On the Trail With Ted
Baseball 2016

Return to TedSilary.com Home Page


 Observations, notes, etc., on games I've seen during
and after the 2016 season . . . Plus some Tedbits.
my email . . . tedtee307@yahoo.com.
 

SEPT. 9
TEDBIT
  Nick Chichilitti has been named the head coach at his alma mater, Archbishop Ryan, and few guys can match his feats when it comes to non-stop baseball involvement. Nick was the starting shortstop for Ryan's 1984 Catholic League champions and received honorable mention All-City laurels. He then played at Philadelphia Textile (now Philadelphia University) and spent one season there as an assistant in 2005. Along the way, he was almost North Catholic's final coach. He steered the Falcons in the 2008 and 2009 seasons and that latter team advanced to the quarterfinals, thanks to a 7-4 win over Judge in a first-round game. When the 2009 All-Catholic team was released, Nick's name was included because he was the Red Division Coach of the Year. He was not North's coach in 2010, in what turned out to be the school's final season. Want more? Nick has also been a long-time umpire, and in 2012 he was one of the base umps in a semifinal as La Salle beat Carroll, 10-0. He has also umped college games and for a while has owned a business that assigns umps. Online, there's a bio that details everything Nick has done as a player, coach, ump, league director, etc. Click here. Good luck, Nick!

JUNE 21
TEDBIT
  Though West Philadelphia captured the 1924 Public League championship, the most amazing ride was enjoyed by Central. (I stumbled on this stuff last night while trying to cross-check some info on Penn Charter's track history). I'll break this down in order via stories/recaps/boxes that were published in the Inquirer. At that time, Central was located at Broad & Green streets, the current site of Ben Franklin, and played its home games at 29th & Chalmers, which is also now used by Franklin. Two things to realize: High school games were nine innings in that era and papers often mentioned first names only for stars.
  April 28 -- We'll pick things up here. Central extended a no-runs-allowed streak to 26 innings with a 13-0 win over Northeast. The pitcher was RH Benjamin Harrison Graitzer, commonly known as Benny. He struck out 14 and Weiss hit a home run. FOUR times, Graitzer whiffed a batter with two outs and the bases loaded.
  May 1 -- Central beat Frankford, 4-0, extending the streak to 35. The pitcher was LH Teddy Sloam, a reliever in 1923, and Buddy Hafner had three hits while scoring three runs. The writeup included this: "Sloam was in rare form yesterday, which is his usual form by the way." Ha, ha. (An earlier story mentioned that Sloam's last name was formerly Slomkowski. Maybe it still was Slomkowski, but Sloam became the accepted version? Some Inquirer stories also referred to him as Slomy or Slommy. There was never a mention of Slomkowski. In 1927, according to baseball-reference.com, a guy named Theodore Slomkowski was listed on the roster for Baltimore in the International League. He appeared in no games, however. Weird.)
  May 13 -- Must have been lots of rain in the interim. In a non-league game, Central beat Girard College, 4-0, extending the streak to 44 innings. In this story, it was mentioned that the streak began in the second inning of a game vs. Germantown, and that games with Southern, Northeast and Frankford were also involved. Graitzer did the pitching. He fanned 14 while stroking two hits and scoring a run. This story had a pretty big headline.
  May 16 -- Central beat Northeast, 9-6, for its sixth straight win. The losers scored five runs in the seventh and one in the ninth. The "story" was a one-paragraph recap near the bottom of the page. There was NO mention of the streak being ended. It lasted 50 innings!
  May 19 -- Central beat Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf, 12-2, in a non-league game. Graitzer mowed down 21! Hafner and Biggs scored three runs apiece. The story noted that Graitzer struck four guys in each of the first two innings. He got the chance because a fill-in catcher, Palmer, twice dropped third strikes. . . . (In another story from earlier in the season, it was mentioned that Graitzer whiffed 20 in a game in 1923. He lost that one on an error by the centerfielder. Also, back in early April of this current season, Sloam racked up 18 Ks in a win over Southern.)
  May 26 and June 6 -- Central lost both games to West Philadelphia. Sloam was the losing pitcher in each one. In the June 6 game, West's pitcher was Charley Albertus (9 Ks) and Delf had three hits. In 1946, Charley's son, also named Charley, of West Catholic, earned first team All-Scholastic football honors (best players in the five-county area) from the ol' Philadelphia Bulletin. Later, Charley Sr. and Charley Jr. enjoyed quite the golf life. They won numerous father-son tournaments and their exploits created a newspaper stir. Dad also played with another son, William, and that duo was also dynamic.

JUNE 20
TEDBIT
  Young bucks played a large role in spurring Neumann-Goretti to Catholic League glory. The Saints' starting lineup in the championship game included three sophs and a freshman and no other champ over the last 30 seasons has had that many YBs. Carroll came close in 2002 with three sophs. (One was Chris Cashman, who through last year was the guy who brandished the radar gun behind home plate during Phillies home games.) When you check out the list below, you'll notice that only two freshmen have been starters for winners over since 1987. Yes, Eric and Nicky Nardini (now an assistant to coach Kevin Schneider) are brothers. And their middle brother, Tommy, was a starter for N-G's 2014 CL champs. One other nugget: In the state final, the Saints started FOUR sophs along with Eric Nardini. The other was leftfielder RJ McGettigan.
  UPDATE: This comes from Prep parent Randy Matthews . . . The Hawks also started four underclassmen (all sophs) in this year's CL final: Giani Arici SS, Luke Donaphon LF, Logan Kellerman C and Evan Matthews RF.  

Starting Young Bucks for CL Champs, 1987-2016
Year CL Champ Player Pos. Yr.
2016 Neumann-Goretti Aidan Baur 2B 10
    Colin Eiser RF 10
    Joe LaFiora DH 10
    Eric Nardini C 9
2015 Wood None    
2014 Neumann-Goretti Nicky D'Amore 3B 10
    Brian Verratti CF 10
2013 La Salle AJ Grezeszak SS 10
    Jimmy Herron CF 10
2012 Neumann-Goretti Josh Ockimey 1B 10
2011 Neumann-Goretti Joey Glennon 3B 10
2010 Bonner None    
2009 Neumann-Goretti Nicky Nardini DH 9
    Dom Riverso CF 10
    John Snyder RF 10
2008 SJ Prep None    
2007 SJ Prep Steve Bruno SS 10
    Jeff Lynch DH 10
2006 Conwell-Egan None    
2005 La Salle Sean Saverio C 10
2004 Carroll Andrew McDonnell 3B 10
2003 O'Hara Steve Cook CF 10
    Josh Rickards P 10
2002 Carroll Chris Cashman SS 10
    Brandon Gribbin 1B 10
    Ryan Stewart 2B 10
2001 Carroll John Gardner 2B 10
2000 Judge None    
1999 Carroll Mick Hannan 2B 10
    Marty Higgins LF 10
1998 Ryan John Price P 10
    Neal Regan LF 10
1997 Carroll Josh Hirt 3B 10
1996 Carroll Justin Aquilante SS 10
1995 North Catholic None    
1994 La Salle None    
1993 Wood Jeff Jones RF 10
1992 Roman None    
1991 Carroll Dan Aylmer 1B 10
1990 Wood None    
1989 Bonner Brandon Fickenscher 3B 10
1988 La Salle Chris Massella SS 10
1987 Judge None    

JUNE 18
TEDBIT
  How special was the stretch run of Neumann-Goretti's 2016 baseball season? Unmatched in city history! The Saints became the first Catholic/Public League team to post shutouts in their final three postseason games. And the first one in the string, a quarterfinal vs. North Penn-Mansfield, required nine innings. In 1990, as the Northern Division champ, Wood earned a bye straight to the semis and played just two postseason games. In 1991, Carroll did not win by shutout in a second-round game. In 1970, Bonner played only two postseason games -- the CL final (there were no semis then) and the City Title. The Friars' pitcher, Mike Stevens, was described as lefty curve-baller in assorted stories. He finished the season with four consecutive shutouts. The first two were regular season games. Not sure whether either was cut short by rain or required extra innings, but it's likely Stevens finished his season with a streak of at least 28 consecutive scoreless innings. N-G righty Ethan "E" Pritchett finished his senior campaign with a streak of 26 . . . In the Pub, all three teams listed below yielded runs in quarterfinals. 

CL/PL Teams That Finished the Season With at Least Two Consecutive Shutout Wins in Playoffs
Year Occasion Winner Loser Score Pitchers H K
2016 AA State Qtr Neum.-Goretti NP-Mansfield 1-0 Ethan Pritchett/Jared Healey 5 12
  AA State Semi Neum.-Goretti North Schuylkill 3-0 Jeff Ciocco 2 7
  AA State Final Neum.-Goretti Bishop McCort 3-0 Ethan Pritchett 3 8
1994 PL Semi Northeast Washington 11-0 Justin Ertel 4 10
  PL Final Northeast Frankford 12-0 Andy Smith/Brett Rosen 6 5
1991 CL Semi Carroll Bonner 1-0 Keith Conway/Sean Dalton 4 6
  CL Final Carroll Wood 2-0 Keith Conway/Sean Dalton 4 9
1990 CL Semi Wood La Salle 6-0 Dan Kusters 3 8
  CL Final Wood Carroll 1-0 Dan Kusters 2 11
1984 PL Semi Northeast Central 11-0 Andy Meltzer 1 9
  PL Final Northeast Franklin 5-0 Andy Meltzer 2 9
1981 PL Semi Frankford Central 9-0 Bruce Konick 2 5
  PL Final Frankford Mastbaum 5-0 Bruce Konick 7 3
1970 CL Final Bonner North Cath. 2-0 Mike Stevens 6 9
  City Title Bonner Lincoln 4-0 Mike Stevens 4 6

JUNE 17
TEDBIT
  Season No. 8 of the Catholic League's PIAA era is in the books and it ended with shutout No. 16 in City Titles/state playoffs. Neumann-Goretti has posted half of the blankings and sr. RH Ethan "E" Pritchett has led the way with three -- one in 2014 and two this season. His total could easily be four. In the Class AA state quarterfinal this year, he pitched seven shutout frames vs. North Penn-Mansfield before yielding to Jared Healey. The Saints won that one, 1-0, in nine innings. Pritchett allowed NO runs over his final 26 innings this season -- six vs. Bonner-Prendie (after giving up three runs in the first), six vs. MaST Charter in the City Title (frosh Joe Messina, son of assistant Joe Messina, finished), seven vs. NP-M and seven again in yesterday's state final vs. Bishop McCort, of Johnstown.

Shutouts by Catholic League Teams in City Titles/State Playoffs During the PIAA Era, 2009-16
Year Class Occasion Winner Loser Score Winning Pitcher
2009 2A Quarter Neumann-Goretti Twin Valley 1-0 Mark Donato
2010 3A CT Wood Franklin Towne 10-0 Larry Brittingham
  3A First Neumann-Goretti Twin Valley 2-0 Joe Kinee
2012 3A CT Neumann-Goretti Phila. Electric 13-0 Joe Jaep
2013 4A CT La Salle Frankford  8-0 Tom Cockill
  3A CT Bonner-Prendie Franklin Towne 5-0 Pat Vanderslice
2014 3A CT Wood Franklin Towne 8-0 Anthony Russo
  4A Semi La Salle Spring-Ford 3-0 Dom Cuoci
  2A Quarter Neumann-Goretti Bloomsburg 1-0 Ethan Pritchett
2015 3A CT Wood Franklin Towne 9-1 Sean Hughes
  4A First SJ Prep West Chester East 2-0 Colin Scanlon
2016 3A CT Wood Franklin Towne 16-0 Sean Hughes
  2A CT Neumann-Goretti MaST 6-0 Ethan Pritchett
  2A Quarter Neumann-Goretti NP-Mansfield 1-0 *Jared Healey
  2A Semi Neumann-Goretti North Schuylkill 3-0 Jeff Ciocco
  2A Final Neumann-Goretti Bishop McCort 3-0 Ethan Pritchett
*-in relief        

JUNE 16
TEDBIT
  The Carpenter Cup Classic is in Year No. 31 and this is the seventh time two "Our Guys" teams have posted first-round wins. In all years except one, the Catholic and Inter-Ac leagues have pulled off the feat. In 1990, the Pub managed its first (and still only) victory. Two "OG" teams have never reached the semis in the same year.

Years With Two "Our Guys" CCC Winners in First Round
YR. PUBLIC CATHOLIC INTER-AC
'90 Del-Val, W, 2-1 Bicen./Inter-Ac, W, 11-2 Catholic, L, 11-2
  Catholic, L, 11-1 Public, W, 11-1  
    SJ Central, W, 10-9  
    *Chester Co., W, 7-4  
'95 Catholic, L, 8-1 Public, W, 8-1 Mercer Co., W, 6-4
    Chester Co., W, 7-5 Dela. North, L, 10-1
'04 Tri/Cape, L, 9-5 Dela. South, W, 7-3 Oly./Colonial, W, 11-1
    Lehigh Valley, L, 9-8 Mercer Co., L, 8-5
'05 Delaware Co., L, 5-0 Oly./Colonial, W, 7-2 Burlington Co., W, 6-0
    Tri/Cape, W, 17-8 Sub. Amer./Cont., L, 4-0
    Sub. Amer./Cont., W, 6-5  
    *Delaware County, W, 8-2  
'06 Sub. Nat./Bicen., L, 8-5 Jersey Shore, W, 1-0 Oly./Colonial, W, 7-3
    Inter-Ac/Indepen., W, 14-5 Catholic, L, 14-5
    Tri-Cape, L, 6-5  
'07 Chester Co., L, 14-5 Oly./Colonial, W, 8-5 Burlington Co. W, 11-10
    Chester County, L, 10-5 Lehigh Valley, L, 5-3
'16 Delaware County, L, 15-1 Burlington County, W, 4-3 Delaware North, W, 4-1

JUNE 15
TEDBIT
  This nugget will only have a short mention of baseball, but I had to post it somewhere, so . . .
  The Inter-Ac League has been holding annual track championship meets since 1887 and through the years there have been many dominant performers. But the absolute beast was part of the show in the event's earliest years. We take you waaaaaay back to 1888, when E.S. Ramsdell was a sophomore at Germantown Academy. He won three events. Big deal, you say? He was just getting warmed up. Ramsdell swept five events in 1889, then EIGHT in 1890. Over those three years, he set eight records. The breakdown is below and the coolest event, by far, was the baseball throw. Ramsdell also placed second in the 220, 880 and high hurdles in 1888, and took thirds in the standing high and long jumps in '89. I did some checking on various research sites and Ramsdell spent his college years at Princeton, then Penn. He played baseball at the former while also mixing in track, then apparently concentrated on track at Penn. In 1894, in a major meet in New York (maybe an organization that was an Ivy League forerunner?), he won the 100 in 10.0, the 220 in 22.0 and the long jump (yes, it was called something else back then -- I prefer not to use that word) with an effort of 22-1. It appears that Ramsdell stood just 5 feet, 6 inches. Later, he became a doctor.
  Info on Ramsdell's Inter-Ac feats was researched in a book, published in 1956 by A.L. Graburn Jr., entitled The First Seventy Years. It examined the Inter-Ac's title meets from 1887-1956.
  SECOND UPDATE: For the record, Ramsdell's first name was Ernest and he became a doctor. His brother's first name was Ralph.
  UPDATE: I did one last check of Ramsdell's Inter-Ac feats and had to remove one win in 1890. The winner in the 880 in 1890 was listed as GA's R.R. Ramsdell. A brother or cousin, undoubtedly.

Inter-Ac Wins by GA's E.S. Ramsdell, 1888-1890
  1888 1889 1890 Total
100 *10.8 *10.5 11 3
220   25.0 25.6 2
440 *60.2     1
High Hurdles   *18.0 18.6 2
High Jump     5-0 3/4 1
Long Jump *19-6 *19-8 20-7 1/2 3
Standing HJ     4-3 3/4 1
Shot Put     28-6 1/2 1
Baseball Throw   *303-5 *322-10 2
  Total 3 5 8 16
* - league record      

--


 Counting cut-off guy, Rich Toal is 5th from right in top row, between two Neumann Pirates. (Pic provided by Matt "Cauls" McCauley via Monica Toal.)
 
Yr. Name Pos. School Opponent Went . . .
'86 Rich Toal CF O'Hara Sub. 1 Am.  1-for-1 with a walk
'14 Tommy Toal 3B Hav. Sch. Dela. South 1-for-2 with one RBI
  Tommy Toal 3B Hav. Sch. Dela. County 2-for-2 with a walk
'15 Tommy Toal 2B Hav. Sch. Berks County 0-for-1 with a walk

 

 JUNE 14
TEDBIT
  When members of a certain family compete in the Carpenter Cup Classic, the on-base- percentage bell Toals pretty darn well. We're talking about the father-son combo of Rich and Tommy Toal. So far in four games, those guys are 4-for-6 with three walks. Rich, of Cardinal O'Hara, was the backup centerfielder for the Catholic League in the tourney's very first year, 1986. Back then, all games were played at Veterans Stadium and you can imagine how much excitement the kids experienced getting to play on the same field used by the Phillies. The CL lost their one game, 15-8, to Suburban One American. Rich batted twice, sending a hopping ground ball through the left side in the seventh inning and drawing a walk in the ninth. He was then erased in a forceout at second. (Yes, I still have the score sheet.) Tommy, only a junior at Haverford School, is already a two-year CCC veteran. He played in one game in '15 and two in '14. So far, he's 3-for-5 with two walks. Penn Charter coach David Miller, the manager of the Inter-Ac/Indy squad, said last night his tentative plan is to start Tommy at second base and have him bat leadoff in Wednesday's game. He batted seventh/eighth in his first two CCC years. . . The rest of this nugget will have nothing to do with the Toals, but hopefully you'll find it interesting. In that first year, the Inter-Ac League was scheduled for the last of three opening-round games on June 17. The starting times were 1, 4 and 7. The Inter-Ac won, 15-3, over the Central League and the game ended at . . . 12:18 in the morning!! Tourney officials, obviously, had no idea that nine-inning games involving nervous high school kids in a major league stadium would last so long. The Inter-Ac squad's highlight was a three-run homer by Germantown Academy OF Mark Steffens, a lefty swinger who later played in the minors. The ball exited the field a shade to the right of the 371-foot sign and wound up in the Phillies' bullpen. Back then, the Daily News' deadlines were ridiculously late so I didn't have to hurry to get the story into the next day's paper. A high school game starting on one day and ending on another. Quite the memory. (The I-A had to play that next day at 12:30. It lost, 6-5, to Delaware.)

JUNE 13
TEDBIT
  In the June 10 offering, I kiddingly mentioned that maybe Neumann should have merged with its sister school many decades ago because it has fared so well in 1-0 games during the N-G era. Guess what? Here's more evidence and now I'm serious. Ha, ha. All time, N-G and its forerunners have played in 25 one-run postseason games. The overall record for the Saints (nee Pirates) is 16-9 (.640) and the record during the N-G era is 12-2 (.857). 

