Pat the Stat Return to Home Page          Patrick "Pat the Stat" Gordon is one of our trusty statisticians/observers. He is not to be confused with Phillies slugger Pat "The Bat" Burrell. "Stat" is a 2000 North Catholic grad now studying journalism at Temple. He will report on occasional Falcons' games and maybe some others as well. He promises to provide balanced reports.      You may contact Pat at GlassJAw49@aol.com       His own site is here.

MAY 25
CATHOLIC LEAGUE FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF
La Salle 22, North Catholic 8
   “The Falcon never dies.”
   It’s a saying that has circled the hallways of North Catholic for years.
Unfortunately, La Salle gave the Falcons all they could handle on Tuesday
as they eliminated North from the Catholic League playoffs at
Philadelphia University, 22-8. Yes you read that correctly, 22-8.
   The Explorers owned the game from the first pitch as they scored three
runs off of All-Catholic pitcher Craig Kubis in the first inning and
never looked back. At one point, holding a 19-2 lead and ultimately
breaking a Catholic League record for most runs scored in a playoff
game.
   “I thought I was throwing strikes,” said Kubis after the loss. “I
thought I was getting squeezed a little bit but I don’t know. My ball
really wasn’t moving that much. I don’t know what happened, it was just
one of those days.”
   One of those days was an understatement as the Explorers offense
exploded for 19 hits off of Falcons pitching, with 7 hits being for
extra bases. The 10 walks allowed by Falcons pitching certainly didn’t
help either.
   "La Salle hit the ball around and you can’t do too much about that,” said
Falcons captain Stan Orzechowski. “There is only so much you can
control on the field, preparation is the only thing you can really bring
into the game. We came in prepared but we just couldn’t control
La Salle’s hitting.”
  For La Salle, Pat Riley went 3-for-6 with a pair of RBI and John Trainer
went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and two RBI.
   Sophomore Matt Zielinski picked up the win for the Explorers, hurling
four innings while striking out two and giving up two runs. Kubis took
the loss for the Falcons, giving up 10 runs, 6 walks and 6 hits in 2 1/3
innings.
   “His fastball wasn’t like it was all year,” said Falcons manager Gene
Bryan. “He’s a gamer, a real hard nosed kid. But there is no doubt
about it that if the pitches were framed a bit better things would have
been different.”
   Offensively for the Falcons, senior Eddie Jaskowiak clubbed a solo
homerun down the leftfield line, the first of his two-year varsity
career, and All-Catholic infielder Chris Wenger added a pair of hits,
including an RBI triple in the loss.
   Fittingly for the Falcons, Orzechowski, playing in his final game in a
North uniform, paced the offense going 3-for-4 with a double, triple and
a two-run homer along with three runs scored.
   “I feel like I’m moving on to bigger things,” said Orzechowski after the
game. “It was my last game in this uniform and there was nothing that
was going to happen to stop me from going all out. La Salle could have put
up a hundred runs, I was still playing my hardest every inning. It was
my last game, I was going out with a bang.”
   Orzechowski finished the regular season with 10 homers, 26 RBI, 6 stolen
bases and a staggering batting average of .442. He also captained the
Falcons throughout the season and will be playing baseball next fall for
junior college powerhouse Gloucester County.
   “He’s been outstanding all season long,” said Bryan. “It’s been a
pleasure having him with the program. Since his sophomore year he has
just bloomed. If there is ever a teammate you want to play with or for,
it’s Stanley. That goes from showing teammates how to pick up equipment
to how to run a lap.”
   Bryan says he will be back next season in the dugout for the Falcons,
however two All-Catholic seniors in Orzechowski and Kubis along with
four other seniors will not. Undoubtedly, Chris Wenger will be the
Falcons senior captain next season. Unfortunately, early indications
point that the Falcons will have an uphill battle to equal this season’s
success.
