APRIL 27
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 7, McDevitt 6
  With the score at 6-0 after 4 1/2 innings, the C-E guys were talking about posting a four-spot in the home fifth and sending everyone home a shade early. And then . . . There we were in the visiting seventh and McDevitt was thisclose to tying the score. The Lancers tallied three unearned runs in the sixth vs. sr. LH Joey DeVos, cutting the deficit to 7-3 and terminating Joey's outing (seven hits allowed, no walks, four strikeouts). Jr. RH Joe DeLong started the seventh, but could not zone in and was replaced after issuing no-out walks to jr. 1B Alex Wilson, sr. 2B Jake Cantwell and sr. CF Zach Coates. Soph RH Pat Brennan took to the hill and soph SS Dan Ehrlich sent a sac fly to right. An infield bobble reloaded the bases and sr. LF Brendan Hanagan followed with a grounder wide of first that turned into a scratch single. Then all heck broke loose. A wild throw allowed another run to score and sr. RH-3B Dan Janosen, who'd reached on the bobble, came whipping around third with designs on scoring as well. But as neared the plate, Janosen decided to leap, instead of slide. After frosh C Will Zimmerman made the tag, Janosen was ejected by the plate ump for failing to follow the proper protocol. (That sequence left McDevitt with only nine players.) Next up was jr. DH Joel Moore. The righthanded hitter sliced one down the rightfield line and -- oh baby! -- it landed a smidgeon into foul territory. C-E soph 1B Shane Souchuck said later that the ball was foul by only "a couple inches." Brennan took a deep breath and ended it with a called strike three . . . Now, let's work in some humor before we return to game nuggets. Before the game, C-E was warming up to country music. As the McDevitt kids reached their bench after walking in from the bus, sr. 3B-RH Jimmy Templeton said, "Country music? That's supposed to get you pumped up? It makes you feel like you should get on a tractor and take a ride around the field." Ha, ha, ha. He was a pip later, also. At a time when McDevitt had ducks on the pond, Templeton blurted out, "Ducks in the chicken coop!" Followed by, "Dragon flies in the swamp!" A teammate asked him, "Bro, WHAT are you sayin'?" Indeed. Ha, ha . . . OK, back to details. C-E, as coached by Mike Gossner, who doubles as an associate scout for the Orioles, is incredibly young. DeVos is one of only three seniors. Aside from Joey, the Eagles started three apiece of juniors, sophs and freshmen. Frosh SS Brian Nicolas, soph 3B Jeff Manto (his dad, Jeff, played in the majors out of nearby Bristol High) and jr. RF Jarrett Patman recorded two hits apiece while Souchuck (single) and jr. DH Billy Meyer (double) got things started with hits for RBI in the first. Nicolas and Patman also had doubles. Though he did have a late error, Manto made several nice plays. On one, he momentarily lost the handle on a grounder to his right, then regrouped and gunned to first for the out. For McDevitt, Janosen and Hanagan (headed to Delaware Valley College to kick/punt and perhaps play baseball) notched two hits apiece while Templeton sliced an RBI single to right in the three-run sixth. Coates (a k a "Zachie Robinson") had a strong day in center. He always got good jumps on flies/liners and made a diving stab of a sinker into right-center. Janosen made a nice sprawling stop of a comebacker. Ed Kerrigan, now in his 52nd season, worked the bases. After a player hit a foul ball up and over the restraining fence on the first base side, Ed crowed, "That's out on Lehigh Avenue!" A C-E sub wondered aloud, "Lehigh Avenue?" Gossner walked over to the kid and told him, "That's from the old Connie Mack Stadium." (Lehigh was parallel to the line from the plate to the rightfield corner.) Ed has been using that line for decades and for me it never gets old. In fact, I love it! Anyone of a certain age still wishes the Phillies played at Connie Mack Stadium. And that Richie (later Dick) Allen was still clearing the roof with homers out onto Somerset Street.

APRIL 27
TEDBIT
  On WIP yesterday morning, a caller mentioned to Sonny Hill that Overbrook High would soon be holding an alumni event to honor certain athletes. One name mentioned was Jeff Leonard, who enjoyed a long, productive career in the major leagues, and hearing his name set the mind into its commonplace, can't-be-helped spin. As in, over the last 39 years, how many other Pub/Cath/Int guys have made their debut and then proceeded to become everyday position starters (or close to it) in the majors? The answer: Not many. I decided to use 300 at-bats in a season as the cutoff. Only five guys have reached that number. And four managed just one season of logging that many ABs. Meanwhile, Frankford product Bobby Higginson ('87) was a 10-year starter for the Tigers, enjoying stints at all three outfield positions. Leonard played for five teams from 1977 through '90, hitting .266 with 144 homers and 723 RBI. "Higgy" played for only Detroit in an 11-year career, batting .272/187/809.

APRIL 25
TEDBIT
  No-hitters are kinda rare, right? So, multiple no-hitters are almost NEVER posted on the same day, right? . . . Um, not really. Yesterday, Swenson's Johneric Vincente and String Theory's Joe Cammisa recorded no-hitters and that was the 14th time in this century that at least two no-nos have been recorded by Pub/Cath/Int pitchers on the same day. Three times, THREE no-nos have been posted.

APRIL 24
TEDBIT
  (With the April 18 Tedbit in mind . . . ) Not quite 11, but close. Neumann-Goretti's pitchers slapped together a streak of 10 consecutive hitless innings. It ended yesterday in the third inning of a game at Carroll. The middle six featured a mercy-rule no-hitter by jr. RH Ethan "E" Pritchett. Thanks to N-G assistant Joe Messina for his help with the details below.

APRIL 23
INTER-AC LEAGUE
SCH Academy 11, Penn Charter 6
  Man, it was c-c-c-c-c-old. I was shivering for the last four-odd innings and heard more than a few people say while heading for the parking lot, "I can't take this anymore." The not-comfy temp was bad enough. The wind was also quite strong and the sun appeared, only slightly, for maybe 10 seconds at most. Beforehand, I heard separate groups of players discussing how the weather is almost always brutal when SCH meets PC. NOW you tell me (ha ha). Often in cold weather, pitching dominates. Not today, baby! The visiting Blue Devils posted a four-spot in the first and we were off to the races (around the bases). The teams bagged 11 hits apiece and nine went for extra bases. Oddly, PC won that contest, 7-2. SCH's most productive hitter was jr. 3B AJ LaBella, the No. 3 hitter. He went 3-for-4 with a double (ground rule) and sac fly (to the backtracking shortstop) for four RBI, but his best bolt was a liner that turned into an out (as jr. SS Frank Driscoll made a nifty lunge/dive to his right). Soph DH Dan Shubert, the No. 6 hitter, added three RBI with a one-run single in the first and a two-run single in the fifth. Jr. CF Nick “Juice” Rowland and sr. C Michael  Melady also had two hits apiece while soph RF John Cucinotta laced an RBI double and soph SS Christopher “Bubby” Alleyne scored three runs without getting a hit (two walks, one HBP). Aside from four in the first, SCH scored two in the second, four in the fifth and one in the sixth. PC's hitting headliners were frosh LF-LH Mike Siani, jr. C Kenny Bergmann and sr. 1B Dillon Malandro. When Siani came to bat in the third, I was standing at the edge of the restraining fence on the first