Baseball: Collings, Marple recover from misstep to beat Springfield

SPRINGFIELD >> As Ricky Collings strode off the mound after the first inning Monday, the Marple Newtown righty pounded his glove with his fist. With that small gesture, the gaffe that gifted Springfield’s first run was in the past. Six innings later, it seemed like a distant footnote. Collings assembled seven dominant frames, needing just 72 pitches to mow down Springfield in a 3-2 Central League victory.

Collings struck out seven and walked just one, scattering five hits. One of the runs was earned, though the fault for the other fell squarely at the senior’s feet. With two on and two out in the first inning and the Tigers (10-5, 9-3) having drawn first blood in the top half, Collings forced Springfield five-hitter Jared Morris to pop a pitch straight up in front of the mound. Collings appeared to settle under it, but then backpedaled two steps when one would’ve been enough, the ball glancing off his glove and falling to the turf. Mike Smith alertly jetted around from second base to score. But one pitch later, when Collings induced an Andrew Todaro fly ball center ending the threat, the pitcher had taken the first step toward putting the error out of his mind.

“I’ve just got to put it behind me and try to hit the ball and let our players do what they do,” Collings said. “I just tried to keep battling.”

Collings kept plugging away, but he didn’t face much resistance from the resurgent Cougars’ offense. Collings needed just 73 pitches to polish off Springfield (9-4, 7-4), never requiring more than 14 pitches in an inning. He breezed through the top of the order in third with just six pitches, then needed eight to escape the fifth despite surrendering a run. Part of his speediness owed to his penchant for peppering the strike zone with his fastball, then sprinkling in his hard-breaking slider late to induce swings-and-misses. But Springfield’s lineup was jumpier than usual, trending away from aggressive and toward impatient.

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Marple Newtown pitcher Ricky Collings hurls one against Springfield Monday. Collings pitched seven strong innings to lead the Tigers to a 3-2 win. (Digital First Media/Robert J. Gurecki)