One-Run Postseason Games for N-G and Forerunners
Year Occasion Winner Loser Score Inn.
2016 AA quarter Neumann-Goretti NP-Mansfield 1-0 9
  CL quarter Neumann-Goretti Roman 2-1  
  CL final Neumann-Goretti SJ Prep 3-2  
2015 AA semi Loyalsock Neumann-Goretti 4-3  
  AA quarter Neumann-Goretti Bloomsburg 1-0  
  CL final Wood Neumann-Goretti 3-2  
  CL quarter Neumann-Goretti Carroll 6-5  
2014 CL LB 2nd Neumann-Goretti Wood 5-4 8
  CL LB 3rd Neumann-Goretti La Salle 1-0  
2013 CL LB 2nd Neumann-Goretti O'Hara 8-7 9
2012 CL final Neumann-Goretti La Salle 5-4 8
  CL semi Neumann-Goretti Bonner 8-7 14
2009 CL semi Neumann-Goretti SJ Prep 10-9  9
2008 CL quarter Neumann-Goretti La Salle 1-0  
1998 CL pre O'Hara Neumann 13-12  
1997 CL 1st Neumann Kennedy-Kenrick 5-4 9
  CL 2nd Carroll Neumann 5-4  
1995 CL semi Neumann Ryan 5-4  
1993 CL final Wood Neumann  2-1  
1992 CL 2nd Neumann St. James 4-3  
  CL semi Roman Neumann 6-5  
1987 CL 1st Neumann  West Catholic 6-5  
1974 CL semi Bonner Neumann 1-0  
1967 CL final Judge  Neumann  2-1  
1959 CL semi La Salle Neumann 3-2  

JUNE 11
TEDBIT
  In this century, eight Penn Charter graduates have earned All-Inter-Ac honors in football AND baseball. The first six years produced six guys while Mick Foley ('10) and Kenny Bergmann have been the only two over the last 11. Bergmann is headed to UConn for baseball. Kenny Devenney is the baseball coach at Judge. Matt Ryan, who also was a basketball starter (and twice earned second team all-league honors), throws footballs for Atlanta.

Penn Charter's 2000s Grads With Football/Baseball All-Inter-Ac Honors 
Name

--- Football ---

  

--- Baseball ---
Kenny Devenney 1999 1st DB 2000 1st LB   2000 1st OF 2001 1st OF  
Aaron Greenfield 2000 1st LB 2001 1st DL   2000 2nd C 2001 1st C 2002 1st C
Matt Ryan 2001 1st QB 2002 1st QB   2001 2nd INF 2003 1st INF  
R.J. Hollinshead 2003 1st Rec 2004 1st Rec   2003 2nd C 2004 1st C 2005 1st C
Zack Zeglinski 2003 1st RB     2003 2nd OF 2004 1st INF 2005 1st INF
Ryan Nanni 2004 1st Rec     2003 2nd OF 2004 1st OF 2005 1st OF
Mick Foley 2009 1st Rec     2009 2nd 1B 2010 1st 1B  
Kenny Bergmann 2015 2nd DL     2013 1st C-OF 2015 1st C 2016 1st C

JUNE 10
TEDBIT
  All time, Catholic League baseball teams have been involved in 16 postseason games with 1-0 scores. The latest took place yesterday and Neumann-Goretti was the winner. Not exactly a surprise, folks. N-G is now 5-0 in 1-0 games -- 2-0 in the league and 3-0 in states. South/Neumann/N-G is 5-2 overall. It fell to La Salle in the 1951 CL final and to Bonner in a '74 semi. Maybe Neumann should have merged with its sister school many decades ago (smile). The original thought was to present this Tedbit in the usual list/table form, but I decided to present all of the recaps. The order is: CL playoffs (all rounds before finals, then finals), City Titles and state playoffs. Four have required extra innings. Yesterday's ranks No. 2 at nine frames. The longest was the 1968 CT (11 innings).
CATHOLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
(Does Not Include Championship Games)
1974
SEMIFINAL
Part of Doubleheader at Temple's Erny Field
Bonner 1, Neumann 0
   John Jones allowed two hits and fanned seven. Dave Beanon had an RBI single in the fourth.
1983
SEMIFINAL
Part of Doubleheader at Temple's Erny Field
O'Hara 1, St. James 0 (8 inn.)
  In the home eighth, Joe Romano drew a one-out walk and stole second. As Chris McCall grounded out, Romano ran to third and drew a throw from the first baseman that bounced off the third baseman's glove and allowed Romano to score. Norm Hanratty pitched a four-hitter to outduel Tim McCarthy, who allowed four hits and fanned 10 in his 7 1/3 innings.
1991
SEMIFINAL
Part of Doubleheader at La Salle University
Carroll 1, Bonner 0
  Keith Conway (five innings) and Sean Dalton combined on a four-hitter to outduel Mike Staehle (five-hitter). The run scored in the visiting first on Sean McGarvey's walk, Mike Halpin's single and Conway's RBI single.
1999
SEMIFINAL
Part of Doubleheader at La Salle University
SJ Prep 1, Ryan 0
  Righthander Matt Altomare, who began the season on the junior varsity and was cut from the freshman team in '98, pitched a six-hitter with five strikeouts while becoming just the second soph to pitch a playoff shutout in 27 years. It was just the fifth 1-0 game in that span. Ryan's John Price pitched a three-hitter with eight K's, but uncorked a third-inning wild pitch to score Ed Turner.
2008
QUARTERFINAL
At Neumann-Goretti
Neumann-Goretti 1, La Salle 0
  Lefty Mark Donato, the first soph MVP in league history, pitched a three-hitter to outduel junior lefty Shawn O'Neill (also three hits allowed). In the home sixth, Aggie Osano reached first on a bad-hop single, pinch-runner Anthony Pfettcher got to second on a caught stealing/dropped ball combo and, after Joey Armata was issued an intentional walk, soph Mike Riverso slashed an RBI single to center. This was N-G/Neumann's first playoff visit since '97 while the 1-0 score was the first in a CL playoff since 1999 (and eighth total).
2010
QUARTERFINAL
At Wood
Wood 1, Kennedy-Kenrick 0
  Matt McAllister pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts, and Mike Spahits scored in the third as Jeff Courter drew a bases-loaded walk. For K-K, which advanced just one guy as far as third base in its final CL game, Joe Harvey allowed five hits. Steve Zbyszinski singled twice.
2014
LOSERS BRACKET FIRST ROUND
At Bonner-Prendergast
Bonner-Prendergast 1, Carroll 0
  Danny Goggin’s two-out single drove in Jesse Basden with the walkoff run in the home seventh. Nick Bralczyk needed 83 pitches to go seven innings. He allowed two hits and struck out six.
2014
LOSERS BRACKET THIRD ROUND
At Neumann-Goretti
Neumann-Goretti 1, La Salle 0
  In a battle of lefties, Charlie Jerla outdueled John Scheffey by allowing four hits. He received the necessary run support in the second when Justin Curtin's single scored courtesy runner Joe Lolio.

 CATHOLIC LEAGUE FINALS
1951
At Temple's Erny Field
La Salle 1, South 0
   Larry Brownsey allowed just one hit and the run scored in the sixth on back-to-back doubles by Don O'Connor and John Granozio. South's Bud Fahey pitched a six-hitter.
1978
At Temple's Erny Field
Roman 1, Egan 0 (8 inn.)
  Curveballer Craig Houck spun a five-hitter and escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the visiting eighth by retiring the 3-4-5 hitters. Egan's Joe Lynch (four-hitter) hit John Stoffere to start the home half and Stoffere eventually scored from second base in the aftermath of an infield throwing error.
1990
At Penn's Bower Field
Wood 1, Carroll 0
  Wood's Dan Kusters (11 strikeouts) and Carroll's Frank Rauscher traded two-hitters, none for extra bases, and the only run was covered in controversy. In the visiting first, Kusters drew a two-out walk and yielded to courtesy runner Mike Daulerio. With Daulerio running, Frank Fisher hammered an easy ground ball to second baseman Mike Halpin for what would surely would have been the third out. Instead, plate ump Jim Cronin called catcher Glenn McClelland for interference -- there was heated debate; even Fisher didn't know whether the call was correct -- and Jon Reimel followed with an RBI single. Kusters became the third pitcher in CL history to record two playoff shutouts in the same season.

CITY TITLES
1945
At Shibe Park
North Catholic 1, Southern 0
   Don Geehring (2-for-3) smashed a single to drive home Bill Shields in the second inning and pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts. With one out and a man on third in the fourth, Geehring registered a strikeout and groundout.
1968
At Connie Mack Stadium
Egan 1, Southern 0 (11 inn.)
  A pair of lefties, Egan's Dennis Yesenosky and Southern's Willie Jones, were masterful in this  marathon. Yesenosky allowed two hits and three walks and set strikeout records for seven innings (12), nine innings (17) and overall (20). Jones allowed eight hits and fanned 16. In the home 11th, singles by Tony Varacallo, Dan Connors and Jim Colella loaded the bases. Jim Carpenter sent a sinking liner to right and Vince DeMeis made the catch. With all three runners moving a doubleplay was possible, but DeMeis's throw to first was off-line. Jones then walked Paul Scalzone on four pitches to end it. In the sixth, Southern had runners thrown out at second and the plate.

STATE PLAYOFFS
2009
AAA QUARTERFINAL
At Spring-Ford
Neumann-Goretti 1, Twin Valley 0
  Under gray skies and occasional rain, Mark Donato spun a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and allowed no one beyond second base. The Saints scored in the third on a double steal as Reno Regalbuto thieved second and Marty Venafro ran home. As did some N-G parents, Regalbuto acknowledged afterward that he'd probably been tagged out (that call would have ended the inning). TV's players and coach convinced the second base ump to confer with his partner at first; the call stood.
2014
CLASS AA
QUARTERFINAL
At Parkland High, in Allentown
Neumann-Goretti 1, Bloomsburg 0
  Ethan "E" Pritchett spun a two-hitter with nine punchouts as the Saints won by shutout for the fifth time in 10 postseason contests; the MLB record is four by the Giants in 1905, 2010 and '12 and the Yankees in '98. The run scored in the third thanks to singles by Brian Verratti and Vinny Vaccone, a passed ball and a wild pitch.
2016
CLASS AA
QUARTERFINAL
At Pottsville High
Neumann-Goretti 1, North Penn-Mansfield 0 (9 inn.)
   Ethan "E" Pritchett (seven innings, 10 Ks) and Jared Healey (two, two) divided the pitching. In the home ninth, Joe LaFiora led off with a single and yielded to pinch-runner Steve Pizza. He advanced to second as RJ McGettigan's bunt was misplayed and to third on Pritchett's bunt single. Brian Verratti then created a wild celebration by scorching a liner over the third baseman's head for a game-ending single.

JUNE 9
TEDBIT
   Never know what baseball nugget you'll uncover why doing some research involving Inter-Ac track & field.
  Last night, I came across this Inquirer recap on a game that was played on Saturday, May 11, 1991.
  Dave Miller, who started and struck out 16 batters in 12 innings, delivered a two-run double in the top of the 15th to lift visiting Chestnut Hill Academy over Germantown Friends, 6-4, in a nonleague game.
  Wait. Time out. Miller pitched TWELVE innings, especially in a non-league game!?!?
  As you might know, David Miller is now the coach at Penn Charter and I just HAD to take a photo of that recap and send it to him via a text message.
  His first response: "LOL."
  I then asked him, "Are the numbers legit?"
  He confirmed that they were, then added some detail.
  "I remember that game," he noted. "I gave up four in the first because I was screwing around and didn't warm up properly. I just thought it was GFS" -- not exactly a power -- "and didn't prepare. My coach (Butch McNally) was so mad at me."
  "It was, like, a 4-hour game. In that first inning, I walked the bases loaded, then gave up my lone hit, a triple to their catcher. Then they had a sac fly. I pitched 11 no-hit innings after that. Believe it or not, I iced my arm between innings . . . When I came out, I got a standing ovation from the GFS parents."
  David remembered that the win went to reliever Paul Burke, who went on to star for La Salle's basketball team and coach Speedy Morris. In '95, he co-captained the Explorers and was a second team All-Big 5 honoree. He then played pro ball overseas. At CHA, Paul earned All-City honors in football (QB, first team), basketball (guard, second team) and baseball (infielder as junior, outfielder as senior; third team each time).
  No one else has collared All-City honors in the three major sports.
  David was also a hoops star. In baseball, he was a first team All-City honoree at first base in 1992. He then starred at Clemson and was selected by Cleveland in the first round of the MLB draft in '95. He played seven pro seasons.
  The first time I looked at the recap, I didn't write down the date . . . and didn't notice that it included two paragraphs.
  Search No. 2 yielded this . . .
  Paul Burke, who scored on Miller's hit, picked up the victory as the Hillers battled back from a 4-0 first-inning deficit. Henry Steinburg was tagged with the loss, despite throwing 11 innings in relief and collecting two of Germantown Friends' eight hits. (I strongly suspect Henry's last name should be spelled Steinberg.)
  You gottta be kidding me! Another guy pitched 11 innings in that same game!?!?
  David didn't remember that part. We won't hold it against him (smile).
  These days, pitchers may rack up no more than nine innings in a game, but there are no rules regarding pitch counts.
  In 2005, I covered a Catholic League game matching Kennedy-Kenrick and visiting Roman. K-K's Lenny DelGrippo threw 182 pitches over seven innings -- 72 in just the first two -- in what became an 8-7, nine-inning victory.
  Here's a nugget from MANY moons ago . . .
  In the 1968 City Title, played at Connie Mack Stadium, Egan beat Southern, 1-0, in 11 innings. Dennis Yesenosky pitched all 11 frames for Egan, allowing two hits and three walks while mowing down 20. The Eagles won it in the home half and Southern's Willie Jones also went the (10-plus) distance. He allowed eight hits and fanned 16. A bases-loaded walk ended it.
  And here's one from 2000 . . .
  In a Public League regular season game, Dobbins fell to King, 7-6, in eight innings. Dobbins' Terrance "T.J." Brunson punched out 22 guys and walked 10 in a two-hitter. Just doing that, with no other pitches involved, would have required 106 (66 and 40). So imagine how many he threw. Brunson also homered in that game . . . and was thrown out at third to end it while attempting to steal.

JUNE 6
TEDBIT
  The PIAA state playoffs are scheduled to begin today and three Catholic League teams will be involved -- Judge in AAAA, Wood in AAA and Neumann-Goretti in AA. Below are won-lost and runs for/runs against totals for the CL, broken down by classification, since it began participating in state playoffs in 2009. La Salle in AAAA has won two state titles ('12 and '14) and N-G in AA has advanced to a state title ('15) but fallen. SJ Prep ('09 in AAAA) and Neumann-Goretti ('09 and '12 in AAA, '14 in AA) have advanced to semis. Overall, CL teams are 22-17 and have been outscored, 144-133. Amazingly, the AAAA-AAA teams have to combined to score/yield exactly 100 runs.
 

Results for Catholic League Teams in State Playoffs (22-17, 133 RF-144 RA)
  CLASS AAAA   CLASS AAA   CLASS AA    
  W-L RF-RA   W-L RF-RA   W-L RF-RA      
2009 2-1 8-10   2-1 13-13   0-1 1-8      
2010 0-1 1-4   1-1 10-8   1-1 3-10      
2011 0-1 3-8   0-1 1-3     --        
2012 4-0 23-17   2-1 11-4     --        
2013 0-1 4-11   0-1 6-9   0-1 2-6      
2014 4-0 16-6   0-1 1-3   2-1 9-7      
2015 1-1 3-2   0-1 0-2   3-1 18-13      
11-5 58-58   5-7 42-42   6-5 33-44    

JUNE 5
TEDBIT
  The Inter-Ac League includes just six schools, so very talented players are able to make early impacts. Thus, in this century, 19 graduates have been able to say they earned first team coaches' all-Int honors at least three times. The info is below. The only addition for 2016 is Penn Charter sr. catcher Kenny Bergmann. Like two other PC guys, he received the honor in his freshman, junior and senior seasons. The others, Rob Amaro and Kenny Koplove, advanced to pro ball.
 
First Team, Four Times
Name School Pos. Years
Tommy Coyle Gtn. Academy INF 2006-09
Jon McAllister Chestnut Hill OF 2007-10
First Team, Three Times
Name School Pos. Years
Kenny Devenney Penn Charter OF 1999-01
Taylor Baum Penn Charter 1B-DH 2001-03
Sean Grieve Gtn. Academy P-OF 2002-04
Mark Adzick Penn Charter P-1B  2005-07
John Barr Gtn. Academy OF-P 2005-07
Anthony Cafagna Chestnut Hill P-INF 2005-07
Mike Galetta Haver. School P-INF 2005-07
Rob Amaro Penn Charter 1B-DH 2006, 2008-09
Steel Russell Chestnut Hill C-INF 2007-09
Doug Fleming Penn Charter C 2007-09
Sean Coyle Gtn. Academy INF 2008-10
Tyler Young Malvern INF 2008-10
Kenny Koplove Penn Charter P 2009, 2011-12
Nick Bateman Malvern OF 2010-12
Joe Poduslenko Malvern INF 2011-13
Kevin McGowan Haver. School INF 2012-13, 2015
Kenny Bergmann Penn Charter C 2013, 2015-16

JUNE 4
TEDBIT
  For a long time, "Our Guys" rarely have been afforded an opportunity to play for our teams. Think about it. How often does a product of a Catholic, Public or Inter-Ac school wind up on the rosters of the Phillies/Eagles/76ers? Anyway, now we offer a contrast -- baseball players out of Olney High. As you hopefully noticed, the Trojans recently won the Public League championship (first time since 1969, victim was Frankford), then claimed the Class AAAA City Title (first CT since 1951, only the second in a major sport in the school's 85 years, victim was Judge). All-time, six Olney alums have reached the major leagues and five were Phillies employees. Three made it to the majors. Del Ennis offered great production over 11 seasons and those numbers are listed below. Bill Peterman appeared in just one game on April 26, 1942, and never played again in a major league game. For anybody. But he did post a single in his only at bat, so his career average is 1.000! Elmer "Swede" Burkart pitched in 16 games (three starts) over four seasons from 1936-39, going 1-1 with a 4.93 ERA. Oddly, he never allowed an unearned run. Infielder Lee Elia and pitcher Jack Crimian signed their first pro contracts with the Phillies, but reached the majors with other teams. The lone Trojan with no Phillies ties was outfielder Al Spangler. He played for five teams from 1959-71. Where was he in 1951? He was a star outfielder for Olney's City Title squad. As the Trojans beat La Salle, 6-4, at Shibe Park (later Connie Mack Stadium, 21st & Lehigh), he smacked a 400-foot RBI triple to highlight a three-run fourth. All of these guys were from the neighborhood. Click here to see where they lived.
 

Stats With Phillies for Olney Products
  Years Pos. G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR AVG
Del Ennis 1946-56 OF 1630 6327 891 1812 1124 310 65 259 .286
Bill Peterman 1942 C 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.000
  Years Pos. G IP H R ER BB SO W-L ERA
Elmer Burkart 1936-39 P 16 42 47 23 23 26 9 1-1 4.93

JUNE 3
TEDBIT
  Yesterday at La Salle High, it's possible Archbishop Wood set a Catholic League postseason record for most runs scored in one inning while dropping 14 on Franklin Towne Charter in the fourth inning of a 16-0 win in the Class AAA City Title. Possible is used because I have not been able to find inning-by-inning scoring breakdowns for a few postseason games that could have included a 10-run frame. Most of the candidates have been cross-checked, however. Interestingly, three of the five outbursts listed below have occurred in the last three seasons. No Wood players had two RBI in the same at-bat. Coach Jim DiGuiseppe Jr.'s Vikings sent 20 batters to the plate and senior Matt Cummiskey batted three times. (The use of a pinch-hitter prevented a second guy from batting thrice.) Though the popular Cummiskey made two outs (and wound up taking some playful ribbing from his teammates), he did provide early momentum by beating out a would-be sacrifice bunt for a single. This Tedbit covers CL playoffs, CTs and state playoffs. If you know of another CL team that has scored 10 runs in one inning, please let me know. Thanks! tedtee307@yahoo.com 
 

Innings of at Least 10 Runs by CL Teams in Playoff Games
Team Opponent Occasion Year Runs Inning Final
Wood Franklin Towne 3A CT 2016 14 4th 16-0
  Sam Reynolds/Dylan Slowinski/Bobby Heck/Joey Lancellotti had 2 RBI apiece
SJ Prep Ryan CL final 2007 13 2nd 19-0
  Jeff Lynch/Steve Bruno/Matt Fischer had 2-run doubles; Bill Edger 2-run single
Neumann.-Gor. La Salle CL semi 2014 13 6th 18-13
  Josh Ockimey had a 3-run triple
Dougherty St. James *CL final 1969 12 3rd 15-1
  Greg McCorry had a 3-run triple
La Salle Washington 4A CT 2014 11 2nd 16-1
  Ryan Coonahan had a 2-run single
*-Game No. 3 in three-game series to decide championship

JUNE 1
TEDBIT
  In Saturday's Catholic League final, SJ Prep fell to Neumann-Goretti, 3-2, even though jr. LH Colin Scanlon allowed just one hit. The Saints won it with a two-run home seventh and the one hit was not part of that messy uprising. Over the last 41 seasons (1976-2016), no losing team had ever notched a one-hitter. In 1990, Carroll's Frank Rauscher surrendered two hits in a 1-0 loss to Wood. Below are all details for finals in which the losing teams allowed no more than five hits.

