By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
MT. HOLLY — Oftentimes, it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.
Fueled by a key pitching change, Rancocas Valley rallied from an early four-run deficit to take home a 10-6 season-opening victory over Paul VI in Olympic Conference action on Monday.
“With these guys, we don’t like to think big picture,” Rancocas Valley coach Dan Haverstick said of his squad. “One step at a time, you have to crawl before you walk.”
Facing a 4-0 deficit, Haverstick pulled senior Henry Adams from the mound in favor of sophomore Chase Logue, which ended up being a pivotal decision early in the contest.
Logue scattered two hits and struck out five in six innings of relief.
“I was throwing the ball over the plate and trusting my defense, knowing they could make the plays,” said Logue, who tied his career-high single-game K’s mark in the triumph. “It’s a great win, coming back 4-0.”
Said Haverstick: “(Paul VI) had some timely hits early that they capitalized on. Luckily, we put in Chase and he shut the game down, and just slowed it down. He really settled the game down and allowed us to make that comeback and extend the lead once we got it. He was locating all three of his pitches today. When he’s doing that, it makes his fastball look a lot faster than it is.”
Adams may not have had a great day on the mound, but he made the most of his opportunities at the plate, finishing with five RBIs, including two in the fifth inning that broke a deadlocked 6-6 score and gave the Red Devils an 8-6 lead that they didn’t relinquish.
“It was not my best day on the mound, but I was just trying to focus on what I could in the future, and that’s what I did,” Adams said. “I was just trying to see the ball over the plate early and do some damage for my team.”
Rancocas Valley (1-0, 0-0 Olympic American) added two insurance runs in the sixth inning. Eddie Ruminski, Evan Vallee and Connor Whitall each had a hit for the Red Devils. Gabe Lerro and Nick Scheer each had a hit and a pair of RBIs for Paul VI (1-1, 0-0 Olympic National), and Brock Mission went 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of runs scored.
“Henry, even though he didn’t perform as well as he would’ve liked to on the mound, he came up with huge at bats throughout the course of the game,” Haverstick said. “He’s been with us for four years and he knows that no matter where you’re at, you’re going to find ways to contribute.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Rancocas Valley travels to Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Paul VI travels to Bishop Eustace on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
