Errors Cost Marple Newtown Baseball Team Second Non-League Loss of Season

The Tigers have had a fantastic season on the diamond so far, and look to get back to their winning ways after dropping an ugly, error-filled affair to an unassuming Malvern Prep team who made the most of Marple Newtown's mistakes. The Tigers lost to Malvern, 10-4, at a home game on Wednesday.

The first inning went by quickly, with Malvern going down 1-2-3, and the Tigers having three of their first four batters strike out, leaving a man on second base.

The second inning is where things changed—for the worse. It started with a bouncing ground ball that was mishandled by a Tigers' infielder and an easy out turned into a single. That runner took off early and the ensuing double was enough to knock him home.

The next batter drove a single deep into right field and brought the previous batter all the way around. Tigers pitcher Scott Todd tried to pick the remaining Malvern base-runner off at first, but his throw didn't connect with first baseman Brian Leon, and the runner made it all the way to third as the Tigers chased the wayward ball down.

The next batter flubbed his hit, but it was fair. As he ran to first, the catcher's throw hit him in the back, allowing the runner on third to score, bringing the total to 4-0.

The Tigers did little in the bottom of the second to answer. In the top of the third, Malvern scored another run, but the scoring was cut short by a nice double play.

In the bottom of the third, the Tigers showed Malvern that they weren't going to just lay down. After a wild pitch bumped runners to second and third, Leon walked, loading the bases for Joe Kelly. Kelly's wicked grounder bounced high over the infielders' heads and brought two runners home, closing the gap to 5-2.

More mistakes in the fourth cost the Tigers another pair of runs. First, a wild pitch sent a Malvern runner from first to third, and then around to third without stopping as the catcher overthrew second base.The next batter walked, then stole second, and the ensuing batter drove both runners in with a single that found a gap in the infield.

Marple Newtown answered with one run in the bottom of the fourth. John Brogan crushed a triple, and was then batted home by Alex Hutchinson's single.

The fifth inning came and went quickly and uneventfully on both sides, maintaining the 7-3 score.

In the sixth, after a hit batter and a walk, Malvern batter Billy Ford, Jr. smacked the game's only homer—a three-run coffin nail—out of the park. The Tigers managed to eek out one final run in the bottom of the sixth, and little happened in the final frame. The game ended 10-4.

Head coach Steve Smith has 30 years of coaching experience under his belt but is in his first season with his alma mater, is trying to figure his new team out.

"Obviously, I was disappointed with how we played, physically," Smith said in a post-game interview. "We're as good a team as [Malvern], but we certainly didn't show it. For some reason, we don't bring the same intensity and focus to non-league games. I'm working on it. I'm still getting to know these guys."

Marple Newtown gathered in the wake of the error-filled game and resolved to get back to how they know they can play: good habits, smart plays, winning baseball. Their 7-2 overall record—and 7-0 league record—is hardly time to hit the panic button, so expect the Tigers to be back on track soon.

Editor's Note: An error in this article stating that the Tigers' record is 7-1 has been corrected. They still have a perfect 7-0 league record, but they're 7-2 overall, having lost this non-league game against Malvern Prep, as well as another non-league game to Haverford.