MARPLE — Upper Darby manager Dave Jerdon didn’t need a scouting report to describe Christian Strickland’s big night at the plate.
“It’s about time,” Jerdon said with a grin. “You can quote me on that.”
OK, he may have thrown in a few extra words that aren’t fit for print, but the smile said it all.
Strickland came alive Thursday night, ripping three hits and in Upper Darby’s 11-0 romp over Springfield in a Delco Baseball League showdown that felt a little more important than your average early July matchup.
“A lot of guys hit the ball well tonight,” Strickland said.
The Blue Sox (15-5) looked every bit like defending champs. They snapped Springfield’s six-game winning streak and kept pace in the race for the top spot, sitting just one game back of league-leading Wayne (15-3-2).
Strickland, the veteran backstop, led the charge as Upper Darby’s bats did some damage. After a few tight wins, sandwiched around a lopsided defeat to Drexel Hill, the Sox were due for a blowout, and they got it.
Springfield (10-8) came in hot and in third place, but the Blue Jays ran into a buzz saw. The Blue Sox scored seven runs on five hits in the first inning and never looked back.
Strickland finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs. He laced an RBI single in the first, then smoked an RBI double in the second to extend the lead to 8-9. He added another double in the fifth to round out a perfect day at the plate.
“I’ve been trying to make some adjustments, trying to sit back a little more,” Strickland said. “I think lately I’ve been a little jumpy, so I’m just trying to stay in the middle, sit back a little more and just make good contact.”
On the mound, Kevin McGovern handled his business.
The lefty carved through Springfield’s lineup, scattering three hits over five shutout innings. He struck out seven, walked just one, and was in sync with Strickland the whole way.
Upper Darby has its sights set on a third Delco League title since 2021, aiming to carve out a dynasty in a league long dominated by Wayne’s championship pedigree. The Blue Sox may be trailing Wayne in the standings, but they’re the team everyone’s gunning for.
“With a lot of these teams, we are going to see their No. 1 or No. 2 (starters). So, we’ve got to keep knocking them off when we play them so that we can get that No. 1 or No. 2 seed for the playoffs,” Strickland said. “It’s pretty cool to be on a team that wins a lot and is always up on top of the standings. And we just want to keep it going.”
Brendan Till ripped a double to lead off the game and came around to score on Sam Wright’s RBI single.
Joey Suppa, who also had a three-hit night, followed with a two-run knock, and Gus Wright chipped in with a sac fly to make it 7-0 early. Ant Kelly added an RBI single, Suppa delivered again with another two-run base hit, and Chase Ecker wrapped it up with an RBI single in the fourth to cap the 11-0 rout.
Harold Ivery, Jalyn Tidwell and Sam Dinitz each had a hit for Springfield.