The biggest change, however, is the experience he and his fellow sophomore starters now have. Thrown into the fire a year ago, all grew up fast and now are looking to accelerate that growth. Gardner helped do just that Saturday at Winder Field.

Gardner went 3 for 3 with three RBIs and a walk, earning the win as well by throwing two shutout innings as Muncy defeated St. John Neumann, 17-1 in three innings. Fellow sophomores Jameson Barlow and Kynton Fish delivered two hits each and Nick Delany slammed a home run as Muncy (3-2, 3-0 Mid-Penn) scored nine runs before Neumann batted.

“Last year I was down in confidence and now I’m starting to have more confidence at the plate and to play the game all-around,” Gardner said. “I feel like I’m way ahead of last year. I’ve gotten settled down.”

So have the other players who were making a big leap from junior high to varsity last season. So, despite not having their top two pitchers available yet this season, Muncy has generated some momentum, continuing it Saturday with every starter reaching base and seven collecting hits.

Kane Meixel of St. John Neumann singles in the third inning against Muncy at Winder Field Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 17-1. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“Last year I started anywhere from 3-5 freshmen a game and they got thrown in there and we discussed this year that you’re not freshmen anymore,” Muncy coach Shawn Finn said. “You’re almost veterans already as sophomores. A few of them are taking that role on. With last years’ experience, it’s paying off for them.”

Gardner is highlighting that while flourishing in his new batting slot. The sophomore pitcher/infielder opened the game with a bunt single, belted a two-run double later that inning and added a third-inning RBI single.

The original plan was for Gardner to resume hitting ninth this year. Finn, though, asked Gardner about moving to the top spot during the preseason and it was an easy sell.

“I had a talk with him and he said, ‘Yeah, Coach I’ll do it,'” Finn said. “He’s been doing it ever since and he’s been doing a great job, and he will remain in that spot.”

Through five games, Gardner is hitting .438 and has a .500 on-base percentage. He seemed at ease in the box Saturday, going the opposite way with his two-run, two-strike double before again delivering with two strikes an inning later, lacing his RBI single.

Maddix Snyder of Muncy singles against St. John Neumann in the third inning at Winder Field Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 17-1. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“I was really comfortable,” Gardner said. “Everything felt smooth in the box. Everything came together.”

That translated to the mound. Gardner retired six of the seven batters he faced, allowing only Clark Bower’s one-out single in the first inning. The right-hander improved to 2-0 and struck out four, all consecutively, following that Bower single.

It certainly helped that Gardner had a nine-run lead. He possesses good velocity but also has nice movement on his curveball. With a nine-run cushion, Gardner could just focus on the strike zone and 20 of his 28 pitches went for strikes.

“I was feeling good. I was pretty dialed in. I was just trying to throw strikes,” Gardner said. “I wasn’t trying to pump too much. That lead gives you a lot of confidence out there.”

So does having Fish behind the plate.

Jameson Barlow of Muncy hits an RBI single against St. John Neumann in the third inning at Winder Field Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 17-1. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Fish and Gardner have played together for a while and Fish catching as a freshman last year. A player who helps limit opposing running games, Fish also blocks pitches well and helps the staff locate pitches. Put it all together, and Fish is a calming presence who takes a burden off all pitchers, including Kase Snyder, who struck out two while closing out the win.

“It’s amazing what he does. He helps me out a lot,” Gardner said. “I put a lot of trust in him to pick the spot, and he can frame it really well.”

Fish drew a first inning walk and started a run of 12 straight batters reaching base. He added an RBI single later that inning and a two-run single in the second inning, highlighting a five-run burst which put Muncy ahead, 14-0.

Delany opened that inning with a no-doubt home run over the center field fence. Vinny Finochiaro belted a two-run single, Graden Dohl drove in two runs and Maddix Snyder roped a pinch-hit single. Barlow capped his day with an RBI third-inning single, giving Muncy a 17-0 advantage.

“The kids were relaxed today. It was just great to play on a beautiful day like this,” Finn said. “We just have to build off this moving forward and keep getting better every day.”

Muncy catcher Kynton Fisher tries to make the play as Kane Meixel of St. John Neumann scores in the third inning at Winder Field Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 17-1. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

That is Neumann’s focus as well. The Knights (1-5) are in the same position as Muncy was a year ago with several players competing for the first time at the varsity level, including three seniors who are playing baseball for the first time, period.

There have been bright spots for a team which reached last year’s District 4 Class A championship and some more shined through Saturday. Bower continued his strong season, going 2 for 2 and Kane Meixel scorched a two-out single in the third inning. Bower followed with his RBI double, scoring a hustling Meixel as Neumann went down swinging.

Muncy came out swinging and reversed an early-season trend while doing so. The Indians rallied for their first two wins, opening the season with an exciting seventh inning rally at Sugar Valley where they turned a one-run deficit into a 7-5 victory.

This time, Muncy wasted no time setting the tone and totaled eight hits through two innings. It also made no errors and built some momentum going into a big week against three likely playoff teams in Montgomery, Benton and Millville.

“It felt amazing to get ahead for once,” Gardner said. “We’ve been down a lot this year, so it felt great to start strong and get the win.”

Corbyn Gardner of Muncy singles in the third inning against St. John Neumann at Winder Field Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 17-1. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Muncy 953–17 11 0

Neumann 001–1 3 1

Corbyn Gardner, Kase Snyder (3) and Kynton Fish. Kaden White, Avery Taddeo (1), Clark Bower (3) and Bower, Justin Crosby (3). W–Gardner. L–White.

Top Muncy hitters: Gardner 3-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, R; Fish 2-2, 3 RBIs, R; Jameson Barlow 2-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, R; Nick Delany 1-2, HR, RBI, 2R; Vinny Finochiaro 1-1, BB, 2 RBIs, 2R; Maddix Snyder 1-1; Brody Goss 1-1, 2R. Top Neumann hitters: Bower 2-2, 2B, RBI; Kane Meixel 1-2, R.

Records: Muncy 3-2. Neumann 1-5.

Corbyn Gardner of Muncy delivers a pitch to St. John Neumann during the second inning at Winder Field Saturday afternoon. Muncy won 17-1. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette