Willner shines bright as Lower Merion tops Ridley

RIDLEY TWP. — Lower Merion has a chance to win every time Van Willner takes the mound.

The senior right hander twirled another gem Monday afternoon in the Aces’ 7-1 victory over Ridley. Willner, who is bound for East Carolina University, struck out 10 and allowed one unearned run on three hits across six dynamite innings.

“My motto is to just go out there and throw strikes, challenge hitters and have fun,” Willner said. “I really think my slider was working well today. I was pitching backwards to guys, starting out with the slider and then going to the change up and fastball.”

The Green Raiders were blinded by the light of Willner’s assortment of plus pitches. The day’s first pitch wasn’t thrown until around 4:30 – or 45 minutes later than a normal start time for a high school baseball game – because of the partial solar eclipse. Willner reached his path of totality in the first inning when he struck out the side and generated 10 swings and misses.

But he got stronger as the game progressed, and not even a pair of solar viewers could help Ridley at the plate.

An error to lead off the third inning enabled Ridley to plate its lone run. Chris Kimmel legged out an infield single to drive in Bobby Doherty with two outs to put the Green Raiders ahead 1-0.

“Losing to Conestoga on Saturday, we really needed a win to go 2-1 (in the Central League),” Willner said. “It was just a really good bounce back ‘W’ and a team effort.”

Lower Merion (4-3, 2-1) had one of its best seasons this century in 2023, advancing to the second round of the District 1 Class 6A tournament. With a deep, contact-oriented lineup – they amassed 13 hits against Ridley – the Aces could be a sleeper for the league title. And with arguably the best pitcher in the conference taking the ball every fifth day, the Aces feel optimistic about their chances this year.

The Aces have won all three of Willner ‘s three starts, including a six-inning gem in a shutout of Garnet Valley on opening day.

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Lower.Merion's Van Willner struck out 10 and allowed one unearned run on three hits over six innings in the Aces' 7-1 win at Ridley on Monday (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Lower.Merion’s Van Willner struck out 10 and allowed one unearned run on three hits over six innings in the Aces’ 7-1 win at Ridley on Monday (SUBMITTED PHOTO)