Hits Team Pitcher(s) Lost to . . . Score Year
1 SJ Prep Colin Scanlon Neumann-Goretti 3-2 2016
2 Carroll Frank Rauscher Wood 1-0 1990
4 Judge Kevin McGerry Carroll 4-2 1997
4 Egan Len Lynch Roman 1-0 1978
5 SJ Prep Mike Bongard (3) Carroll 3-0 1999
    Andrew Gambone (2)      
5 Judge Josh Riordan (3) Ryan 6-1 1998
    Dan Rash (2)      
5 Neumann Anthony Cinquino Wood 2-1 1993
5 Carroll Joe Innes (3) Judge 6-1 1982
    Chris Pheneger (2)      
5 Judge Dave Healy (4) West Catholic 4-2 1979
    Mario Buonanoce (0)      
    Dave Gallo (1)      
5 Bonner Tom Stauffer North Catholic 3-2 1977

MAY 31
TEDBIT
  It takes a village to raise a child . . . and perhaps it takes brothers to win multiple championships. Saturday, Neumann-Goretti captured its fifth Catholic League championship in eight years and Eric Nardini became the third brother to be a part of the starting lineup. Nicky got things started as the DH in '09, then catcher in '11 and '12. Tommy was the catcher in '14 and Eric also played that position. Other brothers for N-G: the Baurs and Riversos. When Carroll won seven titles from '91 through '04, it was supported by four brother groups. Mike Fuchs and Jay Aquilante were Co-Players of the Year in '96 and '97. Jim Fuchs was the Player of the Year in '99.
 

NEUMANN-GORETTI   CARROLL
Name Year Pos.   Name                         Year Pos.
BAUR       AQUILANTE  
Albert 2009 3b   Jay 1996 p
Aidan 2016 2b     1997 p
NARDINI       Justin 1996 ss
Nicky 2009 dh     1997 ss
  2011 c   AYLMER    
  2012 c   Dan 1991 1b
Tommy 2014 c   Joe 1991 lf
Eric 2016 c   Mike 1996 lf
RIVERSO         1997 lf
Mike 2009 1b   FUCHS    
Dom 2009 cf   Mike 1996 c
  2011 dh     1997 c
        Jim 1997 1b
          1999 1b
        KUREK    
        Brian 1996 cf
          1997 cf
        Tom 1999 rf 

MAY 30
TEDBIT
  In the last 41 years, 19 guys have handled plate duties in Catholic League finals. Ed Kerrigan, who just completed his 53nd season as an ump (he saw duty in a CL quarterfinal at Wood), has worked the plate six times (though not since 2000). Bill "Babs" Haines, who handled the dish in Saturday's N-G/SJ Prep final, is now tied for the No. 2 spot with Carlos Deno, at five. The latter had worked three of the last four. Jim King, who ran the show in 1983, now assigns referees for Catholic League football. Bruce Martin (two at plate) and Mike Finney (one) were also part of this year's crew.
 

Plate Umps in Catholic Baseball Finals, 1976-2016
Name No. ------- Years -------
Ed Kerrigan 6 2000 1985 1982 1980 1979 1976
Carlos Deno 5 2015 2013 2012 2003 1999  
Bill "Babs" Haines 5 2016 2011 2008 2006 2002  
Jim Ricci 4 2001 1996 1991 1986    
Jim Cronin 3 1990 1984 1981      
Paul Fricker 2 2009 2004        
Tom Scartozzi 2 1998 1995        
Bruce Martin 2 1992 1989        
Steve Porrini 1 2010          
Jack Dabagian 1 2007          
Mike Finney 1 2005          
Art Chapman 1 1997          
Pete DeIuliis 1 1994          
Gary Brooks 1 1993          
Bill Lawrence 1 1988          
Bill Harris 1 1987          
Jim King 1 1983          
Greg Mills 1 1978          
Tony Focht 1 1977    

 

MAY 29
TEDBIT
  To some extent, we should have known Neumann-Goretti would emerge as the winner from yesterday's Catholic League championship game. Reason: Its pitcher was a Italian guy (smile). Pitchers with Italian surnames have claimed the W in seven of the last nine years and at first we thought the number might be eight until we asked N-G assistant Joe Messina to do a nationality check with Charlie Jerla, the winner in 2014. Though his surname ends in a vowel, Charlie said his heritage is 100 percent Irish. From 2000 through '08, Carroll's John Zamichieli (in relief) was the lone Italian winner. CL title games have taken place each year since 1958. There was a three-game series in that first year and Al Famiglietti pitched then-Bishop Neumann to the crown. Other Italian winners through the rest of the 1900s: Vince Ciaramella, North Catholic, 1981; Jeff Tinari, Bonner, 1989; Jay Aquilante, Carroll, '96 and '97. In 1953, two teams tied for the regular season championship and Southeast Catholic, one of N-G's many predecessors, won that one behind Joe Catanio. . . So, to recap, hardly any over 40-plus years, seven in the last nine years. Piuttosto sorprendente! (Pretty amazing -- smile).

Winning Pitchers in CL Finals, 2000-16
Year Pitcher School
2000 Eric Ruhland Judge
2001 John Zamichieli Carroll
2002 Frank Gailey Carroll
2003 Brian Campbell O'Hara
2004 Brandon Gribbin Carroll
2005 Matt Zielinski La Salle
2006 Brian Herman Conwell-Egan
2007 Matt Dolan  SJ Prep
2008 Kyle Mullen SJ Prep
2009 Mark Donato Neumann-Goretti
2010 Anthony DiGalbo Bonner
2011 Joey Gorman Neumann-Goretti
2012 John LaMotta Neumann-Goretti
2013 Dom Cuoci La Salle
2014 Charlie Jerla Neumann-Goretti
2015 Joey Lancellotti Wood
2016 Jeff Ciocco Neumann-Goretti

MAY 27
TEDBIT
  Tomorrow's Catholic League championship game will make upstart history. The combatants, Neumann-Goretti and St. Joseph's Prep, posted the all-time lowest winning percentage in regular season CL play. Their number is .542. That breaks .600 (18-12) by Roman and Egan in 1978. Roman won that game. The regular season records were 9-5 for Roman and 9-7 for Egan. Below is a breakdown for the 2000s. Incredibly, the number has gone down in every year!! (Except for ties in 2004-05 and 2010-11.) N-G is listed first for 2016 only because it had the better record. Good luck to both teams and congrats for scrambling back.

Year Winner W-L Loser W-L Total Pct.
2016 Neumann-Goretti 7-5 SJ Prep 6-6 13-11 .542
2015 Neumann-Goretti 12-2 Roman 7-8 19-10 .655
2014 La Salle 11-4 SJ Prep 10-5 21-9 .700
2013 Carroll 13-5 Kennedy-Kenrick 13-5 26-10 .722
2012 Neumann  13-3 La Salle 9-5 22-8 .733
2011 Bonner 11-3 Ryan 10-4 21-7 .750
2010 Carroll 14-4 La Salle 13-5 27-9 .750
2009 O'Hara 15-3 La Salle 13-5 28-8 .778
2008 SJ Prep 12-2 Bonner 10-4 22-6 .786
2007 SJ Prep 17-4 Ryan 16-5 33-9 .786
2006 Wood 10-2 Neumann-Goretti 9-3 19-5 .792
2005 Carroll 15-3 Ryan 14-4 29-7 .806
2004 Judge 15-3 La Salle 14-4 29-7 .806
2003 La Salle 12-2 Conwell-Egan 12-2 24-4 .857
2002 Neumann-Goretti 12-0 Bonner 10-2 22-2 .917
2001 Conwell-Egan 14-0 SJ Prep 12-2 26-2 .929
2000 Neumann-Goretti 9-1 La Salle 12-0 21-1 .955

MAY 26
TEDBIT
  The run total was 35 as the Catholic League semis unfolded yesterday. A high total, yes, but well short of Recordville. In 2009, 43 runs were plated as La Salle topped Wood, 15-9, and Neumann-Goretti outlasted SJ Prep, 10-9. Yesterday's total seizes the No. 5 spot. The semis began in 1973.

Year Runs
2009 43
1987 41
2011 40
1986 39
2016 35
2010 31
1981 30
2004 30
2002 30
2003 29
1977 26
1984 25
2012 25

MAY 24
TEDBIT
  Bonner-Prendie's 5-3, eight-inning win over host Father Judge, claimed yesterday after a rain delay, was quite the momentus occasion. It was the first time since 2008 that a regular season champ had fallen in its first playoff outing. Now, the quarterfinals are 1-8, 2-7, 3-6 and 4-5. From '83 through '07, division champs did not see playoff action until the semis and it was not uncommon for kingpins to fall. The playoffs went like this in each division: 4 vs. 3, then that winner was vs. 2, then that winner vs. 1. Often, the theory went, kingpins would lose because they lost their edge waiting around for survivors of games that would help winners build momentum. From '83 through '94, the semis featured within-the-division battles. With the '95 season, the format switched and cross-overs took place in semis.

Division Champs Upset in First Playoff Game, 1983-2016
Year Losing Div. Champ Winner Round Score
2016 Judge Bonner-Prendie Quarter 5-3
2008 Conwell-Egan Ryan Quarter 3-2
2005 O'Hara Conwell-Egan Semi 11-5
2004 Conwell-Egan Carroll Semi 9-8
  O'Hara Ryan Semi 10-3
2001 La Salle Kenn.-Kenrick Semi 9-1
2000 Carroll La Salle Semi 6-3
1999 Ryan SJ Prep Semi 1-0
1998 Bonner Ryan Semi 5-3
1997 Dougherty Carroll Semi 8-0
1996 Ryan Carroll Semi 6-1
  SJ Prep La Salle Semi 9-6
1994 O'Hara SJ Prep Semi 5-3
1993 La Salle Wood Semi 5-4
  Neumann West Semi 11-2
1992 Wood Kenrick Semi 6-4
1991 Ryan Wood Semi 9-2
  Bonner Carroll Semi 1-0
1987 Wood Judge Semi 8-0
  St. James Bonner  Semi 19-14
1986 O'Hara Neumann Semi 20-9
1985 North Judge Semi 6-5
  Neumann St. James Semi 5-2
1983 Ryan Egan Semi 9-5

MAY 23
TEDBIT
  The Catholic League is now down to eight teams for the 2016 playoffs -- the quarterfinals will be played today -- and once again the schools inside the city limits are providing 50 percent of the teams. That's the case for the third time in four years. In the previous five years, an even split occurred just once. Neumann-Goretti has led the way with nine consecutive appearances since 2008. St. Joseph's Prep is next with six. North Catholic closed in 2010 and we all still miss it.

A Look at Final Eight Teams in CL Playoffs; Focus on City, 2008-16
  City Sub. Judge N-G North Roman Ryan SJP
2008 3 5   yes     yes yes
2009 4 4   yes yes yes   yes
2010 3 5 yes yes     yes  
2011 3 5 yes yes X   yes  
2012 3 5   yes X   yes yes
2013 4 4 yes yes X   yes yes
2014 2 6   yes X yes    
2015 4 4 yes yes X yes   yes
2016 4 4 yes yes X yes   yes

MAY 22
TEDBIT
  In the 2015 season, the Catholic League switched its alignment from two divisions based on enrollment to no divisions. Then, the coaches decided, in effect, to name four teams of All-Catholic performers . . . jammed into two teams. That approach has already been scrapped and this year the coaches named three, normal-sized teams. In 2015, 20 underclassmen were evenly split between the two teams. This year, three went up from second to first, four stayed the same, five went down from first to second and eight were unable to repeat in any fashion. Two guys transferred: Ryan Logan from Lansdale to Wood and Jeff Manto from Conwell-Egan to St. Joseph's Prep.

How 2015's All-Catholic Underclassmen Fared in '16
Pos. Name School in '15 2016 Team
FIRST TEAM    
1B Sean Kelly Wood Jr. Down 2nd (C)
INF Dan Hammer Judge Jr. Down 2nd
INF Noah Clement Roman Jr. Down 2nd
INF Nick Smalley Lans Jr. Down XX
C Steve Furman B-P Jr. Down 2nd
OF Joey Lancellotti Wood Jr. Same 1st (INF)
P Dan Hammer Judge Jr. Same 1st
P Joey Lancellotti Wood Jr. Down XX
P Colin Scanlon Prep So. Down 2nd
DH Brian Verratti N-G Jr. Same 1st (OF)
SECOND TEAM    
1B Lou Testa N-G Jr. Down XX
INF Jeff Manto C-E So. Down XX
INF John Coppola Prep Jr. Up 1st (1B)
INF Ameir Uzzell C-E Jr. Down XX
C Andrew Cossetti La S Fr. Up 1st
OF Langston Livingston La S Jr. Down XX
OF Gregg Sywulak La S So. Down XX
OF Nick Argentieri Carr So. Same 2nd
P Ryan Logan Lans Jr. Up 1st
P Shane McGrody Ryan Jr. Down XX

MAY 21
TEDBIT
  Ya gotta hand it to the Hillers. Yes, I realize Hillers was ditched as the official nickname for SCH Academy (formerly Chestnut Hill Academy) a while back, but we're resurrecting it today because coach Joe Ishikawa's squad showed old-school gumption Thursday and Friday while tying Malvern for the Inter-Ac championship at 7-3. SCH beat visiting Penn Charter, 8-7, rallying back from 6-1 and 7-5 deficits, and host Malvern, 6-5, shaking off deficits of 3-0 and 5-3. In this century, the Hillers (OK, officially the Blue Devils -- smile), are the first I-A champ to win their last two games by one-run margins and just the second to win three times total by just one run (Malvern did so last year; sorry for missing that earlier). Below are records for all champs, records in one-run games and margins of victory/defeat in ninth and 10th games. And here's yesterday recap . . . SCH Academy 6, Malvern 5: The visiting Blue Devils overcame deficits of 3-0 (first inning) and 5-3 (fourth inning) to earn a co-championship at 7-3 with Malvern. Aidan "Curly" Frye, off a two-inning performance the previous day, regrouped nicely after early struggles and went the distance. Dan Shubert's two-run single made it 5-5 in the fifth. The BDs went ahead in the sixth on back-to-back, two-out doubles by Nick Rowland and Chris "Bubba" Alleyne. For Malvern, Matt Daller and Vince Sposato stroked two-run doubles . . . Meanwhile, congrats also to Malvern coach Freddy Hilliard. His teams have won six consecutive championships (four outright, two shared). The league record is 12 and belongs to Penn Charter and coach Ralph Palaia (1954-65, all outright except for '59).

Breakdown for Inter-Ac Champions, 2000-16

Year

 School Coach W-L 1-Run 9th 10th

'00

 Episcopal Jeff Bond 7-3 1-0 +4 +10
  Haverford School Bob Castell 7-3 2-0 -2 +1
'01 Malvern Mike Hickey 8-2 1-2 +2 +8
'02 Malvern Mike Hickey 9-1 2-1 +7 +5
'03 Gtn. Academy Craig Conlin 9-1 2-1 +7 +3
'04 Gtn. Academy Craig Conlin 10-0 0-0 +14 +8
'05 Penn Charter Rick Mellor 9-1 1-1 +5 +7
'06 Gtn. Academy Craig Conlin 7-3 1-0 +2 +8
  Malvern Mike Hickey 7-3 1-1 +9 -2
'07 Chestnut Hill Stan Parker 8-2 2-0 +2 -3
  Malvern Mike Hickey 8-2 1-0 +2 +1
'08 Malvern Mike Hickey 9-1 0-0 -2 +4
'09 Penn Charter Rick Mellor 9-1 2-1 +5 +5
'10 Haverford School Bob Castell 9-1 2-0 +6 +4
'11 Malvern Freddy Hilliard 9-1 2-0 +2 +6
'12 Malvern Freddy Hilliard 10-0 2-0 +7 +9
'13 Malvern Freddy Hilliard 9-1 0-0 +6 +2
'14 Malvern Freddy Hilliard 7-3 1-1 +3 -1
  Penn Charter David Miller 7-3 2-0 +2 +1
'15 Malvern Freddy Hilliard 8-2 3-1 -1 +2
'16 Malvern Freddy Hilliard 7-3 2-3 +7 -1
  SCH Academy Joe Ishikawa 7-3 3-2 +1 +1

MAY 20
TEDBIT
  Below are regular season records for all Catholic/Inter-Ac schools in football, basketball and baseball in the current school year. Neumann-Goretti and Wood tied for the Catholic League cake at 20-9 for .690 and Malvern owns the Inter-Ac at .667 (with one game remaining). West Catholic no longer fields a baseball team.
  UPDATED May 21 through end of Inter-Ac season.

