Neshaminy scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to eke out a 2-1 win over archrival Pennsbury in Tuesday’s PIAA 6A State Tournament semifinal. Photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko and Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports' BASEBALL GALLERIES.
PIAA 6A State Tournament semifinal
#1-4 Neshaminy 2, #1-1 Pennsbury 1
‘How about Matt Gryn?’
It was a question thrown out mid-interview by teammate Chase Bonner, and it was the question of the day for Neshaminy. Gryn – the undisputed hero of Neshaminy’s come-from-behind win – had just tossed the complete game win, limiting a dangerous Falcon lineup to six hits (all singles) and
one run in Monday’s state semifinal at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth Township.
“It was an absolute great performance – he shut them down the whole game,” Bonner said of Gryn’s masterpiece. “The defense was great. Everything today was just perfect for us.
“We took advantage of every opportunity, and this is everything we’ve worked for. First time in school history we’re going to the state championship, and we’re ready to go.”
With Neshaminy fans chanting the senior captain’s name, Gryn – the focal point of every postgame interview - patiently answered one question after another.
“That Pennsbury team’s the best team I’ve ever played against in my life,” Gryn said. “They pushed our backs against the wall, and we’ve got 14 seniors. We’ve got no option but to push back, and everybody just came through in the seventh inning. It’s great.”
Despite Gryn’s standout effort, it looked as though the game might not have a happy ending for the
Redskins. After all, they trailed 1-0 after the Falcons broke a scoreless tie in the third inning when Carlton Crane delivered a single to center, a lead they held until the top of the seventh.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight the whole game, and that’s exactly what it was,” Bonner said. “We were just taking advantage of every opportunity we got to put runs on the board.”
That opportunity didn’t come until the seventh inning for Neshaminy, and its game-winning rally included just one hit – a leadoff infield single by senior captain Noah Wallace. The tying run scored on a fielder’s choice, the winning run on a wild pitch.
Gryn took care of business in the bottom of the seventh, retiring the first batter on a line drive to second baseman Mike Sassano. Pennsbury’s Danny Seidler lined a one-out single to center but was
erased at second on a fielder’s choice for the second out. Bonner – who plays shortstop - squeezed a popup just over the infield for the game’s final out, setting off a jubilant celebration.
“It was just a huge relief,” Bonner said. “It was an absolute battle the whole game. Every situation, every moment is super stressful, so getting the last out was a huge relief.
“They’ve had our number all year, but nothing matters now because we took this one from them, and that’s the only thing we cared about.”
A classic pitchers’ duel: Pitching was the story of Monday’s PIAA 6A state semifinal with Matt Gryn needing just 75 pitches to get the job done in a winning effort for the Redskins.
“I knew they were going to hit the ball, so I had to stay calm, no matter what happened,” said Gryn, acknowledging that he didn’t have the best warm-up. “I wasn’t throwing strikes in the bullpen, and stuff wasn’t moving the way it usually does, but I know none of that really matters. All that matters is when you actually step foot on that mound.
“It was clear after the first few innings that they weren’t scared to swing with no strikes on them, so I just had to really focus especially early in the counts.”
Gryn struck out just two but did not walk a batter. His effectiveness was underscored in a six-pitch
fifth inning.
“Matt was fantastic,” Neshaminy coach Dan Toner said. “Between him and Chase going out every game. Matt took down William Allen and Chase took down La Salle, and Matt goes in and takes down Pennsbury. It’s fantastic that he can hold that offense to one run. I’m extremely proud of him.”
For the Falcons, Keller Bradley was brilliant in defeat. The Vanderbilt-bound senior allowed just two infield singles and was in complete command.
“We’ve had success against him the past, but it was clear after that first and second inning that he really flipped the switch,” Gryn said. “He was really dialed in today.”
“Keller was fantastic,” Toner said. “We’ve gotten to him before, but he just had his stuff today. He was extremely hard to beat, but we took advantage of some things and got that run across. It doesn’t matter how you get it as long as you get it.”
Winning the big one: Neshaminy is hardly a stranger to the state playoffs. Last year, the Redskins lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to North Penn a state semifinal game. Two years ago, Neshaminy fell to Hazleton 2-0 in the state quarterfinals.
