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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.)
|
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 |
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
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
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 | |||