After innings of inactivity, something finally happened for Nazareth.
Something Nazareth pitch Brad Frase has never seen.
Things turned around for Nazareth, who beat Salisbury 4-3 at Boyertown High School in the first round of the Region 2 playoffs when Jake Suarez hit what looked like a routine fly ball to right field and the Salisbury right fielder Zach Seitz couldn’t make a one-hand catch.
That play was the first of five errors in the inning for Salisbury that lead to three runs in the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
“Not really, no, I haven’t seen anything like it,” said Frase. “You can’t just play baseball all the time. You’re gonna make some errors eventually.”
Five in one inning though.
Frase gave up two hits, a walk and his only run of the day in seven innings of work in the first, but he was able to overcome it.
“Just a little bit of jitters at the beginning,” said Frase. “It got better and better.”
Suarez stole second before Anthony Gaetoniello laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Suarez to third.
The Salisbury catcher threw the ball away and Suarez came around to score and tie the game at 1-1.
After three errors by the Salisbury shortstop, one on a dropped throw on a double-steal attempt, one on a throw and another on a bobble.
Salisbury removed starter Nic Ampietro in favor of Tyler Cooperman.
After the final error of the inning to put runners on first and second with still one out, Cooperman got a strike’em out, throw’em out double play to stop the bleeding.
Salisbury got back-to-back singles in the bottom of the seventh, but Nazareth pitcher Brad Frase got two flyouts to end the threat and keep it 3-1.
Frase, who was cut twice in high school and didn’t play until his senior year, wouldn’t let a few hits,or really anything, get to him.
“I didn’t let it get to me,” said Frase. “You just gotta get through it.”
Frase ended up going seven innings, giving up just the first inning run while surrendering five hits and striking out three to get the win.
Salisbury made another blunder in the top of the ninth when new shortstop Justin Aungst booted a ground ball.
Nazareth made them pay again when Tanner Buss tripled to left to score Tyler Snyder who got on via the error, giving them a 4-1 lead to take to the bottom half of the ninth.
The insurance run in the ninth proved pivotal when Carty gave up two in the ninth en route to the save.
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