Cherry Hill West Wins 2013 Camden County Baseball Title

Brandon Perna hadn’t swung a bat in a live game at any point in the 2013 season for Cherry Hill West.

Too bad for Eastern that didn’t equate to any rust on his game, as Perna went 3-for-3, driving in a run and scoring as the Lions won the Camden County championship in their final game of the season, 6-4.

While Perna has plenty of plate experience, having been an infielder in past seasons, he’s spent this spring exclusively as a pitcher—apart from the occasional hack in the batting cages—and joked about his perfect performance at the plate.

“I figured, just swing it,” he said of his mindset going into that first at-bat. “I can’t really hit curveballs, but he hung one, so I hit it.”

After doing damage at the plate, Perna also got called on to wrap up the game, closing out things against the Vikings by getting Steve Priolo—the only batter he faced—to fly out to left to end the game.

For Perna and his fellow seniors, beating the reigning South Jersey, Group 4 champs was the perfect cap to the Lions 17-8 season, which included the team’s first playoff win since 2009, as well as a win in the Diamond Classic and three Camden County tournament wins.

“We wanted to come out and win this,” said starting pitcher Brad Machinski, who struck out four and allowed just three hits. “This ends a great year, and this is a great way to end it.”

West broke it open in the second inning, after Will Allen drew a walk in one of several extended at-bats, which was followed by base hits by A.J. Sohacki and Josh Machtinger, who drove in Allen for the game’s first run.

Perna’s RBI single followed, and Machinski capped the scoring with a bloop to left to drive in two more runs.

They’d add two more in the fourth, as Eastern struggled to scratch a hit on Machinski, who had 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, and allowed just five base runners in the first five innings.

The win avenges a 9-7 loss earlier this season, as well as a loss in last year’s county tournament—but more importantly, sets a tone for the long term, the players said.

“This is huge for the program,” Allen said. “It’s really good to go out on a high note, and that’s what we really needed…it’s something for all the younger guys to look up to.”

Getting extra playing time at the end of the season should also benefit the team long-term, coach Dan McMaster said.

“To be able to play a meaningful game on June 5 means a great deal, because it allowed us to extend our season an extra two weeks,” he said. “I love the fact that the guys were dialed in and focused throughout this extended time…this is money in the back as far as experience.”

And of course, that giant trophy taking up a spot in West’s case for the next year doesn’t hurt, as far as motivation goes, the coach said.

“It’s nice to take some hardware back to Cherry Hill,” McMaster said.

While the win brings to a close West’s season, Machinski and A.J. Wright will both have the opportunity to play in the Carpenter Cup all-star tournament later this month as part of the Olympic-Colonial team. McMaster will also be on the coaching staff for Olympic-Colonial, as well.

That tournament begins June 17 at Ashburn Field in FDR Park in Philadelphia, with Olympic-Colonial playing at 9 a.m. on the tournament’s opening day.