Pennsauken bats in Senior American Legions win

What: Pennsauken beat Mullica Hill 6-5 in Senior American Legion action at Bishop Eustace Monday.

Clutch hitting: Pennsauken's Kevin Casey knocked in two runs off a second-inning homer and scored another in the fourth to give his team a 4-3 lead off a play at the plate.

Quote: "I feel I hit it pretty good, and with the wind, it just pulled it out," Casey said. "I have to give an assist to Mother Nature for that one."

PENNSAUKEN -- Down a run in the seventh inning with the forecast finally taking form, Mullica Hill tried to put a twist on an old adage Monday:
When it rains, we score.

But after following up a leadoff strikeout by putting the next two basemen on first and second, Pennsauken closer John Litz kept the 6-5 score – and adage – from changing, getting Ryan Austin (Woodstown) to pop up and Kyle Mose (Kingsway) to ground out to end the game.

The win improves Pennsauken to 2-2, but manager Sam Tropiano -- fresh off of coaching Bishop Eustace Prep during the spring -- was encouraged more by his team's early consistency.

"We played well in all four games so we're really happy about that," Tropiano said. "Winning is fun, but as long as we play well, I'm fine with that."

Pennsauken had poured on the offense during a four-run fourth inning keyed by the team's only non spring-time Crusader, Joel Salcedo.

Salcedo sent Mullica starter Joey McIntyre's pitch over the fence and onto Route 70, tying the game at 3-3 off his solo homerun.

"I just hit it hard and hoped it would leave," said Salcedo, who will be a senior at Pennsauken Tech next fall.

Tropiano said it's hard to get players not from Bishop Eustace to play for him during the summer.

"Most of the time there's not a lot of kids who want to play for the team because we don't put emphasis on winning," he said. "We use it as a developmental league. Try to give kids innings, see who's good in the infield or outfield, things like that."

It was the second homer – and lead – given up by McIntyre in his four innings of work, the first being a two-run shot in the second inning by Kevin Casey to make it 2-1.

Casey would again give Pennsauken the lead in the fourth.

On third with two outs and the bases loaded -- all basemen reaching base via walk -- Casey slid home for the score, capitalizing on a ball that got past the catcher.

"I tried to read the ball in the dirt," said Casey, who was 9-1 for the Crusaders as a pitcher last spring. "The catcher babbled it, and went back slow and I took advantage of it."

Pennsauken received a solid performance from winning pitcher Anthony Mungiole, who allowed three runs – two earned – in four innings.

Mullica Hill's Mike Savidge (Kingsway) made Mungiole pay for walking the leadoff batter in the third, snaking a ball through the infield for a RBI double and making it 2-2.

Savidge made two monster plays in the sixth, first jumping on Lutz for a two-run shot to bring Mullica within one run and then bringing a towering ball back to Earth by catching a running fencer to end the inning.

He said it wasn't as close to getting out as it looked.

"I didn't know how far the fence was behind me, but I kind of dove anyway," said Savidge, who was two-for-three with three runs scored and will play for Neumann College (Pa.) next spring. "I looked back and I was five feet away. It probably would've hit the top part of the fence otherwise. "

Pennsauken will take the home diamond at 5:45 p.m. again today against Williamstown.