Deep Run Thunderhawks pitcher Asher Franklin follows through in Saturday’s game.

By Will Harrigan

The Deep Run Thunderhawks 13U travel baseball squad is a very resourceful group that knows how to play baseball.

While they may not feature a lineup that can spray the ball all over the field relentlessly, the Thunderhawks specialize in taking full advantage of their opponents’ mistakes and cashing in.

And because of that, Deep Run is in a prime position to make … a deep run, in the Spring Fever at Diamond Nation. Pun intended.

Despite their only RBI coming on a hit batsman, Deep Run notched a 9-1 victory over the Complete Game Colonials to finish their Saturday morning 2-0 in Pool B action. In their initial game, the Thunderhawks defeated Prospects Baseball Academy by a 10-0 margin.

Complete Game Colonials, an outfit based out of Bergen County, finished their day 0-2 after dropping a 4-3 decision to Coastal Riptide in its opener.

“We really hit the ball well in our first game, but we had to have a different approach in our second game,” said Deep Run coach Matt Croyle. “(The Colonials) had a pretty good pitcher, and we had to score runs in unconventional ways to get ahead.”

The first inning perfectly sums up how the Thunderhawks operate. Timmy Croyle reached on a Colonials fielding mishap, and promptly stole second. Following a Tommy 

Murray walk to put two men on, a wild pitch put them both in scoring position.

Successive wild pitches with Bryson Burke up at the dish would allow both runners to score, giving the Thunderhawks a 2-0 lead without recording a single hit.

They went back to those tricks in the third to extend their advantage, though it could have been more.

Deep run third baseman Chase Paskewich got aboard on a booted ground ball by the Colonials. Following a drawn walk by Austin Keller and a bunt single by Mike Moyer, the Thunderhawks loaded the bases without getting the ball out of the infield.

Following a strikeout, 10th batter Dom Arcade would take an offering to the back, forcing in a run and making it 3-0.

“No matter where you are in the lineup, everyone has a job to do on our team,” Croyle said. “I think everyone knows their role well and executes, and I was really happy with how we did that today.”

But Colonials starter Giancarlo Mena, who only gave up one earned run in five innings of solid work, recovered to retire the next two batters and limit the damage.

Deep Run’s Anthony Cox would single-handedly manufacture a run for his team in the top of the fourth. Cox got on with a walk, reached second on a pick-off attempt that wound up in right field, and then came around to score on a passed ball to run the lead to 4-0.

Complete Game Colonials would score their only run in the bottom of the fourth, when Cayden Yoon’s infield single plated Noah Crowe, who had walked earlier in the frame.

Croyle would walk and score after three wild pitches in the fifth, and Deep Run added another four insurance runs in the seventh. After Moyer drew a free pass and scored on a wild pitch, Jake Dietl – who walked – came around after a fielding error and Arcade stole home in a first-and-third designed play Deep Run executed to perfection.

Paskewich walked with the bases juiced to account for the game’s final run.

Deep Run Thunderhawks will play the pool-deciding game vs. Coastal Riptide at 12:15 Sunday, while the Colonials will finish up vs. Prospects Baseball Academy at the same time.