Records for Catholic Schools in FB-Bask-Base, 2016
School FB Bask Base Over. Pct.
Neumann-Goretti 0-4 13-0 7-5 20-9 .690
Wood 4-0 6-7 10-2 20-9 .690
La Salle 2-1 9-4 8-4 19-9 .679
Roman 0-3 11-2 8-4 19-9 .679
Judge 1-2 6-7 11-1 18-10 .643
Carroll 1-3 12-1 4-8 17-12 .586
SJ Prep 3-0 7-6 6-6 16-12 .571
Ryan 3-1 8-5 4-8 15-14 .517
West 4-0 4-9 XX 8-9 .471
Bonner-Prendie 2-2 4-9 6-6 12-17 .414
Conwell-Egan 2-2 7-6 2-10 11-18 .379
O'Hara 0-4 2-11 7-5 9-20 .310
Lansdale 3-1 2-11 4-8 9-20 .310
McDevitt 1-3 0-13 1-11 2-27 .069

--

Records for Inter-Ac Schools in FB-Bask-Base, 2016
School FB Bask Base Over. Pct.
Malvern Prep 4-1 5-5  7-3 16-9 .640
Episcopal Academy 1-4 8-2 5-5 14-11 .560
Germantown Academy 2-3 9-1 2-8 13-12 .520
Haverford School 5-0 4-6 4-6 13-12 .520
Penn Charter 3-2 4-6 5-5 12-13 .480
SCH Academy 0-5 0-10 7-3 7-18 .280

MAY 19
INTER-AC LEAGUE
SCH Academy 8, Penn Charter 7
  The popular word is "walkoff" and it often makes no sense. When a home team wins the game in the final inning, whether in regulation or extras, "dashoff" is usually a much better fit. One guy dashes home with the run, then teammates dash to him and/or the guy who provided the victory. Lots of huggin' and hootin' are part of the celebration and then, suddenly, everyone calms down to walk/trot toward the plate for the handshake-line process. So it was today (tonight, actually) just after 6:30 as SCH Academy claimed a memorable victory. The Blue Devils trailed by 6-1 after 3 1/2 innings and by 7-5 after 5 1/2. On the mound was PC soph LH Mike Siani, who'd spent the first four innings in center. Siani mostly sailed through a no-sweat fifth, but an error started the sixth and jr. SS Chris "Bubba" Alleyne followed with a smash to deep right that had the uh-oh look early on. However, the drive was impressively run down by frosh RF Sammy Siani, Mike's brother. Up stepped jr. DH Ian Diaz. Bang! He sent a shot to dead left. Jr. LF James Gabor could only run toward the fence . . . and watch it sail over. Two-run homer. Game tied at 7-7. Soph RH Aidan "Curly" Frye, in his second inning in relief of sr. RH Gunnar Hayes, mostly crusied through the top half of the seventh and the BDs came hustling into the dugout determined to, as one player put it, "Win this NOW!" Jr. 2B Jack Cucinotta smoked a double into the left field corner. Jr. RF Matt Hoffman was issued an intentional walk. Soph 3B Jack Elliott sent a tapper to the mound and a high throw to second created a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation. Of course, the infielders moved up. Frye sent a hopping ball up the middle . . . and through to win the game. The BDs could not have felt better. The Quakers could not have felt worse. And all on the premises could not have felt more hunger pangs, considering how long the game lasted (2 hours, 37 minutes). According to PC's scorekeeper, 269 pitches were thrown. Seemed more like 500. Did the count reach 3-2 on almost every batter? OK, at least 75 percent? Were there many sloppy plays? No doubt. Yes, this was one of those games that makes you mutter, "Maybe my favorite spring sport should be lacrosse." Ah, but what the heck. There was also much entertainment and the game did come down to the final play. Diaz also contributed two RBI singles, so he finished 3-for-4 with four RBI. Sr. CF Nick Rowland had an RBI double and scored three runs. PC's prime-timer was sr. C Kenny Bergmann, who went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Even his out was impressive: A drive to the deepest part of center that came within maybe 5-6 feet of leaving the yard. Jr. 2B Brendan Pell (triple) and jr. SS Dom Toso (double) earned RBI off impressive hits. Sr. LH Santino Primerano pitched the first three innings. Jr. LH Brendan "Chooch" Cellucci and sr. RH Harrison Timberlake split the fourth. Coach David Miller admitted he was taking a chance going with Cellucci, who'd thrown 37 pitches in Wednesday's four-guys no-hitter vs. Haverford School. The expectation was that "Chooch" would find a way to be sharp. For one of the few times ever, he didn't. As many folks know, Miller starred in baseball/basketball at the ol' Chestnut Hill Academy. This is his third year as PC's coach and his record vs. SCH is 1-5. "My jinx against this team continues," he said. "No idea why." At one point of the game, a man walked over to say hello. It was David's father, Ron. He said watching games between his son's old school, which did so much to shape his life, and current school causes him to have "mixed emotions." Understandable. PC now awaits its opportunity to compete in the PAISAA tourney. SCH visits Malvern tomorrow with a chance to claim a share of the Inter-Ac title. Malvern is 7-2. SCH is 6-3. One of the spectators was former SCH athlete Jeffrey Mikalonis-Lieberman, one of the all-time characters. At one point, he walked past on a nearby hillside, yelled down a hello and added, "Instant classic!" I responded, "Still having fun? Driving people crazy?" He shot back with a laugh, "You KNOW that!" Indeed I do. As does everyone in his world (smile).

MAY 19
TEDBIT
  Once again, Penn Charter has accomplished a feat unmatched in major league baseball history. And, like the first time, it did so in a game vs. Haverford School. Crazy. Back on April 19, in a road game, the Quakers received homers in the same inning from brothers (Sammy and Mike Siani) AND hit into a triple play (Mike Siani). Then came yesterday. In a 6-1 home victory, four Quakers combined to throw a no-hitter -- Brendan Cellucci, Frank Driscoll, Kyle Konowal and Matt Gorman -- while recording just three strikeouts. In MLB history, four or more pitchers have combined to throw no-hitters five times. The fewest number of strikeouts is five, and that has happened twice. Three whiffs in seven innings figures to 3.9 in nine, so . . . PC again has outdone the MLB guys! The details are below.

Strikeouts in No-Hitters Accomplished by At Least Four Pitchers
(Winning Pitcher in Bold)
Winner Loser Date Score Pitchers Inn. Ks
Penn Charter Haver. School 5/18/2016 W, 6-1 Brendan Cellucci 3 1
        Frank Driscoll 2 2/3 1
        Kyle Konowal 1/3 0
        Matt Gorman 1 1
          7 *3
Oakland California 9/28/1975 W, 5-0 Vida Blue 5 2
        Glenn Abbott 1 0
        Paul Lindblad 1 1
        Rollie Fingers 2 2
          9 5
Baltimore Oakland 7/13/1991 W, 2-0 Bob Milacki 6 3
        Mike Flanagan 1 0
        Mark Williamson 1 0
        Gregg Olson 1 2
          9 5
Seattle LA Dodgers 6/8/2012 W, 1-0 Kevin Millwood 6 6
        Charlie Furbush 2/3 1
        Stephen Pryor 1/3 1
        Lucas Luetge 1/3 0
        Brandon League 2/3 1
        Tom Wilhelmsen 1 0
          9 9
PHILLIES Atlanta 9/1/2014 W, 7-0 Cole Hamels 6 7
        Jake Diekman 1 2
        Ken Giles 1 3
        Jonathan Papelbon 1 0
          9 12
Houston NY Yankees 6/11/2003 W, 8-0 Roy Oswalt 1 2
        Pete Muaro 2 2/3 2
        Kirk Saarloos 1 1/3 1
        Brad Lidge 2 2
        Octavio Dotes 1 4
        Billy Wagner 1 1
          9 13
*-equals four (3.9) for nine innings          

MAY 18
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 6, Haverford School 1
  PC's athletic department has already made this announcement: Forevermore, at all home varsity baseball games, the seniors will be honored. Not really, but, hey, why not? Today went pretty darn well. Not only did the Quakers post a comfortable victory, they twirled a no-hitter. Quite the strange one, in fact. How often do FOUR guys combine for a no-no? That happened today. How often does a team achieve a no-no while recording just three strikeouts? That also happened today. Plus, this was not the cleanest no-no in world history. PC issued five walks and committed three errors. It did turn two double plays, however, so that was good. The pitchers were jr. LH Brendan "Chooch" Cellucci (three innings), sr. RH Frank Driscoll (2 2/3; gets the win), sr. RH Kyle Konowal (1/3) and jr. RH Matt Gorman (one). There was one iffy play, and here goes . . . In the second, HS soph 3B Justin Meyer led off by drawing a walk and jr. 1B Bryan Hyland struck out. Soph RF Isaiah Winikur got down a successful sacrifice bunt and reached base because of an errant throw by Cellucci. The play was close and I didn't "see" it completely because I was trying to take a pic. When PC came in to hit, coach David Miller walked down to the third base area and I asked him, "Was that bunt play a sac/error or a hit?" He said he felt Winikur would have beaten the throw anyway. Guess what? He was alone in that opinion. PC's scorer ruled it a sac/error and, after the game, HS coach Bob Castell and assistant P.J. Vanni were in agreement that an accurate throw WOULD have nipped Winikur. Thus, the no-hitter officially went into the books. Thanks to Bob and P.J. for not trying to make things messy. The PC staff appreciated their approach. Aside from the three Ks, PC's pitchers recorded their outs via eight grounders (including the two DPs and another sac) and eight flyballs. HS scored in the third as sr. DH Ryan Tino milked a leadoff walk, was bunted up by sr. LF Andrew Sterman, moved to third on an infield bobble off the bat of jr. 2B Tommy Toal and scored on a sac fly to RF by jr. SS David Hogarth. PC scored five in a bat-around second and one in the third. The outburst began with two away as jr. DH Adam Holland and jr. 2B Brendan Pell drew back-to-back walks. Driscoll, then playing 3B, delivered a hard, run-scoring single to right and jr. SS Dom Toso drew a walk to force in run No. 2. Soph CF Mike Siani took care of the final three, thanks to a ringing, bases-clearing rocket to right-center. In the third, jr. LF James Gabor sliced a leadoff double down the left field line. Jr. 1B Alex Cohen lofted a fly to center and Gabor took off for third. The ball squirted past everyone and "Zsa Zsa" scrambled home. (He has that nickname even though his last name is pronounced GAY-burr, not Guh-BORE -- smile.) PC's roster includes nine seniors and eight made it into the game. C Kenny Bergmann and Driscoll were starters. Dylan Dykstra, Iggy Quinn and Harrison Timberlake got to pinch-hit. Colin Mattice (3B) and Evan Ferrell (1B) served as subs in the field while Konowal retired the one batter he faced. Sr. LH Santino Primerano will likely see action tomorrow in the Quakers' final Inter-Ac game at SCH Academy. An impressive pre-game ceremony was held for seniors/parents, and assistant Justin Hanley saw to it that a nice program was professionally printed. Also, some of the team moms put out a tasty, buffet-style meal. (Can't confirm that first-hand, or even first-mouth, but everyone was wolfin' down the grub, big time. I stayed loyal to the fast food joints not far from PC. Today's choice: Checkers.) En route to the parking lot on the far side of school, I had a nice talk with veteran umpire Gene Otto, who worked the bases today. Gene, who assigns umps for Inter-Ac and Catholic games, is a great guy and we talked about all kinds of baseball matters. He then mentioned that his baseball duties have helped to keep him from, in effect, feeling non-stop gloom and doom, as tough as things have been. In January, Gene's wife, Kathy, suffered a serious health setback. About 25 days ago, so did his daughter, Maureen. Both are doing much better! "Thanks to all the coaches for offering lots of prayers," Gene said. "They've worked."

MAY 18
WALLYBIT
  The following comes from Wally Lubanski. His son, Chris Lubanski, was selected in the first round (No. 5) of the MLB draft in 2003 out of Kennedy-Kenrick High, in Norristown. That school closed in 2010. In 2013, Chris was the head coach at SCH Academy. Congrats, Chris, and best of luck with the next chapter!
--
  Very big day (May 16) for the Lubanski clan with the graduation (Magna Cum Laude) of Chris from the University of Pennsylvania. From First Round MLB pick out of high school to a nine-year professional baseball career including four All-Star selections to full-time student in the Ivy League, Chris' journey has been memorable and exciting to say the least. At Penn, in addition to his full-time studies, Chris interned for a United States Senator, served as Project Coordinator at Penn leading over 50 interns researching Think Tanks in the United States, wrote enterprise software for a Berkshire Hathaway company, launched a non-profit offering baseball opportunities to urban youth and the developmentally disabled, served as a research assistant for professors at Penn and Princeton, has been an Associate Scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, and even worked the night shift at Target stocking shelves . . . and managed to get married and have a baby in the process (please see attached photo of three generations, two-month old Colton Robert in dad's arms). Having earned admittance to Penn's graduate school of engineering and applied science, Chris will shortly start his studies towards Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder designation.
-- Wally Lubanski

MAY 17
TEDBIT
  Kenny Devenney is now a member of a still-small club. In this century, five Catholic/Inter-Ac coaches have won regular season championships in their first year on the job. Devenney, twice a first team All-City outfielder for Penn Charter (2000-01), is the first-year boss at Father Judge. The Crusaders finished 11-1 in the all-one-division CL. Devenney previously coached at Roxborough. The teams coached by John Fleming, Mike Zolk and Kevin Schneider all stormed ahead to win overall titles. The Inter-Ac does not have playoffs and David Miller's PC squad tied for the crown with Malvern. In '03 at O'Hara, Fleming was filling in for Frank Allison (health issue). John's top pitcher was his stepson, lefty Michael Antonini. Michael has played pro ball and was even promoted to the Los Angeles Dodgers two times in the 2012 season. Alas, each stint on the roster was quite short, Michael never made it into a game and manager Don Mattingly will never be forgiven. Never! John, meanwhile, just completed his eighth season as Neumann University's coach.

First-Year CL/I-A Coaches Who Steered Teams
To Regular Season Championships, 2000-2016
Name School Year W-L
John Fleming O'Hara 2003 15-3
Mike Zolk Neumann-Goretti 2012 9-1
Kevin Schneider Neumann-Goretti 2014 12-2
David Miller Penn Charter 2014 *7-3
Kenny Devenney Judge 2016 11-1
*-tied for championship (no playoffs)    

MAY 14
TEDBIT
  It has happened once every 4.25 years, on average, in this century. What? A day with two 1-0 games in Catholic and/or Inter-Ac regular season games. The latest occasion was Thursday and the winners were SCH Academy and Bonner-Prendie. The most recent occasion had been in 2005, so that once-every-4.25-years thing is a shade misleading, but averages often are. Anyway, below are recaps for the double 1-0s on days in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2016.

2002
APRIL 26
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
   McDevitt 1, Judge 0: Bob Mitros scattered six hits and the run scored in the sixth on Doug Garritt's triple-overthrow combo.
INTER-AC LEAGUE  
  Malvern 1, Gtn. Acad. 0 (8 inn.): Paul Keldsen pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts. The run scored on an error. GA's Sean Grieve fanned 10.
--
2003
MAY 15
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
  Roman 1, SJ Prep 0: Matt Daley pitched a three-hitter with 10 whiffs and Jim McKeaney (double) scored in the second on Joe Jelinski's fielder's choice.
INTER-AC LEAGUE
  Gtn. Academy 1, Episcopal 0: Peter Vernon allowed four hits and fanned five as the Patriots (7-1) clinched a tie for the title. In the fourth, Dan Overcash doubled and scored on Matt Brown's single.
--
2005
APRIL 5
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
  Conwell-Egan 1, La Salle 0 (9 inn.): Joe Marziano's pinch-hit single scored winning reliever Matt Burns (double) in the home ninth. Ryan Geiss pitched seven no-hit innings with eight strikeouts. La Salle's Matt Zielinski pitched eight innings with seven whiffs.
  Carroll 1, SJ Prep 0 (8 inn.): Brian Rorick's walk-off homer, hit high and deep to dead leftfield, made a winner of reliever Dan "The Vulture" Ritter (one-third of an inning). Rorick had two of the game's six hits and worked the first five innings (one hit, 10 Ks). Brian Puliti went 2 2/3 innings (also one hit).
--
2016
MAY 12
INTER-AC LEAGUE
  SCH Academy 1, Haverford School 0: Aidan "Curly" Frye pitched a four-hitter with nine strikeouts and escaped a first-and-second, nobody-out situation in the seventh to nail down the win. HS' Mike Warnock allowed just two hits. SCH scored on Ian Diaz' RBI single to left-center in the home sixth.
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
  Bonner-Prendie 1, Ryan 0: Eli Chase allowed one hit in six innings and Matt Scanlon (one hit/three whiffs) earned a save. Tommy Millison scored an unearned run in the first.

MAY 13
TEDBIT
  Yesterday, junior righthander Eli Chase allowed just one hit in six innings as Bonner-Prendie posted a 1-0 victory over Ryan. Soph righthander Matt Scanlon finished up, also allowing one hit while mowing down three. The list below shows all 1-0 results in CL regular season games in this century. Interesting nuggets: Conwell-Egan's Brian Herman posted two in 2006 and TWO games took place on the same day (April 5) in 2005. Both went extra innings. Those were the games started by Ryan Geiss and Brian Rorick.

1-0 Games in the Catholic League Regular Season, 2000-16
Year Winner Loser Starter for Winner @Hits
Allowed		 @Innings
Pitched
2016 Bonner-Prendie Ryan Eli Chase 1 6
2015 Ryan  Carroll Shane McGrody 2 7
2014 La Salle Judge Dominic Cuoci 3 8
2010 North Catholic O'Hara Ryan Etsell 3 7
2009 Kennedy-Kenrick Carroll Jimmy Volpe 1 7
  Bonner O'Hara Ryan Haley 2 7
2006 Conwell-Egan La Salle Brian Herman 3 7
  Conwell-Egan Judge Brian Herman 1 7
2005 Dougherty North Catholic Kevin McGovern 3 7
  Conwell-Egan La Salle Ryan Geiss 0 *7
  Carroll SJ Prep Brian Rorick 1 #5
2004 Ryan  Conwell-Egan Mike Szelagowski 6 7
  Dougherty Wood Mike McCann 2 7
  Judge Dougherty Shane Erb 1 8
2003 Roman SJ Prep Matt Daley 3 7
  SJ Prep Kennedy-Kenrick Joe McElwee 5 7
  O'Hara Roman Kevin Paul 4 +5
  Carroll Conwell-Egan Brandon Gribbin 3 7
2002 McDevitt Judge Bob Mitros 6 7
2001 North Catholic McDevitt Dan Szychulski 5 7
@-by starter
*-game went 9 innings; Matt Burns pitched the 8th and 9th
#-game went 8 innings; Brian Puliti pitched 2 2/3 and Dan Ritter pitched 1/3 to get the win
+-game went 7 innings; Josh Rickards finished up (2 hits over two innings)

MAY 12
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 5, Germantown Academy 2
  Not the cleanest game ever, but perhaps everyone was thrown for a loop by the fact the weather was fiiiiiinally decent. Five of the game's seven runs were unearned and most of the crucial errors, honestly, were not committed in outrageously stress-filled situations. Oh, well. It's baseball. Sloppy games sometimes occur even at the highest level. PC benefited from one huge hit and it was delivered by sr. C Kenny Bergmann in the third. After jr. SS Dom Toso ripped a single to left and soph CF Mike Siani reached on a fielder's choice error, Bergmann manned up and sent a drive to deep, DEEP center. The ball carried over the head of sr. CF Tyler Andra and a two-run double resulted. Later, a steal-error combo allowed Bergmann -- so cool that he never yields to a courtesy runner -- to race home. Sr. LF Adam Holland also had a nice day. Batting in the No. 9 hole (or the first leadoff spot, as Phillies manager Pete Mackanin wants us to call it -- smile), Holland went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored on a double steal in tandem with frosh RF Sammy Siani. In his third at-bat, Adam lined out to way-out-there center, and he made a critical defensive play in the fourth, firing to third for a forceout after gloving a one-hopper off the bat of soph LF Mike Reilly. Reilly also lost out on a hit in his first at-bat as Toso ranged up the middle to make a three-star play on a grounder. PC's pitchers were sr. LH Santino Primerano, sr. RH Frank Driscoll and jr. RH Matt Gorman. "Tino" worked the first 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and no walks and recording three strikeouts (all with men on base). Driscoll surrendered one hit in his two innings, but he free-passed four and was yanked after issuing consecutive walks with one away in the seventh. In from 1B strolled jr. RH Matt Gorman. He delivered a K sandwich with a groundball single off the bat sr. RF Dan Zamarin serving as the meat. That loaded the bases and a clutch hit could have given the Patriots all kinds of momentum. The punchout ended it, however, and sent me scurrying over to the nearby track to take pics of the Inter-Ac's running trials for Saturday's championship meet. Sorry for missing the first few events. Sr. SS Max Schwartz and jr. C Jake Dianno had RBI singles for GA while Zamarin went 3-for-4 with a double to deep left-center. Jr. 2B Vince Capone singled and walked twice. Gene Otto handled the bases while Joe Lieberman was behind the plate. GA's pitcher was sr. LH ZJ Zabinski. Among the track witnesses were two former Catholic League stalwarts: West Catholic's Rob Gentile (football) and Bonner's Tom Clark (basketball). Also, one of the track officials was Joe Kaiser. His son, Pat, was a special RB-K for SJ Prep and three weeks from now he'll be a husband. Best of luck, Pat!

