NTL BASEBALL: CLUTCH FRESHMEN HELP NEB RALLY PAST WILLIAMSON (2021-05-03)

Northern Tier Sports Report
ROME — It’s been a tough season for the Northeast Bradford baseball team, but it looks like they may be turning a corner. After going 1-5 to start the year, the Panthers have won two of their last three games, beating Williamson for the second time this season, 6-4, on a rainy Monday evening.

It was back and forth early, but the Panthers found themselves down 4-3 going into the bottom half of the sixth, when they rallied for three runs to get the win. 

“I was pleased with the way the freshmen came through,” said coach Brian Pifer. “Cayden McPherson had two big hits, and Dillon Donnelly had the game winning hit, a 2-run double in the sixth.”

Earlier in the season NEB was dropping close games like this, but after eking out wins over Towanda and Williamson, Pifer believes his younger players are starting to develop.

“When you get kids in spots, you hope they gain experience whenever you do have positive results,” he said. “That way we can just keep plowing forward.”

McPherson (2-for-3) led NEB at the plate with a double, while knocking in two runs, with a run scored, while Nick Beers (1-for-2) had a double, and crossed home twice.

Donnelly (1-for-1) had 2-RBI to go with his double, while Jacob Crown (1-for-1, Lucas Crown (1-for-3), and Garrett Cooper (1-for-3) also had hits. Cooper had an RBI as Clay Wiggins, Lucas Crown, and Joseph Stanton all scored. Stanton also had an RBI.

Collin Allis started, and got the no decision. He went five innings with six strikeouts, five hits, no walks, and three runs, two of which were earned. 

Wiggins came on for one-third of an inning, striking out one with one hit, one walk, and one earned run.

Lucas Crown finished out the final inning-and-a-third to get the win, striking out two with no hits, walks or runs.

The Panthers answered every time Williamson scored a run. The Warriors went up 1-0 in the top of the second, NEB got a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

Williamson scored two more in the third, NEB came back with two more during their at bat.

After two scoreless innings the Warriors nabbed a go ahead run in the top of the sixth.

Then the bottom half of the inning Stanton led off with a walk, taking second on a pass ball. McPherson then brought him in with a double to tie the game up.

Andrew Beers sacrificed McPherson to third, followed by Lucas Crown walking. He would steal second to put runners on second, and third.

That set the table for Donnelly, who answered with the game winning 2-run double.

NEB (3-6) will look to get on a little run down the final stretch of the season, but in a season like this, that’s always tough. Covid-19 and rain have wreaked havoc on schedules, NEB’s included, and even this week their scheduled game with Canton on Wednesday was cancelled because the Warriors are dealing with Covid-19 issues.

Young teams usually need consistency to grow, but this year has been anything but consistent.

“That’s the challenge that this year has been,” said Pifer. “A lot of kids missed last year, they’re already, in some ways, a year behind, and early on we had a lot of inconsistent practice time.”

Answers have been hard to come by, but the Panthers keep plowing forward, as they travel to CV (6-8) on Thursday for a make-up.

CUTLINE: NEB’s Cayden McPherson makes contact against Williamson…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING.