Huck's Corner Return to TedSilary.com Home Page     Ed "Huck" Palmer is one of our trusty statisticians/observers. He is not to be confused with Tom "Puck" McKenna. (Huck is normal. Puck is not even close.) He will make reports on games he sees.     You may contact him at TEDDYCAT10@aol.com.

MAY 24
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SECOND ROUND PLAYOFF
Bonner 7, O'Hara 3
    The Lions began the day on a serious roll and had hopes of capturing their fourth victory in five days against a Catholic League South opponent in a win-or-go-home-scenario. A victory today would’ve catapulted the Lions into the CL semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. So, early on it was very evident that their recent momentum aided them in snatching a quick 3-0 lead. However, the initial adrenaline quickly evaporated and before long the Friars, behind tremendous pitching in a relief role by sr. RHP Rob Graham, muted the Lions hopes of pulling off the improbable.  Graham entered the game in the second with one out and runners on second and third. His team was already trailing 3-0 and Lions were looking to increase that lead after sending Friar ace sr. RHP Sean Fitzgerald to an early shower.  Graham, who has had an up and down year, but also has vast ability, was having none of it. He fanned slugging sr. LF Rob Crowley for the second out and then got the hot-hitting jr. RHP/3B Marco Menna to roll out to third to end the inning. Graham’s mates responded to his major pick-me-up and immediately knotted the game in their half of the second. They would go on to seize control with another three spot in the home third.  But before we get to those highlights lets go back to Graham’s performance. He would go on to work the final five frames with a minimum amount of cause for concern. The Lions did place runners on second and third with one out in the fifth after jr. RF Matt Izzi lined a double down into the left field corner. But Graham dug-in and fanned the next two hitters to rain on O’Hara’s comeback parade. In the seventh, like a shark smelling blood in the water, Graham reached back and in a it’s-time-to-make-a-statement-fashion dusted the Lions by whiffing the side. Very impressive!! All total, Graham worked the final 5 2/3 innings, scattered four hits, and struck out nine. He did not walk a batter. I’ve said all year that I thought this kid had the best arm and stuff in the Southern Division. I know his season hasn’t gone exactly like he or the Bonner coaching staff had hoped, but the potential to unleash such a performance was always there. Today, he showed what he is capable of by silencing a hot and very good hitting O’Hara team. Very nice job, kid! The Friars didn’t exactly pound the ball all over the field, but they did get some timely hits and definitely made the Lions pay for some fielding miscues. In the second, sr. RF Steve DeBarberie led off with a flare to center for a hit. He moved to second on a ground out. Next, sr. C Ryan Hunt narrowly got a ball over sr. SS Harry Duke’s glove for another hit. DeBarberie had to wait to see if the ball would be caught and then had to hustle to make it safely into third. When soph. CF Joe Sessa’s throw caromed away Hunt reached second. Then, sr. DH Mike Coleman slammed a rocket in the hole between first and second to score both DeBarberie and Hunt, making the score 3-2. Nine-hole hitter sr. SS Brian Meagher followed and lofted a ball to the right field corner that was dropped for a two-base error, putting runners on second and third. Sr. CF Mike Dunn came up next and with the infield in chopped a ball just to the right of Duke who fired home only to see Coleman slide in safely for the third run of the inning.  In the third, after jr. 1B Tim Dougherty was plunked and DeBarberie was safe on an error, soph. 3B Matt Gallagher drilled a ball to left-center off the Blue Monster for a two-run double. Hunt followed with a double of his own over Sessa’s head in center to plate Gallagher and increase Bonner’s advantage to 6-3.  From an offensive standpoint things died down considerably, as Graham and a couple of O’Hara hurlers settled in. However, the Friars did tack on another run for good measure in the sixth. And it was good to see fan-favorite and all-around super kid sr. 1B Colin Liberatore right in the middle of it. Sr. LF Tom Tarpey reached on an error with one out. With two outs he stole second and then came home when Liberatore stroked a single through the right side. Colin grabbed additional cheers from the Bonner faithful when he went on to steal both second and third.  Here’s a thought for all you out there --- Good things and great moments happen to quality kids! Liberatore definitely fits this bill. The trio of Gallagher, Hunt, and Coleman went 5-for-8, with five RBI’s and a walk. The rest of the Friar line-up went just 2-for-20. They’re going to need much more of a team effort if they plan on knocking off Conwell-Egan in the semi’s this Saturday. Especially with sr. RHP and Northern Division MVP Brian Herman on the hill. DeBarberie scored two runs, while Tarpey swiped a pair of bases.  Fitzgerald, who has been the number one horse in skipper John Fleming’s stable all year, just didn’t have it today. Many of his pitches were up and like Fleming stated after the game, “This was O’Hara’s second time seeing him in a week’s time.” He just appeared to have tough time getting comfortable, but fortunately his pitch count was low enough, and with two off days, he’ll more than likely be able to come back on Saturday. The kid has been a rock all year and a big-time bounce-back wouldn’t surprise me at all. The Lions looked extremely hungry early and littered the bases with runners. With one out in the opening stanza jr. 2B Pat Young went the other way and doubled off the base of the 309’ fence down the right field line. Sr. 1B Jonathan Szeliga followed with a ringing double of his own that one-hopped the wall to left of the 400' marker in center field that easily scored Young. Crowley followed with a sharp hit to right and Szeliga scored when the ball was bobbled, giving the Lions an early 2-0 lead. O’Hara went on to load the bases in that inning after walks to Izzi and Sessa, but Fitzgerald got sr. 3B Tom Connelly to fly out to right. O’Hara second run was again courtesy of the sweet-swinging Szeliga who ripped a ball up the middle that scored jr. DH Jon Yuravage. This is when Graham entered the game and quickly restored order. Young finished the day 4-for-4, with a stolen base. This kid is a nice-looking player, who swings a solid stick and runs well. Szeliga went 2-for-4, with 2 RBI’s. He isn’t sure whether or not he wants to play ball in college, possibly at West Chester or Widener, but it won’t be for a lack of talent. He is as good a hitter as I have seen all year and showed a pretty nifty glove during the last two days too.  The Lions used four pitchers today; Menna (starter), jr. RHP Kevin Culbert, soph RHP Zac Tansey, and RHP Connelly. Culbert who picked up back-to-back wins over the weekend took the loss. Tansey pitched two scoreless and hitless innings and did a nice job of giving his team a chance to comeback. Defensively, Menna made a couple of outstanding plays at the hot corner.  First, he caught a ball on a full over-the-shoulder dive that was flared just behind the bag and in foul territory. Coincidently, the Lions ended up getting a DP on the play, as sr. CR Vince Sculli was ruled that he had left early after the catch. From my vantage point I thought it was dynamite heads-up play by Sculli and that he did in fact tag-up properly. Later, Menna made nice sprawling play to his left. Sessa made an excellent diving catch of a ball that was sinking fast in center.  Once again, I can’t help but spread the word on the tremendous job Widener baseball coach Steve Carcarey and his staff do throughout the game. Great job fellas!!! In yesterday’s report I called the big wall in left the Widener Monster. Prior to the game Steve informed that they refer to it as the Blue Monster. It’s fitting! This will be Bonner’s first semifinal appearance since 2002. They will take on Conwell-Egan at noon on Saturday. LaSalle, a 4-0 winner over Father Judge will play St. Joe’s Prep in the second game.  The weather is supposed to be decent, so I advise all of you who are fans of high school baseball to make the trip out to Widener. The facility is really nice and the four teams involved should provide some quality ball. Of course, yours truly will be getting updates from the shore, where I’ll be spinning the hot wax Saturday afternoon. Yes, it’s that time of year already. Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all!!

MAY 23
CATHOLIC LEAGUE FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF
O'Hara 8, Kennedy-Kenrick 1
     Less than two weeks ago the Lions trailed Neumann-Goretti entering the bottom of the seventh 5-1. Their playoff hopes were hanging by threads and it appeared that their rollercoaster of a season would end without an appearance in the Catholic League second season. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, they erupted for five runs and walked-off with a 6-5 win in that game, thanks to a grand slam by sr. LF Rob Crowley. Though the Lions lost their next game 2-1 to rival Monsignor Bonner in ten innings and heartbreaking fashion, they have since reeled off four consecutive must-win games. Included in this were victories over Roman and Carroll this past weekend in pre-playoff contests that settled the fourth spot in the Southern Division. Today, at Widener’s new and beautiful baseball complex they bested the third-seeded Wolverines in routine fashion. Skipper Frank Allison just had to be overjoyed to see his club execute in three facets of the game; hitting, pitching, and defense. The Lions had all kinds of base runners in the first three innings, but they could only manage to plate one run. Winning pitcher soph. lefty Joe Sessa scored on a line shot single up the middle by jr. CF/2B Pat Young. Jr. C Joe Collelouri provided a nice sacrifice bunt to assist in the cause. The Wolverines would tie the game in their half of the third when frosh. DH Christian Walker smoked a ball down third that ate up jr. 3B Marco Menna. This plated sr. SS Dennis Morgan who doubled to the left-center gap to begin the inning. The Lions parade to the bases continued in the fourth and fifth innings, but instead of wasting opportunities they made the Wolverines pay with a trio of runs in each stanza to grab a comfortable 7-1 lead. In the fourth, sr. 2B/SS Tom Connelly started the inning by reaching base on an error. Sr. SS/RHP Harry Duke slammed a double off the Widener Monster in left. Young followed with a SF to right to produce the first run. Sweet-swinging sr. 1B Jonathan Szeliga ripped a shot up the middle to score Duke. Then, after he stole second he came around on a single by Menna to make it 4-1 Lions. In the fifth, Collelouri walked to lead-off the inning. Jr. CR Kevin Culbert entered to run for the catcher and he immediately came home when Connelly stroked a double to the left-center gap. With a couple of outs mixed in, Young would single and Crowley would walk to load the bases. Again, just like an inning earlier Menna proved to be clutch has he belted a two-out, two-run single to right, making the score 7-1 Lions. For good measure they would add an eighth run in the seventh when Young scored on a double by Szeliga and a misplay by a K-K outfielder. Lions banged out 14 hits (All but two were singles) on the day. They had base runners all afternoon and despite scoring eight times, they still managed to leave eleven on the base paths. Eight of nine players in the line-up had at least one hit. And every player contributed in some form. Young finished 2-for-4, with a pair of runs and RBI’s. Szeliga went 2-for-5 and even his three outs were hit hard. Crowley added a pair of singles. Menna reached base all four times going 3-for-3 (also a HBP) and knocking in three runs. Finally, nine-hole hit Connelly scored twice and banged out to hits. Definitely a team effort! Pitching has been a sore spot for the Lions at times this year, but in the last two games Allison’s staff has allowed a mere two runs over fourteen innings. Today, Sessa got the rock and he pretty much kept the usually hard-hitting Wolverines off balance while he worked. He pitched into the fifth (4 1/3 inn.) before exiting for Duke. Using both sides of the plate and constantly changing speeds he allowed just the one run and scattered four hits. He fanned four and walked only one. For a youngster I really like the composure this kid demonstrates. He appears to have a really good sense on how to pitch already. I expect plenty of good moments from him over the next couple of years. Duke entered the game with runners on first and second, but was able to strike out both hitters he faced to end the frame. Nice job! The Wolverines went rather peacefully over their last two AB’s and could manage just one hit off of Duke. He finished with four K’s and no walks during the final 2 2/3 innings. He limited his pitches to just 34 and though he threw three innings on Sunday too, he may be able to give his club an inning or two tomorrow versus Bonner. Defensively, both Menna and Connelly made diving stops to prevent hits. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that I expected a little more from the Wolverines, at least in the lumber department. This team has hit pretty consistently all year and if they were going to go down I thought it would be in more of a shootout. However, six of their nine starters are underclassmen and maybe the stage and early deficit made their mark. In only one inning could they manage multiple hits and any hints of a threat was few and far between. Leadoff hitter jr. 2B/RHP Tom Mahoney singled, sacrificed, and walked in three plate appearances. To further prove how bad of a day it was for the Wolverines both soph. CF Andrew Gulotta and sr. RF Kevin Barnett unleashed strong and accurate throws to the plate only to see the O’Hara runners narrowly beat their tosses. Jr. RHP Mike Fazio got the start and went the first four innings, allowing four runs (just two earned) on nine hits. He fanned three and walked one. Mahoney relieved him and went 2 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs (3 earned) on five hits, striking out three and walking two. In what appeared to be a classy move by the K-K coaching staff sr. RHP Matt Stehman relieved Mahoney with two outs in the seventh. He was able to whiff the only batter he faced. In their half of the seventh Stehman got an AB too. This kid was the only senior not to play for the Wolverines to this point, and it occurred to me that the coaches wanted to make sure he got a taste of CL playoff action. Very nice gesture! Major props to Widener Head Coach Steve Carcarey and his staff in providing an enjoyable time for everyone who attended today’s game. Especially those of us who sat perched on top of the PA room directly behind home plate. Tremendous view!!! I sat up of there with Paul Flannery who covers baseball for the Daily Times in Delaware County and a couple of other reporters. At one point Carcarey sent us sodas, pretzels, and some pork sandwiches. Much appreciated!!! As for Widener’s new field --- SHARP!!! I really like it and I can see many more CL baseball playoffs being held here. The field sits in what would be very, very deep right field of the old field and is directly beside I-95. In fact, from what I was told the Pioneers had to lose some home games because the fence that prevented foul balls from going onto the highway didn’t meet regulations. That problem has been corrected and I venture to say that the netting is now roughly 60-to-70 feet in height. Today, just one ball made it over the fence, but I don’t think it reached the highway. The field itself is immaculate! There is a scoreboard beyond centerfield, though it wasn’t working today because they are waiting for a part to arrive. The dimensions from left-to-right are: 300’-358’-400’-370’-309’. Yes, it’s a little short in left, but the wall is 30-to-35 in height, which definitely makes it a more respectable. In the school’s traditional light blue and yellow colors it reads – Widener University! This is really a nice venue and I’m not even sure it is completely finished. To those who contributed on this project, great job!