MAY 11
TEDBIT
  The date was April 14, 2000, and the winning pitcher was Penn Charter soph RH Gerry Sasse. Not only did he fire a two-hitter, he received just one run in the way of support. Did he mind? No way! Maybe because he knew he'd be a notable part of a future Tedbit (smile). Sasse -- his dad, also named Gerry, these days is an assistant to PC's athletic directors and was a varsity baseball assistant from 2003 through '08 -- became the first pitcher to notch a 1-0 win in Inter-Ac play in this century. Now, we're in the 17th season and the total is up to 14. The latest occurred yesterday as PC bested visiting Malvern. Junior lefty Brendan Cellucci earned the win, going 5 1/3 innings. Soph lefty Mike Siani recorded the save, retiring all five batters he faced. He also provided the run, following first-inning singles by junior LF James Gabor and freshman RF Sammy Siani (his brother) with one of his own. In that 2000 game, CJ Mittica singled, stole second and scored on Aaron Greenfield's single. CJ is the oldest son of PC's softball coach, Don "Doc" Mittica. Look below at that other 2000 1-0 game, which was played on April 25. Malvern's run, via a homer, was provided by Mike Ryan. His brother, Matt, plays quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. For a while, Mike assisted PC's former long-time coach, Rick Mellor. The 1-0 games have produced one no-hitter. It was posted in 2003 by Malvern's Will Romanowicz.
  UPDATE on May 13: Yesterday, Aidan "Curly" Frye pitched SCH Academy to a 1-0 win over Haverford School. He's the first Inter-Ac guy in this century to twice win games by 1-0 scores!! And here's the amazing part: He's only a sophomore. In Catholic League play in this century, only Conwell-Egan's Brian Herman twice has won by 1-0 scores. His efforts occurred in the same season, 2006 -- three-hitter vs. La Salle, one-hitter vs. Judge.
  UPDATE: Malvern has been blanked just four times in Inter-Ac games in this century. Three times the score was 1-0 and those games are listed below. On the final day of the 2004 season, the Friars fell to Germantown Academy, 8-0. Joe Matteo pitched a one-hitter with six strikeouts and Alex Kaplan provided the hitting highlight with a two-run homer.

1-0 Inter-Ac League Games in This Century
Year Winner Loser Winning Pitcher RBI
2016 SCH Academy Haverford School Aidan "Curly" Frye Ian Diaz
  Penn Charter Malvern Brendan Cellecci Mike Siani
2015 SCH Academy Episcopal Aidan "Curly" Frye AJ LaBella
2013 Haverford School Penn Charter Pat Valentine  Matt Galetta
2010 Haverford School Malvern Matt Lengel Vince Rondolone
2006 Chestnut Hill Penn Charter Mike Manzione   Unavailable
2003 Germantown Acad. Episcopal Peter Vernon Matt Brown
  Malvern Germantown Acad. Will Romanowicz Buck Schaff
2002 Episcopal Chestnut Hill Jason Brown Tucker Heckscher
  Malvern Germantown Acad. Paul Keldsen   None
2001 Germantown Acad. Haverford School David Montague Alex Kaplan
  Chestnut Hill Malvern Spencer Smith   Unavailable
  Chestnut Hill Haverford School Andrew Sharp   Unavailable
2000 Malvern Germantown Acad. Derek Duclos Mike Ryan
  Penn Charter Germantown Acad. Gerry Sasse Aaron Greenfield

MAY 10
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 1, Malvern 0
  When it's May 10 and the game features teams that haven't played since April 29, you have to expect some rust. Thus, we probably should not be TOO surprised that PC was limited to four hits and that its No. 1 starter, jr. LH Brendan "Chooch" Cellucci (Miami commit), issued six walks. But that final score is not a typo. PC, which entered with a 2-4 league record, really did tough out a 1-0 win over the first place Friars (5-1 going in) in a tight and bright 1 hour, 53 minutes. (For the weather fans among you: There was a hint of drizzle early. A Big Yellow Thing -- someone said it's called the sun -- made a brief, partial appearance as Malvern batted in the visiting third. It made a full-blown appearance in the visiting sixth.) In fact, it shone brightly just as jr. SS Matt Daller sent a hard groundball down the leftfield line to give Malvern first and second with one away and send Cellucci to the bench after 106 pitches. In from CF trotted soph Mike Siani, also a lefty. With a flourish, he recorded two strikeouts to end that threat. To start the seventh, sr. RF Chance DiFebbo sent a semi-liner toward left-center for a sin . . . Wait! Check that! Jr. SS Dom Toso leaped to make the catch! Sr. DH Cam Williams then sent a slow grounder up the middle. Jr. 2B Brendan Pell charged hard, running directly toward the third base line, gloved the ball and fired across his body to get the out. Another defensive gem! The game ended as jr. C Shane "Moose" Muntz cracked a liner to RF that was gloved by frosh Sammy Siani, Mike's brother. The Quakers, of course, cut loose with lots of emotion. As they quite-well remembered, they'd been dumped by the Friars back on April 22, 12-7. Cellucci surrendered four hits along with the six walks. He also punched out six. His best moment, by far, occurred in the fifth. Singles by jr. LF Vince "Spots" Sposato (grounder up the middle) and jr. CF Nick Li (beat out a would-be sacrifice bunt) and a walk to Williams created a bases-loaded, one-out situation. Next would be the No. 3 and 4 hitters, Muntz and sr. 1B Sean Flynn. Uh, oh . . . Check that. Cellucci manned up for two stirring punchouts, with both coming on full counts. Quite the special moment. Malvern's starter was jr. RH Jalen Wade and he wound up going 4.2 innings. Soph RH Billy Corcoran finished up and started his appearance with a pickoff at second base. PC owned its run just three batters into the first. Jr. LF James Gabor beat out an infield single, Sammy Siani singled hard to right and Mike Siani followed with a hard RBI single to right-center. The Quakers tried to make it 2-0 with a double steal, but Sammy was cut down at the plate. Dillon Malandro, a 2015 PC grad who played this spring for UConn, returned to catch up with teammates. Maybe he's a good luck charm and maybe he'll be back for Thursday's game vs. Germantown Academy? Also on hand was agent Jeff Randazzo, who starred in two sports for O'Hara before playing in the minors. His best moments: In a first round Catholic League baseball playoff in 1999, right up School House Lane at Philadelphia University, he pitched a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts AND crunched a pair of two-run homers. Earlier that school year, in a hoops quarterfinal vs. Roman, he had 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks while giving mega-star Eddie Griffin (future NBA player, RIP) seriously stiff competition. Eddie had 23, 16 and 10. It was also nice to see former Carroll football stars Vince Sposato and Larry Kingsbury. As mentioned earlier this season, their sons, Vince and Jimmy, play for Malvern. As you can probably guess, tomorrow's Tedbit will involve something related to the 1-0 final score. Well, unless something even MORE unusual happened someplace else today.

MAY 9
TEDBIT
  It's one thing for a guy to star in one sport and dabble in another. It's even better, of course, to also star in the other. Before embarking on journeys that took them to the major leagues, the six guys on the list below also achieved stardom in their second sport. We've included guys who graduated from 1950 on up. The most amazing "other" career was experienced by Roxborough's Buddy Harris. He twice earned first team coaches' All-Public honors in basketball. His league averages: 29.5 in '65 and 33.9 in '66! (His brother, Billy, starred for Penn Charter and led Pennsylvania in scoring in '71.) Also cool was the fact that Malvern's Ben Davis was the Inter-Ac's hoops MVP in 1995. He now divides analyst duties for Phillies telecasts with Matt Stairs and Mike Schmidt. Olney's Lee Elia was a MLB manager and Egan's Joe McEwing is the third base coach for the White Sox. Harold "Pat" Kelly (RIP), who became an evangelical minister after his baseball career, is the brother of Leroy Kelly, a standout rusher for the Cleveland Browns and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1994. Bob Zupcic was good enough at quarterback to earn first team All-City honors. All-City teams weren't named on a regular basis prior to the 1971-72 school year. However, the long-gone Philadelphia Bulletin picked All-Scholastic teams in football. Those squads included stars from schools in the five-county area. (Despite the fact that "scholastic" was in the title, honorees did not have to be standout  students.)     

"Our Guys" MLB Players Who Starred in a Second Sport, 1950-Forward
Name School Grad Pos. Other Highest Honor Pos.
Ben Davis Malvern 1995 C Basketball 3rd Team All-City G-F
Lee Elia Olney 1955 INF Football 2nd Team All-Scholastic Back
Walter "Buddy" Harris Roxborough 1966 P Basketball 1st Team All-Public (twice) F
Harold "Pat" Kelly Gratz 1962 OF Football 2nd Team All-Scholastic Back
Joe McEwing Egan 1990 UTIL Basketball 3rd Team All-City G
Bob Zupcic Egan 1984 OF Football 1st Team All-City  QB

MAY 7
TEDBIT
  The note from Wood coach Jim DiGuiseppe Jr. arrived shortly after yesterday's Tedbit was posted. Would I, in effect, battle rainy-day boredom by researching the same top-two-teams details for Catholic League teams outside the city limits? The response was, "We'll seeeee." Since I'm obsessed, "Dege" probably knew it should have been, "But of course!" (smile). Anyway, Wood (8-1) and La Salle (6-3) are currently 14-4 for a .778 percentage. They've already met, so their best combo record could be 20-4 for .833 and seventh place in this century. La Salle has posted the best suburban record six times, counting a tie in 2005. Wood is next at four.

Winning Percentages for Top Two CL Teams
Outside the City Limits, 2000-16
Year Top Team W-L 2nd Team W-L Total Pct.
2006 C-E 14-0 2 teams 12-2 26-2 .929
2012 La Salle 12-0 Carroll 8-2 20-2 .909
2010 Wood 15-1 Bonner 11-3 26-4 .867
2004 O'Hara 16-2 Carroll 15-3 31-5 .861
2005 3 teams 12-2 - - 12-2 24-4 .857
2013 B-P 12-0 La Salle 11-4 23-4 .852
2014 La Salle 12-3 Wood 12-2 24-5 .828
2008 C-E 12-2 K-K 10-3 22-5 .815
2009 Wood 14-2 K-K 12-4 26-6 .813
2000 La Salle 14-4 Carroll 15-3 29-7 .806
2016 Wood 8-1 La Salle 6-3 14-4 .778
2003 O'Hara 15-3 2 teams 13-5 28-8 .778
2002 Carroll 14-4 O'Hara 14-4 28-8 .778
2001 La Salle 15-3 2 teams 13-5 28-8 .778
2015 Wood 10-2 La Salle 8-4 18-6 .750
2011 Bonner 10-2 2 teams 8-4 18-6 .750
2007 La Salle 15-6 2 teams 14-7 29-13 .690

MAY 6
TEDBIT
  For the moment, Judge (8-1) and Roman (7-1) have combined to post this century's best winning percentage for two Catholic League teams inside the city limits. Their 15-2 record yields a WP of .882. In 2011, Neumann-Goretti and Ryan combined for 20 wins and four losses (.833). Judge, guided by first-year coach Kenny Devenney, still must play Lansdale, Wood and SJ Prep. Anthony Valucci's Roman squad has four games left -- Conwell-Egan, Wood, Carroll and La Salle. The CL has used many formats over the years so the combo game totals are as low as 24 and as high as 42. Neumann-Goretti leads the best-record contest. In those six seasons, it went a combined 68-12 (.850).

Winning Percentages for Top Two CL Teams
Inside the City Limits, 2000-16
Year Top Team W-L 2nd Team W-L Total Pct.
2016 Judge 8-1 Roman 7-1 15-2 .882
2011 N-G 12-0 Ryan 8-4 20-4 .833
2008 SJ Prep 12-2 N-G 11-3 23-5 .821
2007 SJ Prep 17-4 Ryan 16-5 33-9 .786
2010 N-G 13-3 Ryan 10-4 23-7 .767
2009 N-G 13-3 SJ Prep 10-4 23-7 .767
2015 N-G 9-3 SJ Prep 9-3 18-6 .750
2006 SJ Prep 12-2 Ryan 9-5 21-7 .750
2000 Judge 15-3 2 teams 12-6 27-9 .750
2004 Ryan 14-4 2 teams 12-6 26-10 .722
2001 Ryan 14-7 Judge 11-7 25-11 .694
2013 SJ Prep 10-5 Wood 8-4 18-9 .667
2014 N-G 12-2 Roman 7-8 19-10 .655
2005 Judge 9-5 Ryan 9-5 18-10 .643
2003 Roman 13-5 2 teams 10-8 23-13 .639
2012 N-G 9-1 3 teams 4-8 13-9 .591
2002 Roman 9-9 Ryan 9-9 18-18 .500

MAY 5
TEDBIT
  Judge sr. RH Dan Hammer is bound for the University of Pittsburgh . . . maybe. Dan is receiving strong attention from pro scouts and it's expected he'll be selected in next month's draft. The draft began in 1965. Below are details for Catholic/Inter-Ac/Public pitchers who were drafted out of high school. Four Judge guys are currently in the club. Included is this info: Did they sign? If not, were they redrafted out of college? Best of luck through the process, Dan!

Pitchers Drafted Directly Out of
Public, Catholic and Inter-Ac Schools, 1965-2015
Year Name School Round Team Signed? Redrafted?
1965 Dennis Malseed St. James 29 Indians no yes
1966 Tom Brooks St. James 8 A's yes  
1968 Bill Menk Lincoln 9 White Sox no yes
1968 Steve Boron Washington 40 Reds no no
1969 Mike McKinney St. James 24 A's no no
1970 David Lawson Gtn. Academy 4 Yankees yes  
1970 Jim Sloan Penn Charter 17 Expos yes  
1972 Robert Rudi Southern 20 Pirates yes  
1972 Tim Lewis Gtn. Academy 39 Dodgers no yes
1974 George Riley Southern 4 Cubs yes  
1978 Vince Pellegrini Judge 25 Pirates no no
1978 Tom Stauffer Bonner 9 Blue Jays no no
1979 Joe Healy Judge 23 Mets no no
1981 Mark Gubicza Penn Charter 2 Royals yes  
1995 Chris Heck North Catholic 26 Pirates no yes
1997 Kevin McGerry Judge 5 Giants no yes
1999 Jeff Randazzo O'Hara 4 Twins yes  
2000 Gerard Oakes Carroll 7 Brewers yes  
2002 Mike Gibbs Roxborough 44 Expos no yes
2004 Mike Lorentson Malvern 38 Padres no no
2005 Shane Erb Judge 49 Phillies no yes
2007 Mark Adzick Penn Charter 18 Phillies no no
2010 Keenan Kish Gtn. Academy 34 Yankees no yes
Note: Players in bold reached the majors        

MAY 4
TEDBIT
  Feel free to call him Joe "The Dean" DeBarberie. Has a nice ring to it, right? (smile) Among Catholic League coaches, Joe, of Bonner-Prendie, owns the longest stint as a head coach with nine seasons. John Grossi, of archrival Cardinal O'Hara, is right behind with eight. There are 19 baseball teams in the Catholic/Inter-Ac leagues. Eleven head coaches have been in charge for no more than three seasons at their current schools.  

Current Stints for Catholic Coaches
Name School Debut Years
Joe DeBarberie Bonner-Prendie 2008 9
John Grossi O'Hara 2009 8
Anthony Valucci Roman 2011 6
*Chris Dengler Carroll 2012 5
Jim DiGuiseppe Jr. Wood 2012 5
Joe Falcone SJ Prep 2013 4
Gerry Eck Ryan 2014 3
Kevin Schneider Neumann-Goretti 2014 3
Dave Scott Lansdale 2014 3
Dave Affleck McDevitt 2015 2
Kyle Werman La Salle 2015 2
Kenny Devenney Judge 2016 1
Scott Haws Conwell-Egan 2016 1
*-now co-coach with Mike Costanzo

MAY 3
TEDBIT
  Lots of talent on coaching staffs at Catholic and Inter-Ac schools. The top half of the list includes players who received first team All-City honors. The bottom half includes players who were first-teamers in the Catholic, Inter-Ac or Public leagues. Some of those guys were as high as second team All-City honorees. Mike Costanzo, now the co-coach at Carroll, reached the majors. Please note: Not all rosters that were sent to me included assistant coaches. So if others needed to be added to this list, please let me know. Thanks! . . . tedtee307@yahoo.com.

Upper Level All-Star Members of Catholic/Inter-Ac Staffs
Player Coaches at . . . Role Played at . . . Year Pos. Honors
Mike Brown SCH Academy Asst Chestnut Hill 2000 C 1st All-City
Mike Costanzo Carroll Co-HC Carroll 1991-92 INF 1st All-City
Kenny Devenney Judge HC Penn Charter 2000-01 OF 1st All-City
Tom Grandieri Episcopal Asst Malvern 2006 OF 1st All-City
Scott Haws Conwell-Egan HC Egan 1990 C 1st All-City
Conor Kerins Bonner-Prendie Asst Bonner 2008 P 1st All-City
Chris Massella Lansdale Asst La Salle 1990 INF 1st All-City
Tom McNeely Haverford School Asst St. James 1985 INF 1st All-City
David Miller Penn Charter HC Chestnut Hill 1992 1B 1st All-City 
E.J. Moyer Malvern Asst Haver. School 1991 P 1st All-City
John Reifsnyder SJ Prep Asst La Salle 2001 INF 1st All-City
Sean Saverio La Salle Asst La Salle 2007 C 1st All-City
Player Coaches at . . . Role Played at . . . Year Pos. Honors
Chris Dengler Carroll Co-HC Carroll 2006-07 INF/P 1st All-Catholic
Joe Falcone SJ Prep HC SJ Prep 1991 INF 1st All-Catholic
Calvin Jones Gtn. Academy Asst Edison 1969-70 3B 1st All-Public
Matt McAllister Wood Asst Wood 2010 DH-P 1st All-Catholic
Marc Ross Gtn. Academy Asst Washington 1978 P 1st All-Public
Mike Sundo O'Hara Asst Bonner 1984 C 1st All-Catholic
Dan Williams Episcopal Asst Episcopal 2004 INF 1st All-Inter-Ac

APRIL 29
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 8, Episcopal 1
  It's one thing to stumble and even slightly bumble, and Penn Charter experienced those negatives while posting a 1-4 record in the first round of Inter-Ac League action. Crumble? No team EVER wants to do that and the Quakers avoided such a fate vs. the visiting Churchmen, who entered this game in a tie for first (with Malvern) at 4-1. Plus, PC won in convincing fashion. This was the kind of performance coach David Miller (and others) figured would be commonplace all season -- crisp pitching and timely hitting. Let's start with what happened on Mount Gubicza. PC's hurlers were sr. LH Santino Primerano and sr. RH Frank Driscoll. Perhaps they realize their high school careers are in the home stretch and that finishing with positive memories is the only way to fly. Primerano, making his first start in league play, pitched 4 2/3 innings. Though he did allow four hits and recorded just one punchout, he walked none and got five outs via popups. Also, in the third inning, when things were beginning to look a shade dicey (two on, nobody out), he received a great double play off the glove and arm of jr. 2B Brendan Pell. After gobbling up a grounder by sr. CF AJ Lotsis, Pell tagged soph 2B Isaiah Payton and gunned to first. Frosh 3B-RH Jack O'Reilly then popped out to sr. 3B Colin Mattice. Primerano departed after retiring five straight batters and Driscoll coasted from there. Only one guy reached base the rest of the way and that was on an error. He also issued zilch walks while notching three strikeouts. EA had claimed a 1-0 lead in the first on a misplayed liner (two bases) off the bat of soph 2B Isaiah Payton, Lotsis' sacrifice bunt and O'Reilly's sacrifice fly. PC answered with one run of its own and it scored when jr. SS Dom Toso was plunked by a curve. The Quakers added three apiece in the fourth and fifth and another in the sixth. Frosh RF Sammy Siani, jr. 1B Matt Gorman (RBI) and jr. DH Steve Lorenz (RBI) clocked doubles, Mattice cracked a pair of RBI singles and sr. C Kenny Bergmann went 3-for-4 with one RBI. For the first time, Miller decided to place the Siani brothers in consecutive spots in the order. Sammy hit second and Mike. a soph CF, hit third. They combined for four hits (two apiece) and two walks (both by Sammy), so here's guessing they'll remain in those spots. As for the weather . . . crappy! It was slightly raining as the game began, the sun never came close to making an appearance and I'd be very surprised if the temps were not in the high 40s. OK, maaaaaybe 50. The game ended at almost exactly 6 o'clock. That was semi-surprising because the first inning required 28 minutes. The girls lacrosse squads finished varsity AND junior varsity tilts before baseball wrapped up. The softball game, played beyond right field of the baseball diamond, finished 17 hours earlier (slight exaggeration) and some of the gals walked over to watch the guys. Good viewing. Right, ladies? Mike Finney (plate) and Gene Otto (bases) were the umps. Always great to see them. Next week, it'll be great to see the sun. Hopefully . . . Though the forecast isn't looking too promising. Ugh!

