The Later the Better for West Deptford 10-11 All-Stars

The later it gets in a game, the more dangerous the West Deptford 10-11 All-Star team gets.

The local baseball stars kept their late-inning magic going Friday night, scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull away with a 7-2 win over National Park in the District 15 10-11 semifinals.

West Deptford will compete in the championship against Logan or Deptford on Sunday at 5 p.m. in West Deptford.

In a game that was moved back from 6 to 8 p.m. due to high temperatures, the heat index remained in triple digits throughout the contest. However, rather than wilt in the heat, West Deptford seemed to get stronger as the game moved forward. The six-run fifth inning followed the trend that the team built in the pool play round as it had walk-off wins in the sixth and eighth innings.

“That’s what our lineup is capable of,” manager Gus Knestaut said of the rally. “They did it against Swedesboro-Woolwich and then they finally came alive here in the fifth inning. Up and down the lineup, these kids can hit the ball.”

Adrian Mason got things started with a one-out double in the fifth. Casey Schramm entered as a pinch runner and scored on a single by Matt Knestaut. After Cole Malsbury reached base on a ground ball, Jake Keuler broke came through with a two-run single to give West Deptford a 4-1 lead.

Two batters later, Kyle Magee blasted a two-run home run to left center.

“I knew I wanted that first pitch,” Magee said. “I knew it was going to be a strike. I held back at the end and just hit it. I stroked it.”

Mike Flaherty followed with a solo shot to center to help West Deptford pull away.

“I don’t know,” Flaherty said responding to the team‘s ability to come through in late innings. “I think it’s just that we want to win.”

While the big fifth inning will be what is remembered most from the game, the efforts of Magee and Kueler on the mound were truly impressive. Magee allowed one run in four innings and Kueler one run in two innings, as neither let the heat overwhelm them.

“When my hands started to get sweaty I threw some balls in the dirt, but then I came back,” said MaGee.

“It was hard, but when you come off you've got to stay hydrated and keep a towel on you,” Keuler said. “But the sweat on the hands is horrible, you can’t get a grip.”

Knestaut was admittedly happy with the decision to move the game back couple of hours. Prior to the game being moved, he was concerned about how long each pitcher would be able to go.

“If we started at six, I was already sitting at my office today, figuring, ‘this guy could go an inning, and this guy could go an inning, and this guy,'” Knestaut said. “Quite frankly, I have been lucky that I have only had to throw three guys the whole tournament.”

Luck may have played a part, but clutch play has been the biggest reason West Deptford is a win away from a championship

“It’s awesome,“ Flaherty said in anticipation of Sunday‘s final. “I can’t wait for it.”