RADNOR – If 22-year-old Narberth pitcher Shane Petrellis was nervous about going up against Wayne veteran Rocky Walker (50) in the deciding game of a Delco Baseball League quarterfinal series, his teammates did a lot to take the pressure off the La Salle University graduate.
“Having a lead like that in the first inning was really helpful,” Petrellis said after fifth-seeded Narberth claimed a 6-4 decision at Radnor High Tuesday night and qualified for the playoff semifinals against either pennant winner Chester or runner-up Aston Valley.
Before Petrellis had to throw a pitch, his teammates had scored four runs and gotten five hits off Walker, who has played a role in Wayne’s history of Delco League playoff success, which includes 13 championships, including those from 2007-09 as well as the 2011 crown and finals appearances in 2006 and 2012.
Wayne got even with two runs in the second and two in the third, but Narberth got the runs it needed to earn the victory by scoring twice in the fourth on a pair of hits and two Wayne throwing errors.
“I just tried to get ahead of their hitters,” Petrellis said. “Location was so important for me, and I trusted the guys behind me.”
Narberth had only one error, which helped Wayne to the first of its two runs in the third. Petrellis gave up seven hits, but he retired nine in a row until Jim Vankoski (3-for-4) singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Ted Seiler hit Petrellis’ next pitch to second baseman Mike Coleman, who started a double play that ended with the Narberth players rushing the mound to congratulate Petrellis.
“Marco (Menna) did a great job calling the game,” Petrellis said after accepting congratulations from Narberth manager Lou Petrellis, his father.
Menna had a part in the winners’ first inning rally. Coleman, Rich Young , Steve DeBarberie and Mike Galetta opened the game with hits off Walker, who gave up only three hits in the last six innings, to get the first two runs home. After a pair of outs, Menna hit a blooper behind second base that fell in as two more runs scored.
“I’ll take it,” Menna said. “You put the ball in play and things happen. Sometimes you get lucky like that.”
Menna claimed that Petrellis wasn’t lucky with the pitches he was making.
“He was getting two strikes consistently,” the catcher said. “And he got comfortable coming in on the batters.”
Petrellis had trouble finding the strike zone in the third inning, when he issued consecutive walks to Ted Seiler, Dalton Mayberry and Jonh Shelsy after hits by Kyle George and Vankoski, who had a run-scoring single before Seiler walked with the bases loaded in the fourth.
In the sixth inning, Petrellis needed only four pitches to set down Matt Marquis, Dan Williams and Matt Hendrixson, Wayne’s No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters.
“It’s great to get to the semifinals,” Lou Petrellis said. “And to knock Wayne out in the quarterfinals … that’s something that just doesn’t happen the way they always seemed to finish first or second and get a bye into the semifinals.
“It was a very good win.”