APRIL 29
TEDBIT
  Az the Germantown Academy Patriotz pozted a 4-2 succezz on Wednezday in a contezt that had been zuzpended Tuezday, Penn Charter'z batz were moztly zilent . . . See where we're going here? GA's pitcher was sr. LH Zane Jake "ZJ" Zabinski, who's headed to Davidson. He's not the first multi-Z guy to fare well for GA. His brother, Zeke Z Zabinski, was a key player for GA in 2013 and 2014 and now plays for Babson College, a Division III school in Babson Park, Massachusetts. I wrote a story for the Daily News about him in 2013 and you can see that below. He was a great sport -- he posed for this photo -- and I had so much fun telling the family's cool-names story. The next year, ZJ joined the varsity and both guys agreed to take a ride on the the zzzzzz train. Click here for that photo. Best of luck, guyz, and here's guessing the family's favorite morning weather person is . . . Ginger Zee!
--
Catching up with ZZZ after GA win
 

         ON A NASTY-weather afternoon when taking a nap would have made much more sense than playing baseball, one of Germantown Academy's heroes was a young man with the perfect initials.

  ZZZ.

  We kid you not.

  Playing centerfield and batting third for the visiting Patriots in what evolved into an Inter-Ac League classic at Haverford School was a 6-1, 190-pound junior named Zeke Z Zabinski.

  Notice the link to a former president? Just like the S in the middle of Harry Truman's name, Zabinski's Z stands for nothing . . . except to complete one of the world's best-ever names.

  "My mom [Gina] decided on this. She thinks it's cool," Zabinski said. "Do I? Definitely. I love having this name. I've always loved it. "

  Let's flash ahead maybe 10 years. Zeke is now married and the proud father of a baby boy.

  "I've thought about that. Would I make him a junior?" he said. "It might be cool to give him the three Zs initials. "

  Pause. Smile. "But that might be something I'll have to think about a little more. "

  Maybe Zeke will reach a decision with help from his brothers - Zane Jake, better known as ZJ, is a freshman at GA; Zak Alec is a fifth-grader.

  In case you're wondering, dad's name isn't Zeke or Zane or Zak or even Zebediah.

  "It's Donald," Zeke reported. "It's just that my mom and dad really like the Z's."

  And in this one, Zeke really enjoyed reaching base. He went 3-for-3 (all singles), suffered a hit-by-pitch and scored a pair of runs as GA triumphed, 8-7.

  Aside from nippy temps, much of the game was played in light to medium mist. It had rained hard all morning into midafternoon, but Haverford's field is one of those all-turf jobs, except for the mound.

  "I'm so glad to be right here! " Zabinski said. "To be part of a team that got a win like that! There's nowhere I'd rather be!

  "I knew about this turf field. I knew we were going to play. I had double free periods in the middle of the day and I went to our field house to stretch and take some BP. If we'd wound up not playing, I would have been really disappointed. "

  If the home seventh had gone a shade differently, he would have been devastated.

  GA's pitcher was freshman Emmett Harkins, who'd replaced sophomore Ryan DeWalt to start the fifth. Steve Fitzgerald cracked a home run to right-center. Kevin McGowan walked. Drew Field doubled into the rightfield corner. Starting pitcher Matt Galetta, idle since the third inning, strolled to the plate via the re-entry rule and inside-outed a blast down the leftfield line that came within inches of being a game-tying, three-run homer. Two runs did score, advancing the Fords within 8-7.

  Reliever Connor Burke got plunked. Frank Cresta managed an infield single, loading the bases with - have you been following along? - nobody out. James "Mac" McConnon looked at a third strike. With the infield up, Chris Sukonik hit a shot that shortstop John Aiello was not quite able to catch. The ball stayed nearby, though, and he gunned home for the force. Harkins then struck out Steve Scornajenghi to complete the amazing sequence.

  As Scornajenghi missed the ball, the bat went flying out of his hands . . . and the Patriots rushed to Harkins for a major-joy moment.

  So, what was it like to be in centerfield for that half-inning?

  "I was anxious, and it was nerve-wracking, but I had faith in [Harkins]," Zabinski said. "The momentum had been in our favor all day. It shifted a little, but I still knew the whole time he was going to get the job done. "

  Of his at-bats, Zabinski said, "I just wanted to put the ball in play, and help us get some baserunners. They were giving me some good fastballs, up in the zone. On a short field like this, it's hard not to think about trying for homers. I disciplined myself. 'Just make good contact. '

  "We've been struggling a little bit of late. We just wanted to put runs on the board and get a win. "

  The Patriots scored four in the first (big blow: Mike Hanamirian's two-run single) and two apiece in the second and third. The highlight of that latter outburst was a two-run homer to dead center, out onto Lancaster Avenue, by Aiello, a sophomore who's already drawing national recruiting attention.

  The Fords' early highlight was a two-run shot by Scornajenghi. A low liner to right, it cleared the fence just as Robert Gorman was thinking he might have a chance to catch it.

  Now, we know you have no chance to guess in what other sport Zeke Z Zabinski participates at GA.

  Water polo!

  "I'm actually going to be the captain next fall," the Blue Bell resident said. "It's great for staying in shape without a high risk for injury. It makes your legs stronger.

  "It's kind of like wrestling in the water. Drowning people. It's crazy. "

  If anyone can relate to off-the-wall stuff, it's good, ol' Triple Z.

APRIL 28
TEDBIT
  Talk about being the dean of Inter-Ac baseball coaches (smile) . . . Bob Castell is in his 24th season as Haverford School's boss. The other guys have been in their current jobs for only a combined 17 seasons (though Mike Hickey was formerly the head man at Malvern Prep and Tim Ginter ran the show at Father Judge, of the Catholic League).

Current Stints for Inter-Ac Coaches
Name School Debut Years
Bob Castell Haverford School 1993 24
Freddy Hilliard Malvern 2010 7
Mike Hickey Episcopal 2014 3
David Miller Penn Charter 2014 3
Joe Ishikawa SCH Academy 2014 3
Tim Ginter Gtn. Academy 2016 1

APRIL 27
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Germantown Academy 4, Penn Charter 2
(Completion of Suspended Game)
  . . . OK, so where were we? Ah, yes. After 2 1/2 innings yesterday, the game was suspended due to a lightning scare. It was resumed at 4:04 and ended at 5:10 and for PC those 66 minutes felt more like 666, as if the devil made bad things happen. GA's pitcher today, in relief of sr. RH Emmett Harkins (George Washington commit), was sr. LH ZJ Zabinski (Davidson commit). Thanks in part to a crafty curveball and a delivery with the slightest bit of herky-jerkiness (is that a word?), he allowed just two hits in four innings while recording five strikeouts. PC scored in the fourth as frosh RF Sammy Siani walked, stole two bases and raced home after jr. 2B Brendan Pell sent a sacrifice fly to center. In the fifth, jr. LF Adam Holland crunched a one-out double to left-center, but a groundout and whiff ended the threat. One out from defeat, PC stayed alive in the seventh as sr. 3B Frank Driscoll blooped a single to right. Holland then drew a walk and coach David Miller opted to use sr. INF Colin Mattice as a pinch-hitter for jr. DH James Gabor, who swings lefty. There must not be baseball gods. If so, Mattice would have clocked a two-run double to some portion of the outfield. If anybody deserves good outcomes, it's this kid. As mentioned, he's an infielder. But when he's not in the lineup, he routinely pops off the bench and plays between-innings catch with one of the outfielders. Also, today, he was spotted working on his fielding skills by standing a few feet from the back of the dugout wall and flipping balls off it. (The throws made a pretty loud noise and, at first, one of the PC subs on the other side was surprised/scared. Ha, ha.) Alas, Colin grounded out to second and the ballgame ended. PC's pitcher was sr. RH Harrison Timberlake. He encountered no problems in the third/fourth, but the Patriots batted around in the fifth and scored three runs. The No. 9 hitter, soph SS Mike Reilly, got things started with an infield single. The next two batters combined to use pretty much the entire field. Jr. 2B Vince Capone pulled an RBI double into the leftfield corner. Sr. 3B Max Schwartz pulled an RBI double into the rightfield corner. After sr. 1B Bill Brittingham sent a single to left, creating first and third status, Timberlake departed in favor of jr. RH Matt Gorman. Run No. 3 scored as jr. RF Ben Werkheiser sent a sacrifice fly to center. A sacrifice bullet, really. Soph CF Mike Siani made something of a circus snag. The Quakers are now in a bad spot. Their league record is 1-4. The one good element: Four of their last five I-A games will be played at PC and SCH Academy is only a short distance away. Maybe they can battle their way back and finish .500. Or better? Glenn Kochanowicz again handled the bases. Paul Fricker worked the plate. Jim Fenerty, GA's AD and basketball coach, watched the tilt from a golf cart atop the hill behind the plate. Must be nice (smile). Way before the game, two-three PC kids were lightly singing, "You Are My Sunshine." That song goes all the way back to 1939. No idea why they were singing it. Maybe they thought that performance would force the sun to make an appearance? No go. It was fully cloudy throughout.

APRIL 27
TEDBIT
  Yes, I'm now a part-time employee at the great school I attended for 13 years, Penn Charter. (Didn't flunk. That stretch included kindergarten! Ha, ha.) But seeing and being able to write about PC's opponents is still quite enjoyable and yesterday's baseball game, suspended by lightning (and to be completed today), offered a special circumstance. GA's pitcher was sr. RH Emmett Harkins (pic here). The catcher was jr. Jake Dianno (pic here). Talk about a trip back in time! Their fathers were prominent athletes at nearby Catholic League schools and graduated 30 years ago. Emmett Harkins played football and basketball for La Salle. He was the quarterback in the '85 season and his big moment came in the quite-delayed Thanksgiving game (nine days late), when he steered the Explorers past St. Joseph's Prep, 20-6. Click here for my story about that wacky development. In basketball, he scored 142 points in 16 league games for an 8.9 average. He then played football at Johns Hopkins. Mark Dianno competed in football and track for Bishop McDevitt.  In football, he earned second team coaches' All-Catholic as a junior (at receiver) and first team honors as a senior (at running back). For the Daily News All-City Team, we placed him at the all-purpose spot. How good was he? In January 1986, he received the Maxwell Club's first Jim Henry Award for being the best player/student/community participant in the entire Delaware Valley! Mark was also a mainstay for McDevitt's powerhouse track program. In the '85 CL championship meet, he won the long jump with an effort of 21 feet, 10 inches. The next year he ran the leadoff leg for the winning 4x100 relay team (43.25). By the fall of '89, Mark was starring for Penn's lightweight football team. Click here for that story. Emmett and Mark were the definition of class acts and it was wonderful to see their sons form GA's battery yesterday. Only problem: When Emmett and Mark were seniors, I was already in my 15th school year of covering high school sports. Now it's 30 years later. Do the math, folks. I am beyonnnnd ancient (smile).

APRIL 26
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 1, Germantown Academy 1
(Suspended by Lightning After 2 1/2 Innings)
Highlights and lowlights of a nutty four-plus hours . . .
  3:02 p.m. -- GA's head coach, Tim Ginter, and two assistants, Calvin Jones and Marc Ross, were on hand with maybe eight players when a siren that's part of a device atop a building close to GA's field began to blare. According to Jim Fenerty, GA's athletic director, the device detects lightning strikes within three miles of the field and sounds a warning. Nothing can take place until the device makes sounds that signals no lightning has been detected for exactly a half hour. The GA folks had to head indoors. I went to my car in the nearby parking lot.
  3:05 -- The rain began to spit. Nothing serious.
  3:10 -- The rain became very heavy.
  3:16 -- Monsoon time!!
  3:19 -- It began to let up.
  3:20 -- It was only very light.
  3:21 -- Three soaked flags atop GA's football stadium were dead still.
  3:23 -- The sun made a brief appearance.
  3:45 -- There was a slight hint of drizzle.
  4:10 -- The siren sounded again. The field area pretty much emptied out. I headed for my car.
  4:19 -- I arrived at the drive-thru order board at the McDonald's in nearby Flourtown. No. 3, only cheese, medium, with a diet coke. Not bad, but it could have been cooked a little more. As for the fries, they were hot like crazy. Almost burned my tongue. Just wondering, folks. Would it have killed you to tell me, "These JUST came out of the fryer. Be careful."
  4:35 -- Arrived back at GA. Luckily, a few parking spots were open.
  4:49 -- The umps, Adam Richards (plate) and Glenn Kochanowicz (bases), earlier had expressed a hope to start the game at 5 o'clock. The all-clear siren sounded again at this juncture and a decision was made to proceed without having the teams do infield-outfield.
  5:05 to 5:42 -- The teams got in 2 1/2 innings. The pitchers were sr. RH Emmett Harkins for GA and jr. LH Brendan Cellucci for PC . . . GA scored in the first as jr. 2B Vince Capone singled to right, moved to third on a passed ball, then a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI double to exact left-center by jr. RF Ben Werkheiser. He crushed it. Earlier, when the wind was whipping like CRAZY in that direction, the ball would have cleared GA's entire campus and landed on Bethlehem Pike (smile). Instead, there was no wind, and the air was heavy, and the ball hit right at the bottom of the fence . . . PC scored in the second as frosh RF Sammy Siani got plunked, thieved second and came around on an infield throwing error . . . In the third, while PC jr. DH James Gabor was batting, Richards ordered the Quakers to turn down their bench noise. Coach David Miller ambled in from the coach's box at third base and asked Richards what the players were doing wrong. Adam said the guys were a little over the top and that one guy was even singing. One of the dugout kids was sr. RH Kyle Konowal. He semi-yelled, "But I'm in the choir!" Everybody was cracking up. Later, I had to ask the PC guys whether Konowal is really in the choir? "Nah. Nobody's in the choir."
  5:43 -- As PC returned to the field for the home third, the damn siren sounded AGAIN. Heck with this. It's over. The coaches, umps and Fenerty met near the plate and decided to resume the game tomorrow at 4:15.
  5:46 -- The GA kids, for the 27th time (slight exaggeration), became the grounds crew. They placed tarps back on the mound/plate areas. (The rest of the field had barely been affected by the monsoon. Things have been very dry lately.)
  5:50 -- By now, most folks were leaving the premises. A rumble of thunder that lasted at least 10 seconds could be heard in the distance.
  5:52 -- I pulled out of the parking lot and again it was raining. Soon, some of the raindrops hitting the windshield were almost as big as quarters (NOT an exaggeration).
  7:00 -- Not too far from home on Route 295 in South Jersey. The rain was riDICulous. Hurricane worthy. Cars on the south side of 295 were sending big sheets of water over the concrete road dividers/fencing onto the north side. It was nuts!
  7:05 -- Happened to glance to the right at the Route 30 exit. A bright, beautiful rainbow was looming right over Route 30. (Couldn't get a pic. Sorry.)
  7:15 -- Pulled into the parking lot at the Voorhees Town Center, known to our family as The Ghost Town Mall because no one is ever there. The rainbow was visible over Macy's, but so were lots of clouds. The pic wasn't exactly pristine.
  Let's have fun again tomorrow!! . . . Under clear skies, please.

APRIL 26
TEDBIT
  Since posting a 3-18 record in Catholic League regular season play in 2007, Neumann-Goretti has gone 89-23 in the same kind of games. In nine of those losses, the Saints have been blanked or held to one run. The latest occasion was last night at Ramp Playground, across the street from Judge, when sr. RH Dan Hammer, with MLB scouts among the witnesses, twirled a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts; he had a one-hit shutout through six frames. In the seven seasons from 2008 through '14, N-G was held to zero or one run four times. The total over the last two seasons is five. Kennedy-Kenrick product Joe Harvey is now with the Charleston RiverDogs, the Yankees' team in the Class A South Atlantic League. Bonner-Prendie product Pat Vanderslice is a starter for Saint Joseph's and owns a 4-2 record in 11 games (seven starts).

N-G's Losses by 0/1 Runs
In CL Regular Season Play, 2008-16
Year Opponent Score Winner
2016 La Salle 5-0 Joe Peluso
  Judge 2-1 Dan Hammer
2015 Roman 6-0 #@Santino Nave
  Bonner-Prendie 3-1 Danny Goggin
  Wood 6-0 *Joey Lancellotti
2013 Bonner-Prendie 2-0 Pat Vanderslice
2009 Wood 2-1 #Mike Calhoun
  Kennedy-Kenrick 5-0 Joe Harvey
2008 Conwell-Egan 3-1 Andrew Sinon
#-in relief
@-10 innings
*-no-hitter

APRIL 25
TEDBIT
  The battle continues between La Salle, of the Catholic League, and Malvern Prep, of the Inter-Ac League. Each school is trying to log a winning record (and much more, of course) in league play for the 21st consecutive season. Things are going great, thanks, as they're 6-0 and 4-0, respectively.  In '95, they went 5-9 and 4-6. La Salle has posted only winning seasons since '95 under Joe Parisi (1986-2003, 2005-14), Joe Falcone (2004) and Kyle Werman (2015-now). Malvern's coaches have been Mike Rooney (1995-98), Mike Hickey (1999-2009) and Freddy Hilliard (2010-now) and there have been four .500 league seasons (1996, 2003-05). Falcone and Hickey are now the bosses at SJ Prep and Episcopal, respectively. Oddly, Malvern's top player in its last losing Inter-Ac season was mega-star catcher Ben Davis, the No. 2 pick in the entire MLB draft and now an analyst for Phillies' TV broadcasts. Meanwhile, did you-know? Malvern's coach prior to Rooney was Greg Gross, a former outfielder for the Phillies. He was in charge for three seasons (1992-94) and got a coaching job with the Rockies' organization right before the start of the '95 season.

