Stroudsburg baseball reaches the 2024 District 11 baseball tournament

POCONO SUMMIT – There was a lot at stake 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 wind made it look like a dust bowl. But it was Stroudsburg who took an early lead and stayed there, winning the road game 9-2 and punching its ticket to the postseason.

“Today was a big day for us,” said Stroudsburg head coach Matthew Suarez. “This win was our sixth win in a row. The boys are playing very well at the moment.”

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

“Scoring points early in the game really helped my confidence,” Budhai said. “I had confidence in my defense. I knew all I had to do was put the ball in play and they had to take care of the rest. I can’t thank them enough.”

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Budhai gave up two earned runs in six innings of work, while also recording three walks and seven strikeouts. The Mounties’ early attack gave him a chance to operate, but it was junior first baseman Anthony Knight who scored the hit of the game: a three-run home run that flew not only over the wall, but over the backstop of the neighbour. field.

“He threw a breaking ball on the first pitch and got a chunk of it,” Knight said of his at-bat. “I think he thought fastball, and I thought so too. I saw it well and was able to make a good hit with it.”

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

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