base side, trying to take a quick pic. Two SCH subs were nearby and I happened to say about Siani, "This is the kid that got a D-1 scholarship (to the University of Virginia) before he ever played in a varsity game." The guys knew about it and one added, not in a mean way, just in an amazed way, "I don't know why." Next pitch? Ping!!!! Siani fired a two-run homer over the fence a few feet inside the dead rightfield corner. Of course, I couldn’t help but blurt out with a smile, “I guess that’s why.” The kid closest to me was shaking his head as if to say, “How in the world did THAT just happen?” UPDATE: That SCH kid was sr. Sean McCann. Siani also had an RBI double while going 2-for-4 with three RBI. He also pitched the last two innings, allowing one hit and a run while uncorking impressive fastballs. Bergmann went 2-for-4 with a double, triple and one RBI. Malandro -- his dad, Ed, was a terrific football-baseball player for PC (class of '83) -- went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI. He was also issued an intentional walk. SCH’s starter was jr. RH Gunnar Hayes. He experienced no problems through two, then was hit around in the third and fourth. Frosh RH Aidan Frye allowed two hits and a run over the final three frames. Meanwhile, PC’s other extra base hits were doubles by soph 2B Dominic Toso and sr. DH Pete Kashatus. The benches at PC are very close to the cage and when the kids are motivated, that proximity can create a lively ballgame. That definitely happened today. The SCH crew, in particular, showed great energy. Each time the Blue Devils headed out onto the field, two subs (sometimes more) stood beyond the end of that restraining fence and yelled assorted comments to the starters. “You’d better sprint out there!” “Who’s getting out there the fastest?” “C’mon, you gotta hustle to your position!” Sometimes, the subs added playful semi-pushes. Also, at times, guys could be spotted doing pushups. A LOT of pushups, even. Sorry, but I neglected to find out the details. (Feel free to email me, someone/anyone.) UPDATE: Received an email from the aforementioned Sean McCann. "The players that were doing those push-ups and yelling at players were myself, senior catcher Robbie Phillips, senior pitcher Josh Beckerman, and senior pitcher Pat McCann (no relation). We do this at every one of our games and keep the energy up in our dugout. We call ourselves "The Bench Mob" . . . Thanks for this response, Sean! PC’s coach is David Miller, one of the top athletes in the ol’ Chestnut Hill Academy’s history and a former minor leaguer. His emotions had to be swirling. In time, PC could have two very successful lefties in Siani and soph Brendan Cellucci. Their builds and velocities were very similar. Late in the game, a black squirrel made an appearance on the gigantic tree up the hill behind third base. Not sure I’d ever seen one of those. Two PC guys standing nearby said, “No one ever believes us when we say there are black squirrels running around PC.” Guess what? There ARE! (smile) . . . Major props to The Wife. At first, the pics refused to download/upload (whatever the correct word is) onto my ancient laptop. She was able to download/upload them onto her only semi-ancient laptop and then later, somehow, she matched the feat back on my computer. Thanks, kiddo!! Imagine how many curse words you would have heard for the second time in three nights (the Malvern-Haverford School pics are lost forever -- ugh). Even she couldn't perform that miracle. 

