Sports

Perkiomen catcher Steven Grover stretches across the plate to tag out the Doylestown runner as he tries to score in Monday night's home game at Upper Perk High School. Post 184 will play tonight at home at 6:00 p.m. and then head on the road for the next three games.

                Perkiomen entered Monday night’s game in a bit of an offensive slump; having scored just one run in their last two games.

                Friday Post 184 was blanked by the Pottstown Steelers 3-0 and Saturday fell to Quakertown 4-1. So the last thing Perkiomen Head Coach Ernie Quatrani and his squad probably wanted to see was a visit from one of the league’s most explosive teams. Unfortunately for Post 184, that’s exactly what they got Monday night when the visitors from Doylestown arrived at Bonekemper Field.

                Doylestown set the stage in the top of the first inning by loading the bases with nobody out off Perkiomen starter Kyle Saylor. Saylor though would buckle down and get out of the inning allowing only one run thanks to a 6-4-3 double play.

                The teams traded second inning runs and the Tigers led 2-1 heading to the third.

                In the third, though, the Tiger offense, which had netted 83 runs in their first nine games, used an error and four base hits to put a five spot on the board and push the lead to 7-1.

                Perkiomen made it 7-3 in the fifth as Kyle Saylor singled and Tim Mayza and Dan Rodenberger each doubled.

                The Tigers offense would break out over the next two innings as they pounded out nine more hits and scored eight more runs.

                By the time Perkiomen came to bat in the home seventh, Doyle-stown had used an 18-hit attack to plate 15 runs and had a 12-run lead at 15-3.

                With a pair of pinch hitters preparing to open the inning, the Tigers may have thought Perkiomen was preparing to simply go through the motions.  But what the visitors got was one heck of a scare.

                The inning opened with a ground out to third. Jake Dough-erty, though, earned a walk. First baseman Mike Paul doubled, Vince Boyle and Chad Force who had entered the game in the top of the seventh each posted RBI singles.

                Dylan Umstead doubled home a run and Jarrett Tornetta walked to reload the bases. When Dan Rodenberger and Devon Kerr each singled driving in a run, Perkiomen had batted around and trailed 15-8.

                By the time Dougherty climb-ed into the batter's box for the second time, Doylestown had collected the second out of the inning. Dougherty, though, would keep the inning alive with an RBI single.

                Tigers' pitching had been anything but lights out in the seventh, but with no lights to turn on, it was looking more like darkness, not defense, would kill the Perkiomen rally. When Mike Paul smashed a double to deep left center, Post 184 had climbed back to within four at 15-11.

                Doylestown retired the next hitter to hang on for the win but not before Perkiomen had sent 13 hitters to the plate and collected eight hits that produced eight runs.

                Perkiomen fell to 2-6 in league play with the loss but will look to carry the momentum from the seventh inning rally into Thursday night’s home game against Plum-stead at 6:00 p.m.

                Perkiomen will travel to Lansdale Friday (6:00 p.m.) Doylestown Saturday (2:00 p.m.) and Quakertown Wednesday (7:00 p.m.) before returning home next Friday to face Silver Creek.

The Upper Perkiomen Youth Baseball Major League team the Purple Phantoms, sponsored by Mancel Associates, won the Major League Championship on Monday night.