   “Next year we will still have somewhat of a nucleus,” said Bryan. “But
pitching will be the key, a lot of kids will be pitching in summer ball
starting soon. There is some very good athletes that are freshman and a
couple sophomore that can throw and they will gel with our juniors and
seniors so we should be able to compete next season.”
   Next season: Another reason why the Falcon will never die.

MAY 20
PUBLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
Frankford 11, Olney 2
   Joe Farina tossed a complete-game one-hitter and clubbed a solo homerun
to lead Frankford over visiting Olney in a Public League quarterfinal on
Thursday, 11-2.
   “Joe hadn’t pitched in over a week,” said Frankford manager Bob Peffle
after the win. “His command wasn’t there early but it certainly got
better as the game went on and as he got into the flow of things.”
   Farina, a 6-2, 220-pound senior, struck out five and walked four while
allowing two runs in the win.
   “I felt good but not like myself early,” said Farina who threw 96
pitches including 58 for strikes. “But I knew it was the playoffs and I
had to give it my best.”
   Farina carried a no hitter into the seventh when Juan Diaz drilled a 1-2
fastball into the leftfield gap for a double.
   “I thought about it right before the pitch to Diaz,” said Farina. “I
was thinking to myself, I think I have a no hitter going and I wanted a
fastball outside to Diaz.” Farina added with an exuberant smile, “It
didn’t go outside.”
   Frankford jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second with RBI singles
by Matt Romanusky, Jeff Newman and Carlos Rosado. Olney answered with
two runs in the third as Edwin Santiago and Arturo Quirindongo reached on
walks and scored.
   Farina scored for Frankford in the third after reaching on a single and
the Pioneers never looked back.
   To complement his one-hitter, Farina went 3-for-4 with a pair of
singles, three runs scored and a homer that cleared the left-center
fence.
   “He’s our horse,” said Peffle. “Obviously he’s a good offensive player,
that’s why he hits third in the lineup.”
   Romanusky, Newman and Geoff Minetola each had two hits in the win for
the Pioneers.
   Felix Madera suffered the loss for Olney, allowing 14 hits and 11 runs
over six innings.
   Frankford will face Washington in the semifinals on Thursday at La Salle
University. The Pioneers won both regular season meetings. The winner
will face either Northeast or Central in the Public League Championship
to be held at La Salle University on June 3rd.
   “There isn’t much you can say,” said Peffle. “Farina has done an
excellent job throughout his entire time here. Hopefully he has two
more good efforts in him.”

MAY 17
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
North Cath. 11, Ryan 10 (9 inn.)
   Many people believe baseball is a game of redemption where players are
given numerous opportunities to redeem themselves after a bad play or
game, or in some cases, even a lousy season.
   North Catholic’s Mike Berretta is certainly a believer.
   Berretta, who struggled mightily in his previous three mound appearances
for the Falcons, pitched four innings in relief, struck out five and had
the game winning hit in the ninth inning to help the Falcons defeat
visiting Archbishop Ryan, 11-10.
   “This is exactly what we needed from Berretta,” said Falcons manager
Gene Bryan. “It was huge to have him pitch decently and put together a
good game. Come playoff time, this may certainly be something we look
back on.”
   Falcons slugger Craig Kubis, who was batting .333 coming into the game,
paced the North offense with two homers and five RBI with his biggest
hit being a game-tying, two-out, two-run homerun well over the leftfield
fence in the seventh inning off Ryan reliever Rob Fisher, sending the
game into extra innings.
   In the ninth inning, two consecutive singles by Chris Wenger and Kubis,
along with an intentional walk to Stan Orzechowski, loaded the bases for
Berretta who promptly sent a ball well over the head of Ryan
centerfielder Tom Dolan, scoring Wenger and the winning run.
   “This was huge for Berretta’s confidence,” said Kubis after the game.
“Not just pitching and getting the win, but putting the ball in play and
getting the winning run home.”
   Catholic League MVP candidate Stan Orzechowski, hampered by a sore
hamstring, played first base for North and clubbed his team leading
tenth home run of the season. Wenger added three hits and Brett Bryan
had an RBI double for the Falcons in the win.