Streaks of Non-Losing League Seasons for Catholic/Inter-Ac Teams
School Streak *LLLS   .500 Seasons During the Streak
La Salle 20 seasons 1995 (5-9)          
Malvern 20 seasons 1995 (4-6)   1996 (5-5) 2003 (5-5) 2004 (5-5) 2005 (5-5)
Bonner/B-P 15 seasons 2000 (7-11)   2003 (9-9) 2004 (9-9)    
Wood 9 seasons 2006 (6-8)   2012 (5-5)      
Neumann/N-G 8 seasons 2007 (3-18)          
Carroll 6 seasons 2009 (6-10)   2011 (6-6)      
Haverford School 3 seasons 2012 (3-7)   2014 (5-5)      
CHA/SCH Acad. 3 seasons 2012 (4-6)   2014 (5-5)      
Penn Charter 2 seasons 2013 (3-7)   2015 (5-5)      
Judge 1 season 2014 (6-9)          
Roman 1 season 2014 (7-8)          
SJ Prep 1 season 2014 (4-11)          
Conwell-Egan     -- 2015 (4-8)          
Episcopal    -- 2015 (2-8)          
Gtn. Academy     -- 2015 (2-8)          
Lansdale Catholic    -- 2015 (4-8)          
McDevitt    -- 2015 (0-12)          
O'Hara    -- 2015 (3-9)          
Ryan    -- 2015 (3-9)          
*Last Losing League Season            

APRIL 24
TEDBIT
  In Friday's recap on the Malvern-Penn Charter game, I messed up when listing the first name of the father of Malvern jr. RH Jimmy Kingsbury. His name is Larry ('88) and like his brothers, Scott ('86) and Russ ('91), he did his starring at Carroll. Though Larry's primary sport was baseball -- he was a pitcher, went on to Villanova and was drafted by the Oakland A's in '91 (22nd round) and again in '92 (30th) -- he also played football as a running back. In the '87 season, his best performance was an eight-carry, 86-yard, 1-TD showing against O'Hara. In '85, Scott rushed 143 times for 608 yards and seven TDs. Russ twice made the list of final stats leaders for the Public/Catholic/Inter-Ac leagues -- 152 carries for 820 yards and six TDs in '89, then 229 for 1,151 and 20 in '90 -- before also playing for 'Nova. Stats for baseball were never tracked, but Larry was a second team coaches' All-Catholic pitcher in '88. Now for the cool part . . . The first name for all three brothers is William! Like their dad. Click here for my fun story on that circumstance from the fall of 1990. In the drafts, meanwhile, Larry was listed as William in '91 and Larry in '92. Thanks to Larry for reaching out by email. He reports that Russ' oldest son, Tyler, attends Bishop Shanahan, in Downingtown, and is already playing varsity lacrosse as a freshman. Scott's sons are also into lacrosse. They've been playing at Manheim Township High, near Lancaster. 

APRIL 23
TEDBIT
  Hard to believe, but this is the 17th baseball season of this century. After Malvern and Penn Charter combined for 19 runs in yesterday's Inter-Ac contest, I couldn't help but wonder whether that total was the highest for a game involving those teams since 2000. It was. But April 22, 2016, does not stand alone. Three seasons earlier, Malvern was REALLY dominant in a 16-3 victory. Below are recaps for all MP-PC battles with at least 14 runs. Lots of great athletes. The far-and-away headliner is PC's Matt Ryan, now the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback. He had five RBI in the Quakers' 14-2 triumph in 2003. Interestingly, Matt's brother, Mike, played QB for Malvern (class of '00) and later was an assistant under PC's former baseball boss, Rick Mellor.

TOP RUN OUTPUTS IN MALVERN-PENN CHARTER SERIES, 2000-16

19
APRIL 26, 2013
  Malvern 16, Penn Charter 3: Matt Maul went 3-for-3 with a walk and four RBI. Joe Poduslenko turned one hit and three walks into four runs scored. Brian Gicchino went 4-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Winner Chris Butera doubled en route to three RBI.

19
APRIL 22, 2016
  Malvern 12, Penn Charter 7: The Friars rallied from a 5-1 deficit thanks mostly to Cam Williams and Jake Mullan (three RBI apiece). Chance DiFebbo went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Billy Corcoran threw shutout ball over the final three frames.

16
APRIL 30, 2010
  Malvern 13, Penn Charter 3: Chris O'Brien received strong support from Nick Bateman (2-for-3, homer, two RBI) and Sean Geruson (3-for-3, three runs scored, RBI).

16
MAY 21, 2003
  Penn Charter 14, Malvern 2: Matt Ryan (five RBI) had two doubles among three hits. Taylor Baum added four RBI.

15
MAY 18, 2009
  Penn Charter 10, Malvern 5: Kenny Koplove (6-0 league) pitched four innings (10 Ks) and Brett Slobodinsky finished up as the Quakers (8-1) clinched the title with one game remaining. Mark Rhine went 3-for-4 with a two-run double in a five-run second and a three-run triple in a five-run sixth. Tyler Young, Nick Bateman and Mike Mayock (all solos) homered for Malvern.

14
APRIL 6, 2011
  Malvern 12, Penn Charter 2: Chris O'Brien struck out eight in five innings and Nick Bateman went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

14
MAY 21, 2010
  Malvern 9, Penn Charter 5: Joe Ravert allowed five hits and Ty Young went 2-for-3 with a triple, three stolen bases and two RBI.

APRIL 22
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 12, Penn Charter 7
  As most folks know, teams usually start their best pitchers in the first game of league play each week. Though today is Friday, and aces would not be taking the hill, for whatever reason I was anticipating a tight-and-bright game . . . and the result was anything but. PC owned a 2-0 lead just two batters deep and led by 5-1 after the top of the third. Then? Did you have to ask? Malvern dropped a six-spot while batting around (plus one) and notched five more runs over the next two innings to create more than enough breathing room. Counting two intentionals to jr. C Shane "Moose" Muntz ("Ox" would be a more appropriate nickname; he appears to be as strong as one), the Quakers issued eight walks and plunked a ninth guy. Five walkers scored. There were also some costly errors and brain freezes and it just wasn't anything close to a quality outing. Malvern's starter was jr. RH Jalen Wade and frosh RF Sammy Siani sent a rocket to deep center. Jr. Nick Li ran and ran some more, and got a piece of his glove on the ball, but it went into the books as a triple. Jr. LF James Gabor then absolutely clobbered a two-run homer over the fence in dead right. The Quakers finished with five RBI total. Jr. 2B Brendan Pell sent a hard grounder through the middle in the third and jr. 3B Dom Toso followed with a grounder through the hole. Pell also delivered an RBI single in the fifth; that frame began with an inside-out double down the left field line by soph CF-LH Mike Siani. Wade was replaced after two innings by jr. RH Jimmy Kingsbury. He was removed after allowing two hits to start the fifth and soph RB Billy Corcoran allowed no runs/one hit thereafter. Sr. DH Cam Williams and sr. 3B Jake Mullan bagged three RBI apiece. Williams was one of the Friars' smallest starters. Nevertheless, he batted in the No. 3 hole and thrice hit the ball very hard. When do you ever see small DHs in the No. 3 hole? Nice job, fella. Sr. RF Chance DiFebbo went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. The best duel of the day featured Muntz was Siani. Mike uncorked an extra fast heater and Moose/Ox went down swinging. PC sr. SS Frank Driscoll made a nice sprawling stab of a liner and Toso turned a dive into a catch of a liner. M. Siani, meanwhile, was issued an intentional walk with no outs and a man on second in the third. Talk about respect. Sr. C Kenny Bergmann went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Two of Malvern's guys, Kingsbury and jr. LF Vince "Spots" Sposato, are the sons of former Carroll stars. Larry Kingsbury (sorry for the earlier mistake on the name) was an All-Catholic pitcher and Vince Sposato was a first team All-City linebacker. Kingsbury played baseball at Villanova and was drafted by the A's in 1991 and again in '92. If I remember, Sposato had 22 tackles in one game. A shade more than an hour before this one, it was raining. The weather got better, however, and the sun made some decent appearances. Freddy Hilliard, Malvern's coach, was on hand briefly before the game, then had to depart. Reason: He'd been ejected from the previous game vs. SCH Academy. Nice, as always, to see Freddy and assistant E.J. Moyer. Other notables: former Malvern football star Bob Carey; the school's president, Father James Flynn (maybe he'll make Freddy serve a detention? -- smile); athletic director Kurt Ruch, plate ump Bill "Babs" Haines, local sports writer Pete Di Giovanni and the members of Malvern's lacrosse team. Those guys arrived late in the game and camped out behind first base. They uttered some funny, cube-busting comments. One of PC's guys looks much more like a man than a kid. After he made an out, a lax dude bellowed, "Go back to your wife and kids!" Even some PC folks got a kick out of that one.
  UPDATE: On April 30, Malvern traveled to Baltimore for a non-league game vs. Calvert Hall. Larry Kingsbury and Vince Sposato were able to catch up with Brother John Kane, who's now the President at Calvert Hall. Brother John worked at Carroll when Larry/Vince starred there. Click here for a pic.

APRIL 22
TEDBIT
  As you hopefully know by now, the guy who operates this website very much supports the idea that high school kids should play multiple sports. With that in mind, we give you Matt Romano. Matt is a junior at Archbishop Ryan. Not only does he play two sports, he serves his teams at prominent positions -- catcher in baseball, quarterback in football. Though the diamond Raiders are experiencing rough times so far this season, Matt is faring well. Through nine games he's batting .500 (8-for-16) and his OBP is .667 due to eight walks/plunkings. Thanks to assistant Walt De Treux for those numbers. At QB, Matt has passed 175-for-376 for 2,667 yards and 29 TDs while adding 494 yards and nine scores on 204 carries. So, he has already accounted for more than 3,000 yards (3,161)! Matt's brother, Bobby ('14), was a star infielder and wideout/d-back at Ryan and now plays baseball at Fairleigh Dickinson. In 21 games this season, he's batting .288 with 14 RBI and 11 of his 21 hits have gone for extra bases (six doubles, two triples, three homers). Let's see . . . Anyone else? Yes, Dad! Bob, an '84 Ryan grad, was an All-Catholic running back and served the baseball team as an outfielder.

APRIL 21
TEDBIT
  Almost exactly four years after it played a two-day Catholic League game, Bonner-Prendergast did so again this week. The Friars hosted Archbishop Wood on Monday in a game that lasted 10 innings before sundown intervened with the score at 4-4. The teams resumed the contest on Tuesday and B-P triumphed, 5-4, in 11 innings. Nick McDonald, earlier the third baseman and shortstop, pitched an uneventful 11th for B-P. In the bottom half against Sean Hughes, who was working his second inning, McDonald led off and drew a four-pitch walk. Brian O'Neill, after twice being unable to lay down bunts, followed with a fly to center. Bobby Heck fired to first in an attempt to notch a double play, but the ball left the field of play and McDonald advanced to third. He then raced home on a wild pitch. In 2012, B-P fell to La Salle, 10-3, in a 10-inning, two-day game. On April 19, with the score at 2-2 shortly into the 11th inning, the game was suspended because the sun, directly over the school building in center field, was messing with the batters/catcher. The game was completed on April 20, and La Salle exploded for eight runs in the 11th before B-P responded with one. Click here for the recaps of both days and the boxscore. The boxscore for B-P/Wood is below. Thanks to the coaches, B-P's Joe DeBarberie and Wood's Jim DiGuiseppe Jr., for their help. Thanks also to B-P assistant John "J-Mac/Blade/Lefty" McCauley.

BONNER-PRENDIE 5, WOOD 4 (11 inn.; 2 days)
Archbishop Wood AB R H BI    
Matt Cummiskey ss 4 0 1 0    
Matt Schwartz 2b 6 0 0 0    
Joey Lancellotti 5 1 2 0    
Sean Kelly c 5 0 0 0    
Sam Reynolds 3b  5 1 1 1    
Mike Ferrara 3b 4 1 3 0    
Corey Dower lf 5 0 1 1    
Dylan Slowinski rf 3 0 1 1    
Bobby Heck cf 4 1 0 0    
  Totals 41 4 9 3    
Bonner-Prendie AB R H BI    
Brian O'Neill cf 5 1 0 0    
Evan Raiburn ss-p-ss 2 0 0 0    
Steve Furman c 5 0 1 1    
Tim Dougherty 1b 5 0 1 0    
Dom Della Barba rf 5 2 2 0    
Ryan George dh 5 1 2 0    
Anthony Martinelli p 1 0 0 1    
  Joe Nestel p 0 0 0 0    
  Matt Saviski 3b 1 0 0 0    
Matt Staiber lf 3 0 0 0    
  Mike Hand lf 1 0 0 0    
Nick McDonald 3b-ss-p 3 1 2 1    
  36 5 8 3    
  Not part of batting order: Danny Shepherd, B-P, 2b    
Archbishop Wood 013 000 000 00 -- 4    
Bonner-Prendergast 001 201 000 01 -- 5    
  One out when winning run scored.          
  E: Logan, Heck, Raiburn, McDonald. LOB: AW 13, B-P 10. SB: Heck, O'Neill, George. S: Nestel. SF: Martinelli.    
Archbishop Wood IP H R ER BB SO
Ryan Logan 5.2 5 4 3 3 5
Kody Cracknell 3.1 2 0 0 3 0
Sean Hughes (L) 1.1 1 1 0 1 2
Bonner-Prendergast IP H R ER BB SO
Anthony Martinelli 2.2 7 4 3 4 3
Joe Nestel 2.1 0 0 0 0 0
Evan Raiburn 5 2 0 0 2 6
Nick McDonald (W) 1 0 0 0 0 0
 HBP: by Logan (Raiburn), by Nestel (Ferrera). WP: McDonald. T: 3:52 (3:35 on 4/18; 0:17 on 4/19). Umpires: Frank O'Neill, Joe Cassidy (4/18); Art Chapman, Dave Cohen (4/19).    

APRIL 20
TEDBIT
  In yesterday's game at Haverford School . . . In the fifth inning, Penn Charter hit into a triple play (off the bat of Mike Siani). In the seventh inning, the Siani brothers (Sammy, then Mike hit homers. In MLB history, brothers have hit homers for the same team in the same inning seven times. The details are below and we've added the Sianis' feat at the bottom. In the MLB games, there have been no triple plays . . . (B.J. Upton now goes by Melvin.)

Homers by Brothers for the Same Team in the Same Inning of MLB Games
  Lloyd and Paul Waner -- September 4, 1927 -- For Pittsburgh Pirates (away) vs. Cincinnati Reds -- Pirates won, 8-4 --
fifth inning -- Lloyd, batting leadoff and playing CF, hit a solo homer -- Paul, batting third and playing RF, hit a solo homer.
  Lloyd and Paul Waner -- September 15, 1938 -- For Pittsburgh Pirates (away) vs. New York Giants -- Pirates won, 7-2 --
fifth inning -- Lloyd, batting leadoff and playing CF, hit a two-run homer -- Paul, batting second and playing RF, hit a solo homer.
  Tommie and Hank Aaron -- July 12, 1962 -- For Milwaukee Braves (home) vs. St. Louis Cardinals -- Braves won, 8-6 --
ninth inning -- Tommie, batting ninth as a pinch-hitter, hit a solo homer -- Hank, batting fourth and playing RF, hit a grand slam
to win the game.
  Billy and Cal Ripken -- September 15, 1990 -- For Baltimore Orioles (away) vs. Toronto Blue Jays -- Orioles lost, 4-3 --
fifth inning -- Billy, batting ninth and playing 2B, hit a solo homer -- Cal, batting third and playing SS, hit a solo homer.
(Curt Schilling was the losing pitcher.)
  Cal and Billy Ripken -- May 28, 1996 -- For Baltimore Orioles (away) vs. Seattle Mariners -- Orioles won, 12-8 --
ninth inning -- Cal, batting sixth and playing SS, hit a two-run homer -- Billy, batting ninth and playing 3B, hit a solo homer.
  Justin and B.J. Upton -- April 6, 2013 -- For Atlanta Braves (home) vs. Chicago Cubs -- Braves won, 6-5 --
ninth inning -- Justin, batting leadoff and playing CF, hit a solo homer -- B.J., batting third and playing LF, hit a solo homer.
(This was the first time brothers hit homers to tie, then win a game.)
  B.J. and Justin Upton -- April 23, 2013 -- For Atlanta Braves (away) vs. Colorado Rockies -- Braves won, 10-2 --
fifth inning -- B.J., batting second and playing CF, hit a solo homer -- Justin, batting third and playing LF, hit a solo homer.
  Sammy and Mike Siani -- April 19, 2016 -- For Penn Charter Quakers vs. Haverford School Fords -- Quakers won, 8-1 --
seventh inning -- Sammy, batting first and playing RF, hit a three-run homer -- Mike, batting third and pitching in relief (after
beginning the game in CF), hit a two-run homer.

APRIL 19
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 8, Haverford School 1
  Think about it. How many baseball games, counting all levels, have been played in world history? A million? Five million? Ten million? Here's guessing there's a strong chance this had NEVER happened before today: ***In the same game, Penn Charter hit into a triple play and received same-inning home runs from brothers.*** The TP occurred in the visiting fifth and it would take thousands of hours to explain it all (smile). Then, in the seventh, frosh Sammy Siani and soph Mike Siani (they're both lefty swingers) smacked balls that cleared the fence in right-center and landed on Lancaster Avenue. Luckily, no cars were passing by. Sammy's was a one-out, three-run shot, following a misjudged single to center by jr. 2B Brendan Pell and a botched throw, in a try for a forceout, off a grounder by sr. SS-1B Frank Driscoll. Sammy's homer was toward the right portion of right-center. Following a walk to jr. LF James Gabor, Mike came to bat and thumped his dinger toward the middle portion of right-center. I checked with Sammy after the game. He said the brothers had never hit homers in the same game, let alone the same inning. They have mostly played on separate teams, due to their ages, but Sammy added, "A few times I was moved up to his team, mostly late in a season, but we never hit homers in the same game." So, again, think about it . . . Has a team ever hit into a triple play in the same game in which brothers hit homers in the same inning!?! Pretty darn amazing!! PC also scored once in the fourth, on a flyball homer by sr. C Kenny Bergmann that barely cleared the fence in right-center, and twice in the fifth. Here's how that rally went: Pell led off with a wallk. Jr. 3B Dom Toso notched an infield single on a short-hopper that wasn't quite smothered. After being unable to get down a sacrifice bunt, Driscoll looped a single to right to load the bases. Sammy Siani sent a hard grounder to center for an RBI single. Gabor hit a grounder to jr. 2B Tommy Toal, of quarterbacking fame. Toal tried for a force at the plate, but the throw was not in time. Then came the lengthy circus -- Mike Siani was the batter -- that produced the triple play. PC's pitchers were jr. LH Brendan Cellucci (Miami) and M. Siani (Virginia). In the first inning, according to a pro scout behind the plate, Cellucci routinely hit 85-86 MPH on the radar gun and even uncorked a 90-MPH whizzer. He wound up going 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, four walks and two HBPs while striking out eight. Mike faced four batters and fanned 'em all (three looking). HS scored in the third as frosh CF Logan Keller drew a leadoff walk, moved up on a wild pitch and came around as sr. C James "Mac" McConnon lasered a double down the left field line. Toal and jr. SS David Hogarth had the Fords' other hits; both were singles. Cellucci had the best defensive play, sprawling forward to snag a would-be sac and tossing to first for a double play. Arrived way early and had a great talk with HS assistant P.J. Vanni, a former star at O'Hara. Also had some time to interact with the other legendary members of the Fords' coaching staff: assistant Tom McNeely (star QB at long-closed St. James, in Chester), head coach Bob Castell and assistant Larry Shane, who spent a stretch as Villanova's baseball boss (1973-85). . . Check back later. I'm going to check on some ins and outs of the triple play, and post something as the night goes on. Thanks for your patience. . . OK, here we go: Before the triple play, Driscoll was on third, Sammy Siani was on second and Gabor was on first. Mike Siani hit a ball toward jr. 1B Ralph Hyland. It was not a popup in the traditional sense. More like a humpback liner. Hyland did not catch it, but just before or even a shade after the ball arrived (not sure), the plate ump was yelling, "Infield fly! The batter's out!" All kinds of things involving the baserunners happened thereafter. Run to there. Return to here. Tag applied over there. It was nuts. Finally, after much discussion, there were runners on second and third and two were out and the game was about to resume. Castell said he was going to make an appeal on one of the runners. Though the ball was never thrown to second base, that runner was ruled out and, bingo, we had a triple play. By all accounts, the umps messed up one MAJOR part of this. In reference to an infield fly, the rule book reads: The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught. In other words, they're not required to return to the base. David Miller, PC's third-year head coach, said, "Before this, I had never raised my voice to an umpire." He added, "I'm glad nothing bad" -- meaning a loss -- "came out of it."  

