By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com
Paint Branch freshman Nick Ponofalo wasn’t even supposed to be playing on varsity Saturday.
But when Seneca Valley didn’t have enough players to field a junior varsity team, Ponofalo got another shot with varsity as the Panthers’ designated hitter.
Ponofalo made the most of the chance, starting an eight-run second inning and ending it with a two-run homer to beat Seneca Valley, 11-5, at home.
Paint Branch (10-3) ended Seneca Valley’s four-game win streak and got revenge after the Screaming Eagles (8-3) beat them twice last year, including in the 3A West region finals.
“He struggled the past couple games, but proved he’s going to stay up with us now I guess,†Paint Branch Coach Tommy Rey said with a chuckle.
Ponofalo was having trouble pulling off the ball. But his talent has been there from the start. On a young Paint Branch team that has started three freshman at one point and three sophomores at another, Ponofalo has made his presence felt.
“As a freshman he’s a big, strong kid,†Rey said. “He’s capable of hitting a home run at any time.â€
Ponofalo, who was still in charge of shagging foul balls, said he was actually nervous when he was called back up to varsity. He was concerned that he would continue to struggle and just dig his hole deeper.
But when a high fastball came across the plate, he quickly turned on it and drove it over the high fence in left-center field.
Ponofalo wasn’t the only Panther to go deep. Junior Todd Schultz also hit a two-run homer just two batters earlier.
“Coach Rey told me to drive it back up the middle,†Schultz said. “I wasn’t expecting that. … Everybody before me was getting big hits. I just came up and tried to continue it.â€
After falling behind 2-0 in the first following a RBI hits by Brian Black and Russell Main, Paint Branch came back with an RBI infield single from Schultz.
Ponofala led off the second inning with a walk, followed by an Alex Yee single. Then, with two outs, Greg Keane singled to bring in one run and Collin Cox drove in two more with a line drive. Mike Noyes walked and was brought in on Schultz’s homer. Charlie Brimmer tripled to set the stage for Ponofala.
Just like that, Paint Branch was up 9-2.
Seneca Valley rallied with a Mark Henderson home run in the fifth inning and two more runs in the sixth to pull to four runs behind. But Collin Cox relieved starter and brother Tyler Cox and got a strikeout and grounder back to the mound to end the sixth inning threat with runners on second and third.
“This year we were trying to come and whoop on them and we did,†Schultz said. “This is a good win.â€
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