By Steve Smull
LVBL News

LOWER NAZARETH – When Lehigh Valley Angels manager Thomas Bonilla found out that Bethlehem Yankees ace Zach Silfies was not going to start Game 1 on Saturday, the stakes of this series opener changed dramatically.

“When I learned before the game that the Yankees were saving their ace for Game 2 on Sunday, I realized that Game 1 just became a lot bigger,” said Bonilla. “We knew we had to take care of business today.”

And taking care of business is just what Bonilla’s #2 seeded Angels (13-3) did as they defeated the #3 seeded Yankees (10-6) by a score of 7-2 in Game 1 of this Lehigh Valley Baseball League (LVBL) AA South Division semifinals matchup.

Silfies, a Palmerton High School product and an incoming sophomore at Elizabethtown College, is a candidate for LVBL Pitcher of the Year in the AA Division. He has stiff competition from Wilson’s Tyler Vail, a former fifth-round MLB draft pick by the Oakland Athletics and the Angels Grant Hershman, a Bethlehem Catholic product who is attending Lehigh University. All three of these pitchers have been dominating the AA Division of the LVBL this summer.

There was a simple explanation as to why Silfies’ start was being pushed back to Game 2. 

“His college coach put him on a pitch count of 100,” said Yankees player/manager Edgar Lebron-Diaz. “It made more sense to throw him in a 7-inning game than a 9-inning game with that pitch count.”

And that move makes perfect sense in more ways than one. Bonilla recognized reason #2 immediately, and that reason is that Game 1 now became a must-win game. He did not want to be down 0-1 going into Game 2, facing Silfies without his ace.

However, despite giving up a first-inning run, Hershman was not going to allow that to happen. He went seven strong innings, allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out ten Yankees. And Hershman had plenty of help from his friends. Caleb Gross was 3-for-5, Justin Schmoyer was 2-for-4, and Marcus Nales homered to give Hershman plenty of support.

The Yankees Tyler Kline led off the game with a towering double to deep center field. After a ground-out to first advanced Kline 90 feet to third base, he scored two pitches later on a wild pitch, and the Yankees took a quick 1-0 lead.

The Angels answered in their half of the first. Gross and Schmoyer started the inning with back to back singles to left field to put runners on first and second. Aiden Henninger walked to load the bases, and Sam Kraihanzel followed with an RBI fielder’s choice, scoring Gross, to tie the game at 1-1. Nales walked to load the bases, but Grimaldi Gonzalez limited the damage to one run as he got an infield pop-up and a flyout to end the inning.

Hunter Steidinger led off the bottom of the second for the Angels with a six-pitch walk. Pearce Harhigh grounded into a 4-6 fielder’s choice, but just the threat of his speed quickly produced another run when he took over first base. A pickoff attempt got by the first baseman for an E-3, and Harhigh advanced 180 feet to third base with one out. He would score two pitches later when Gross singled up the middle, and the Angels took a 2-1 lead.

Things remained quiet until the bottom of the fourth when Harhigh reached on an infield single up the middle. He stole second and then advanced 90 more feet when Gross reached on an E-4. After a strikeout where Gross stole second base, Henninger then grounded to shortstop for a 6-3 put-out, but that scored Harhigh from third, giving Henninger the RBI, and the score was now 3-1 Angels.

While Hershman continued to cruise, Nales decided he had enough of the Angels nickel-and-diming for runs in the bottom of the fifth. He launched a 2-0 pitch over the left-center field fence to lead off the inning, and now the Angels led 4-1. Nales also blasted a home run on August 1 against the Landsharks on a 2-0 pitch.

“That’s a dangerous batter to be pitching to with a 2-0 count,” said Bonilla after the game.

Silfies is no slouch at the plate himself. After a slow start this season, he was smashing line-drives all over Lehigh Valley baseball fields this summer. He finished the regular season hitting .438, and half of his hits are doubles. He would settle for a one-out single in the top of the seventh as Hershman's pitch count was sneaking over 100. After a strikeout, Andres Rivera ripped an RBI double, and the Yankees now trailed 4-2.

Hershman then got strikeout #10 to end the inning and his day. As the game progressed to the top of the eighth, Bonilla made a pitching change.

Exit Hershman. Enter Connor Morro.

Morro recorded a scoreless eighth to maintain the 4-2 lead.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez was dodging bullets all day long, pitching out of jams almost every inning. He stranded nine runners through seven innings, but his pitch count hit 118 after the seventh. He would try and work his magic for three more outs in the bottom of the eighth. However, after walking Steidinger and Harhigh to start the frame, Lebron-Diaz went to the mound for a pitching change.

Exit Gonzalez, Enter Barnes.

Gross singled to load the bases, and Schmoyer earned a six-pitch RBI walk for a 5-2 Angels lead. Henninger delivered a sacrifice fly four pitches later to make it 6-2 Angels. Kraihanzel followed with an RBI single, his second hit of the day to complete the scoring at 7-2.

“I really liked how our guys came out swinging the bat today,” said Bonilla. “We were ready to hit today. We were aggressive, but we were also smart.”

Smart enough to draw seven walks, which wore down Gonzalez, who kept battling to keep the Yankees in the game through seven innings.

Hershman was his workman-like self, with his usual impressive stat line to go along with his 8-1 record and 0.85 ERA when you combine his regular season stats with this postseason start.

“I felt good today,” said Hershman. “I was up early this morning throwing the football again. I felt like I was loose today, and I felt like I was throwing hard as soon as I got on the mound. But their leadoff guy swung at a 1-2 pitch up almost over his head and smoked it for a double. Although, I thought I dialed it in after that over the next few innings.”

During those “dialed-in” five innings, Hershman allowed just two hits and struck out six.

“They have good hitters,” continued Hershman. “They are a playoff team, so you know what you are going to get with them. I felt like I had good control today. I had some decent velocity throughout most of the game.”

Bonilla knows his Angels squad will be facing some velocity from Silfies in Game 2 on Sunday.

“It’s going to be a pitching rematch of our regular-season doubleheader with the Yankees as we will throw Mike Perreault and Alex Laudenslager on Sunday,” said Bonilla. And the Yankees, of course, will throw Silfies in Game 1.”

The Yankees won Game 1 of that doubleheader on August 9 in extra innings. Laudenslager threw Game 2 of that twin-bill and won 3-2.

However, Bonilla likes his chances to finish this series on Sunday.

“Everybody on this team bought into this playoff series.” Said Bonilla. “These players have a lot going on right now in their lives, but the way they bought in today and focused on the field for three hours was great. I was really pleased to see that effort today.”

Lebron-Diaz is really hoping his team can support Silfies and win Game 2 on Sunday. If that happens, he knows anything can happen in Game 3.

“It’s a must-win game on Sunday,” said Lebron-Diaz. “We have to execute better. We got to be more consistent at the plate, make the plays on defense, and throw more strikes. If Silfies can win Game 2, we have Ryan Diehl, Nate Barnes, and Eric Nothstein ready for Game 3.”