MAY 22
CL SOUTH
Neumann-Goretti 4, West 1
   These teams closed out their seasons in a make-up game at WC’s wind-swept field at 46th & Haverford. To say that they breezed through it would be an understatement. The game lasted a mere 1:28 due in large part to wonderful pitching. The Saints gave the ball to their ace and division MVP, sr. Albert DiDomenico, and in the end it was good to see the kid earn the W. The 1st-Team All-Catholic lefty hurler had just one other victory during league season (O’Hara), but was on the short end of some tough loses. Today, he allowed just four Burrs to reach base on a pair of hits (one infield) and walks. His best pitch today was a dazzling change-up, which led him to fan 14 Burrs in the game. He appeared to get even stronger as the game went on and concluded things with nine K’s over the last ten outs. He threw an economical 90 pitches on the day, with just 25 of them being balls. Over the last four innings he managed to throw just eight pitches that were out of the strike zone. Whoa! Like I mentioned, it was great to see him experience a win to close out his CL career. Because his team didn’t fair all that well this season, he is sort of an unknown. So, when he walked away was the league’s MVP last week, I’m sure many eyebrows were raised. Trust me, though, the kid is a good ballplayer and in a year when there wasn’t one dominant player, he was as deserving as any to garner such an award.  Great job, excellent season!! Offensively, neither he or his mates brought much lumber with them, but they did have enough splinters to get the job done.  They scored all they needed in the opening stanza. Sr’s LF Anthony Giletto and 3B Mark Cortese started the game with back-to-back singles. After a couple outs were recorded, sr. RF Mike “Pete” Townsend drew a walk to load the bases. Jr. SS George Hatton followed with a hard smash just over the third base bag for a two-run double. The Saints would add single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Jr. 1B Andrew March singled home jr. CR Frank Novelli (courtesy for frosh. C Joey Armata, who reached on an error) for the third Saints tally. The fourth run was scored when Giletto singled home jr. 2B Christian Varalli, who had also reached on a Burr miscue. Giletto finished 2-for-4 and added two swipes. Hatton also finished 2-for-4.  Defensively, not much was needed as only seven outs came courtesy of the fielders behind DiDomenico. Hatton handled three plays at shortstop, while Varalli calmly gloved a couple at second base.  Despite the loss, West sr. RHP Steven Powers competed and threw well for the Burrs. He went the distance and just two of the four runs he allowed were earned. He scattered eight hits, walked just one, and fanned four. He tossed 114 pitches (71 strikes) in the game. His pitch count actually caused an --- Only in the Cath moment! At the conclusion of the game West assistant Buzzy Woods commented to me that Steven pitched well enough to win. That he only threw 87 pitches. Hold on a second here! 87? I told him that I had 114, I might have missed a few, but not that many. So, he went over and mentioned it to the players who were keeping the count. They said,  “Round it off to 100. We were guessing a little and didn’t want his total to be too high. We wanted him to stay in the game.”  Ha ha ha,…Classic! The Burrs scored their lone run in the first on a nice hustle play by jr. SS Derek Rouse, who led-off the game with a first-pitch single between third and short. A walk to frosh. C Ed Colon put runners on first and second. Then, Powers hit a ball fielded up the middle by Hatton, who stepped on second and threw to first. His throw skipped and avoided March, thus allowing Rouse to score from second. The only other Burr hit was an infield single to deep short by sr. LF Rob Murray.  Rouse was the other Burr to reach base after he worked a third inning walk. Rouse made a terrific play from deep in the hole to cut down a runner at second. Jr. 2B John Whalen made a nice stretch and scoop on the low throw.  I got the chance to see a few of the prominent members of West Catholic’s football team early in the game. I chatted with: Anthony Rhoades, Isiah Edmond, Marc Holloway, and Ode Evans for an inning or so. Edmond exclaimed, “I know a little about baseball. I know what a full count means.” When I asked what he said, “three balls and two outs.”…….Only in the Cath! As I was just finishing up this report my cell phone rang and it was none other than, Tom "Puck” McKenna. So, I answered and said hello, which prompted him to say, “Who’s this?” Tom, you called me!…..Only in the TS.Com!!

MAY 18
CL SOUTH
Kennedy-Kenrick 7, Neumann-Goretti 3
     Entering today’s league finale the Wolverines knew one thing --- Win, and at minimum they would find themselves in a play-in game for the fourth playoff spot in the CL Southern Division. So, after the final out was recorded not only did they secure a playoff spot, but they also found out that they had captured the third place slot due to other happenings around the league. Meanwhile, Carroll, Roman, and O’Hara all finished (7-7) and will scramble to play each other this weekend to settle the fourth spot in next week’s playoffs.  Today, K-K broke things open with a five-run third and pretty much coasted from there on.  In the inning the Wolverines sent ten men to the plate and banged out six hits.  Those providing run-producing knocks were: jr. SS Tom Mahoney (single), sr. C D.J. Santoro (Triple), frosh. 3B Christian Walker (Sac Fly), and jr. CF Andrew Gulotta (single).  Another run was scored when jr. RF Mike Fazio came across after jr. LF Carlo Petrillo singled and the ball skipped pass the N-G right fielder. An inning earlier Petrillo boomed a triple to deep left-center and scored on a Gulotta ground out to plate K-K’s first run. The Wolverines final run came in the fifth and was courtesy of a double by Gulotta that scored Fazio who had reached on an error. I really like the way this team swings the bats. They’re very aggressive and all seem to swing from the heels. One thru nine they’re right there as one of the premier hitting squads in the Southern Division. Mahoney finished 2-for-4, with one each of a run, RBI, and stolen base. Also, he showed a nifty glove at shortstop. Usually, he’s the second baseman, but sr. RHP Dennis Morgan who normally plays short was on the mound today. In the middle innings he made two lovely plays to thwart a Saints comeback bid.  First, he hustled inward to bare-hand a ball that deflected off of Morgan. In the seventh, after the Saints got their first two men on base he handled a hot shot up the middle and turned a nice unassisted twin-killing. Though it appeared that the runner beat the play.  Aside from these two plays he successfully handled four other chances and was in the middle of 1-6-3 double play.  This kid has a gritty edge to him that I like. Petrillo reached base three times and scored twice. Gulotta (2-for-4) knocked in three runs.  Sr. 2B Kevin Barnett made a dynamite diving play between first and second to prevent possible damage. On the play he laid out as far as he could go and then had to throw from his knees, bouncing a ball to first to nip N-G star sr. LHP/CF Albert DiDomenico.  In the first inning Gulotta made a nice diving catch on a ball hit to center. Morgan went the distance for the win and though he was by no means lights out, he was effective.  The quick worker needed just 90 pitches to complete the game.  He only managed one strikeout and surprisingly six walks (It didn’t seem like that many), while scattering six hits. As I mentioned, he did benefit from some solid defense behind him, as his mates played errorless ball. This team could pose some problems in next week’s playoffs if they play defense like they did today, as well as get some decent pitching. Make no mistake, they will attack the baseball at the plate and scoring runs shouldn’t be a major concern. The Saints were a hit or two away from making this much more of a sweat for the Wolverines.  They had multiple base runners in five of the seven innings, but a couple of DP’s and solid K-K defense prevented major damage. They scored single runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings. Jr. SS George Hatton (2-for-3, HBP) plated sr. 3B Mark Cortese (BB) with a single in the third. DiDomenico scored sr. LF Anthony Giletto (3 BB’s) with a single up the middle in the fifth. In the sixth, sr. CF/RF Jim “Foundation” Vanarsdale bashed a double to left-center and came home on a ground out by frosh. C Joey Armata. DiDomenico suffered the loss, giving up six runs (5 earned) in three innings of work. Jr. RHP Christian Varalli worked the final four innings and allowed just one unearned run on two hits. Defensively, Hatton had a strong game at shortstop making four plays that came his way. Twice, he demonstrated an accurate and strong arm from the hole.  Vanarsdale nicely went back to track down a ball driven by the impressive Walker. In the first, DiDomenico prevented a run we he nipped a player at first on a slow hit ball up the third base line. Jr. 2B Frank Novelli initiated a nice double play turned by the Saints. Kudos! To N-G skipper Gaeton Lucibello and his crew for always having the field behind the old St. John Neumann high school in tip-top shape. You can just tell that all involved handle this with much pride. Speaking of his crew, Lucibello exclaimed that assistant Matt “Cauls” McCauley is terrible with a rake. McCauley acknowledged that he has a tough time letting the rake do the work. This led me to quip, and when you do have rake in-hand, people driving by can’t tell which one is the rake. Badda-boom!!!! This was in reference to Cauls’ slim physique. Late in the game I successfully handled a foul ball, on an in-between hop, with my left no less (Ha ha!). After the inning N-G assistant Fran Ciociola let it be known that with that play I had passed my boy (Cauls) for the entire season.  The game started off with ominous skies and heavy winds blowing directly in. A light rain fell early on, but after an inning or so things began to clear up and it actually turned into a reasonably nice day. Great see to Mr. Kevin Cassidy or Mr. Cass as we like to call him. Cass was a teacher at West Catholic for many years and now teaches at Neumann-Goretti. I also work with Cass at Keenan’s in North Wildwood during the summer as he’s part of the fabled B Team with your truly. Seriously though, any youngster who has had the pleasure of having Mr. Cass as one of your teachers truly knows how solid and good-natured the man is. He is definitely one of the good guys!