   With the victory the Falcons finished the regular season with a 12-6
league record, clinching third place in the Catholic League’s Northern
division and setting up a first-round playoff match-up with LaSalle next
Tuesday at Philadelphia University.
   The two teams split the season series, with LaSalle winning 9-2 in a
late April contest and with the Falcons winning the most recent game,
8-2.
   “We basically knew we were going to face LaSalle in the first round
coming into this game,” said Bryan. “It was just a matter of seeding
and pride today.”
   The loss knocked the Raiders to 14-4 on the season and dropped them to
second place in the Northern division, behind Conwell-Egan by virtue of
tiebreakers.
   The winner of the LaSalle – North first-round playoff game will face
Ryan in the second-round of the Catholic League playoffs next Wednesday,
also at Philadelphia University.
   “It should be fun,” said Bryan.

MAY 6
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
O'Hara 17, North Catholic 9
   Cardinal O’Hara pitcher Don Werner went 4-for-5 with a homer and five
RBI while pitching 5 1/3 innings as the undefeated Lions extended their
unbeaten streak to 19 games while defeating visiting North Catholic on
Thursday, 17-9.
   Falcons senior pitcher Mike Berretta (3-3) struggled
mightily and failed to get out of the second inning, allowing 10 runs on
five walks and five hits, including a pair of homers to Werner and
Michael Conn.
   Werner got the victory for the Lions, despite allowing eight
runs and 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings. Berretta was the loser for North.
   “The best thing we did today was take Berretta out of the game,” said
Falcons manager Gene Bryan. “We really need him to sit back and really
observe and see what’s going on right now.”
   In his previous outing, Berretta was shelled for 11 hits in four innings
as the Falcons lost to LaSalle 9-2.
   “I don’t know what happened out there today,” said a dejected Berretta
after the loss. “I was confident but the umpire squeezed me a couple of
times and I just kept staying inside and they were hitting home runs.”
   Last season Berretta posted a 3.66 ERA with a 1-3 record and 22
strikeouts in nearly 29 innings, this season his ERA is the highest on
the team at 5.38 along with 25 hits allowed in just 26 innings. “I
don’t really know what to say,” said Bryan. “He’s a great kid, but his
head just isn’t focused on baseball this year.”
   On a positive note for the Falcons, although the final outcome was
decided rather early, the team continued to chip away at the Lions lead,
cutting the deficit to 13-9 by the middle of the fifth.
   “You have to love that,” said Bryan. “It’s a great week to take two out
of three, and it’s a great thing to see these kids battling back.”
   Chris Wenger led the Falcons offensively with three hits and three runs
scored. Craig Kubis contributed with two hits, including a double, and
two RBI in the loss.
   North will play host to LaSalle on Monday before visiting Father Judge
on Wednesday and Bishop McDevitt on Friday.
   “We’re looking at second or third place now,” said Bryan. “That’s a good
thing going into a tough week ahead.”

MAY 4
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
North Catholic 4, Conwell-Egan 1
   Stan Orzechowski’s two-run blast in the bottom of the third inning, his
seventh of the year, highlighted a four run frame, as North Catholic
defeated visiting Conwell-Egan, 4-1. With the win the Falcons forced a
three-way tie for first place in the Northern Division.
   George Fenton led the third inning off with a double and scored on an
RBI single by Timmy Wallace. Wallace moved to second base on a throwing
error and scored on a double by Chris Wenger that banged off of the left
field fence. Wenger eventually scored on Orzechowski’s two-run homer
that cleared the left field fence and capped an outstanding nine-pitch
at-bat.
   Craig Kubis picked up the win for the Falcons, hurling a complete game
while striking out seven and allowing just two hits.
   “Kubis was just outstanding today,” said Falcons manager Gene Bryan.
“He has had a 180-degree turn around from last year in his pitching and
is up there with Orzechowski as a team leader.”