On Monday, the Redskins erased memories of those disappointing exits, finding a way to win despite managing just two infield hits.
“Just the atmosphere here – it’s different,” said Neshaminy senior captain Noah Wallace, whose infield single started the seventh inning rally. “All these people are here, they’re loud and they’re supporting you.
“In our losses (to Pennsbury) earlier, we felt like we beat ourselves. We didn’t play defense, we didn’t hit well, but today, we were confident coming into this game. The vibes on the bus ride up and practice the week before – they were really high. We were really confident coming in today.”
Rallying from behind is nothing new for Neshaminy, so despite trailing for the better part of Monday’s game, the Redskins – according to Wallace – remained confident.
“The mood was still high because we know who we are,” the senior captain said. “We were in a situation last year to Coatesville = we were down in the quarterfinals, and we came back and we won it (3-1). We came back today and we battled and we do what we do.
“It feels phenomenal. First team in school history to go to the state championship. That’s what we wanted even before even the tryouts happened.”
Toner and the Redskins also advanced to the state semifinals in 2019 where they fell to eventual state champion Souderton 3-0.
“For us, the third time’s the charm,” Toner said. “We got to this game two other times before and lost 1-0 last year. These guys were so resilient in this game.”
A special rivalry: In an era when many rivalries have fallen by the wayside, the Neshaminy-Pennsbury rivalry is alive and well. Monday’s game, according to the game day manager, was played in front the largest crowd at Villanova Ballpark in a decade with over 700 in attendance
.
It was the fifth meeting this season between the neighboring schools. Pennsbury won the regular season three-game series 2-1 to capture the SOL Patriot Division title and then handed the Redskins a crushing defeat in the District 1 6A semifinal, rallying from a 6-0 deficit to earn a 12-7 win. On Monday, Neshaminy prevailed.
In a poignant post-game moment, Toner and Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci – at the very end of the handshake line – shared an emotional embrace.
“Probably best coaching friends,” Pesci said. “And those are great kids. A lot of those kids – they work our camps, and I’ve known them for a really long time, so I am happy for them,
“I felt like we earned our spot, and it’s a shame we didn’t come out on top today.”
By the numbers: Neshaminy: Matt Gryn (W) (7 IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 2K)
Noah Wallace (1-for-2), Matt Gryn (1-for-2, 1R)
Pennsbury: Keller Bradley (7.0 IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 5K), Carlton Crane (2-for-3, 1RBI), Nolan Kolanko (1-for-2, 1R)
Key inning: Top of seventh: Trailing 1-0, Neshaminy put a pair of runs on the board. Noah Wallace led off the inning with an infield single, and Gryn followed and was hit by a pitch. The Falcons came up with a big defensive play on a sacrifice bunt attempt when first baseman Nolan Kolanko fired to third baseman Finn Burke for the forceout. A forceout at second on Nick Sassano’s grounder was avoided when the ball came loose on the slide, allowing Gryn to score the equalizer. Courtesy runner Dylan Hollenbach advanced to third on a fly ball to right field after the tag, and he scored a run that stood as the game-winner on a wild pitch.
Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci: “I had said – ‘We don’t need any extra drama,’ and it came down to drama. We had a couple of guys in scoring position, and they did too early on. Both pitchers worked out of it. They had two infield hits, and stuff didn’t go our way today, but Keller (Bradley) had a great outing. He struggled twice against them earlier in the year, and then today, he was great. We didn’t give him run support.
“You need a little bit of magic to win state titles, and they had some magic today. I didn’t have a two-infield-hit loss on our bingo card, but last year, we lost seven games by nine runs, and this year, we lost three games by three runs. We lost to (CR) South by one (6-5), we lost to Neshaminy by one (5-4), and Neshaminy by one again today. Obviously, all the marbles for this one. I didn’t want anybody to win a state title besides us.”
Up next: Neshaminy will face District 7 champion Butler in Thursday’s PIAA 6A state championship contest at Penn State University at 4:30pm. Pennsbury closed out its successful season with the SOL Patriot Division title as well as the District 1 6A crown, finishing with a 24-3 record.
Neshaminy 000 000 2 2-2-0
Pennsbury 001 000 0 1-6-0
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