Cherry Hill West Baseball Beats Sterling, In Finals of County Tourney

It was Senior Day in more ways than one for Cherry Hill West’s baseball team Thursday.

Facing Sterling in the semifinals of the Camden County tournament, the Lions got key contributions from three seniors, including Will Allen’s game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the eighth, to escape with a 1-0 victory and a berth in the championship next week.

On a scorching afternoon that topped 95 degrees, Allen ripped a 2-2 pitch dead over the 321-foot sign in left field to close out what was otherwise a pitchers’ duel in extras.

Fellow seniors Brandon Perna and Brad Machinski combined for the shutout; Perna struck out 11 Knights batters in six innings, and Machinski sat down all six batters he faced to pick up the victory for West.

Though it was Allen’s home run that was the difference-maker, the Lions also got a solid performance at the plate from sophomore A.J. Wright, who put himself in scoring position with two doubles in the game and accounted for half the team’s hits.

The Lions will face top-seeded Eastern in the finals of the county tournament next week, either Monday or Wednesday at Eastern.