Jordan Smith pitches Nazareth past Nor-Gwyn in Region 2 American Legion Baseball Tournament

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Jordan Smith wanted to complete what he started Sunday night and manager Jason Brown wasn't going to talk him out of it.

Smith, a 6-foot-5 right-hander with an array of pitches, finished off an eight-hitter by putting down a mild Nor-Gwyn rally in the ninth, enabling Nazareth to beat the Bux-Mont host team 3-1 and remain in the winners bracket in the Region 2 American Legion Baseball Tournament at Hostelley Field in North Wales, Pa.

The win gives three-time defending NorCo champion Nazareth (21-7) its first 2-0 start in Region 2 history and puts it into tonight's game against perennial powerhouse Boyertown at 7:30 p.m. Karl Keglovits will get the start.

"It's two extra (nine) innings you have to play here and that means some extra pitches you have to throw," said Smith, a Nazareth Area High School graduate who plans to play baseball at Lehigh University. "That means you have to rely more on your defense and our defense played great. And (catcher) Derek Charlie called a great game."

Smith came into the game having thrown two consecutive shutouts while pitching 30 straight scoreless innings. In 43 innings this season, he has allowed just three earned runs while going 6-0. In his complete-game win on Sunday, Smith struck out 10 and walked just one.

"His fastball is around 85 to 88 on the gun and tonight he was really bumping it up there," Brown said. "He's 6-5 and he's a bright kid. Hey, he's going to Lehigh."

Nazareth finally broke through for three runs off starter Jamey Minnemeyer in the fourth and, as usual, Keglovits was in the middle of the rally. Mike Garzillo led off with a sharp single to left off the glove of third baseman Jim Schlupp.

Garzillo stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored when Keglovits' hard grounder to third was fielded by Schlupp; Garzillo sliding under catcher Brandon Costa's tag. Kyle Dauscher then doubled in the right-center field gap to score Keglovits and Dauscher scored on Smith's groundout.

Nor-Gwyn (16-19) scored in the eighth but the run was unearned. With two outs, Brandon Martinez doubled off the wall in center and Matt Davey reached on an infield roller to third.

Nazareth appeared to be out of the inning when Costa hit a bouncer to short but the ball deflected off Garzillo's glove for an error. Nazareth got out of any further damage when second baseman Taylor Magditch, backing up the play, threw back behind the runner to Garzillo to nail Davey, who rounded second too far.

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