   Fenton, Wenger and Eddie Jaskowiak each had doubles for the Falcons.
   Jon Squire took the loss for the Eagles, allowing four runs and five
hits in two-plus innings.
   With the win the Falcons avenged an early season 12-2 loss to Egan and
climbed into a first place tie with the Eagles and Archbishop Ryan in
the Northern Division.
   “This probably was the biggest game to jump start us for the second part
of the year,” Bryan said. “It was a huge win to take us into the second
half. This win proves that we can beat anyone.”
   Mike Berretta, who was shelled for 11 hits in just four innings in
North’s loss to LaSalle on Friday, will get the start against undefeated
Cardinal O’Hara on Thursday.
   “Hopefully the start against O’Hara will jump-start Berretta’s season,”
Bryan said. “If he gives us a good outing it should definitely put us
over the top.”

APRIL 27
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
North Catholic 10, Kennedy-Kenrick 7
   Mike Berretta hurled four hitless innings and Stan Orzechowski clubbed
two homeruns while driving in five as North Catholic defeated
Kennedy-Kenrick at Piccoli on Tuesday, 10-7.
   With the win, the Falcons improved to 6-2 on the season and nudged ahead
of idle Archbishop Ryan in the Catholic League Northern division.
   Chris Wenger led the game off with a walk and scored on Orzechowski’s
first home run of the game, his fifth of the year. The Falcons added
three more runs in the third on an RBI triple by Craig Kubis and RBI
singles by Orzechowski and Berretta.
   North added five more runs in the fourth, with Orzechowski delivering
his second two-run home run of the game, marking his sixth of the
season. Wenger and Kubis each added an RBI in the inning.
   The Wolverines attempted a late game comeback, scoring four runs in the
sixth off Falcons reliever Danny Hart. Tom Mahoney and D.J. Santora
each reached on walks while Len Delgrippo, Vic Evangelist and Vin Dayton
delivered consecutive hits. The biggest was a two-run homerun over the
left field fence by Dayton.
   K-K added three more runs in the seventh off of Orzechowski, who
relieved Hart. Mahoney and Santora each delivered an RBI single and
Evangelist drove in a run on a fielders-choice. Orzechoski eventually
got Dayton to pop out to second to end the threat and the game.
   Berretta got the win for the Falcons, throwing four strong innings while
striking out five and keeping the Wolverines hitless. Orzechowski
recorded the save, his first of the season.
   Josh Eidell received the loss for the Wolverines, allowing 10 runs and
10 hits over three-plus innings.
   “It was the first of four games today,” said Falcons manager Gene Bryan.
“We accomplished everything we wanted to do today. It was a little
scary at the end, but overall it was a real good game.”

APRIL 19
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
North 7, McDevitt 4
   Stan Orzechowski was mobbed at home plate by teammates when his fly to left cleared the fence for a two-run homer, his third of the year, highlighting a six run fifth inning as North Catholic defeated visiting Bishop McDevitt on Monday, 7-4.
   Jack Walker (1-0) relieved Falcons starter Greg “Big Country” Shaffer and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one
hit while striking out four to pick up the win.
   The Lancers jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the third partly due to walks and aggressive base running. Brian Mitros led off
with a single and stole second and third before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center by Sean Cahill. Shaffer walked Jim Romano and starter T.C. Sawick with two outs before giving up a two out RBI single to Chuck McLaughlin. Shaffer eventually struck out Art Chapman to get out of the inning.
   For McDevitt, Sawick breezed through four innings before being shelled for six hits and six runs, including Orzechowski’s two-run blast and a Craig Kubis double that drove in a pair of runs in the fifth.
   Chris Wenger had two hits and Matt Black added three hits and an RBI in the win, pushing his average to .462. Black, originally
penciled in as the backup to sophomore Sean Murphy behind the plate, is slugging .846 with 11 total bases in six games.
   “We put a spark under him and he’s been extremely positive,” Falcons manager Gene Bryan said. “He’s been the first to practice and the last to leave for the past two weeks. It’s been a big turn around and he’s hot right now.”