MAY 11
CL SOUTH
O'Hara 6, Neumann-Goretti 5
   Like the man (Mr. Teddy S.) with oodles of wisdom has always said, you’re not supposed to root for one team or the other when covering a game. Unless of course you graduated from one of those schools, smile!  That wasn’t the case today, but I wouldn’t be completely honest if I didn’t say that a considerable part of me was pulling for the Saints in this one. Nothing personal against the Lions, but I have good friends in that dugout that are coaches and the players all seem like a solid bunch of kids. They might only be (2-10) in the league, but that loss column is littered with heartbreakers.  So, excuse me for feeling happy for this bunch when they took a 5-1 lead into the home seventh.  A solid road win in a game that was pretty meaningless for them and ultra-important for O’Hara was merely three outs away from being attained. Right? Not so fast! The Lions scored five times during their final at-bat and did so with the minimum amount of batters possible.  That’s right, when the game ended there was still zero outs in the inning. How did it end? In walk-off fashion and courtesy of sr. LF Rob Crowley’s grand slam to deep left. Amazingly, up until their last AB’s the Lions played uninspired ball and really didn’t have that look of a team that was fighting for their playoff lives. Just an opinion! Anyhow, the grand inning went like this: A walk to jr. DH Marco Menna on four pitches, single in the hole between third and short by sr. SS Harry Duke, bunt single up the first base line by jr. 2B Pat Young. It appeared that N-G’s jr. 1B Andrew March brushed against Young’s uniform ever so slightly from the dugout, but the umpire had a more difficult look and ruled no-tag.  This loaded the bases and brought N-G manager Gaeton Lucibello to the mound for a pitching change.  Jr. SS George Hatton relieved soph. RHP Agapito Osano. His task was not an easy one as sweet-swinging sr. 1B Jonathan Szeliga stepped into the batter’s box for the Lions. After working the count full, Szeliga drew a walk to make the score 5-2. Crowley stepped up next and he got the bat head down on 1-2 curve ball and golfed it out to left. Yes, there was a good wind blowing in that direction all afternoon, but this ball was hit solidly.  The winning pitcher for the Lions was soph. RHP Zac Tansey.  Today he went all seven and allowed six hits; just three of the five runs he surrendered were earned. He struck out seven and walked four (1 – intentional). He relied mostly on a live fastball, as he only occasionally flirted with off-speed pitches. Over the next two years he could be a considerable force. He already has decent size and appears to have a good sense on how to pitch. I suspect that he’ll improve/mature as a pitcher with more experience. OH’s scored their first run in the third. After N-G starter jr. RHP Christian Varalli retired the first eight batters he faced, Menna (1-for-1, 2 W’s. 2 R’s) stroked a hard hit single to right. Then, Duke (2-for-4) followed with a drive to deep center field for a run-scoring triple.  In the seventh Duke made a very nice play from the hole to nip Hatton at first. On the play, he unleashed a rifle of a throw through a stiff crosswind blowing in his face.  Szeliga finished 2-for-3 on the day. Twice he SCORCHED rockets up the middle. On the first one, I have no idea how Varalli avoided the ball. Last time I saw O’Hara Szeliga did knock a Roman pitcher out of the game with a similar batted ball. Seriously though, this ball was like a heat-seeking missile that appeared to have Varalli as its target. Luckily, he was able to spin and duck just in the nick of time. Ironically, three batters later Varalli did get hit with a ball that sent him to the showers. However, the circumstances were much different. On a throw home he found himself in no-man’s land between the mound and the plate, slightly up the third base line. The ball took a bad hop and he was hit in the side of the face.  When he got into the dugout assistant coach Fran Ciociola commented, “Better you got hit with that ball, than the first one.’ Truer words have never been spoken! Lucibello quipped. “Why were you there? I appreciate the effort. I know you were trying to pull a Jeter, but a pitcher’s place is behind the catcher.” The Jeter comment was in reference that memorable play that the Yankee’s Derek Jeter made in the World Series a few years back. Good stuff!!  Aside from his game-ending blast Crowley added a walk and a single. Defensively, sr. C Mark Grant made a nice sliding catch of a bunt attempt up against the fence in front of the visitor’s dugout. Soph CF Joe Sessa saved trouble with a nice running grab in deep right-center on a ball hit by sr. LF Anthony Gilletto (Attending Penn St, main campus in fall). In the fourth inning jr. RF Matt Izzi made a sliding grab of a ball that was flared into short right field by freshman C. Joey Armata, With two out and runners on second and third this play saved two runs. Suspicious base running by the Lions led to a trio of nice plays by the Saints, and Armata was involved in all three. First, after Duke’s triple he tried to score on wild pitch, but was cut down when the ball caromed wickedly back towards the mound and Varalli flipped to Armata who beautifully blocked the plate. Actually, the attempt to score wasn’t so bad as Duke was hustling and trying to make a play. However, with the Lions down 3-1, twice they had runners thrown out on the base paths that prevented them from scoring. In the fifth they had runners on the corners. Young, stationed at first took off for second for a steal attempt. On a designed play Armata came up firing right to third to nab jr. PR Kevin Culbert for the third out.  Very nice! In the sixth and still trailing 3-1, Szeliga led off with a single. He attempted to steal and was thrown out by Armata for the first out of the inning. The Lions followed this up with a single, ground-rule double, and walk. Osano got an infield pop out and ground ball to squelch the threat. I just didn’t understand the risk in attempting a steal down two runs in the sixth inning. The Saints took the lead in the fifth when sr. 3B Mark Cortese walked, one out later Hatton walked, and sr. CF Albert DiDomenico followed with a long shot to deep left-center for a three-run blast. Yes, the ball was aided by some wind, but DiDomenico bats left and this ball was indeed stung. The play did not go without some controversy though. The O’Hara coaching staff protested that ball went over on a bounce. My initial thought was no way, but then some spectators commented that it did. Skipper Frank Allison didn’t get all that loud, but must have said something inappropriate (besides kicking dirt onto the plate) because he was tossed. Remarkably, through all the commotion, none of the O’Hara fielders approached this area to state their cases. Hmmm, could it be that the ball did in fact go over? Yes! Lucibello, who was in the third base coach’s box, said it cleared by 30 feet. Later, I had heard that the Lion outfielders stated it went over too. And no one was closer than they were. This gave the Saints a 3-1 lead that they took with them into the seventh. They added two more for what they thought would be plenty of insurance during this frame. After walks to Giletto and DiDomenico (IBB), March was safe on an error to load the bases. In a clutch manner, sr. RJ Jim “Foundation” Vanarsdale lined a single to right to plate two runs and gave his team a 5-1 lead. DiDomenico finished 2-for-3, with a HR, W, 2 R’s, and 3 BI’s.  Defensively, Hatton successfully handled three chances at shortstop. With the win the Lions remain in the hunt for one of the last two-playoff spots. At (6-6) they are currently tied with Roman and are just one game back of Carroll and Kennedy-Kenrick with two to play.  They’ll face Bonner and West Catholic to close out the season. Remember, all a team has to do is tie another team’s record to force a play-in game. It should get very interesting during the final week of play in the Southern Division.

MAY 8
CL SOUTH
Carroll 6, Neumann-Goretti 4 (8 inn.)
   This wasn’t a must win for Carroll, but after seeing what transpired around the Southern Division yesterday the Pats certainly have to feel better about their current playoff positioning.  After their come-from-behind victory the Patriots (7-4) now find themselves tied for third place with Kennedy-Kenrick and two games ahead of O’Hara and Roman with just three to play. Entering the visiting seventh the Pats trailed N-G 4-2 and the role of spoiler was definitely on the minds of the Saints.  However, a couple of solid hits, N-G miscues, and a little luck allowed Carroll to even things up. The visiting seventh went like this; back-to-back singles by sr. 3B/RHP Andrew McDonnell and sr. C Andrew Szalejko started off the inning. Szalejko’s hit was ripped and eventually misplayed into a two-base error as it went through the legs of sr. LF Andrew Giletto. In the end, the ball rolled to the fence and allowed McDonnell to score from first and Szalejko to reach third base making the score 4-3. Sr. LHP/CF Albert DiDomenico, who turned in a gutsy performance (More on him later), was able to strike out the next batter for the first out. Then, sr. 2B Dan Maley hit a hot shot right at jr. SS George Hatton who fired a little high to home allowing Szalejko to score and deadlock the game. I scored the play a fielder’s choice and in Hatton’s defense Szalejko got a great jump off of third. Even with an accurate throw the play would probably have been close. Ironically, the ball was a tailor-made double-play and if the runners were still at first and second, who’s to say what would have happened? Though the third batter of the inning may have been asked to sacrifice too. Anyhow, at minimum there should have been at least two outs at this point and N-G still should have had the lead. DiDomenico was able to get the next two batters to whiff and ground out ending the inning. Both runs were unearned. The Saints mustered a little threat in the home seventh. Giletto singled to lead things off, but was eliminated from the bases on a fielder’s choice by Hatton, who eventually swiped second to put himself in scoring position with one out. McDonnell who had entered the game at the beginning of the inning fanned the next batter. Then, for the second time manager Fran Murphy intentionally walked DiDomenico. In the first inning, freshman C Joey Armata made them pay with a run-scoring single up the middle. This time McDonnell was able to put the youngster away on strikes to end the threat. With DiDomenico still on the mound sr. SS Steve Brouwers led off the eighth with a walk. A steal of second and errant throw put him on third with no outs. After a strikeout for the first out jr. DH Jesse Rosemann sent a chopper to shortstop with the infield in. Going on contact Brouwers got a tremendous jump and Hatton made the right play by getting the out at first. The ball just hung in the air a tad long for Hatton to have a play at home in my opinion.  Sr. RHP Christian Varalli relieved DiDomenico at this point as his pitch count ballooned to 125.  McDonnell promptly greeted Varalli as he absolutely mauled a ball to straightaway and deep center. DiDomenico initially took a step in, but trust me Andruw Jones would have had a tough time catching this baby. McDonnell easily came around to score and gave the Pats some breathing room at 6-4. The Saints did get a leadoff single from jr. DH Andrew March in their half of the eighth, but that would be it as McDonnell retired three straight, the last two on K’s. McDonnell worked the final two innings for the win, striking out four in the process. Prior to him jr. RHP/3B Chris Dengler worked a solid six innings that saw him get stronger as the game wore on. The Saints did touch him for four runs (three earned) and six hits. However, he retired the last nine batters he faced, including six on strikeouts. All total, he whiffed 11 batters in the game.  He pitched ahead all afternoon and his only walk was the intentional to DiDomenico in the first. Amazingly, just 23 of his 94 pitches were balls, that’s 75.5% strikes for you scoring at home. Very impressive! This kid has some potential; he is probably at least 6’2” right now and might not be done growing.  He has a pitcher’s body and a live arm. One area he does need to work on is becoming quicker to the plate and holding runners on. The Saints pilfered five today and did so mostly with ease. Like I said, he is lanky and this will slow a pitcher’s delivery, but I also noticed two subtle hesitations in his delivery that really prevent his catcher from having a chance. Still, there is much to like about this kid. Carroll’s first run came across without them having a hit. Jr. RF Pete Coppa was safe on an error. He came around to score after a hit batter, wild pitch, and error on a throw went into left field.  Their second run was also a gift after Maley reached base with a one-out single.  He landed on third after a passed ball and throwing error by Armata. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Coppa.  McDonnell (2-for-4, 2 runs) was the only Patriot with more than one hit. The Saints will be kicking themselves for letting this one get away. They really wasted a strong outing by DiDomenico. Once again it was defense that let them down as they committed seven errors on the day and couple of more questionable plays that weren’t errors, but definitely had a chance to be made. Offensively, all four of their runs came in the first four innings. Armata scored Giletto (2-for-4, 2 R’s, & 2 SB’s) with a nice two-out single in the first. They plated two more in the third inning on consecutive hits by Hatton (2B), sr. CF/RF Jim “Foundation” Vanarsdale (RBI – 3B), and DiDomenico (RBI – 1B).  In the fourth they scored one more after Giletto reached base on an error with two outs and was brought home by Hatton’s second double in as many AB’s.  At this point the Saints led 4-1. DiDomenico finished 1-for-2, with 2 IW’s and 2 SB’s. On the mound he proved to be extremely tough. He went the first 7 2/3 innings, scattered five hits, while just one of the five runs he allowed was earned. In all honesty, he really DESERVED a better outcome. Using an effective curveball and solid change-up he was able to fan seven and only walked two (Did hit two batters). As I saw him leaving the field obvious disappointment was on his face and this was understandable. Just know this, kid --- You have nothing to hang your head about as you gave your team all you had. Sure, the loss hurts and frustration exists, but you have a lot to be proud of. You demonstrated a bunch of heart and competitiveness today and that says a ton. Great job and fabulous effort! I’ve seen every team in this league and as an all-around ballplayer you are right there with the best of them.  Finally, it was GREAT to see Carroll assistant coach Father Ed Casey back on the bench today. Father Casey spent a brief time in the hospital last week, but now states that he is ok and back in the fold. I want to wish him further good health. Father Casey and I go back to our SW Philly days when he coached me on an independent team from the neighborhood. He is truly one of the good guys with a wealth of baseball insight.

