Photos/Videos: Lennie Malmgren & Zac Wilson
By: Zac Wilson
WYNNEWOOD, PA - Senior day success for Friends' Central toppling Germantown Friends 4-0 behind a brilliant two hit shutout from senior pitcher James Pendrak.
Pendrak completed the game with an incredible 86 percent strike rate needing only 71 pitches to get through 7 innings with 8 strikeouts.
The star pitcher was quick to share credit with some of those who have helped him get to where he is today.
“I worked hard to be here, and I'm just grateful to my coach, and to God for letting me be in this position,” Pendrak said.
Friends' Central's most reliable starter this year had his A+ stuff working early in this outing, he racked up 6 strikeouts, 3 swinging and 3 looking on the first 9 batters he faced.
Friends Central senior pitcher James Pendrak #24 - PSD Photo by Lennie Malmgren
The Elizabethtown College commit went to his bread and butter pitch, the sinker, to get the majority of his outs.
“It runs a lot, I don't throw that hard but I can really move it around and locate with it,” Pendrak said.
The only real trouble Pendrak had to maneuver his way through was in the fourth inning after back-to-back hits, but he went back to the sinker to escape the pressure, striking out the threat and getting back into the dugout.
It was very much a pitchers duel in the game, as Germantown Friends' Teddy Helgerson battled his way through 5 innings against a very tough Friends' Central lineup.
Both of the Friends' Central runs Helgerson gave up came off wild pitches, one in the second inning and another in the fifth.
He stuck with it to strand two runners in the fifth with his sixth strikeout of the afternoon. Helgerson dealt with heavy traffic on the bases most of the day, walking 4 and hitting two other batters, but he was able to minimize the damage all game.
Friends' Central was happy to see Helgerson give way to the bullpen for the bottom of the sixth inning. The Phoenix welcomed the new Germantown Friends reliever with a long single and a hard hit double before back to back sacrifice flies to make it a 4-0 ball game.
James Pendrak was very grateful to play a hand in Friends' Central's undefeated regular season and comments on his go-to pitch - PSD Video by Zac Wilson
Friends' Central vs. Germantown Friends - PSD Gallery by Lennie Malmgren
The runs, while helpful to Pendrak and Friends Central, would end up being not needed. Pendrak, as he had all day, worked quickly in the seventh getting 3 outs on 8 pitches to complete the shutout.
Friends' Central finished the season 8-0 and will now turn their attention to league playoffs. The Phoenix enter the tournament with high expectations and sights to repeat as league champs.