Cherry Hill West Baseball Crushes Buena in Diamond Classic Opener

Brad Machinski only got the chance to throw two innings earlier this week against Bishop Eustace, as Cherry Hill West coach Dan McMaster went to a carousel on the mound to keep his pitchers fresh amid a crowded schedule for the week.

McMaster might’ve been on to something.

Starting against Buena in the opening round of the Diamond Classic Saturday, Machinski was nearly untouchable, only giving up a single hit—and with two outs in the fifth, no less—and striking out four in a complete-game, five-inning shutout victory over Buena at Deptford Saturday, 11-0.

On the other side of the coin, the Lions were able to take advantage of a mistake-prone Chiefs defense—all 11 runs West scored were unearned, as Buena committed four errors in the game.

The Lions broke it open in the second inning, scoring six runs, before adding a total of five more in the fourth and fifth innings. Sophomore A.J. Wright did the most damage, hitting two doubles and driving in four runs; Matt Giampetro also had two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs.

West will face the winner of Vineland, a 12-5 winner over Northern Burlington, next Saturday in the second round.