MAY 4
CL SOUTH
Bonner 16, Neumann-Goretti 1
  Upon arrival to this Southern Division affair I had hopes that a competitive and energized game could be had. In the team’s first meeting the Friars outlasted the Saints, 6-3, in a topsy-turvy, ten-inning contest. However, my hopes were squelched almost immediately. N-G’s sr. LF Anthony Giletto led off the top of the first with a home run to dead centerfield to stake the Saints to a brief 1-0 lead. I say brief because in the bottom half of the inning the Friars answered back and then some. All totaled, the Friars sent nineteen batters to the plate and produced an astonishing fourteen runs. Lights out, party over! They did so on 10 hits, 3 walks, a hit batter, and three costly N-G errors. Due to the errors seven of the fourteen runs were unearned.  Sr. CF Mike Dunn, sr. 2B Matt Kern and sr. RF Steve DeBarberie each supplied a pair of hits in the inning.  Kern (3-run shot) and DeBarberie (solo) contributed back-to-back major blows with some yard work. Earlier in the inning Kern smashed a two-run single. Dunn added a two-run double into the right-center field gap, while DeBarberie scored another with a single. Sr. SS Brian Meagher knocked in single runs (BB, 1B) in each of his two plate appearances. Soph 3B Matt Gallagher (W, 2B) scored twice in the inning. Other RBI’s were had by sr. 1B Colin Liberatore (FC/E) and sr. DH Tom Tarpey (2B). Tarpey finished 3-for-3 on the day with 3 runs scored.  After the first inning skipper John Fleming began to lift his starters, in fact, no Friar beginner played beyond the third inning, with many coming out after the first stanza. Nineteen players saw action for the Friars by game’s end, while eighteen of these players had at least one AB. Collectively; they thumped out 18 hits on the day. Bonner closed out their scoring with a RBI single by sr. LF Dan Leicht in the second and a mammoth home run to deep left-center by sr. LF Rob Graham in the sixth. Picking up the win for Bonner was promising soph. RHP Bill Hollingsworth. Today, he worked the first five innings. He allowed just the one run, as he scattered five hits and walked just one. He notched five in the strikeout column. Soph LHP Vince Ford mopped up over the last two innings, pitching scoreless ball and allowing just one hit. Not too much to report on the defensive front for the Friars. However, jr. RF Matt Devito did make a fine running catch in shallow right field to end the game.  While, jr. 2B Jim McGarrity did successfully handle three chances and help start a 4-6-3 double-play. After being rocked early the Saints lost much of their energy. Many of the problems and unfortunate situations they find themselves in are a direct result from their own doing, specifically defensive miscues and poor pitching (walks). The margin of error for this club is miniscule and in all honesty that’s a tough way to play game-in and game-out. I will say without one iota of hesitation that the coaching this team receives is excellent. Head coach Gaeton Lucibello and his assistants Fran Ciociola, Matt "Cauls” McCauley, and Lou Spadaccini all played and competed at high levels during their playing days. Trust me, they bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. Right now there just aren’t enough horses in the stable for them to compete CONSISTENTLY with some of the other program in the league, especially at some of these band-box fields. I do want to acknowledge the effort put forth by soph. RHP Agapito Osano. Yes, he was tagged for 8 runs (6 earned), but four of these runs could have been avoided if plays were made. Because of baseball rules an error made prior to his entering the game can’t count in terms of individual ERA, just team ERA. Anyhow, in relief he worked 5 2/3 innings and did a commendable job of moving things along. He only issued one walk and just two of the runs he allowed came after the first inning. He also made a swallow-your-heart snag of a ball smashed back at him by MB’s soph. C Mike Melito. The ball was seriously stung, but the lanky Osano was able to spear it and nab a runner off third for a DP. As he came off the field, Ciociala quipped, “Way to roll it kid.” Jr. RHP/2B Christian Varalli, who endured the early onslaught from the mound, did provide two hits at the bat. Sr. CF Albert DiDomenico managed a hit and a stolen base. Sr. RF Jim “Foundation” Vanarsdale also contributed two hits. On the field he made two great efforts. One he came up with and one just avoided him. First, on DeBarberie’s home run he took pursuit and chased, chased, and then eventually crashed over Bonner’s low fence in deep right-center. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured and actually popped back up and hopped on over the fence rather quickly.  Next, he made a nice sliding grab on a ball lofted along the right field line. On the play Fleming demonstrated good sportsmanship as he held his runner at third base. A tag could have easily taken place.  Back to Vanarsdale he was given his nickname in reference to former college basketball coach Jim Valvano and the Jimmy V. Foundation that was named after him.  Yes, we did have another Bryan “Dusty” Kerns sighting, but short-lived it was.  Dusty crept out of the Bonner complex at 5:25 so he could go home and study for an AP test he has tomorrow. Quite naturally he departed when Fleming was coaching down at third base. Hey, who’s in for changing Dusty’s name to --- Sneaky? Breaking news! This just in, but there is to be absolutely no eating whatsoever in Bonner’s dugout, as Fleming has designated the Bonner snack bar as off limits for players and coaches prior to and during games. Hmmm, this would explain assistant coach Rob Benedict’s little journey down the right field line, through the bullpen, and around the outfield to see the Grill Boyz for one of their rumored-to-be-tasty burgers. It was great to see Bill "Babs” Haines (bases) and Eddie Quinn (plate) as the umpires for today’s game. Also, I would like to wish Babs good luck as he has recently taken the helm as Williamson Trade School football coach.  Oh yeah, Babs, but don’t forget to use TS.com as one of your valuable resources in your quest to get future players, smile! Finally, making an always welcomed appearance at today’s game was the little woman behind the scenes, Eileen "Matriarch” McCauley, wife of John “Lefty/Blade” McCauley, mother of Matt, and provider of plenty of guest pizza for yours truly over the years. She emphatically stated that she was pulling for Matt and the Saints on this day. When told of the score she was none too please and promised to get back at Lefty at the dinner table. Would anyone care to guess who will be ordering out later tonight?

MAY 1
CL SOUTH
Bonner 6, Roman 3
   Just like an after dinner mint, this game had a refreshing feel and it came in the form of Bonner sr. RHP Sean Fitzgerald. Quality pitching hasn’t exactly been a norm on the trail this spring, but today Fitzgerald took the bull by the horns and was in command throughout. Yes, the occasional slugfest can be entertaining, but for this TS.com reporter a well-pitched game may be equally as enjoyable. Today, Fitzgerald yielded three runs (2 earned), while scattering seven hits. He went on to whiff a dozen Cahillites, but for me the best part of his outing was the fact that he did not issue a single walk, nor did he plunk a batter.  A tremendous feat that is very uncommon for this level of baseball. I can’t stress enough the value of throwing strikes consistently. Fitzgerald relied on a sneaky fastball for the most part and I would venture to say that roughly 80% of his 117 pitches were good ‘ole #1. He did exhibit a solid curve and change-up at moments.  He even showed some giddy-up on his heater late as he K’d Roman’s final two batters. Talk about digging deep! Offensively, it was a two-man show for the Friars as sr. 2B Matt “Rox” Kern and soph 3B Matt Gallagher had five of their team’s six hits and knocked in all six runs. For Kern, it was a coming home party. The Roxborough native lives just a stone’s throw from Roman’s field and as you can notice has even earned a nickname from where he dwells geographically.  Today, he went 3-for-4 with each of his hits producing runs. In total, he knocked in four. First, he laced a two-out, two-run single between first and second to give his club a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. In the third, he ripped a hit between third and short to make the score 4-1 Bonner. Finally, in the seventh, with the sacks full, and the Cahillite infield in he looped a ball just beyond sr. SS John Caputo’s reach to make the score 5-3. Two batters later Gallagher lofted a fly to left for a sacrifice that plated Bonner’s final run. Leading off the second inning Gallagher drilled a solo home run that gave Bonner a 3-1 advantage. The ball was wickedly hit and landed well onto the golf course in left-center. Later on, Gallagher stung a double just inside the third base bag. Bonner’s only other hit was of the infield variety and was provided by. Sr. RF Steve DeBarberie.  Sr. C Ryan Hunt walked three times and came around to score twice. Actually, Hunt gets credited with the runs scored, but courtesy runner sr. Vince Sculli did the motoring. Jr. 1B Tim Dougherty also scored a pair and reached base three times on two walks and a HBP. Sr. LF Tom Tarpey swiped a couple of bases, but was picked-off once on a quick play by the Cahillites at second base.  Defensively, the Friars received good moments from sr. SS Brian Meagher, Hunt and Fitzgerald. Meagher turned a 6-3 DP on a ball hit up the middle that gave him an in-between hop at the last second. He showed good composure and as usual an accurate and strong arm. The play preceded two more Cahillites hits that ended up producing their second and third runs. Without the turn more damage could have been done. Hunt gunned down a Roman would-be base stealer in the fifth. Fitz’ helped himself when he quickly bounced off the mound and nipped jr. RF Dave Deodato on a bunt attempt leading off the sixth. The result drew the ire of the Roman coaches and faithful. From my vantage point it was too close to tell, but it was certainly a bang-bang play. Speaking of drawing the ire, neither coaching staff was pleased with the balls and strikes being called by the home plate ump. This made Fitzgerald’s performance even more remarkable. In defense of the home plate ump I felt that he called the game the same for both teams, though he may have been somewhat erratic.  For roughly a month the Cahillites have played without their headliner jr. CF Dom Joseph who had been out with school-related issues. However, the Virginia-recruit (football) was back in the line-up today and in his very first at-bat he made his presence known. Joseph tagged a 1-1 pitch from Fitzgerald high and deep to left-center that easily cleared the fence and landed on the golf course.  To put it mildly Joseph was enthused and has he got closer to home plate he let his teammates know that he was back when he spouted, “I’m back baby, I’m back!” Unfortunately, Joseph’s exuberance would be short-lived. In his next two plate appearances it would be Fitzgerald who got the final say as he sat him down on strikes both times. Nonetheless, it is still great to see a talent like Joseph back in the fold.  Roman’s other two runs came in the third. Sr. LF Mike Mychack singled with two outs and then scored when Deodato lined a triple into the right field gap. Deodato would also come into score when the relay throw avoided Gallagher as he prematurely tried to apply the tag.  Seven different Cahillites had hits, but they could only produce three base runners from the fourth inning on.  Pitching is what ultimately did the Cahillites in and not because Bonner slammed the ball all over the field either. Five of the six runs that Bonner scored were from players who reached base from either a walk or hit batter. In total, the tandem of jr. lefty Greg Reed (sustained the loss) and jr. RHP Will O’Mara walked eight and plunked two more. O’Mara actually stymied the Bonner lumber department to a degree. He entered in the third and got out of a base-loaded situation. He pitched three more scoreless innings before being tagged for a two-spot in the seventh, as he appeared to tire. However, it was a walk and consecutive HB’s that led to the damage. His final line was respectable: 4 2/3 innings, 2 runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 HB’s, and 4 K’s.  The Cahillites who made a nice run in the CL playoffs a year ago seem destined to be on the outside looking in this go-around. However, many of the key performers are juniors, so next year could be promising.  On the way to this game traffic became an issue. The game was roughly six miles from my school, but City Line avenue was reduced to one lane and traffic became stagnant as I neared Saint Joe’s University. Bonner assistant, John “Lefty/Blade” McCauley, who teaches at a school further down Township Line, was experiencing the same problem. So, what do life-long friends and neighbors of 25 years do? Communicate! My time spent at Saint Joe’s taught me a back road or two and I successfully directed myself and J-Mac to Roxborough and Henry Avenues just in the nick of time. Thus, sparing Lefty a considerable fine from Bonner head man John Fleming. Bryan “Dusty” Kerns upon my arrival made it known immediately that Bonner’s non-working scoreboard during the last game I attended was not of his doing. My apologies to Dusty! Still, he should know that the report is not as good a read without Dusty situations sprinkled throughout, smile! Reports have it that Matt Kern’s good day actually started during Bonner’s ride to the game. Traffic and the bus driver’s directions that said the game was being played at Broad and Vine (school location) had caused concern. However, Roxy’s familiarity with his neighborhood came through and got the Friars to the field with plenty of time to spare. Multiple Friar reserves were looking for ink during my stay on their bench. So, ink shall be had! Kudos to jr. OF Matt “Pencil Retriever” Devito! Twice, Matt retrieved my pencil that had fallen out of my ear, through the fence, and onto the field in foul territory. His method of fetching was none other than the ever-popular fungo bat! After his second rescuing he exclaimed, “I got to get ink now.” Jr. INF Jim McGarrity had me chuckling after I asked him if a pitch was a ball or a strike and he cracked, “Huck, you act like I pay attention or something.” Hopefully his ink doesn’t get him a demotion to the JV after Coach Fleming peruses this ever-popular website, smile!!!!

