered the decisive swing in the sixth.
Philly Bandits Black returns to action Thursday against Philly Bandits Red.
In other action, the Fightin Quakers were nearly out of answers Wednesday.
Philly Bandits Red had grabbed an early lead, their pitching had controlled most of the afternoon, and the Quakers had managed only scattered offense through five innings. But in a game built around pitching, one swing changed everything.
Tyler Tucker delivered it.
With the Quakers trailing by a run in the top of the sixth, Tucker drove a two-run homer to left field, flipping the game and sending the Fightin Quakers to a 2-1 win over Philly Bandits Red.
It was the decisive moment in a tight, low-scoring matchup in which both pitching staffs kept traffic from turning into damage. The Bandits struck first in the opening inning when Brian Klumpp grounded out to bring home a run, giving Philly Bandits Red a 1-0 lead.
That advantage held for most of the game.
Austin Ludwig set the tone for the Bandits early, working 2 1/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit. Owen Wheeler followed out of the bullpen and continued to make the Quakers work, piling up strikeouts and keeping the Bandits in front until the sixth.
But the Quakers kept grinding through at-bats. They drew seven walks, including three from Ben Seidler, and eventually forced the inning that decided the game.
Tucker, who finished 1-for-3, supplied all of the Quakers’ scoring with his sixth-inning homer. Braeden Black and Braydon Janzer also had hits for the Quakers.
On the mound, Mason Burlingame gave the Quakers a strong start, allowing one run while keeping the Bandits from extending their early lead. Braden Kelly earned the win in relief, Pat Dougherty added a scoreless inning, and Ryan Paolella finished it off for the save.
The Bandits had chances but could not find another run after the first inning. Eddie Rosado led the offense from the leadoff spot with two hits in three at-bats, while Klumpp drove in the team’s lone run.
For the Quakers, it was the kind of win that comes from staying close long enough for one swing to matter. For the Bandits, it was a strong pitching day that slipped away late.
The Fightin Quakers return to action Thursday against the Philly Mummers. Philly Bandits Red will host Philly Bandits Black.
Other Scores
ASSA Futures 4, Rake 1
