NTL BASEBALL: COOKE'S HEROICS LIFTS ATHENS TO 9-6 EXTRA-INNING WIN OVER NP-MANSFIELD (24 PHOTOS) (2025-03-31)
Valley Sports ReportATHENS — Sophomore Brendan Cooke's two-RBI single up the middle in the top of the eighth lifted Athens an 9-6 extra-inning win over North Penn-Mansfield here Monday afternoon in NTL Large School baseball action.
"That was a tale of two games there," said Athens coach Charlie Havens. "We were flat kinda going through the motions in the first part of the game. We had good at-bats but no results.
Then everything changed," he noted. "We started getting some hits through and really took the momentum away.
"I am really pumped about our start," added Havens. Four division wins, with three of them on the road, and different guys stepping up. This is a fun group.
NP-Mansfield scored a run in the home half of the first inning, and two in each of the next two innings to build a 5-0 lead.
Sophomore Connor Davidson and Cooke led off the top of the fourth with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second.
With one out, junior Eli Hobday walked, and sophomore Brady Flynn and senior Dylan Saxon hit consecutive run-scoring singles to close the gap to 5-2.
Havens went to his bullpen and sophomore Duncan Thetga, who shut the Tigers down, allowing one run on three hits, while striking out five and walking one in five innings to earn the win.
"Nick Grazul battled," said Athens pitching coach Andy Podolinski. "Duncan thetga came into a 5-0 game and just competed.
All four of his pitches were dialed-in," added Podolinski.
In the bottom of the fourth, Davidson ground a single up the middle, and Cooke lined a two-run home run to left field to close the gap to 5-4.
In the fifth inning, senior Troy Rosenbloom knocked in a run with a groundout, and Davidson belted an RBI double to left field to make it 6-5.
Thetga, who retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced, ran into some trouble with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Three consecutive two-out singles tied the game at 6-6.
"Tons of credit to N-PM," said Havens. "Two outs, nobody out, and and they string three hits together to tie it."
The momentum for the Tigers was short-lived, however, as junior Nick Grazul singled to lead off the top of the eighth, and Rosenbloom and Davidson each worked walks to load the bases, and bring Cooke, who had been intentionally walked in his previous at-bat, to the plate.
Cooke hit the first pitch up the middle to plate two runs and make it 8-6. With one out, Hobday lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 9-6.
Thetga retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth inning to preserve the win.
Cooke had three hits, including a home run, two runs scored, and four RBI, and Davidson had three hits, including a double, three runs scored, and one RBI to pace Athens' 12-hit attack.
Sophomore Kam Wheeler stroked two singles in the win, while Flynn and Saxon each singled and drove in one run, and Grazul and junior Eli Chapman each singled and scored one run.
Rosenbloom scored one run and drove in one for Athens, while Hobday drove in one run, and junior Karson Sipley scored one run.
Athens, now 4-0, hosts crosstown rival Sayre Thursday.
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IN PHOTO 2: Athens sophomore Duncan Thetga. IN TOP PHOTO: Athens sophomore Brendan Cooke. ... PHOTOS BY LANCE LARCOM.
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