APRIL 27
CATHOLIC SOUTH
SJ Prep 13, Bonner 11
   Sole possession of first place was on the line today in a tussle between CL South upper-echelons that both entered the game with 6-1 records. The game being played at Bonner’s hitter-friendly field saw the Hawks strike the first blow with an eye-popping six-run second inning that chased Friar ace sr. RHP Rob Graham. The early momentum allowed the Prep to seize command and waltz through the middle innings, eventually carrying a 13-4 lead into Bonner’s home seventh. Easy win, right? Hardly! The Friars plated seven runs in the inning and this had Prep skipper Chris Rupertus and his staff scrambling to get additional pitchers loose for a potential game-saving situation. However, soph. RHP/1B Aaron Haas, the only Prep pitcher to work in the inning, was able to get sr. RF Steve DeBarberie to ground out to sr. SS Tom Elliott to end the game. The Friars used four hits, three walks, and a costly error to do their damage. They sent eleven batters to the plate, and with a runner on second; DeBarberie was indeed the tying run. Phew! Rupertus had to believe that securing first place with a nine-run cushion was going to be less intense, but in the end it was his team that left with the win and in the entire scheme of things that’s all that really mattered. Highlights? Let's go back roughly three hours earlier to that six-run second. A leadoff off walk to sr. 3B Matt Tiagwad was followed by a line-shot two-run homer by Haas to right-center. Then, a strikeout produced the first out, but two impressive sophs, 2B Brett Tiagwad (1B) and RF Tim Edger (2B), followed with hits. Next, sr. CF Bill Edger laced a double of his own to right field to plate both Tiagwad and his brother Tim. Three pitches later the leadoff hitter Elliott sent a ball off the base of the monastery in center for yet another two-run homer. This spelled the end of Graham and had to bring disappointment to the faces of the Bonner’s Grill Boyz located throughout the outfield beyond the fences. In a tradition commonly seen at Phillies’ games these guys had hung a banner over the fence reading, Graham’s Crackers and had begun to post large K’s after each strikeout on the bottom of the non-working scoreboard. This did not last long as the Prep wasted little time turning these crackers into crumbs. Impressively, the five hits in six batters that the Hawks banged out came on just eight pitches. They were very aggressive early in the count and made Graham pay for poor location. The talented Graham just didn’t have it today. Bonner scored single runs in the second and the third, but B. Edger singled home B. Tiagwad to make the score 7-2 in the top of the fourth. Bonner got one of their own in the fourth, but in the next inning the Prep again increased their lead, this time to 9-3. M.Tiagwad doubled and then came across on a two-bagger by Haas, who would later score on a fielding error. The Prep would make it 10-3 on a long home run by M. Tiagwad to deep left-center that cleared Bonner’s slip-n-slide splash section.  In the home sixth Bonner again plated a single run to make the score 10-4. However, like they had all afternoon the Hawks answered back immediately and scored three more in the top of the seventh. Again, they played wall-ball with the monastery. This time it was T. Edger doing the honors with a two-run shot. Later in the inning sr. C Pat Murphy singled home sr. LF Nelson Russom who had doubled off the right-center field fence. The Hawks banged out 15 hits on the day, including nine extra-base hits. I really liked how they swung the bats and the aggressive approach that they took throughout.  Six of the nine players in the order knocked in at least one run. Hass and B. Edger each contributed three apiece. Russom notched three hits, while M. Tiagwad, Haas, B.Tiagwad, T. Edger, and B. Edger each had a deuce in the hit column. The Tiagwad brothers halved six runs scored. Aside from his home run Elliott walked twice and knocked in a pair. Getting lost in all the late-game drama was the effort put forth by sr. LHP Doug DiSandro. I really liked how this kid COMPETED and how he demonstrated a strong notion on how to pitch without overwhelming stuff. He did an excellent job of mixing up his pitches and keeping the ball down. He went the first six innings and threw a workmanlike 126 pitches. He did allow four runs (3 earned), but two of these runs came on solo home runs that at any other field would have been outs.  He K’d eight, walked five, and hit a batter. Strangely enough he also committed three balks. Also, after his team provided him with a six-run lead I thought he came out and nibbled a little too much. To me, it seemed that he was hesitant to throw a fastball and this caused him to fall behind hitters. Three of his walks came in this second inning, but luckily only one run was scored. A dynamite sliding play by T. Edger up the middle saved all kinds of trouble and ended the Bonner threat.  Still, he kept Bonner hitters off-balanced throughout with a sneaky fastball and a change-up and slider that consistently fell out of the strike zone. He threw all of his pitches at any time in the count and this is what more than likely made him effective. Defensively, Elliot displayed a strong and accurate arm from shortstop. He easily handled all four balls that came his way. A day after blanking Carroll 10-0 the Friars were rather listless up until the last-inning rally. In fact, head coach John Fleming even began to clear his bench early in this inning as he sent up pinch-hitters for the first four batters of the frame. Then, as the inning went along and things got interesting he re-entered some of his starters to pinch-hit for their replacements. The seven-run flurry went like this: walk to jr. PH Matt Devito, strikeout of sr. PH Sean Fitzgerald, sr. PH Colin Liberatore was safe on an error, and then Graham re-entered the game and ended up walking to load the bases. Soph 3B Matt Gallagher brought home Devito with a clean single in the hole to left. Next, sr. SS Brian Meagher provided a major blow with a salami to left-center, this made the score 13-9. Sr. CF Mike Dunn re-entered the game and started the rally all over again with a walk. Then, sr. RHP Dan Leicht laced a double down the right field line to put runners at second and third. Next up, was sr. C Ryan Hunt who lifted a ball to deep left-center. I immediately thought that the ball was going to leave, but amazingly it appeared to be knocked down some.  This allowed Russom to make a clutch and difficult catch almost from a seated position three-quarters of the way up the hill. I can only imagine what would have transpired if this would have fallen in. The drive did produce a run on a sacrifice, but it gave the Hawks an all-important second out. The next batter, jr. 1B Tim Dougherty, stepped-up and lined a double down the left field line to make it 13-11. This would be it though as DeBarberie followed with his groundout to short. Earlier in the game Dougherty and sr. 2B Matt Kern each provided solo homers. The Friars two other runs came courtesy of Gallagher (RBI-single) and Leicht (fielder’s choice). Dougherty finished 3-for-4, with 2 RBI’s. Meagher had a productive day and reached base all four times he came up with a pair of walks, a double, and the slam. He did fail to handle one ball that led to run, but overall he had solid day on the field. He started two twin-killings and then pulled off another on his own. This kid is very fluid on the diamond.  Speaking of twin-killings, those detractors of Hawk Talk will be happy to know that co-writer Pat Murphy was involved in three of them. Twice he grounded into inning-ending 6-4-3 turns. In his first AB he scorched a ball that Kern made a fabulous snag on, then doubled-up a runner at first.  Like I noted, he did bounce back and knocked in what turned into be an important run. Murph, for what’s its worth I was a big fan of Hawk Talk, smile!  Just four of the seven runs in Bonner’s big-inning were earned. Fleming does use his bench liberally, as nineteen Friars made an appearance. The Grill Boyz were in full effect this afternoon. I would venture to say that anywhere from 75-to-100 students were located throughout the outfield.  The BBQ was sending smoke signals my way consistently, but that’s all that came my way. Hey! Where were the dogs and burgers?? They also seem to be having a grand time with the slip-n-slide, as ohhs and ahhs rang were routinely bellowed. My boy, Bryan “Dusty” Kerns, was once again located at his trusty scorer’s table.  On three occasions he came up to me to double-check something. After the third time I told him one more trip to the mound and I’m going to the bullpen. In an exasperated tone he replied, “Please, be my guest.”….He also came up small in his scoreboard operating duties and forget to bring out the control pad to operate the board. What’s up with this? Rumor has it that assistant Gene “Fredo” Ferraiolo had charged the control pad for over 30 hours recently, that’s right, thirty! Apparently, he has asked for a voucher to handle the electricity expense he had to endure. Stay tuned!

APRIL 20
CL SOUTH
Neumann-Goretti 13, West Catholic 2
   The Saints collected their second consecutive win this week and put themselves in position to possibly make some noise as league play continues in the Southern Division. N-G went to work quickly to assure that no letdown would be had after Monday’s 5-4 triumph over O’Hara. They would plate two in the bottom of the first as sr. LF Anthony Giletto and jr. SS George Hatton boomed back-to-back triples to deep left to start the inning. Hatton would come across on a RBI ground-out by sr. CF Albert DiDomenico. The Saints would add to their lead with a three-spot in the second. They did so without courtesy of hit. Two each of walks, hit batters, and costly fielding errors did the damage. Hatton (HBP) and jr. DH/1B Andrew March (BB) had RBI’s in the inning. N-G would increase their lead to 7-0 when DiDomenico launched a drive to deep right-center and circled the bases for a two-run homer. Possessed with very good speed he easily scored without a play at the plate. Later on, he rocketed a single to right that got past the Burr outfielder and once again he came around to score on a hit and three-base error. DiDomenico finished the day 2-for-5, with two runs scored and 3 RBI’s. Hatton reached based all three times he came up on a triple, HBP, and walk. He also scored twice and knocked in two. During the game Giletto, sr. RF James Vanarsdale, and jr. winning pitcher Christian Varalli all knocked in runs on ground balls in the infield. N-G’s three-run sixth was highlighted by a booming double by sr. RF Franco Cima and a two-run single by soph. 3B Agapito Osano. Varalli threw well for six innings and allowed just two unearned runs on three singles and three walks to West batters. He struck out at least one Burr batter in every inning of work and finished the game with a total of nine (6 looking). Jr. RHP Michael Townsend K’d two in a scoreless seventh. Defensively, the Saints picked off two Burr baserunners and frosh. C Joey Armata gunned down the only runner who attempted a steal. The second pickoff was a thing of beauty and came at first base with a runner on second. It was a timing play that was perfectly executed by Varalli and jr. 1B Andrew Juliana. While looking the runner back at second Varalli quickly wheeled and threw a strike to Juliana, who easily put the tag on the unsuspecting Burr runner. Osano made a great snag of a hard hit ball down the line that shot up to head level at the last second. One problem – The ball got stuck in the webbing of his glove and even when he tugged to get it out it was having no parts of that. It looked like he was about to throw his glove towards first, but then thought better of it. He is a part-time pitcher, but I doubt he has the arm strength for that maneuver, smile! Skipper Gaeton Lucibello bellowed, “What did I tell you about using that glove?” Another mitt was quickly inserted, but the persistent Osano brought his original glove back out the next inning. He made a routine play without any drama. When asked if it was the same glove he replied, “Yea, but I got some new string in there now.” In the second inning West protested that the Saints batted out of order. N-G had ten players in their line-up, but one was a DH and in the tenth spot was jr. 2B Frank “Sherm” Novelli, who was the player being hit for. The West scorekeeper marked all ten players as actually batting at one point and when the order went around once, well, all kinds of confusion ensued. Of course my scorebook remained spotless, smile! Anyhow, the Saints didn’t bat out of order and eventually things were worked out. However, in the sixth the Saints did bat out of order as the eight-hole hitter was completely skipped. Yours truly did spot this, but West did not. So, with the score being what it was and things relatively quiet there was no need to bring it up, right? Plus, I was well down the third base line. The Saints did plate three in the inning, but the game was no longer in doubt. By the way, Novelli is called Sherm because of his resemblance to “The Shermonator” of the American Pie movies. Ummm, dude does look like him! Once again it was long afternoon for the Burrs. They had to believe that this could be one of the few chances to garner a league win this year, but quite frankly, they were really never in it. Their two runs came in the sixth and they needed help to get them across. Jr. 2B Derek Rouse was safe on error and then came around to score from first after frosh. C Ed Colon’s seeing-eye single rolled through the legs of the N-G rightfielder. Then, sr. RHP/3B Ray Dougherty brought home Colon on a looping single to left. Dougherty did reach base all three times he came up with a couple of singles and a walk. Dougherty also took the loss in the game. He worked the first three innings and gave up five runs (2 earned). He allowed just the back-to-back triples in the hit column, but it was his control that did him in for the most part. He walked four and hit three batters, while striking out three. Jr. RHP John Whalen relieved Dougherty and didn’t fare much better. Allowing 8 runs (7 earned) on 7 hits. He did fan three, but also walked four. Rouse and jr. SS Chris Howell thwarted a N-G rally with a nice turn of a double-play to end the third inning and with the sacks full. I struck out woefully when it came to picking competitive games this week. On Monday, I bypassed O’Hara/N-G (5-4 thriller) for Bonner/West (13-1 clunker). Today, I traveled to South Philly instead of staying on home turf and checking out Bonner at O’Hara. This neighborhood rivalry finished 14-12 Lions and ended with a walk-off homer. Ouch!!! Hey, there’s always next week.

APRIL 17
CL SOUTH
Bonner 13, West Catholic 1
     If this contest had been a tennis match, then more than likely the Burrs would have fared a whole lot better. The Friars sent balls routinely off the netting that surrounds WC’s miniscule field at 46th & Haverford. In all, Bonner hitters lifted eight shots off the netting, many of the routine variety; that under normal circumstances would probably have been outs. Still, in terms of being a competitive and flourishing baseball program these two squads lie on opposite ends of the spectrum. There were many highlights for the Friars on this day. All eighteen players they brought with them played and got at least one at-bat. They raked out 17 hits that produced 13 runs. Defensively, they were flawless and played an errorless game. While four hurlers held West to just 3 hits and struck out 11. However, for this TS.com reporter the grandest highlight was seeing someone very close to me, John “Lefty/Blade” McCauley, pick up his first career varsity win. J-Mac momentarily took the helm for the Friars by filling in for skipper John Fleming, who was away on family business. Knowing John the way I do I can say without hesitation that the victory was bittersweet. John’s two sons, Matt (real) and myself (fake), went and played for West at a time when the program was very competitive. On top of that he served as head JV coach at West for five seasons from ’88 thru ’92.  Still a supporter of West basketball and football teams, I just know it pains him to see the Burrs struggle so badly on the diamond. Bonner seized control immediately with a four-spot in the top of the first. Things took a turn for the worse for West when the Friars padded their lead to 12-1 with a six-run fifth. All six runs turned out to be unearned in this inning. Sr. CF’s Mike Dunn (3-for-3, 2B) and Vince Sculli (2-for-3) thrived from the lead off spot and combined to score three runs. Jr. C Tim Dougherty reached base three times and scored twice. Doc supplied the line of the day after being plunked in his previous AB and then having consecutive pitches brush him back by turning to the West catcher and playfully stating, “I guess this kid doesn’t like me.” Sr. 2B Matt Kern poked two doubles. Sr. LF Tom Tarpey finished the day 2-for-2 with a walk. He scored two runs and swiped a pair. Sr. RHP Sean Fitzgerald cleared the bases with a line shot off the netting in left-center. Junior varsity call-ups jr. RF Matt Devito, jr. SS Bob Callan, and soph 2B Rob Benedict each contributed a hit. In total, twelve different Friars had at least one hit and sixteen of them reached base in some capacity. Defensively, sr. 3B Ryan Hunt, the normal catcher, made all four plays hit his way at the hot corner. Sr. 1B Colin Liberatore made a sweet scoop to end the Burr third. Soph. RHP Bill Hollingsworth went the first three innings for the Friars. Blessed with good size and a strong arm I think this kid has a chance to be a good varsity pitcher over the next couple of seasons. He just needs to straighten out some mechanical issues to become a more complete pitcher. He allowed three hits and 2 walks, while striking out four. Fitzgerald earned the win with a two-strikeout fourth. Sr. LHP Chris Albaugh fanned two in two scoreless innings. Sr. RHP/RF Dan Leicht mopped up by whiffing three in the seventh. It’s hard not to notice the frustration on the faces of West head coach Fran Kehoe and his staff. In many cases they’re bringing a knife to a gun battle during these CL tussles. Still, despite their limitations, I noticed the kids playing with effort and the staff coaching with effort for the most part. West had just 12 players in uniform and with five of them being seniors you have to seriously question how much longer the program will exist. Counting this season West has gone an alarming (4-84) in CL play over the past six seasons. Today’s loss marked their 25th consecutive league loss. Their last win came May 8, 2004 with a 10-9 decision over Neumann. Has baseball in the inner city gotten this bad? This quick? West threatened in the first when sr. RHP/1B Steven Powers and sr. CF Matt Uffleman laced two-out singles. However, sr. Ray Dougherty grounded out to third to end the inning. West ended up scoring their only run in the second. Freshman C Ed Colon walked and stole second. With one out jr. SS Chris Howell also drew a free pass. With two outs, lead off hitter jr. 2B Derek Rouse roped a single off the net in left-center to plate Colon. From this point on the Burrs would only have two more base runners, both on walks. Powers started for West and after a shaky first inning seemed to settle in a bit. He gutted out 115 pitches over 4 1/3 innings, allowing 8 runs (6 earned) on 11 hits. He walked three and K’d four. Defensively, the Burrs did commit five miscues, with three of them coming in a 6-run fifth that caused all of the runs to be unearned. Still, there were a few nice individual plays made on the field. Uffleman made two really nice catches in center. On the first he traveled to the deepest part of the field to haul in a high drive. Later on, he made a nice diving snag on a sinking liner. He also threw out a runner at second as they attempted to stretch a single into a double after hitting the ball off the net. Rouse made a couple of nifty stops up the middle. Once, he snagged a hot shot that was destined for open spaces, gathered himself, and nipped the Bonner player at first with an accurate throw. This kid has good wheels and a pretty good sense in how to use the skills he has. I like how he demonstrates consistent effort, despite the score of the game.   Rumor has it that long-time Bonner assistant Gene Ferraiola was miffed about being passed over for head skipper in Fleming’s absence. When finding out I quickly dubbed him “Fredo” in reference to Fredo Corleone, the misfit brother of Michael Corleone from my favorite movie The Godfather. This exchange was heard between J-Mac and Gene prior to the game concerning this issue. Gene—“I thought there be something in it for me, Lefty. For me! I’m the older assistant and I was passed over.” J-Mac—“That’s not the way Fleming wanted it.” Gene – “Not the way Fleming wanted it? Well, it’s the way I wanted! I’m smart, not dumb like everyone thinks. I can make a double-switch with the best of them.” J-Mac – “Pop (Fleming) and I have other plans for you. We’re sending you to the third base coach’s box. Where you’ll be safe.” …….Lefty told me that some of our younger readers wouldn’t get this, which is probably true, but I just couldn’t resist (ha ha).