   Orzechowski relieved Walker in the seventh inning to record the save, marking his second pitching appearance of the season. The possibility of Orzechowski, an All Catholic centerfielder, becoming the Falcons closer doesn’t seem void of reality. “You actually want him to be known out there,” Bryan said. “He’s the best player on the team and you want your best player to have the ball at the end of the game. If we have any close games you might see him come in during the seventh inning.”
   The Falcons face Father Judge (1-4) on Wednesday before heading into a stretch next week with four games in five days, including two games against division rivals La Salle and Archbishop Ryan. “Next week will be tough,” Bryan said. “We’re going to take it one game at a time. You obviously want to win them all but facing some tough teams, I think a split next week is actually a good thing.”

APRIL 5
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
North Catholic 8, Wood 4
   Senior Craig Kubis allowed one run over five innings and struck out four as North Catholic defeated visiting Archbishop Wood, 8-4. The win was the Falcons second straight and moved the team into first place in the Northern Division.
   “We’re hitting the ball extremely well,” Falcons manager Gene Bryan said after the victory. “Everyone is hitting and making the plays and as long as the pitchers throw strikes we will continue to be successful.”
   North opened the scoring in the first as Chris Wenger led the inning off with a walk and stole second before scoring on an RBI single by Stan Orzechowski. The Falcons added three more runs in the second as Timmy Wallace clubbed an RBI double down the right field line, giving North a 4-0 lead.
   The Vikings avoided the shutout in the fourth when Chris Kirk was forced home with the bases loaded because of a Kubis breaking pitch that hit Vikings starter Brian Klumpp in the back. North answered back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back doubles by Kubis and Orzechowski and took a commanding 7-1 lead.
   Wood staged a last inning comeback, scoring three runs off of Falcons reliever Jack Walker, but Greg “Big Country” Schaffer recorded the final two outs to seal the victory. Walker walked four and hit a batter in just over an inning before being taken out in the seventh.
   “I think we are going to give Walker a start down at JV next week,” Bryan said. “Hopefully that will help get him out of his little slump.”
   Brian Klumpp took the loss for the Vikings, allowing eight runs on 11hits in six innings.
   “We’re going to hit with every team and field with every team this year,” Bryan said. “The whole key is going to be our pitching. If we throw strikes we should be successful.”
Falcons Notes
   After the first two games of the season, the Falcons pitching staff has an opponent’s batting average of .103. Meanwhile, the Falcons offense is batting a staggering .412. North has also outscored their opponents by a margin of, 16-4. The fielding has been outstanding for the Falcons thus far, going errorless in 38 chances.
   Before the season started Bryan named sophomore Sean Murphy the Falcons starting catcher. However, Murphy has yet to get a start while Matt Black and Nick Pantelone have platooned the first two games. “During the last week Black and Pantelone woke up,” Bryan said. “They were both the first guys to practice and the last to leave. The work ethic of both of them is phenomenal right now and maybe Murphy woke them up." Murphy is scheduled to get a start with the JV team next week.

APRIL 1
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
North Catholic 8, West Catholic 0
   Senior Mike Berretta held West Catholic hitless through five innings and
Craig Kubis collected two hits and three RBI as North Catholic defeated
the Burrs in the Catholic League opener for both teams at Piccoli, 8-0.
   The scoring began in the first as Chris Wenger led the game off with a
walk and scored immediately on a Kubis double that bounced off the fence
in the right field gap. Kubis drove in two more runs in the second on a
two-out single, giving the Falcons a 4-0 lead.
   North plated four more runs in the fourth off Steve Roman, who had
relieved Burrs starter Kevin Gardner an inning earlier. Timmy Wallace
led off the inning and doubled down the right field line and eventually
scored on a throwing error by Burrs catcher Kyle Whalen. Senior Eddie
Jaskowiak added an RBI triple.
