Nick Crocona-West Lawn

The Shillington Dodgers went into Monday knowing that they needed two wins to claim the Berks County Championship. West Lawn made sure that there wouldn’t be a nightcap. The Owls soared to a 3-0 lead after one inning and cruised to an 8-1 victory. Nick Crocona struck out the side in the top of the 1st. “It definitely gave me a lot of confidence moving forward because they have some talented hitters in the top of their lineup,” said Crocona. Mansfield commit Ryan Sekulski hammered a 2-run triple to left field in the bottom of the frame. Lucas Gensemer followed with a RBI single up the middle. Three of West Lawn’s five hits came in the 1st. “You feel like you have much more of a cushion. You feel a lot more relaxed,” noted Crocona. The right-hander tossed five scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks. He allowed five hits. The (17-5) Owls erupted for five runs in the 3rd. After Charlie Frantz tripled, Christo Hunsicker lofted a sacrifice fly to center. A passed ball and an error at third base allowed the next two runs to score. Shillington trailed 6-0 before Jordan Shutter’s 2-run bloop single to right field. Crocona, who’s headed to Ursinus, gave a lot of credit to Shutter. He replied, “That’s my guy. I feel like we connect so well. He knows what I want to go to. He’s a phenomenal catcher.” Crocona improved to (2-2) with a 2.60 ERA this summer. Gensemer threw the final two innings at Owls Field. He gave up an unearned run on one hit and a pair of walks. Bryce Detwiler went the distance on the mound for the Dodgers. They upset Boyertown to reach the championship game. Detwiler allowed five hits and three walks. The rising junior at Gov. Mifflin struck out six and hit a batter. He was an All-Berks selection during the high school season. Detwiler went 2-for-2 with a walk. Matt Koehler drove in Shillington’s lone run with a single to right field in the 6th. West Lawn advanced to the Region 2 tournament which begins on Saturday at Boyertown. “We’re having a great time. We have great friendships all around and we bond so well,” said Crocona.