In a game dominated by pitching, the Total Skills Tropics broke through with three runs in the fourth inning and made them stand up, defeating the Fightin Quakers, 3-1.
The Quakers actually outhit the Tropics, 5-4, but could not solve Tropics starter Jack Hogenauer, who turned in one of the most dominant pitching performances of the young season. The right-hander struck out 11 batters over 5⅔ innings, allowing just one run while walking two.
Combined with Owen Dimmick's work out of the bullpen, Tropics pitchers piled up 12 strikeouts and limited the Quakers' offense to a single run.
For much of the evening, the story was the starting pitching.
Fightin Quakers starter Mason Burlingame matched zeros with the Tropics through the first three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four. But the game shifted in the bottom of the fourth.
Daniel Giordano started the rally with an RBI single to right field before Mark Selverian followed with a run-scoring double to center. Kyle Schiwall capped the inning with an RBI single to left, giving the Tropics a 3-0 advantage.
That proved to be all the offense they would need.
Braden Kelly took the loss for the Quakers after allowing three runs over three innings in relief. The Quakers managed five hits but struggled to generate timely offense against Hogenauer and the Tropics bullpen.
Ben Seidler paced the Fightin Quakers lineup with two hits, while Ian Smith drove in the club's lone run and finished 1-for-2.
Elsewhere, momentum changed hands multiple times Tuesday night.
The final swing belonged to Rake.
After surrendering a fourth-inning lead, Rake answered with a four-run fifth inning and held on for a 7-6 victory over the Philly Mummers in one of the most entertaining games of the young Philly Select Collegiate Baseball League season.
The game featured three lead changes, 15 total hits and enough twists to keep both dugouts engaged until the final out.
Rake struck first in the opening inning. Ryan Madden lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home the game's first run before Matt Azzarano followed with an RBI single, giving Rake a 2-0 advantage.
An inning later, Connor Dunn added to the lead when he grounded into a fielder's choice that brought home another run, pushing the margin to 3-1.
For a while, that appeared to be enough.
Then the Mummers erupted.
Trailing entering the fourth inning, Philly Mummers pieced together a four-run rally to seize control of the game. Michael Cummings delivered an RBI double before Zak Abt followed with a two-run double. James Quici then brought home another run with a groundout, completing the comeback and putting the Mummers in front, 5-3.
The lead lasted only an inning.
Rake answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth with the decisive rally of the night. An error allowed one run to score before Madden delivered the biggest hit of the game, lining a two-run single to put Rake back in front. A passed ball later in the inning added another run and extended the lead to 7-5.
The Mummers refused to go quietly.
Evan Hawkes grounded out in the sixth inning to score the tying run, trimming the deficit to one and setting up a tense finish. But Rake's pitching staff shut the door from there, preserving the victory.
Madden provided the offensive spark for Rake, driving in three runs despite recording just one official at-bat. Joe Lifsted and Robert Del Buono Jr. each collected two hits as Rake finished with nine hits and swiped four bases.
The Mummers were equally aggressive on the bases, stealing four bags of their own. Abt paced the offense with three RBIs and two hits, while Cummings also recorded a pair of hits.
Trevor Morris started for Rake and struck out six over 3⅓ innings. Logan Woodward and Pat Kilgus combined in relief to help secure the victory after the Mummers' fourth-inning surge.
Mason Keith started for Philly Mummers and allowed three runs over three innings, with only one of those runs earned.