APRIL 23
TEDBIT
  The Catholic League has finally joined the club. This season, Neumann-Goretti has become the seventh city-leagues school in this century to find itself on the good and bad ends of no-hitters. The Saints suffered a no-no vs. Wood on April 14 and bagged their own yesterday as junior righthander Ethan Pritchett muffled O'Hara. Below is a breakdown. Amazingly, three of the no-hitters in 2003 occurred in Pub round-of-16 playoffs.

APRIL 22
TEDBIT
  When yesterday's Inter-Ac game between visiting Malvern and Haverford School concluded with a one-run margin and the former on top, we should not have been surprised. Over the last 11 seasons, the Friars have become quite successful at winning one-run I-A outings. Their record is 13-5 and four wins (in six chances) have been claimed in extra innings. How'd this one-run dominance begin? Glad you asked. Early in league play in 2005, the Friars edged Germantown Academy, 6-5, as reliever Tom Grandieri (now an assistant at Episcopal; don't hold it against him -- smile) scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the home 14th. There were 27 hits in the game and one was a homer by Malvern's Tim McEndy.    

APRIL 21
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 7, Haverford School 6
  There's a reason certain statements become cliches. 'Cause they're absolutely true! In baseball, folks like to say, "They all look the same in the boxscore." As in hits. Home runs are the best hit, of course, and they also look the same . . . even when they're not. In the home third, a pair of lefty swingers for Haverford School thumped homers to right-center. A two-run shot by jr. 1B Frank Cresta came first and this one was a true blast as the ball cleared the fence at the left edge of right-center and appeared to land on the outbound side of Lancaster Avenue. Soph RF Bryan Hyland strolled to the plate two batters later and his solo homer, also hit hard but not quite a match for Cresta's, cleared the fence at the right edge of right-center. Coupled with an RBI single by Cresta in the first inning, those shots provided the Fords a 4-0 lead. Malvern later posted two HRs of its own. Both by jr. RF-CF Chance DiFebbo. A three-run job in a five-run fifth and a two-run swat in the seventh. Honestly, both dingers had the look of regular flyballs. But HS' field is not exactly roomy and DiFebbo was able to gleefully break out home run trots. The first homer left the yard not far from the foul pole in left. The second carried to center. Two homers on regular flyballs. What are the Chances? (smile) We're thinking DiFebbo minded not at ALL that his homers were not as impressive as the Fords'. They featured enough oomph to get the job done, right? Plus, they helped the Friars claim a win after falling into a 4-0 hole. DiFebbo also played basketball this past winter and as a guard sub made some nifty contributions in games I attended. Dude has the knack! The first run in Malvern's four-run fifth when jr. 3B Jake Mullan laced an RBI single to center. The Friars made it 5-4 in the sixth as leadoff batter Chris Butera, a sr. RH (four innings) and RF, crunched a double down the left field line into the corner. Mullan started the seventh with a scratch infield single (could have been scored an error) and DiFebbo made it 7-4 with his second swat. The entertainment was hardly over. Soph RH Shane Muntz, a semi-stocky fastballer, issued a leadoff walk to Cresta and sr. SS David Rodgers misplayed a popup. A wild pitch moved up the runners and sr. pinch-runner Devin Wilkins (manager of the hoops squad) scored on a groundout off Hyland's bat. Sr. LF Ryan Fuscaldo then grounded out on a very close play at first (a safe call would not have surprised), but the Fords drew within one as sr. DH-RH Nick Greco fired a hard single to center. The No. 9 hitter, frosh CF Justin Meyer, then drew a walk and pitching coach E.J. Moyer, formerly a star lefty for the Fords, took a brisk walk to the mound and made a change. Next was frosh RH Billy Corcoran, just up from the JV and making his first Inter-Ac appearance. (He did pitch in a non-league game over the weekend.) Soph 3B Tommy Toal lofted a popup. You can guess where it went, right? You got it. In the direction of Rodgers, the shortstop. This time David stayed with it and made the catch to give the Friars their win. Though 13 runs were scored, the game required just two hours and mostly moved along in brisk fashion. Especially early. The Fords' starter, jr. RH Michael Warnick, had few problems through the first four innings, though Malvern did hit some balls hard against him. David Hogarth, the Fords' soph SS, went 2-for-4 and made some impressive plays in the field. Hyland ended the visiting seventh by making an impressive, last-second catch against the fence. Wilmer Reid, a long-time, great-guy scout, and DN/Inky reporter Aaron "Ace" Carter (just to watch; he has mostly covered lacrosse this spring) were among the witnesses. Now coaching at first base for the Fords is Tom McNeely. He played for now-closed St. James (class of 1985; in football in '83 he set the city leagues record for passing yards in one game with 329, in baseball in '85 he earned first team All-City honors as an infielder) and his full name is Thomas More McNeely. Why's that? His dad attended St. Thomas More High (class of '48, I believe Tom said) and loved the place so much he named his son after it. Cool! STM, at 47th and Wyalusing, one block off of Girard, closed in 1975. St. James, located in Chester, closed in '93. Not easy for dad/son. Good luck with the Fords, Tom. HS ain't closin' any time soon (smile). Two best lines of the day: After Cresta cracked his homer, a bench guy bellowed, "Bartender, pour me a shot of Jack!" Mullan, meanwhile, had a thick clump of hair sticking out the back of his cap. A Ford student rooter yelled down to him, "No. 11, you have way too much hair for this sport! Why are you not playing lacrosse!?" Ha, ha, ha. (There will NOT be any pics. All kinds of issues trying to download them due to file sizes, etc., then somehow they were erased from the memory card. VERY sorry, guys. Frustrated beyond belief.)

APRIL 18
TEDBIT
  Over the previous eight days, pitchers for Boys' Latin and Wood slapped together matching streaks of 11 consecutive hitless innings. BL's is still alive, so we'll see what happens when the Warriors get back to action Wednesday vs. Bodine. Wood's ended on April 15 when Ryan soph Cory Hunter, recently promoted from the JV, led off the bottom of the first with his first varsity hit.
  UPDATE: In its next Pub game, Boys' Latin played Roxborough on April 22. In the first inning, Randy Krok ripped a single to left off Asa James. Rain forced the game to be suspended in the fourth inning with BL ahead, 7-2.