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Chester County Press

Unionville tops Kennett in annual trophy game

05/07/2015 05:10PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Plenty of pitchers in the Ches-Mont League will attest to the fact that allowing runners to reach base in front of Unionville slugger Drew Jarmuz is just living dangerously.

Jarmuz stepped to the plate with two runners on in the first inning of the May 6 game against Kennett and delivered an RBI double. He came up in the second inning with the bases loaded and smoked a hard single to left to score two more runs.

That was more than enough offense for Unionville starting pitcher Alex Pechin, who allowed one run and three hits over seven innings as Unionville defeated Kennett, 13-1, in the annual trophy game between the crosstown rivals. The win boosted Unionville’s record to 11-7.

“We haven’t been hitting very well,” explained Unionville coach Mike Magee. “Yesterday, we spent some extra time hitting and it worked out for us today.”

Unionville built a 6-0 lead early on, thanks to two of Jarmuz’s hits, a two-run double by Ryan Barrett, and an RBI single by Pechin.

Kennett scored a run in the bottom of the third when Drew Massetti singled and Matt Kelly doubled him home.

But Unionville got that run right back in the top of the fourth when Pechin singled in Tyler Rafetto, making it 7-1.

The Indians pushed the lead to 10-1 in the top of the fifth when they loaded the bases for Jarmuz. He hammered an off-speed pitch that hit high off the wall in left, just a few feet short of leaving the yard. All three runs scored on the double.

Unionville added on three more runs in the top of the seventh. Jarmuz singled home another run—he finished this workday 4-for-4 with seven RBIs.

Magee explained how Jarmuz, who will be playing collegiate baseball next year at LaSalle, is able to have so many good at-bats. “He’s a very patient hitter,” Magee said. “He’s not afraid to hit with two strikes. He doesn’t panic.”

Pechin turned in another fine performance on the mound and at the plate.

“He’s really been lights-out for us,” Magee said. “He mixes up his pitches. He changes speeds well. He hits his spots. He throws strikes.”

Pechin is a standout on the football field as well, where he was a quarterback, kicker, and punter. He is heading to Bucknell University in the fall to play football.

Unionville is a senior-laden team, and Magee said that he’s proud of them for playing so well as this season has progressed.

“What a great group of kids,” he said of the seniors. “These guys were all freshmen when I started here. I will definitely miss them.”

This game was played under the lights at the NVF Field/KAU Senior Field, and many of the players on the two teams know each other well because they’ve played together on KAU teams. This annual game between Kennett and Unionville is called the Stomp in the Swamp, and Unionville now holds a series edge of 5-2 overall.

Before the game, both teams honored their senior players. The Unionville seniors include Ryan Barrett, Joey Fulton, Dan Garver, Jarmuz, Andrew Jones, Chris Lau, Pechin, Eric Takoushian, and Ivan Yen. The Kennett seniors include Greg Badis, Austin Gray, Justin Hall, Zachary Ploener, Ian Slicer, Chris Tucker, Michael Uhle, and Joe Zirolli.