Cherry Hill West Baseball Walks off With Fifth Straight Win

After two hours and 10 minutes of baseball, Cherry Hill West’s A.J. Wright needed barely four seconds to clinch it against Paul VI.

The sophomore saw a pitch from the Eagles’ Ben Seklecki spin in the dirt in the bottom of the eighth and instinct kicked in—Wright broke for home and was sliding across the plate before there was a chance for a play, triggering a mob celebration at home for the 1-0 victory.

“I was going as soon as I saw the ball go down,” Wright said. “I was just looking to get a good jump on the ball, not get out and just be aggressive. It’s what I’ve been taught to do since I started playing 10 years ago.”

It was the fifth-straight win for the Lions, and the first on their refurbished home turf, as they improved to 6-3 on the season.

While Wright—who also scored the game-winning run Monday against Washington Township—provided the only run West would need, the Lions’ pitching staff bordered on unhittable most of the game.

Starter Brandon Perna, who struck out seven batters, flustered Paul VI batters with his off-speed stuff—“I knew they were a good fastball-hitting team, and luckily, I don’t throw a lot of fastballs,” the senior said—all afternoon and didn’t see any trouble until the top of the eighth, when he was lifted for Will Allen with runners on second and third.

With his frustration written in 80-point block capitals across his face, Perna watched as Allen chiseled down the danger, working out of what became a bases-loaded jam with no damage.

Hard as it might’ve been to have to watch from behind the fence with no chance to influence the outcome, Perna said there was zero doubt in his mind how things would end.

“I knew we had it—I have so much confidence in (Allen), he’s a good pitcher,” Perna said. “Once we got past the first couple innings and they weren’t really doing much with the pitches I was throwing them, I knew we had a shot. Coming in to the last inning with the top of the lineup, I absolutely knew they were going to do it.”

Getting revenge on Paul VI was sweet, the players said, but continuing the winning streak and playing solid baseball is more important.

“We’ve just been putting everything we’ve been through in the offseason together—we have good chemistry,” Wright said. “It was just about the early-season kinks; we didn’t start off hitting too good, but we finally found it, and we’re just working good together.”

For pictures from the game, check out Cherry Hill West Baseball Beats Paul VI in Extras [Photos].

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