APRIL 13
CL SOUTH
O’Hara 10, Roman 7
   Where has all of the pitching gone in high school baseball? Yesterday, I witnessed a game between Kennedy-Kenrick and Bonner that produced a total of 31 runs, with 31 hits, 8 walks, and 5 hit batters. Today, the runs and hits never reached this level, but the teams did combine to walk 17 batters and plunk two more. There were seven other at bats that reached a count with three balls in it. Phew! In the end, it was the Lions who got the clutch hit and made the big pitch to preserve an ultra-important Southern Division win. The Lions entered the game (0-3) and knew a loss here would do serious damage to post-season hopes. How odd would another O’Hara league loss have been this early in the season? Well, consider this, over the past four years the Lions have never had more than four losses in a complete league season. They are (57-11) during this span. After the Cahillites grabbed a 2-0 first inning lead, the Lions scored the next five to take a 5-2 lead heading into the fourth. Roman’s first two batters grounded out harmlessly to second before jr. DH-RF Dan Lepera and sr. LF Mike Mychak drew free passes. Jr. CF Will O’Mara plated Lepera with a single. Mychak would score after a stolen base by O’Mara and the throw to second sailed into centerfield for an error. Finally, O’Mara would come home to even things up at 5-5 on a single by sr. 1B Ken Sowisdral. Roman seemed to grab even more momentum when sr. SS-3B John Caputo stymied an O’Hara threat with an unassisted double-play to end their half of the fourth. Roman’s sr. 3B-RHP Ryan Weber led off the fifth with a base knock up the middle. Then, sr. 2B Pat DiGiovanni immediately gave the Cahillites the lead with a two-run homer to right-center. The Lions quickly came back though, as sr. SS Harry Duke also took advantage of the short porch in right for a two-run shot of his own. This hit came after a two-out walk and knotted the score at 7-7. O’Hara’s winning rally occurred in the home sixth. Sr. 1B-LHP Jonathan Szeliga opened the inning up with an absolute pee that hit Roman’s RHP-RF Dave Deodato directly in the foreman of his pitching arm. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! He had little to no time to get out of the way on this ball. After being hit he scampered off the mound, through the dugout, around the back of the cage, and over towards the track area behind O’Hara’s dugout. A trainer did eventually have the chance to observe the injury. I caught a quick glimpse from a distance and it didn’t look pretty, hopefully all is well with Dave. Jr. LHP Greg Reed relieved Deodato. Next, sr. 3B-2B-1B Tom Connelly attempted to move Szeliga via a bunt, but a wild pitch and passed ball on consecutive pitches negated that. Connelly would eventually walk. The winning run was plated on a fielder’s choice by 3B-RHP Marco Menna. The insurance man dropped by in the form of sr. LF Rob Crowley as he took an offering from Weber out to right for a more comfortable 10-7 advantage. Weber had relieved Reed after the fielder’s choice ground out. The Cahillites did get a lead off walk from DiGiovanni, but O’Hara’s sr. RHP-C Mark Grant retired the next three, two on strikeouts to preserve the win. Grant entered the game from his catching position in mid-inning during the sixth. At this time Roman had runners on second and third with just one out. With the infield in he retired Deodato on a grounder to short and then ended the threat by fanning Weber. Earlier in the game after the Cahillites had successfully pilfered a few bases he gunned down two consecutive would-be thieves. It’s rare to see a player pitch in the same game that he has been catching in, and when talking to a few of the kids on the bench they stated that this was only his second appearance on the mound this season. Guess what? He ended up the winning pitcher. Earlier, the Lions plated two runs in the first, two in the second and single tally in the third. Szeliga (2-for-2, 2 W’s, & 2 R’s), a lefty, has a really sweet stroke. He laced a ball to right-center for an RBI in the first. Crowley forced in the second run on a bases-loaded walk soon after. Jr. RF Matt Izzi led off the second with a solo shot to right. Later in the inning, Connelly scored jr. CF Greg D’Alonzo on a sac fly. O’Hara’s run in the fifth came courtesy of a RBI single from D’Alonzo that plated Crowley. Duke finished 2-for-4 at the plate, with a stolen base. Is it me or do the O’Hara hitters make a concerted effort to hit the ball in the air to right field? It’s just a thought, but even the right-handed hitters seem to have their eye in this direction. Why not? Short porch and a consistent breeze seem to be headed in this direction daily. The Lions used five guys on the mound today; all had trouble with running deep counts. Menna went the first three innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He did fan four during this time. In fact, he got his last two K’s to end a bases loaded situation in the third. Both came looking. I thought this bear down might earn him another inning, but Lion manager Frank Allison was quick on the trigger this afternoon. Can’t say I blamed him for the most part, as his kids really did have trouble consistently throwing strikes. Sr. RHP Dan Caramanico, jr. RHP Kevin Culbert, and Szeliga all saw time on the mound in-between Menna and Grant. One Lion hurler I was hoping to catch a glimpse of but didn’t was jr. LHP Mike Smith. I coached Smitty for a couple of years in UDHL, again, solid kid! Today, he was unavailable after having minor surgery on his ear to remove a cyst. Connelly made O’Hara’s defensive play of the game with a diving, back-handed stop of a hot one-hopper hit by O’Mara down the third base line. After gathering himself he was able to get a force at second and prevent what probably would have been runners at second and third with no outs. For the Cahillites, RBIs by Sowisdral (triple) and Deodato (double) produced two runs in the opening frame. Mychack has pest written all over him. Today, he reached base all four times he came up on a pair of walks, a single, and HBP. He also stole a base. O’Mara went 2-for-4, with 2 SB’s. Sowisdral also reached base all four times, aside from his triple he drew three walks. Deodato finished 2-for-4. Jr. RHP Sean Quigley got the rock for the Cahillites and was in trouble all afternoon. Amazingly, he kept getting out of jams with minimum damage. However, the last of his nine walks (Also a HB) did him in, as Duke’s homer tied the game shortly after this final free pass. In all, he went 4 2/3 innings and threw 95 pitches (just 42 strikes). In his defense and in defense to the other pitchers, but today’s plate umpire seem to have a small strike zone. If I had some advice for Sean it would be to try and keep your negative reactions to close pitches that aren’t called to a minimum. Not only do umps frown upon this, but it also affects your mindset when on the mound. Hang in there and take one pitch at a time. His stuff wasn’t all that bad, but I think he lost lots of concentration early. A couple of Cahillite errors caused Quigley to allow two unearned runs during his stint, but his fielders definitely bailed him out on a few occasions. First, Caputo turned a nice double-play on a soft chopper down the line at third that saw him go back to tag the bag, and then throw across. As I mentioned earlier, he also turned a twin-killing from shortstop. Right before this Deodato gunned down an O’Hara runner trying to make it to third after a hit. He threw an accurate one-hopper on the play. In the second inning, Sowisdral made a nice leaping grab that was destined for the right field corner to thwart a threat. Late in the game DiGiovanni made a nice sliding stop up the middle to take away a potential hit. The Cahillites played without star jr. CF Dom Joseph, who finds himself saddled with school issues. Joseph, who has already accepted a football scholarship to Virginia (May also opt for baseball while there), could rejoin the team in a few weeks. Hopefully, we do get a chance to see him out on the diamond again this year; the kid is a special talent. Today, he was on the bench with his teammates and constantly gave encouragement. It was good to see/talk with O’Hara’s AD/Head Football Coach Dan Algeo in the early part of the game. It’s definitely a highlight of yours truly when I visit O’Hara. Also, it was GREAT to see my former baseball coach and teacher from West Catholic, Joe Byrne, in attendance. I can’t begin to explain how great a man Joe is. Lets just say this, the man is ACES!!! For sure, one of the good guys and one of the more positive role models in my life.

