Radnor Drops Season Opener 4-1 To Marple Newtown

It started well, then again, that was expected, considering who was on the mound. There’s a lot expected this year from senior right-handed pitcher Connor Walsh. He’s already signed with Cincinnati on a baseball scholarship, and the lanky 6-foot-1, 170-pound Walsh is attracting attention from Major League Baseball scouts.

For six innings, Walsh was exactly that—untouchable at home against defending Central League champion Marple Newtown. It was a momentary lapse that caught up to him, when Walsh gave up all three hits he would surrender in the game. The Red Raiders were stung again in the seventh inning, en route to a 4-1 loss.

Radnor struggled hitting Marple Newtown’s Garrett Wrambel, who earned his first varsity victory, getting three hits and scoring a run in the first inning on a Walsh single. In fact, it was Walsh that had two of Radnor’s three hits.

Walsh went 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight and averaging between 86-87 miles-an-hour before scouts from the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. He did it all for the Red Raiders.

“We have faith in Connor. We know he’s going to throw strikes, and we know he’s going to get outs, and we also know there’s a lot of pressure Connor is putting on himself this year,” Radnor coach John McGillian said. “He should have to, because as a team, we need to hit. We need to support Connor.”

It started well for Radnor. The Red Raiders scored their first run of the season in the first inning on a Walsh single. Then it fell downhill from there. Wrambel gave up three hits—two coming in the first inning and one in the fourth. Other than that, he was masterful. He didn’t issue a walk. He hit one batter, and struck out six over seven innings.

“This was a big win for us,” Wrambel said. “The first inning was a little rough. I needed to settle. It was the first inning of the game. I know we’re a good hitting team. I wanted to keep them under two (runs). That was the goal after the first inning.”

Offensively, the Tigers didn’t touch Walsh until the sixth inning. Walsh went 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight. He also gave up six walks.

“We just came in a little flat, and we let one slip today,” Walsh said. “I made a mistake in the sixth inning. I didn’t come into that inning with the right mindset. It takes a while to get everything down. I’m still learning. This game was really big for us. They’re a good team. We can at least from this.”

Marple Newtown will play Penncrest next, while Radnor goes from playing the defending league champion to facing Strath Haven, the defending PIAA District 1 Class AAA champion.