Joltin' Joe
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   Joe Mason, not to be confused with '93 Phillies reliever Roger Mason, is a sports writer for the News Gleaner, in Northeast Philly, and the Burlington County (N.J.) Times. He has offered to file occasional reports on games he sees. You may contact him at joemason70@hotmail.com.

JUNE 6
PUBLIC LEAGUE FINAL
GAMP 8, Northeast 6
   Well, when the playoffs began, I told everyone that the Pioneers would win. I guess I was right, even though it was the wrong team!!!
   GAMP deserves a lot of credit. This is a team that won one less game in the postseason than it did during the entire regular season. I wasn’t able to attend many games in the Pub this season, and although I am a Northeast area Homer, this was a great game and I was glad I was there.
  The gritty Pioneers showed how much character they had when they clawed back from a 4-1 deficit to take the lead. Mario Malatino didn’t pitch a great, but it was his clutch pitching that won the game. He also ruined Northeast’s Ken Wlodarczyk perfect story.
  Wlodarczyk, who already had the single, double and triple during the game, was in a perfect situation to hit for the cycle. If he jacked a home run during his last at bat, not only would he have hit for the cycle, but he would have brought the championship home for the Vikings.
   And how bad must it be to be a Northeast fan this year. The school’s football, basketball, wrestling and baseball team all made it to the championship game in their respective sports, and the school has not one banner to show for it. It's a shame, because they deserved one in each.
  In closing, I know I didn’t get to write much for this site, because of my schedule, but I’d like to thank Ted, the other writers, the coaches and all of the athletes in the city. You guys are a lot of fun and I can’t wait until kickoff next fall. Have a great summer everyone.

APRIL 11
CATHOLIC NORTH
North Cath. 5, Judge 3
   This one was a pitchers' duel. Both starters did a great job, and if it weren’t for some costly errors by both teams, the score would have been much lower.
  North’s Keith White, who picked up the win, was in control the whole way, as he went the distance, striking out four and surrendering only one earned run. He was also credited with the game-tying RBI when he walked to tie the score at three in the sixth inning. He had his fastball and curve working very well. According to him, that was the reason he was so successful.
  The Crusader pitcher, John Keller, pitched well, but a costly error in the sixth inning gave the Falcons the winning and insurance run. Keller ended the game with four strikeouts, but he did issue six free passes, and three of them crossed the plate.
  While there were quite a few errors in the game, both teams showed flashes of brilliance with the leather.
  This win was just what North needed, as they were starting to get down on themselves for an 0-3 record. A win over Judge will always put smiles on the Falcons faces.
  The game had a good North-Judge atmosphere. There were quite a few fans for both sides in attendance, and all of them were showing class while cheering for their respective teams.