Peichel on his game as Strath Haven remains undefeated

NETHER PROVIDENCE — Koll Peichel has several pitches in his arsenal and isn’t afraid to use any of them.

His fastball sits in the upper-80s, but he can get strikeouts with a biting curveball or wipe-out slider. The Strath Haven ace was aggressive with his pitch selection Monday against Ridley.

The Panthers also needed their senior right hander to give them length on the mound.

Several Strath Haven players were sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. The lineup was different, but the Panthers had confidence that Peichel would be his usual dominant self.

Peichel tossed a complete game with seven strikeouts as Strath Haven remained unbeaten with a 12-2 victory in six innings.

“Because I have a lot of pitches, if one pitch isn’t working for me, it’s not a big deal,” said Peichel, who is bound for Dickinson College. “I like to find my slider first and then the curveball will come. I know if I can get my two-seamer working, it will come easier for me. It’s nice to have that dominance right out of the gate because then it just quiets the other team.”

Haven’s bats handed Peichel a big lead in the first inning. The Panthers (9-0) sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored five runs. Ridley starter Evan Sivera got only two outs before Andrew Rowles took over in relief. Mike Valente led off the with a single and came around to score on an RBI groundout by Christian Thack. With the bases juiced, catcher Marc DeCarlo delivered a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give Haven a 4-0 advantage. Valente coaxed a bases loaded walk to make it 5-0.

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