Stroudsburg baseball uses strong start to defeat PM West, clinch spot in districts

POCONO SUMMIT — A lot was on the line between Stroudsburg and Pocono Mountain West baseball on Wednesday afternoon. The Mounties needed a win to clinch a spot in the 6A district tournament while the Panthers needed a win to keep their 5A district hopes alive.

The two teams met on the diamond where the winds made it akin to a dust bowl. But it was Stroudsburg who got out front early and stayed there, winning the road game 9-2 and punching its ticket to the postseason.

"Today was a big day for us," Stroudsburg coach Matthew Suarez said. "This win was our sixth in a row. The boys are playing really well right now."

Stroudsburg was able to take advantage of some poor fielding to score five runs in the first two innings, but the Panthers threatened multiple times to get on the board. It was the defense and the strong outing from starting pitcher Damian Budhai.

"Us getting runs early in the game really helped with my confidence," Budhai said. "I had trust in my defense. I knew all I had to do was put the ball in play and let them take care of the rest. I can't thank them enough."

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Budhai gave up two earned runs in six innings while recording three walks and seven strikeouts. The Mounties' early offense gave Budhai the cushion to operate, but it was junior first baseman Anthony Knight that had the hit of the game: a three-run home run that not only soared over the wall, but also over the backstop of the neighboring field.

"He threw a first-pitch breaking ball and got a piece of it," Knight said. "I think he was thinking fastball, and that's what I was thinking. I saw it well and got a good swing off of it."

The Mounties improve to 10-9 with a win over West, cementing their spot in the district playoffs in Suarez's first year as head coach. Now they'll have about a week and a half to prepare for the district tournament, where seven teams will compete for the title of champion.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Stroudsburg baseball uses strong start to defeat PM West, clinch spot in districts