   Berretta got the win for the Falcons, striking out five while walking
just two in the abbreviated no-hitter. Gardner gave up four runs on
five hits while walking two in two innings in the loss for the Burrs.
   George Fenton went three-for-three on the day with two stolen bases in
the win.
   The game was played in an intermittent rain and was eventually halted in
top of the sixth due to lightning. The win marked the second
consecutive season that North has defeated the Burrs in the season
opener. Last season the Falcons won, 13-1.
   "This was an excellent way to start the season," Falcons manager Gene
Bryan said. "Berretta pitched extremely well and everybody hit the
ball, up and down the lineup."

MARCH 25
NORTH CATHOLIC PREVIEW
   Tom Wenger laid the foundation with a playoff appearance last season.
Now the future of the North Catholic baseball program is in the hands of
a new skipper and an old friend in Gene Bryan.
   Wenger was forced to step down from his managerial position during the
winter due to personal time constraints. During his three-year tenure
the Falcons were 18-36 and clinched a playoff spot just once.
   Bryan was Wenger’s assistant during those three years and certainly
isn’t a stranger to winning or the North Catholic baseball program,
capturing a Catholic League championship with the school in 1981 as a
third baseman under coach Larry Conti.
   “I’m honored and in awe to be coaching North Catholic baseball,” Bryan
said. “It’s the thing you always wanted to do when growing up,
especially having a son involved with the team (Brett). It’s neat.”
   Although this year’s Falcons squad is not a championship caliber team
like the ’81 squad, they are very good.
   First Team All Catholic star Stan Orzechowski is undoubtedly the Falcons
top threat, offensively and defensively. Orzechowski’s statistics were
similar to Chris Lubanski’s last season, the Gatorade National Player of
the Year who attended Kennedy-Kenrick and was selected by the Kansas
City Royals as the fifth pick in Major League Baseball’s 2003 amateur
draft. Orzechowski’s .460 average and 13 stolen bases were both team
highs.
   Offensively, Bryan says Orzechowski will bat third in the lineup, and
will provide consistency in a batting order that lacked any real
stability last season. Speed is Orzechowski’s strongest asset but Bryan
doesn’t believe that putting him in the three spot will jeopardize his
mindset at the plate.
   “We had a long talk about that,” Bryan said. “A lot of teams aren’t
going to pitch to Stanley and he knows that. He’s going to simply
concentrate on hitting strikes.”
   Defensively, Orzechowski will play centerfield and will captain a
relatively unproven outfield. Although his talent on the field is highly
valued, it’s the intangibles that make Orzechowski so valuable to the
team.
   “Stanley’s the rock,” Bryan said. “He’s the foundation, he’s leading by
example. All the young kids, sophomores and juniors, are basically
looking up to him. He’s leading by what he does.”
   Behind Orzechowski, second baseman Chris Wenger will play an extremely
important role in the Falcons success. As a Second Team All Catholic
selection last season, Wenger batted .327 in the leadoff position while
playing solid defense at second base. The junior will bat out of the
leadoff position again this season.
   Pitchers Craig Kubis and Mike Berretta will give some seniority to a
rather untested pitching staff that graduated a First Team All Catholic
hurler in Shaun Gallagher. Kubis and Berretta were both overshadowed by
Gallagher, going a combined 1-3 while posting an ERA well over four last
season. Juniors Greg “Big Country” Shaeffer and Jack Walker will round
out the pitching staff.
   Although the four members of the staff combined to pitch under
40-innings last season, inexperience doesn’t seem to concern Bryan. “All
four of them have been throwing well,” Bryan said. “Walker pitched at
the junior varsity level last year and for a few innings with varsity,
he should be fine.”
   Starting the season behind the plate will be sophomore Sean Murphy.
Murphy beat out senior Matt Black for the starting position. “Murphy’s
going to start the season behind the plate for us,” Bryan said. “He has
the best arm and was the best athlete to put back there. We tried three
of them back there, Murphy just beat them out.” Junior Nick Pantelone
was the other contender.
