Hunter Mishock makes contact on fourth-inning triple for Philly Prime 2027 Scout.
By Sean Reilly
The situation facing Owen Lockhart wasn’t particularly complicated.
Lockhart, the No. 3 batter for Philly Prime 2027 Scout, came to the plate in the top of the sixth inning on Tuesday afternoon against Dutchess Arsenal 16U at the Diamond Nation 16U Top 25 Showcase.
His team was trailing by a run with men on second and third and one out. The count went full, so he knew a fastball was almost certainly coming his way. On top of that, it was the second of two pool play games after a loss earlier in the day, so it was very likely his final at-bat of the summer.
“There was nothing to lose,” he said. “We were down, and it was ‘Just Swing.’”
That’s exactly what Lockhart did, and the result was a two-run double to right field which capped a four-run inning that rallied Philly Prime to a 4-3 victory in Flemington.
Lockhart was eager to make something happen after going 0-for-2 with a walk during a 6-3 loss to the OOTP Cyclones 16U Prospects in the morning, and going 0-for-1 with a walk in his two prior at-bats against Dutchess Arsenal 16U.
“I had been struggling today, but that one felt good right off the bat,” he said.
The double capped an inning in which Philly Prime 2027 Scout overcame a 3-0 deficit by generating three of their five hits while also capitalizing on three Dutchess Arsenal errors.
Trevor Roman started the rally by reaching on an infield error with one out. Daniel Gormont singled to center, with Roman holding at second. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and Hunter Mishock reached on an error which scored Roman and sent Gormont to third.
Jack Coleman was up next, and an errant pickoff throw to first scored Gormont and moved Mishock to second. Mishock stole third before Coleman walked. Coleman then took second with Lockhart at the plate.
Lockhart was behind 1-2 before working the count full. He then delivered the go-ahead double.
Lockhart moved to third on a single by Kaden Cortez (2-for-3), but a caught-stealing and fly out to center prevented further damage.
The 1:50 play clock expired during the bottom of the sixth, which began with a full-count walk to Dutchess Arsenal’s Eshaan Dave.
Michael Cavaliere scores for Dutchess Arsenal 16U on a single by Sean McCormack.
The next batter, however, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Philly Prime reliever Cortez (1.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1K, 1BB) got a pitcher-to-first ground out on a full count to end both the game and the team’s season on a positive note.
Dutchess Arsenal, which lost its morning opener to Team Francisco Notorious 9 Select 16U, took a 1-0 lead in the third. Having been no-hit to that point, Sean McCormack led off with a single to center. He stole second before Cam Maglio reached on a bunt single which moved McCormack to third.
Maglio stole second, but the next two batters grounded out with the runners unable to advance. Andrew Cafaldo was then safe on an error that scored McCormack.
Arsenal extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth.
Michael Cavaliere led off by reaching on his second straight full-count walk. Jayden Long dropped down a bunt and was safe on a fielding error. Jake Barnes walked to load the bases.
After a strikeout, McCormack (2-for-3) hit an RBI single to center. The next batter struck out before Nick Galli worked an RBI walk for the three run lead.
Both starting pitchers performed well.
Jake Gorman threw 4⅓ innings for Philly Prime, allowing no earned runs on two hits, with seven strikeouts and three walks.
Cafaldo pitched the first five frames for Dutchess Arsenal, giving up no runs on two hits. He struck out four and walked five.
Philly Prime won’t qualify for the Wednesday playoffs, but Lockhart and his team can nevertheless feel good about the late-game rally.
“We came back,” he said. “It was a good win for us as a team.”