APRIL 12
CL SOUTH
Bonner 17, Kennedy-Kenrick 14
   First place was on the line in the CL South and the Friars and the Wolverines went blast for blast in trying to decide who would be perched on top by day’s end. Five different times K-K grabbed a lead on Bonner, and each time the Friars answered with tying or go-ahead runs in their half of the inning. Wow, what a roller coaster ride these squads put forth! In the end, the Friars outlasted the Wolverines, as K-K’s sr. RF Kevin Lawrence pushed a potential game-tying field goal wide right as time ran out. Wait a minute; this was a baseball game, right? Yes, but with the score being what it was I couldn’t resist the football reference. (Side-note: Kevin was a standout kicker/punter for K-K’s football team. Sorry, Kev, but I’ll make sure Ted doesn’t count the phantom miss against your stats, smile!).  Anyhow, both teams showed plenty of fight and even though there had to be a loser, both can hold their heads high and know that anything can happen as long as you continue to keep at it. That was certainly the case today. This was K-K’s (11-1) first loss of the season. There was at least one run scored in every half inning except for the top and bottom of the third. Hey, can we play this inning over? K-K notched single runs in their half of the first and seventh, every other inning was occupied by a crooked number. Highlights -- Where to begin? For drama purposes lets start in K-K’s visiting sixth. Trailing 12-10, jr. CF/RHP Carlo Petrillo was plunked to start the inning. Jr. RHP/LF Mike Fazio (3-for-4, 2B, (2) HR’s, 3 R’s, & 4 RBI’s) followed with a two-run blast to right-center to knot the game at twelve. This was Fazio’s second homer in as many at-bats. Freshman DH Mike Lubanski (2-for-5, 2B, HR), brother of former K-K star and current Kansas City prospect Chris Lubanski, followed with a towering blast to left-center to make it 13-12. But as you can tell, no lead was safe in this one. In Bonner’s half of the inning, sr. LF Tom Tarpey led off with a pinch single up the middle. Then, soph 3B Matt Gallagher (2-for-3, HR, HBP, SB, 3 R’s) sent one skyward to left-center and with the way the wind was blowing on this day, say good bye. Gone, and a 14-13 Bonner lead. Then, sr. SS Brian Meagher (1-for-1, 3 BB’s, 3 R’s) singled to left. A walk by sr. LF Mike Coleman (1-for-3, 2 R’s, 3 BI’s) was sandwiched between a couple of outs. This set the stage for sr. 2B Matt Kern (2-for-3, HR, SB, 5 RBI’s) and he delivered with a towering, wind-aided drive to the deep part of right field. Like the old Bugs Bunny cartoon said, “Wham, another homer!” This gave the Friars a more comfortable 17-13 lead. The Wolverines would not go quietly with their hands on their sticks for the last time. The Friars brought in sr. LHP Chris Albaugh, the fifth Bonner hurler, to start the inning. Sr. C D.J. Santoro (3-for-5, 2 R’s) promptly singled. Things got a little dicier when another impressive K-K freshman 3B Christian Walker (More on him to come) was safe on a fielding error by Gallagher. Albaugh got Lawrence (3-for-5, 3 2B’s) to lift a fly to shallow right. Petrillo followed with a single to load the bases. Fazio, who had homered in his previous two at-bats, was next, and he was looking to do more damage. He ended up walking to make the score 17-14. With the game on the line Albaugh got gritty and struck out Lubanski and sr. SS Dennis Morgan (2-for-5, SB, 2 R’s) on six pitches to end the game. Trust me on this, but Albaugh’s hurling, though it was only for an inning, was the best pitching of the day. The unfair part about it was that he didn’t get credited for a save since Bonner led by four entering the inning. Still, great moment for a good kid! In Lubanski’s and Morgan’s defense it appeared to me that the home plate umpire opened his zone up during those two AB’s. Albaugh’s pitches were definitely close, and probably were strikes on most days, but today I thought this guy had a tight zone throughout, but not during these final two plate appearances. Back to Walker, I like this kid! He has the “look” already. He finished 3-for-5, with a HR and 4 RBI’s. He opened the scoring with a two-out homer that he rocketed over the left-center field fence. Man, did he get the bat head out on this pitch. Very quick! Also, starring at the plate for the Wolverines was sr. 1B Matt Stehman who went 3-for-4, 2 R’s, 2 RBI’s, & 2B. I hope no one in the surrounding areas had any hopes of building a house any time soon; because I’m pretty sure that the Wolverines took all the lumber from the local Home Depots. Geez, were they mashing! Every player that swung a bat had at least one hit and the Wolverines collected 21 hits on the afternoon. Many of these were hit HARD. And the damage came from everyone in the line-up too. Their six-thru-nine hitters went a sizzling 10-for-18. K-K’s bats were very good, but the same cannot be said about their pitching. Bonner only managed 10 hits (4 bombs), but what really did the Wolverines in were the 7 walks and 4 plunks they issued. Fazio allowed nine runs (8 earned) in just 3 2/3 innings. During this time he gave up 5 hits (2 HR’s), 4 walks, & 3 HB’s. He did manage to strike out four. Sr. RHP/CF Kevin Barnett followed him and yielded 5 earned runs in an inning and a third. He took the loss. The Friars got a leadoff home run by sr. CF Mike Dunn (1-for-3, 3 R’s, 2 W’s, SB) in their half of the first. This ball was certainly a sign of things to come as it was routinely hit to center and just kept going and going before caroming off the new scoreboard that sits out behind the fence in straightaway center. Speaking of caroming off the scoreboard, I asked Bonner’s scorekeeper Bryan “Dusty” Kerns if anyone had hit the sign when I first noticed it prior to the game. He told me not yet and that it might be hard to do. I told him, you wait and see. I bet it happens more than you think. Hmmm, does Huck see into the future now?? You just stay with this TS.com thing for a while, Dusty, you’ll be predicting things soon enough. Additional Friar scoring, aside from the late-game heroics: Coleman slung a ball just fair down the right field line for a two-run single in the second. Bonner’s big inning was a five spot in the fourth. The big blow was a two-run homer by sr. RF-RHP Dan Leicht to deep right field. Another ball that was solidly hit, but definitely wind-aided. Kern (RBI single) and sr. 1B-RF Steve DeBarberie (Sac-fly in first - a two-run single) added key knocks in the frame. Then, Bonner plated three more in the fifth when Coleman brought home a run after being hit by a pitch, another run scored on a fielder’s choice by sr. C Ryan Hunt, and finally a sac-fly by Kern. Aside from Albaugh’s back-to-back K’s in the seventh the Friars didn’t get good pitching. In fact, they might have been better served leaving the L-screen on the field for protection, that’s how hard they were hit. The best thing I can say about Bonner’s staff today was that they did throw strikes, just one walk/HB in the game. Even star RHP-RF Rob Graham fell victim to the onslaught. Granted he did have a 54-pitch outing two days ago. His fastball was lacking steam and was up, while his usually sharp breaking ball had little-to-no bite. He gave up 3 runs and five hits in an inning and a third. Soph. RHP Bill Hollingsworth picked up the win, despite giving up three runs in the sixth. Bonner had a strong student showing in the outfield. There were no signs of a BBQ, but plenty of bleacher managing. How much did headman John Fleming consider their requests? Lets just say, very little, but I’m sure he appreciated the support nonetheless. I spent a good part of the game chatting with my buddy Al Rubio, a long-time supporter of area high schools. At one point, after another home run to the short part of center field he asked Bonner long-time assistant Gene Ferraiola how far the fence actually is. Gene quipped, “450 feet.” Ha ha ha, not exactly! After Coleman was hit with a pitch to force in a run, Dusty asked me, does he get a RBI? I told him that he sure does and anything else you need to know Dust, just bring it my way. He followed this exchange up with, “I’ve been out of the loop on this stuff for a while. I covered girls’ softball for six years.” Huh? Dusty, you’re all of 17-years old when did you find time to cover girls’ softball for six years? Just so you know, there are easier ways to pick-up the ladies, smile!
   Meanwhile, this game was so legendary, I figured it deserved a boxscore . . .  

MONSIGNOR BONNER 17, KENNEDY-KENRICK 14
APRIL 12, 2006
KENNEDY-KENRICK            AB     R     H     BI     BB     SO
Tom Mahoney 2B                                   5        1        1        0          0          1
D.J. Santoro C                                        5        2         3        1          0          0
  Zack Capaldo CR                                 0        0         0        0          0          0
Christian Walker 3B                               5        1         3         4         0           1
Kevin Lawrence RF                               5        0         3         0         0           0
Carlo Petrillo CF-P                                4        1         1         0         0           1
Mike Fazio P-LF                                    4        3         3         4         1           0
Mike Lubanski DH                                5        2         2         1         0           1
  Jeff Couchara LF                                 0        0         0         0         0           0
Kevin Barnett P-CF                              0        0         0         0         0           0
Dennis Morgan SS                                 5        2         2         1         0           1
Matt Stehman 1B                                   4        2         3         2         0           0
   TOTALS:                                           42      14       21       13        1           5
MONSIGNOR BONNER          AB     R      H       BI     BB     KO
Mike Dunn CF                                      3         3         1         1         2           1
Mike Coleman LF-PH                          3         2         1         3         1           0
  Bill Hollingsworth P                            0         0          0         0         0           0
  Chris Albaugh P                                 0         0          0         0         0           0
Ryan Hunt C                                        4         1          0         1         0           0
  Vince Sculli CR                                  0         0          0         0         0           0
Matt Kern 2B                                       3         2          2         5         1           1
Steve DeBarberie                                 4         1          1         3         0           2
Dan Leicht RF-P                                  4         1          1         2         0           0
  Colin Liberatore 1B                           0         0          0         0         0           0
Rob Graham DH-P                              2         0          0         0         0           1
  Tom Tarpey CR-PH-LF                    1         1          1         0         0           0
  Matt McGillian P-RF                         0         0          0         0         0           0
Matt Gallagher 3B                               3         3          2         2          0          0
Brian Meagher SS                               1         2          1         0          3           0
  Vince Sculli CR-PR                          0         1          0         0          0           0
  TOTALS:                                        28       17         10       17        7           5
KENNEDY-KENRICK             1   3   0   3   3   3   1        14     21      2
BONNER                                   2   2   0   5   3   5   x        17     10      3
E: (KK) Petrillo, Santoro. (MB) Dunn, Leicht, Gallagher. LOB: K-K 8 MB 6. 2B: (KK) Lawrence (3), Lubanski, Stehman. HR: (KK) Walker, Fazio (2), Lubanski. (MB) Dunn, Leicht, Gallagher, Kern. SB: (KK) Morgan. (MB) Dunn, Coleman, Tarpey, Kern, Gallagher. SF: (MB) DeBarberie, Kern.
KENNEDY-KENRICK        IP     H     R     ER     BB     SO     NP
Fazio                                    3 2/3   5      9      8        4        4        87
Barnett (L)                           1 1/3   3      5      5        2        1        41
Petrillo                                  1        2      3      3        1        0        24
BONNER                              IP     H     R     ER     BB     SO     NP
McGillian                              1       6     4       4         0        0       31
Leicht                                  2 2/3   6     3       3         0        3       37
Graham                               1 1/3   5     3       3         0        0       25
Hollingsworth (W)                1       2     3       3         0        0       20
Albaugh                                 1      2      1      0         1        2        23
HBP: (KK) by Hollingsowrth (Petrillo). (MB) by Fazio (Hunt, Graham, & Gallagher), by Barnett (Coleman).

APRIL 10
CL SOUTH
Bonner 6, Neumann-Goretti 3 (10 inn.)
     The Friars, who have title aspirations, escaped South Philly with a victory over the pesky Saints, but they needed over three hours of playing time and ten innings to do so. The teams combined for 319 pitches and for the most part this game was cleanly played and filled with strategic moves by both skippers, John Fleming (MB) and Gaeton Lucibello (N-G). Over the past two seasons the Saints have lost more than their fair share of tight games. In many cases, it’s a shaky inning or two defensively that does them in. Today, they played extremely well on the field for nine innings and had just one miscue (an errant pick-off throw) that did not lead to any scoring prior to the tenth. Then it happened, and it came seemingly out of nowhere. Bonner turned three N-G errors and two walks into three unearned runs in the top of the tenth. This is how that stanza went: Sr. LF/RHP Rob Graham led off with a mile high pop up to the infield/dirt area of second base. The sky was crystal clear and this baby was up there, but it’s a play that needs to be made, but wasn’t, as it landed untouched. Jr. 3B Tim Dougherty followed with a sacrifice bunt that was booted by sr. LHP/CF Albert DiDomenico placing runners on the corners. DiDomenico bounced back and K’d sr. SS Brian Meagher for out number one. Next, leadoff hitter, sr. CF Mike Dunn was intentionally walked for his fifth free pass of the game to load the bases. Sr. 1B Colin Liberatore then grounded weakly back to the mound. DiDomenico threw home for the second out. However, both he and freshman C Joey Armata showed tentativeness on both ends and a chance for an inning-ending double-play was negated. I think off the bat the DP could have been had. Anyhow, this left the door open for sr. C Ryan Hunt. Hunt proceeded to send a roller to a charging jr. SS George Hatton, the ball shot up at the last second and eventually found its way into leftfield for the third error of the inning and allowing two runs to come across. The final run of the inning came from a successful double-steal by sr. CR Vince Sculli (second base) and Liberatore (home). The Saints received a two-out walk from DiDomenico in the home half of the tenth, but Graham struck out sr. RF Franco Cima to end the game. Graham picked up the win in relief as he was extremely effective in 4 1/3  innings of work. Graham (54 pitches – 36 strikes) was directly involved in ten of the thirteen outs he recorded. He fanned six, got three outs on soft come-backers, and picked-off DiDomenico after allowing the only hit of his outing. He was very dominant! His strike out pitch today was a sharp-breaking slider that had plenty of bite. Early on it appeared that the Friars might frolic as they plated three in the top-half of the first. Sr. 2B Matt Kern singled home sr. DH Mike Coleman on a nicely executed hit-and-run play, sr. CR Tom Tarpey scored on a RBI ground out by sr. 1B/RF Steve DeBarberie, and then Kern was sent home on a timely two-out hit by sr. RF/RHP/LF Dan Leicht. The Friars had three solid hits in the opening frame, but from this point on their sticks went cold. How cold? Bonner would only manage three more hits the rest of the game and their next hit didn’t come until Hunt opened up the top of the seventh with a solid stroke to right field. Meanwhile, the Saints scratched and clawed their way back, eventually tying the game in the home fifth. They made it a 3-1 contest in the second with an unearned run. Jr. 1B Andrew Juliana (2-for-4) started the inning with a double. Then, jr. 2B Christian Varalli struck out on a ball in the dirt, but avoided a quick tag attempt by Hunt and raced towards first. Hunt’s throw sailed down the right field line allowing Juliana to score. A two-spot in the fifth knotted the game for the Saints. Back-to-back singles by sr. 3B Marc Cortese and sr. LF Anthony Giletto got things started. Both runners stole a base and that put runners on second and third with no outs. Hatton scored Cortese on a ground out to second. DiDomenico (2-for-4, 2B, BB) popped up to shortstop for the second out. Then, jr. RHP Andrew March, who started the game on the mound re-entered as a pinch-hitter and promptly stroked a clutch double to deep right that tied the game. Prior to Graham’s arrival the Saints actually had some chances to score some runs. Every Saints’ inning up until the sixth ended with a runner at second base. Twice, they had a runner at second with no outs and failed to get them home. DiDomenico was the tough-luck loser. He was scheduled to start the game, but had been ill for the past three days. He eventually got into the game and pitched the final five frames for the Saints. I’d categorize his outing as effectively wild, but considering his health recently you’d have to say his performance at a minimum was gutsy. He ran a lot of deep counts and actually threw 101 pitches (54 strikes) over his five innings of work. He allowed just three hits, walked five (one –IBB), and struck out a fistful. March was the emergency starter for the Saints and worked the first 3 1/3 innings. Lanky soph. RHP Agapito Osano showed some toughness and got his team out of a major jam in the fourth. After March issued walks to three consecutive Bonner hitters Osano entered the game. He got Coleman to dribble a ball to Varalli at second who was able to get a force at home. The final out of the inning came on a line drive by Hunt to center. Then, he worked a one-two-three fifth. In total, Osano needed just 12 pitches to record five outs. Nice job!! Sr. RHP Sean Fitzgerald made the start for the Friars. He pitched the first 4 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned), 5 hits, one walk, and 4 K’s. Leicht worked an inning and third in relief of Fitzgerald. Defensively, I really like how Meagher plays the shortstop position. He possesses a strong and accurate arm. On top of that he always seems to be in ideal fielding position when the ball gets to him. Dougherty made two nice plays at the hot corner, one going to his left and another along the line that saw him smother a ball and then throw across for the out. Yes, Hatton did make a critical error in Bonner’s three-run tenth, but prior to this he made a handful of solid plays. This kid isn’t all that big, but he has a very strong arm. Clutch hitting we did not have in this one. The teams combined to go 4-for-31 (MB – 2/17 & N-G 2/14) with runners in scoring position. Yikes!! The Friars in Dougherty, Tarpey, and Dunn have three players that I formerly coached in the UDHL league in Drexel Hill. Many of the other Friars also played in this league. It’s good to see all of these kids having success at the high school level. Not only was this a battle between the Friars and the Saints, it was a battle between the McCauleys, as in John “Lefty/Blade” McCauley, a Bonner assistant, and his son Matt “Cauls” McCauley, an N-G aide. Today, it was Blade that came out on top in terms of bragging rights at the next family dinner. I believe these two only shot daggers at each other on a few instances during the game, smile!!