  The wildcard this season will be the play of senior first baseman Eddie
Jaskowiak. Last season Jaskowiak struggled mightily at the plate,
batting just .125 while coming off the bench as a junior. Bryan thinks
Jaskowiak is ready to be an everyday player this season and expects him
to contribute significantly offensively.
   “Originally I was playing with the idea of putting him behind the plate,
but the way Sean Murphy has been stepping up, I’m going to keep him at
first base,” Bryan said. “I think he’s going to have a big year hitting
behind Stanley. He’s going to see more pitches and is certainly going
to be a big key in our lineup.”
   With Wenger, Orzechowski, and Jaskowiak at the top of the lineup, the
main concern this year will be the bottom of the order. Last season it
struggled mightily, batting a woeful .186. Wenger seemed extremely
patient with his players last season; Bryan will not be as tolerant.
   “If they struggle we are going to have to juggle things around,” Bryan
said. “The guys we have batting in the bottom of the order are going to
have to hit or they just wont be in the lineup.”
   Regardless of how much the bottom of the order struggles, Bryan says he
will not move Wenger from the leadoff spot to lower in the order.
   “Timmy Wallace, who did a good job for us last season, is going to bat
ninth this year,” Bryan said. “He’s going to be like an extra leadoff
hitter, a lefty batting ninth. I think that will help out the lineup a
lot.”
   Wallace batted .222 last season while playing in seven games for the
varsity club.
   Overall, this season should be a successful one for the program. With a
mix of two or three legitimate offensive threats alongside two solid
starters, the Falcons should make their second consecutive playoff
appearance this season. However, the bottom of the order and the
backend of the rotation still have some question marks.
   “It’s going to be how we pitch this year,” Bryan said. “We’re going to
make the plays and we’re going to hit the ball. We’re going to play
baseball.”
   All the pieces are present to make Bryan’s first season as the Falcons
manager a successful one. The senior leadership along with a few All
Catholic candidates should certainly prove to be enough to produce
another trip to the Catholic League playoffs.
   “Tom simply laid the foundation here,” Bryan said. “We’re simply just
filling it in.”
STAT’S PREDICTION: 11-7

MARCH 11
NON-LEAGUE
North Cath. 7, Northeast 4 (6 inn.)
   Craig Kubis pitched a scoreless inning and Stan Orzechowski drove in three
runs as North Catholic defeated visiting Northeast at Piccoli on Thursday, 7-4.
Kubis, fighting for the top spot on the Falcons pitching staff, finished last
season with a 12.02 ERA in two relief appearances while coming off an injury
to the growth plate in his non-throwing arm. Northeast opened the scoring in the first
on a bases-loaded Joe Cross grounder that was bobbled by Falcons shortstop Timmy
Wallace. The Falcons answered back in the second, scoring three runs with Eddie
Jaskoviak leading the charge with a two-out two-run single to the rightfield gap. The
Falcons added four more runs in the fifth with Orzechowski driving in two
on a standup triple that nearly traveled over the leftfield fence. Northeast attempted
a late inning comeback in the sixth, scoring three runs on Orzechowski who was in
for relief, but fell short. On the day the Falcons threw six different pitchers in each of the
six-innings. First year head coach Gene Bryan says he just wants to see what he has for
when the games count. "Not many teams can do what we did today," said Bryan
after the win. "It was a real nice job, a lot of teams don't do that, pitch six guys in
six-innings. Overall, I was really pleased with the way we played." Despite being pleased
with the way his team played on the field, Bryan seemed a little disappointed with the
mental preparedness of the team. "Enthusiasm is something we need to see more of,
we have to stay up for the entire game," said Bryan. "We just can't have guys [mentally]
going on and off." Senior southpaw Andrew Lihotz gave up three runs and walked five in
three-innings in the loss for Northeast. Kubis got the win for the Falcons. The game
was called after six-innings due to darkness. The Falcons will host Mastbaum on Monday.