APRIL 15
INTER-AC LEAGUE
SCH Academy 4, Penn Charter 1
  Andrew Singer is my new favorite player. Reason: We share the same goofy sense of humor. Singer, a jr., is a bench guy for SCH Academy and, as far as I know, his best contribution to the baseball program has been the nickname he has pinned on soph RH Aidan Frye. Ready for it? "Curly" . . . Gotta love it! Aidan "Curly" Frye. In this game, played at PC, Frye came within one out of going the distance. He's not tall and does not throw especially hard, but he definitely knew how to get good results today. His delivery must have been at least somewhat deceptive because the Quakers, known to have a bunch of aggressive swingers, routinely failed to pull the ball. In fact, the righthanded batters made 10 outs to the right side and the lefties lifted the total of inside-out outs to 11. Weird, right? PC stranded six runners in scoring position through the first six innings, then got things rolling once "night" rolled in. At the instant the clock tower let everyone know it was 6 p.m., two were out in the seventh and jr. RF James Gabor was up. He then reached on an infield single and the Quakers, down 4-1, still had a hint of life. Next, a roller off the bat of soph CF-LH Mike Siani became a hit-error combo and runners were at second and third. Sr. C Kenny Bergmann and sub frosh CF Sammy Siani drew consecutive walks to plate a run and Frye wound up switching places with soph 3B Bryce Cunningham. Jr. 2B Brendan Pell sliced a ball down the rightfield line and jr. OF Ian Diaz, who'd begun the game in LF, made a catch to end the proceedings at 6:14, one minute short of 2 1/2 hours. After the handshakes, PC coach David Miller herded his players into left field and kept them there for 16 minutes. It's not easy starting league play at 0-2, especially when the talent level is decent. For one thing, Miller was disappointed in the Quakers' lack of juice. Until the sixth inning, very little noise was being made in the bench area. Not sure why. PC's starter was jr. RH Matt Gorman, and control miseries did him in. Despite issuing three walks, he did manage to blank the Blue Devils in the first. But the third went walk-bunt single-HBP-BB (with steals and an error on a pickoff mixed in) and Matt was replaced by sr. RH Harrison "Timbo" Timberlake. Diaz milked a walk for run No. 2 and jr. 1B Danny Shubert, who's maaaaybe the only SCH starter as tall as 6-foot, lined an RBI single to right to make it 3-0. Timberlake wound up posting four scoreless innings and Mike Siani worked the seventh. He was reached by Diaz for a run-scoring single. The game featured three strong defensive plays and SCH jr. 2B Chris "Bubba" Alleyne (Maryland) posted two of them (both against jr. LF Adam Holland). The first was a VERY nifty charge play on a grounder. On the other, he ran and ran and ran (close to 115 feet?, at maybe a 30-degree angle?) and caught a foul popup tight against the out-of-play line. EXCELLENT effort. Meanwhile, in the sixth, sr. CF Nick Rowland lofted a fly to center and Mike Siani gunned down a courtesy runner at the plate. I was standing right near third. The kid definitely left early and Miller said later the umps would have called the kid out had the Quakers appealed. Never happened. Here's what did: Right after making the tag, Bergmann released the ball and the plate ump at first ruled that Kenny had dropped it. He hadn't. He'd shoveled it toward the mound because the inning was over. Guess he did it too quickly. After lots of discussion between the umps with each other and individually with the coaches, the double play stood and the inning was over. The best moment of the day was getting the chance to have a brief exchange with Mike Brown, the third base coach for SCH boss Joe Ishikawa. As did David Miller, Brown starred for the ol' Chestnut Hill Academy. He was the first team Daily News All-City catcher in 2000 and was admired far and wide not only for his ability, but also for his grit and leadership skills. This kid "got it" (and gave it to you) in every possible way. Well after the game, the Quakers hopped a bus to head to Citizens Bank Park. Star swimmer Reece Whitley, Sports Illustrated's SportsKid of the Year, threw out the first pitch (though the baseball guys did not arrive in time to enjoy that moment). The Washington Nationals then exploded for five runs in the first inning. Here's guessing Reece won't be invited back next season (smile).

APRIL 14
TEDBIT
  Gunnar Hayes sniffed rare CHA/SCH rare air yesterday. The senior righthander, who's committed to play at Philadelphia University, pitched a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and two walks as the Blue Devils topped Germantown Academy, 9-1, in an Inter-Ac opener. That was the school's second league no-no in this century. On April 21, 2006, when the school was still known as Chestnut Hill Academy (prior to the merger with down-the-street Springside, a school for girls), senior RH Cory Broderick no-hit Episcopal, 7-0, while mowing down 17 (and walking three). Not sure if he played elsewhere later, but Broderick definitely did some college pitching for West Chester. Hayes' no-no was No. 7 in Inter-Ac play in the 2000s. Broderick's 17 whiffs are the record. The No. 2 effort was also posted in 2006 as Haverford School RH Mike Galetta fanned 11 in six innings in a combo no-no vs. Episcopal. Sr. Rich Schultz finished up. His Ks/BBs were not reported.   

APRIL 13
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Episcopal 3, Penn Charter 2
  This Inter-Ac opener featured a classic battle between Penn State and Miami. Huh? Stick with us. Episcopal's pitcher was jr. RH Kyle Virbitsky and he has already committed to the Nittany Lions. PC's was jr. LH Brendan Cellucci and he'll be a Hurricane. Both guys offered performances that would have been college worthy. "V" threw a three-hitter with two walks and 11 strikeouts. "C" answered with a one-hitter (in six frames) and five whiffs, though he did issue four free passes. Cellucci was perfect through three, but soph SS Isaiah Payton and sr. RF Will Phillips drew walks to open the fourth and a quick balk advanced them to third and second. One run scored on an infield error and the other crossed the plate at the back end of what EA hoped would be a double-steal. The Churchdudes scored again in the sixth on a two-out, two-base throwing miscue and a hard, groundball single to right by sr. CF AJ Lotsis. He's a lefty swinger and somehow must be related to Pete Rose. I love his aura. Through every at-bat, it's as if he's saying this under his breath to the pitcher: "Bring it, buddy. I'm gonna be your toughest out of the game . . . Not that I expect to make any." Virbitsky, who's tall and lanky, lived around the plate all game. He also changed speeds well. The plate guy was definitely a pitcher's ump -- not to excess, however -- and Kyle made sure to take advantage. PC looked at seven third strikes, including five in the last three innings. The Quakers scored single runs in the last two innings. In the sixth, soph CF Mike Siani got plunked, thieved second, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a hard liner to left off the bat of jr. DH Steve Lorenz. With one away in the seventh, jr. LF James Gabor cracked a triple to deep center, then ambled home as jr. PH Adam Holland, doing his job, inside-outed a groundball to frosh 2B Jack O'Reilly. A walk and strikeout ended it . . . in 1 hour, 34 minutes! How often does that happen? If we'd been in the fourth inning at that point, eyebrows would not have reached the sky. The other big surprise: There was almost NO wind at Episcopal's field, which sits on a hill. Great to see the EA guys from coach Mike Hickey (his cousin, Pat Chambers, is Penn State's basketball coach) to assistants Tom Grandieri and Dan Williams. Tom, who starred at Malvern and Penn (Ivy League Player of the Year), coached first base. Late in the game, he scrambled to his left in an attempt to stop a foul groundball. Didn't quite happen. "Two years ago, I would have had that," he quipped. In the third, EA jr. LF Alex McLaughlin chopped a foul ball off his foot. In PC's dugout, sr. RH Harrison Timberlake joked, "Hey, we're not playing soccer here!" There was also a legendary moment before the game. The "bullpen" at EA is maybe 15 feet off the left field line, beyond the Churchguys' dugout. When Cellucci was warming up, the EA players stood along the line and wound up watching him. Soon, a bunch of PC guys were trotting over there to try to form a block-the-sightlines wall. And PC coach David Miller was yelling over to Williams, "How ya like that, Dan?" Williams shot back, "We can see him. They're too skinny. Should have done more lifting in the winter." It was all in good fun. Now for a Twilight Zone moment. While driving home on I-95 North, I saw a billboard promoting the Soul. It was pretty cool, so I decided to call Daily News sports writer Ed Barkowitz, who covers that squad. Ed and I text/email occasionally about goofy things (usually cool nuggets from The Most Interesting Man in the World commercials -- my all-time favorite is, "He can parallel park a train" ha ha ha), but hardly ever speak on the phone. We talked briefly, then I arrived home maybe 15 minutes later and snagged the mail from the mailbox. Right on top? A postcard from Ed Barkowitz! It promoted a funny event that recently took place in Philly. What are the chances? One in many millions! I call him for the first time in almost forever and he sends me mail for definitely the first time ever. On the same day. Beyond freaky. Way beyond. I'll have to check my roster sheets and see if Rod Serling III plays for one of these teams.

APRIL 10
TEDBIT
  Two brackets of Catholic League games have been played so far (12 games total) and 135 runs have been scored. The average, rounded-off score has been 11-2 (109 RF, 26 RA) and that's a whisker away from mercy-run status. Here's hoping that Week Two will be much more competitive.
Week One scores for CL baseball games . . .
La Salle 14, McDevitt 0
Roman 12, Ryan 2
Judge 10, O'Hara 2
Carroll 6, Conwell-Egan 2
Wood 6, Neumann-Goretti 5
Bonner-Prendie 17, Lansdale 4
Wood 7, Carroll 2
Bonner-Prendie 7, Judge 6
Roman 8, Lansdale 1
La Salle 12, Conwell-Egan 1
O'Hara 7, SJ Prep 1
Neumann-Goretti 3, Ryan 0

 

APRIL 7
TEDBIT
  Can't imagine too many guys have been part of two MLB records within a two-week period. Well, Jack Meyer accomplished that feat. Meyer, a righthander from Medford, NJ, and a 1950 Penn Charter graduate, made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1955. He was mostly a reliever in a seven-year career (all with the Phillies), compiling a 24-34 record and 3.92 ERA with 21 saves. Meyer first tasted fame on Sept. 9, 1958, in a game vs. the Dodgers at Connie Mack Stadium. Five pitchers combined to record 23 strikeouts, a total that tied the MLB record for a nine-inning game. Thanks to Sandy Koufax (eight) and Johnny Klippstein (four), the Dodgers racked up 12. The Phillies answered with 11 due to Ray Semproch, Jack Sanford (two apiece) and Meyer (seven). Meyer posted his Ks in just three innings. He allowed no hits/runs and walked one. A neat little nugget: Sept. 9, 1958, was the same day outfielder Johnny Callison was promoted to the majors (by the White Sox) at age 19. He went 3-for-3 with one RBI vs. the Red Sox. Later, he became a star for the Phillies.  . . . Let's skip ahead to Sept. 22. That day, also at Connie Mack, the Phillies played the Pirates. The Phillies won, 3-2, in 14 innings, in what was the first game of a twi-night doubleheader. Meyer set a MLB record for relievers (since broken) by striking out the first six batters he faced! The victims in the 12th inning, in order, were Hank Foiles, Ron Kline and Bill Virdon. In the 13th: Roman Mejias, R.C. Stevens and Bob Skinner, later the Phillies manager. The string was broken in the 14th when Harry Bright was retired on a fly to left. In the home 14th, Richie Ashburn led off by flying out. Bobby Young then singled, advanced to third on a single by Ed Bouchee and scored on a single by Dave Philley. Kline was Pittsburgh's pitcher. He pitched the entire game, allowing 13 hits and nine walks while striking out five over 13 1/3 frames. Imagine how many pitches he threw! Jack Meyer died of a heart attack in 1967. He was only 34. One other item: In 1946, as an eighth grader, Meyer competed in the Inter-Ac's junior track meet. He won the shot put with an effort of 41-3 1/4 inches and fared well in the 90-yard low hurdles with a time of 12.8 seconds. His picture, launching the shot put, appeared in the Inquirer.

APRIL 5
TEDBIT
  Wood is scheduled to visit Neumann-Goretti in a once-postponed Catholic League opener this afternoon and things should be interesting. Since the CL went to a Red-Blue format, based on enrollment, in the 2008 season (there have been changes since, of course), the teams have met 19 times in league play and playoffs. N-G owns a 10-9 advantage in wins-losses and a 113-90 edge in runs scored. Wood won both contests in '15 and the second triumph decided the championship. Below are recaps of the 19 games.

2015
Championship
  Wood 3, Neumann-Goretti 2: As the visiting seventh began, Neumann-Goretti owned just one hit in 13 innings against junior righthander Joey Lancellotti, having suffered a no-no on April 14. But the Saints received ringing RBI hits from Nick D'Amore (double) and Brian Verratti (triple) and a hit batter made it first and third with one away. Second baseman Matt Cummiskey then gloved a liner and fired to first for a doubleplay, enabling Wood to come the first team in CL history to win the championship with three wins that all featured one-run victory margins. (In '85, Judge won three by one, then the final by six). Lancellotti finished with 10 whiffs in a four-hitter. Matt Schwartz stroked a pair of RBI singles (three RBI total) and Sean Kelly went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. The title was Wood's first since 1993. This was Jim DiGuiseppe Jr.'s fourth year as the coach and his chief assistant was his dad, the boss for 17 seasons ending in 2011.
Regular Season
  Wood 6, Neumann-Goretti 0: Joey Lancellotti threw a no-hitter, striking out 14 and walking two. He also went 2 for 2 with three RBI and had a two-run double in the second. Tom Rosenbaum went 3 for 4 with a two-run double in the second.

2014
Losers Bracket, Second Round
  Neumann-Goretti 5, Wood 4 (8 inn.): At N-G, Pat Doudican, who pitched the first seven innings, drove in Bay To with a bases-loaded single with one out in the home eighth. Doudican went 3-for-4. He allowed seven hits, then Charlie Jerla got the win. Wood tied it with two outs in the seventh as Anthony Zupito drew a bases-loaded walk.
Regular Season
  Wood 12, Neumann-Goretti 2: Matt Mandes and Anthony Zupito each drove in three runs. Dom "Bean" McFadden fanned six in the five-inning game.
  Neumann-Goretti 13, Wood 5: Josh Ockimey went 3 for 4 and drove in three runs. Bay To also had three RBI to support Pat Doudican. For Wood, among Erik Bowren's three hits was a three-run homer.

2013
Losers Bracket, Second Round
  Wood 6, Neumann-Goretti 1: Scott Boches scattered five hits and fanned eight while throwing 74 of his 112 pitches for strikes. Big hits went to Matt Lafferty (two-run double), Matt Mandes and Brett McCrossen (RBI doubles). N-G's Nick Simon also had a two-bagger.
Regular Season
  Wood 5, Neumann-Goretti 4: In the home seventh, Tommy Rosenbaum drew a leadoff walk, Jack Hilferty and Colt Smith followed with sac/error combos and Matt Mandes ended it with a two-run single to left-center. Brian Wojtko (perfect top half) got the win.
  Neumann-Goretti 8, Wood 5: Charlie Jerla allowed one unearned run in 5.1 innings of relief while Joe Kinee tripled and scored twice. Joe McGinley added two hits.

2012
Quarterfinal
  Neumann-Goretti 8, Wood 4: The visiting Vikings jumped to a 2-0 lead on John "Beef" Santospago's bomb of a two-run homer in the first, but N-G answered right away with a two-run triple off the bat of Josh Ockimey (3 RBI total). Joey Gorman went the distance, allowing eight hits and fanning as many, and Marty Venafro raised his career hit total to 101 with bunt and regular singles. Jimmy Kerrigan's triple started a three-run fourth.
Regular Season
  Neumann-Goretti 12, Wood 0: Joe Kinee pitched 5 innings, struck out 8 and walked 3 while going 2-for-3 with 3 RBI. Josh Ockimey and Jimmy Kerrigan hit 3-run homers.
  Neumann-Goretti 5, Wood 2: Joey Gorman lost his shutout in the seventh inning, but struck out 9 in a four-hitter. Mario DiFebbo's two-run single highlighted a three-run fourth.

2011
Regular Season
   Neumann-Goretti 11, Wood 7 (8 inn.): Mike "Zoom" Zolk won in relief and slugged two homers for five RBI. Jimmy Kerrrigan went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and five RBI. Wood's Kyle McCrossen went 3-for-3 with a walk, double, homer and three RBI.
  Neumann-Goretti 9, Wood 4: Joey Gorman fanned 10 in a two-hitter while raising his record to 5-0. Mike "Zoom" Zolk went 3-for-3 with two doubles and as many RBI. Joe Glennon added two hits, three RBI.

2010
Regular Season
  Wood 4, Neumann-Goretti 3: Jeff Courter (four innings) and Larry Brittingham did the pitching. Brian O'Grady's 3-for-4 performance included a homer.
  Wood 9, Neumann-Goretti 8: Kyle McCrossen slashed an RBI double in a four-run home sixth and a two-run single in a three-run seventh; he scored the decisive run on a two-out, 0-2, bases-loaded wild pitch. Jeff Courter capped the sixth with a two-run single. For N-G, Mike Riverso had three RBI. Albert Baur and Marty Venafro halved four more.

2009
Regular Season
  Wood 2, Neumann-Goretti 1: Brian O'Grady won it with a bases-loaded single in the home eighth. Matt McAlister allowed two hits over 7.1 innings. Mike Calhoun won in relief.
  Wood 8, Neumann-Goretti 7: Will Minderjahn cracked an inside-the-park grand slam in the visiting seventh to provide an 8-5 lead.

2008
Regular Season
  Neumann-Goretti 5, Wood 0: T.J. Kinsey pitched a three-hitter. Support came from Al Baur (3-for-3, two runs scored), Dan Behlau (2-for-3, two RBI) and Mark Donato (solo homer).
  Neumann-Goretti 9, Wood 4 (8 inn.): Aggie Osano went 3-for-6 with a double and one RBI, Dan Behlau doubled twice for two RBI, Joey Armata had the first RBI in the visiting eighth and Mark Donato won (two innings) in relief of Nick Piscitelli. Wood's Brian O'Grady had two hits and Jim Heilman hammered an RBI double.

APRIL 3
TEDBIT
  The drought was quite lengthy, but at least it came to an end. From 2002 through 2011, no "Our Guys" (products of Public, Catholic and Inter-Ac schools) made debuts in major league baseball. Now we're on a four-year streak -- the longest since eight from 1933-40 -- and the hope is that someone, anyone, will extend it to five. The Coyle brothers, out of Germantown Academy, would appear to have good shots. Sean (Red Sox) and Thomas (Rays) have been faring well in the upper portions of farm systems. The last "Our Guy" to enjoy a lengthy stint as an everyday starter was Frankford product Bobby Higginson, who played in 1,362 games for the Tigers from 1995 through 2005, batting .272 with 187 homers and 709 RBI. The last long-time rotation member was Penn Charter product Mark Gubicza, who pitched for the Royals and Angels (just two games) from 1984 through '97. He appeared in 384 games, going 132-136 with a 3.96 ERA. Also, from 1990 through '00, La Salle product Jim Poole appeared in 431 games as mostly a long reliever, going 22-12 with a 4.31 ERA. The lefty pitched for eight teams: Dodgers, Rangers, Orioles, Indians, Giants, Phillies, Tigers and Expos. Carroll product Mike Costanzo, who made his debut in 2012, is now retired. Current baseball gig? Co-coach at Carroll with Chris Dengler. Good luck this year, Mike!

"Our Guys" Who've Made MBL Debuts in 2000s
Name School Pos. Year
Bob File Judge RHP 2001
Mike Koplove Chestnut Hill RHP 2001
Mike Costanzo Carroll 1B 2012
Phil Gosselin Malvern 2B 2013
Christian Walker Kennedy-Kenrick IB 2014
Tim Cooney Malvern LHP 2015