(PHOTOS BY MIKE SZCZEPKOWSKI FOR PSD)
BY JOSH ABRAMS
Philadelphia - Baseball action continued across Inter-Ac play on a cloudless and beautiful Tuesday afternoon throughout the Delaware Valley, as the Patriots of Germantown Academy headed south into the East Falls section of Philly to visit the Quakers of Penn Charter.
'GA' emerged victorious over 'PC' by a score of 2-0, thanks to a spectacular performance on the mound from junior starting pitcher Sean McGettigan, as well as a two-RBI double from sophomore catcher Alex Myers in the top of the third inning.
In the wonderful game of baseball, when a pitcher has it going on the mound, it becomes virtually impossible to get him out of the zone. That's exactly what McGettigan was on Tuesday; in addition to his seven scoreless innings (a complete-game shutout in HS baseball), the right-handed hurler scattered just four hits and walked one batter.
It was a masterful display of execution of his pitches, and what really worked for him was his efficiency (29 pitches through 3 IP, 52 through 5). The junior elaborated on how he was able to exploit this particular matchup.
"Early on I noticed they were swinging at the first pitch a lot," McGettigan said. "My goal as a pitcher is to get ahead (of the count) and throw strikes. So what I did was start throwing sinkers inside, with changeups and soft stuff away and just get them to ground out, roll over and keep my pitch count down."
He certainly followed through on that plan, as he managed to record five ground-ball outs in the first four innings, including a double play in the bottom of the first after Penn Charter catcher Kyle McKernan opened with a single. McGettigan locked in for the home stretch, striking out six of his nine batters in the final three frames.
McGettigan Strikeout Compilation; eight of Sean's nine K's on the day (Video by Josh Abrams)
Germantown Academy junior Sean McGettigan reflects on spectacular road performance versus Penn Charter (Video by Josh Abrams)
What absolutely should not go unnoticed is the efforts of Penn Charter starting pitcher, Cole Stocks. The senior, making a home start on his birthday, dueled with McGettigan for the entirety of this contest, also going seven strong and allowing just eight total base runners (four hits, one walk, three hit batsmen).
He made just one crucial mistake in the top of the third inning, which proved to be the difference in the game. After hitting GA centerfielder Charlie Wetzel and walking shortstop Lucas Albert, Patriot catcher Alex Myers stepped up to the plate with two outs in the frame. He wasted little time in his second at-bat of the game, driving the first pitch he saw opposite field over the right-fielder's head and scoring both runners.
The sophomore catcher not only drove in the only runs of the game, but also played an extremely crucial role in helping McGettigan pitch the way that he did. When you factor in the chemistry that the two of them have built over the years, it all makes sense.
"I just want to give all credit to Sean," Alex said. "He threw three (different) pitches for strikes, really kept (Penn Charter's) lineup off-balance... (Sean and I) have been playing together since we were 13, he's my brother and I love him."
With the win, Germantown Academy improves to 9-5 overall with a 3-1 record in conference play; their lone Inter-Ac loss at the hands of Malvern Prep earlier this month. The Patriots stay on the road for their next game, which will be Thursday 4/24 at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. In their initial meeting on 4/8 GA defeated the Devils 8-1
As for Penn Charter, this setback drops their record to 2-6 overall and 1-2 against Inter-Ac competition. The Quakers will stay at home for when Haverford School comes to visit on Friday 4/25.