MAR. 29, 2006
NON-LEAGUE
Father Judge 4, Neumann-Goretti 3
   The Saints came within inches of securing a nice non-league win over a good Judge team, and in all honesty, probably should have left the field with a notch in the win column. The Crusaders placed two unearned runs on the board in the visiting seventh, and did so without a hit. With one out, sr. PH Joe Ashdale was safe on a throwing error by N-G’s jr. SS George Hatton. Sr. CF Mike Chichearo re-entered the game to pinch run and stole second. Next, N-G’s jr. P Andrew March struck out FJ’s heavy-hitting and last season’s Northern Division co-MVP Matt Compton for out number two. A wild pitch moved Chichearo up to third and sr. 1B Jason D’Ambrosio followed with a walk to put runners on the corners. Jr. DH/3B Ryan Kreider than lofted a semi-deep fly ball to right-center, but N-G’s sr. RF Franco Cima could not make the grab as the ball nicked off his glove. With sr. PR Steve Carr running on the play he was able to easily score after Chichearo and give the Crusaders a 4-3 lead. The ball was skied and both Cima and sr. CF/P Albert DiDomenico had long runs, but the play had to and should have been made. It actually appeared that Cima had a bead on it, but it just wasn’t meant to be. The Saints didn’t go down without a fight in their half of the seventh. With one out jr. 2B Christian Varalli laced a triple down the right field line. Cima followed and was fanned by jr. P/3B Tim Ashenbrenner. Down to their last out jr. PH Mark Hatty tomahawked a sinking liner into left-center, but Judge’s sr. LF Chris Schwartz made a nice sliding catch to end the game. Early scoring went like this – The Saints plated one in the third on a two-out double by leadoff man sr. LF Anthony Gilletto that scored Cima, who earlier walked. Judge scored two in the fifth when sr. RF Jeff McMahon singled and stole second. He moved to third on bang-bang play after Mi. Chichearo was thrown out at first after a ground ball back to the mound. N-G’s 1B Andrew Juliana quickly threw to third, but McMahon was ruled that he got under the tag of soph. 3B Agapito Osano. From my vantage point it appeared that Osano nipped McMahon’s helmet before he hit the bag. Anyhow, Compton followed with a walk. Then, D’Ambrosio ripped a smash for an RBI single that ended up eating up Varalli and rolling back to the fence. Compton scored, but was forced back to third when the ball either got lodged in or rolled under the fence. He would eventually come across though and give the Crusaders a 2-1 lead when Kreider grounded to shortstop. The Saints ended up getting out of the inning on this play when they turned the ever-popular 6-5-4-6-6-5 DP. In the home sixth the Saints took a 3-2 lead. Sr. PH Chuck French led off with a base knock to right. With one out Giletto attempted a bunt that was mishandled by Ashenbrenner just to the right of the mound for an error. Hatton followed with a walk to load the bases. Then, DiDomenico hit an absolute pea to deep right-center. Trust me, this ball was crushed, but luckily for the Crusaders Mi. Chichearo was playing deep and got a tremendous jump on the ball and ran it down. It did produce a run, but if that ball falls in, it easily gets to the blacktop and becomes a salami for DiDomenico. Still, before another pitch was thrown the Saints would indeed grab the lead as Hatton took off for second on a steal, a distracted Ashenbrenner who already started to the plate stopped and a balk was called. This allowed Giletto to waltz home. Ashenbrenner picked up the win in relief, as he K’d three in two innings of work. Sr. P Justin DeCristofaro, a lefty and quality QB for the Crusader football team, was very solid in five innings of work. Not particularly overpowering, but he was around the plate all day. He struck out four, walked two, and yielded just two hits in his outing. He did so on limited amount of pitched, just 54 (37 strikes) in five frames. McMahon went 2-for-4 at the plate and made the defensive play of the game when he made a sliding catch amongst some spectators and near the fence in foul territory along the right field line. Sr. C Anthony Mirabella reached base three times for Judge with a single and two walks. Jr. SS Keith Chichearo displayed a strong arm on a couple of throws and made a real nice catch and throw from the hole early on. By the way, this Judge team is BIG! Many of their players are of the 6’1” or 6’2”+ variety.  The Saints used four pitchers in the game and all were around the plate. DiDomenico, who figures to be the staff ace, got the start and went three scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out three. This kid is getting another chance to shine for the Saints this year after dislocating his shoulder in their first league game last season. He has that effortless left-handed swing and today the ball just flew off his bat. Even though he only had one hit to show for hit, a scolding single to left-center in the first. This kid can play a little and there should be a spot for him on someone’s roster at the next level. Osano made a nice defensive play to cut down a potential Judge run. He short-hopped a tough ball near the line and made a nice throw home to soph. C Charles Stinsman who calmly applied the tag. Speaking of catchers it is said that the Saints have a keeper in freshman Joey Armata. He was sick today, so I didn’t catch a look-see, but I did a week or so ago in a scrimmage and liked what I saw. The Saints won’t be the most talented team in the league, but skipper Gaeton Lucibello has them trying to do the right things and playing the right way. Nearly all involved with the Saints, both players and coaches demonstrate energy and are enthusiastic. Gotta love that! You also have to love the rosters that Lucibello has prepared, complete with all the essentials and a line-up card. See, it’s not hard to keep us TS.com guys happy, is it now? Kudos to Judge Head Coach Joe McDermott for keeping yours truly abreast of all his teams changes throughout the game. I was stationed down the third base line and with Joe’s help; trips to the other side were not needed. Much appreciated!!!

MAR. 14
NON-LEAGUE
Bonner 2, Haverford School 2 (tie!!)
   What a rollercoaster of a ride we have had in the weather department over the past week. March doesn’t exactly cooperate for the boys of summer in these parts and today was no different. Oh that’s right; we’re still a week or so away from spring. Still, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday was unseasonably warm and ideal for some early-season long tossing. Today, chilly and then some! It was cold and extremely blustery on Lancaster Ave. for the season opener for the Fords and Friars. So, as you can imagine the ping coming off the bats didn’t exactly pierce the ears. However, for being the first game for each team it was mostly well-played, competitive, and the kids seemed to be interested. On top of that they completed the traditional seven innings, which isn’t always a common thing in these non-league tussles. Sure, I would have liked to see one of the teams win, but overall it was a pleasurable experience. As for the game it was the Fords who struck first with single runs in the first and third that pretty much mirrored one another. Interestingly enough, they scored both runs without a hit and ended up finishing the game with just a one tally in that elusive hit column. Table-setter sr. CF Nick Tom possesses tremendous speed and excellent base-running instincts. He led off the Fords half of the first with a walk and almost instantly turned it into a triple with his first two swipes of six in the contest. After another walk to jr. LF Jared Cohen, Tom would score when jr. 3B-P Mike Galetta grounded into a twin-killing. In the third, Tom again walked and stole two bases with one out. Again, Cohen followed with a walk. This time Galetta lofted a fly ball to medium deep center for a sacrifice fly as Tom waltzed home staking the Fords to a 2-0 lead. As I already stated the Fords finished the game with just one base knock and it came from jr. 1B Nick Genuario on a bunt. In actuality, the play probably could have been made by Bonner sr. RHP Rob Graham. Genuario, who was trying to sacrifice, lofted the ball up the first base line with some air underneath it. Graham got a decent jump on the ball, but was unable to come up with it and narrowly got leather on the ball. A hit was awarded, but since it occurred in the second inning not much was thought about the play. Two other times the Fords threatened to score. In the fifth, Tom was safe on a fielding error and then proceeded to steal his fifth and sixth bases with one out. Quickly let me add, but by no means was this a poor reflection on Bonner’s sr. C Ryan Hunt, who is very capable behind the dish. These pilfers were on the Friar hurlers who continually let Tom get Vince Coleman-like jumps. Except for once, when sr. LHP Chris Albaugh actually picked him off only to see Tom beat the throw to second. Anyhow, a flare to shortstop with the infield in and a slow roller to second ended the threat. In the sixth the Fords had a runner reach third with two outs, but MB’s RHP-LF Dan Leicht ended the threat with a punch out. Sr. RHP-3B Rich Schultz threw well for four innings, allowing just three hits, a walk, and whiffing four. He wasn’t overpowering, but I liked how he mixed up his pitches throughout. At the plate Schultz probably hit the hardest ball of the day when he sent a smash out to center than was nicely tracked down by sr. CF Mike Dunn, a speedy transfer from Upper Darby. Dunn did an excellent job of racing back and keeping his head right on the ball before making the snag about five or so feet from the fence. Clean-up hitter sr. C Eric Pender nearly missed a long ball as he just got under one that found Dunn’s glove to start the sixth. Early in the game he made a nice throw to eliminate a Bonner would-be base-stealer. I coached Eric in UDHL for a season and it was good to see him again. He’ll be attending Amherst College (Impressive!!) to play football and possibly baseball next fall. Congrats! Galetta relieved Schultz and pitched the fifth and sixth innings for the Fords with mixed results. He displayed an above-average fastball and on this day it was really above-average, but was also wild. After retiring the first Bonner hitter in the fifth he yielded four consecutive walks, the fourth Hunt scored sr. 2B Mike Coleman (W, 1B, 2 SB’s) to make the score 2-1. Then, following Hunt sr. OF Tom Tarpey fought off a 1-2 pitch and lined a single up the middle to knot the score at 2-2. To Galetta’s credit he K’d the next two Bonner hitters to thwart the threat. The Friars were touched with some bad luck in the visiting seventh. With two out and Tarpey on first after a fielder’s choice, sr. 2B Matt Kern snuck a roller inside the first base line that allowed Tarpey to race home. However, the ball went into a couple of portable soccer nets and the play was ruled a ground rule double, forcing Tarpey back to third. Cohen who was working the seventh got his team out of the jam by striking out sr. OF Steve Debarberie (single earlier). Offensively, the Friars managed six hits, but were just 1-for-12 with men in scoring position. Leicht was productive at the plate for the Friars and had two singles and a walk from the two-hole. The Friars used four pitchers and all showed glimpses of effectiveness. Today’s starting pitcher Graham throws hard and will be counted on heavily by head coach John Fleming. In this outing he struggled with his command as witnessed by his two walks and hit batter in two innings. Still, I think he has the POTENTIAL to be very effective this year. Promising sophomore RHP Bill Hollingsworth followed Graham and also exhibited a live fastball. A couple of walks got him in trouble in the third, but he had a 1-2-3 fourth to end his outing. Albaugh and Leicht combined to work the final three innings and were consistently around the plate. Leicht could serve as the Friar closer and I think he could do well in this role. He isn’t the biggest kid, but he does have some pop on his ball. I also like the toughness he brings to the mound. The Friars turned two double-plays in the game. Kudos to both Fleming and HS headman Bob Castell for having rosters printed up. You guys don’t even know how much easier it makes it for us to cover games when these are available. This was my first time watching game at Haverford’s field. For those who have never been there it has an all-purpose surface with dirt at the appropriate places around the diamond. Pretty cool!! For those of you wondering the game needed to be called when it was and neither side complained about the decision. It was good to hang out with Friar assistant John “Lefty/J-Mac/Blade” McCauley who just happens to be one of my best buds in this world. J-Mac was my next-door neighbor for so many years in SW Philly and is the father of my best friend Matt “Cauls” McCauley, who is an assistant at Neumann-Goretti. The Friars will have an early wake-up call as they depart for Orlando (Disney World) tomorrow. They will play five games from the 15th thru the 21st. Also, they will play four JV games while down there. They are bringing 24 kids on the trip. Wow, how times have changed. I vaguely remember my preseason trip when I played for West Catholic. It was to the beautiful and scenic sights of North Jersey for a one-game trip versus Hudson Catholic, smile!!!