Allentown, PA — By Kyle Craig | For lehighvalleylive.com A debut on the Lehigh Valley’s biggest stage for baseball is what Phillipsburg needed to reverse recent history. The Stateliners defeated Easton 5-4 on Friday night in the first game of the rivalry played at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. It’s Phillipsburg’s first triumph over the Red Rovers since 2016. “It was amazing; I loved it. I enjoyed every moment of it,” Stateliners junior Felix Matos said. “I’m happy for this team ... It feels good to get a ‘W’ in front of all our fans. It was a big game.” “Everyone knows what goes into this game: a lot of heartbreak if you’re on the wrong end of it and a lot of pure happiness if you’re on the right end of it,” Phillipsburg alum and coach Mike Ciavarella said. “These guys, they deserve it. We have a lot of seniors that have been with me a long time. I’m happy to see them break that streak. I couldn’t be more proud of them.” Trailing 4-3, an error, a walk and Kevin Burgess’ bunt single loaded the bases for Phillipsburg (10-5) in the top of the sixth inning. Matos singled through the left side of the infield to plate sophomore Mike Bracco and tie the score, 4-4. “We’ve just got to keep on fighting, always ... That’s what we did,” said Matos, who also played a solid defensive game at second base. “We kept on fighting and came out on top.” Junior Dylan Wayne followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, plating senior Jacob Kisselbach and giving the Stateliners a 5-4 advantage. “We could have quit there and hung our heads with six outs to play,” Ciavarella said. “But, we beared down and we played small ball a little bit. That’s been what we do. We got some clutch hits from Felix and Eddie (Weindel). All these guys contributed.” Easton (6-11) took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomores Khamryn Singto and Cole Ordway singled and walked, respectively. Senior Spencer Brooking moved both runners with a sacrifice bunt, before a wild pitch by P’burg senior Eddie Weindel and a sac fly from Easton senior Nick Chieffo put the Rovers ahead 4-3. “They kept coming back. We kept trading,” Weindel said. “They’re a decent hitting team, but we never let it get us down. We just stayed in the game. It was a bear crawl until the end.” Weindel, a right-hander who pitched the final three innings, had to recover from a rocky fifth. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth and struck out the first two to face him in the seventh. After hitting a batter, the senior coaxed a groundout to seal the victory. “I’ve always been a guy where the first inning has been about trying to find my bearings,” Weindel said. “I just didn’t let it get into my head. I sat down in the dugout and visualized throwing strikes, pounding the zone and making them do something. I went out there in the last inning and my fastball was really working.” Matos sprinted for a hustle double in the top of the first. Wayne laced an RBI single through the left side of the infield to put the Stateliners ahead 1-0. P’burg added another run in the second after a hit by senior James LaBella. He was replaced on the basepaths by Kisselbach via a fielder’s choice. Kisselbach moved to second base when Burgess was hit by a pitch. Kisselbach then scored on an error at shortstop as the baserunner shielded the fielder from a ball off the bat of Matos. Chieffo and sophomore Chase Shollenberger started the bottom of the fourth with a single and walk, respectively. Senior Alex Laquintano sacrificed the runners to second and third. Both scored as a double by senior Isa Jackson wrong-footed the right fielder, tying the contest at 2-2. Phillipsburg responded immediately. A double by Weindel bounced away from the left fielder, allowing courtesy runner Sam Michalski to score and putting the Stateliners back ahead 3-2 in the fifth. “We’ve got to make some plays that we didn’t make,” Easton coach Carm LaDuca said. “But, our kids were resilient. They played hard; they fought back. We’ve been going through some struggles, but they came here to fight tonight, and they played a good game. We just came up short.” Senior Jared Diefenbach pitched the first four innings for P’burg, allowing a pair of runs on four hits. “I have a lot of confidence in them,” Ciavarella said of Diefenbach and Weindel. “It’s so hard to pitch in this environment with all that on the line. They really were so mentally tough and were able to execute pitches when they needed to.” “It’s the first time we’ve played on a stage this big,” Weindel said. “It’s definitely a lot different than your normal high school field. You’ve just got to take a second, take a few deep breathes and then lock back in.” Both Ciavarella and LaDuca applauded Easton associate head coach and assistant athletic director Greg Hess for his work bringing the rivalry to Coca-Cola Park. “It was a wonderful atmosphere and a great crowd,” said LaDuca, whose team followed the lead of MLB by wearing “City Connect” jerseys on Friday. “What a wonderful opportunity for all of our kids. I’m thrilled that the kids got to play in an atmosphere like that, and it was a good ballgame.” Friday’s contest had a unique vibe with both pep bands in attendance and cheerleaders on each dugout. Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and Phillipsburg Mayor Randy Piazza Jr. tossed ceremonial first pitches, and Red Rovers Superintendent Tracy Piazza exchanged the lineup cards with Stateliners Superintendent Greg Troxell. “We just feel like this is a special rivalry with whatever sport you play,” Hess said. About seven months of planning went into Friday’s event, according to Hess. He commended IronPigs directors Allison Valentine and Chad Mazepa for their assistance and St. Luke’s for its sponsorship. “I really think that it’ll grow,” Hess said. “I think next year, as long we can work it out, we’ll get another 1,000 people (in attendance).” The large crowd got its money’s worth on Friday night, but those in garnet and grey were a little more satisfied – finally. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kyle Craig may be reached at [email protected].