Reduced role doesn’t stop Springfield’s Erik Molinaro from asserting himself

Springfield’s Pablo Spielman-Rodriguez is safe ahead of a first-round game against Aston Valley’s George Nestor on Tuesday. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)

NEWTOWN SQUARE — Springfield manager Steve Trainor knows he can still count on wide receiver Erik Molinaro.

Although Trainor informed Molinaro, a Marple Newtown product, before the Delco League season that his playing time might be reduced, Molinaro agreed with the decision.

Trainor wanted to recruit more high school and college players to keep the Springfield franchise, which has changed its name to the Blue Jays, competitive in a league that is getting younger. Molinaro, who is no old man himself — he just finished his senior year at Immaculata and has one year of college eligibility remaining — understood the situation perfectly. He stays busy by competing with the Marple Gators in the Mid-County League, playing alongside some of his former Marple Newtown teammates.

“There are college players that need their at-bats. To be honest, I don’t even know most of these kids. They’re all very young and we’ve got all these new guys,” said Molinaro, who hopes to pursue a degree in criminology and one day become a police officer. “That’s what this league is for now. But I’m here, I’m here. I can still catch.”

Molinaro went 2 for 2 with a tiebreaking RBI single to help the Blue Jays to a 6-5 victory over Aston Valley on Tuesday night at the Gauntlett Community Center.

“Erik is a good guy and he’s reliable,” said Trainor, Malvern’s junior head coach. “He’s always competitive, he’s a veteran and he’s been with us since 2018. He’s available when I need a catcher. I know he’ll do a good job and he’s always a good atmosphere. He handled it well when I told him, and he said, ‘Just let me know when I’m needed.’ He handled it professionally and that’s what I like about him. And that’s why I say there’s always a spot for him as he gets older. There’s always going to be designated hitter opportunities.”

Molinaro caught four pitchers Tuesday night. Shane McDermott started the game and looked healthy over his two innings, striking out the last four batters he faced. Hunter Kraiza, Kyle Caldearo and Will Hoffman pitched in relief. Hoffman, a recent Haverford High graduate, drew five walks and had two strikeouts in the seventh inning to earn the save.

Springfield (11-9) scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning off Aston Valley starter Zack Czarnecki, sending seven batters to the plate. Jack Pachella hit a two-run single, followed by an RBI triple by Mark Gervasi, making it 3-0.

Aston Valley (8-10-2) managed to tie the game in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Nathan McBride singled up the middle that slid under center fielder Chris Schaller’s glove, allowing all three runs to score.

“We showed more resilience than we’ve shown lately,” Knights manager Dylan Everly said. “It’s one of those things where we’ve struggled to score runs. We’ve been playing really well with our pitching, and it was encouraging to come out today and score five runs.”

The Blue Jays regained the lead in the fourth inning with Molinaro’s single to left field, allowing Paul Daly to score, who hit a two-out double.

“I was at a Gators game yesterday and I saw 60 miles per hour,” Molinaro said.

He definitely noticed a little more speed in Czarnecki’s throws Tuesday night.

Springfield added two key insurance runs in the fifth inning. Pablo Spielman-Rodriguez and Schaller led off with back-to-back singles and Logan Nelson walked to load the bases. Czarnecki rebounded with a pair of strikeouts but gave up a free pass to Gervasi and allowed an RBI single to Pat Mannix.

In the sixth inning, Shawn Edevane hit a two-run home run over the center field fence, bringing Aston Valley within one run. In the seventh inning, Vince Proietto singled and stole two bags, but was left 90 feet from the base when Nico Tozzi hit a soft grounder to first base to end the game.

In another Delco League game:

Drexel Hill 3, Wayne 3 >> The game was declared a tie after nine innings. First-ranked Wayne (15-4-2) tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, capitalizing on a two-run error by Drexel Hill (7-10-1).

Luke Mutz, Jaime Neris, Shane Wells and Sean Mohollen all had two hits for Wayne. Tommy Bradley pitched 4.1 innings of no-hit work, striking out five.

Irv Fisher and Quinn Bryan both drove in runs for the Ducks. Harry Carr pitched six solid innings with six strikeouts.