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BASEBALL: Scuffling PCL Baseball Teams Remain Alive in Playoff Push

By John Knebels Photos/Videos: Kathy Leister & Alex Duda, 04/29/19, 1:45AM EDT

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By: John Knebels

Photos/Videos: Alex Duda (Father Judge) & Liam Turnbach (La Salle)

 

PHILADELPHIA –With eight games completed and five still remaining, eight of the 14 Catholic League teams have basically secured a playoff spot; the top six would avoid participating in a first-round, pre-quarterfinal contest. 

Among the other six teams, therefore, two spots remain. After an uncharacteristic 0-3 start, St. Joseph’s Prep has won three out of five. Next in line is Archbishop Ryan, and the Raiders control their own destiny over the final two and a half weeks of the regular season.   

“As a team we have been through a lot of tough times, whether it be having three different coaching staffs or just not playing to the best of ability,” said two-time All-Catholic senior and University of Sciences-bound first-baseman Adam Estrada. “What is mainly keeping us together and hard working is the brotherhood we have built with each other and the supporters we have, such as the coaches and parents. 

“We have a great team with a ton of talent, and all we need to do is keep working hard and keep our heads up. Hopefully, we can overcome these obstacles and play out of our minds.”


#55 Archbishop Ryan senior Adam Estrada - PSD Photo

The Raiders host Bonner-Prendergast and visit Lansdale Catholic this week. Their final three games are at Neumann-Goretti, Devon Prep, and La Salle.   

“We are still optimistic,” said Ryan senior Anthony Giordano, a pitcher/right fielder who will play at Wilmington University next season. “We still believe that we can win some important games these next few weeks. We believe in each other and are playing as a family.”

Three other senior Raiders – shortstop Pat Kajder (Jefferson University), center fielder Hakim Salaam (Felician University), and pitcher/right fielder Pat Hasson (Gwynedd Mercy University) – have also committed to play at the next level.

A game that could prove pivotal because of tie-breaking procedures was a 4-3 home win over Conwell-Egan. The 10-inning affair included seven shutout innings in relief by sophomore D.J. Sims and ended when an Estrada ground ball eluded the shortstop and scored Hasson from second.

The most disappointing defeat coincidentally occurred the next day, a 4-1 decision against visiting Father Judge.

“Our rivals,” said Giordano, who shares captain duties with Estrada. “We had some struggles at the plate and made defensive mistakes.” 

Behind Ryan are three 1-7 teams that need to win at least four of their final five games to have a playoff chance. One of them is league newcomer Devon Prep.

Father Judge junior Justin Barcoski closes out the game to give the Crusaders a 4-1 victory vs. Ryan - Video by Alex Duda

The Tide have dropped six straight, but they played well in losses to Archbishop Carroll (3-1) and Roman Catholic (8-4), teams with a combined 11-5 record. They also nearly came back from a 10-0 deficit against Lansdale Catholic before losing, 10-9.

“We’re getting better each and every game we play,” said sophomore Eamonn Walsh. “Hitting and pitching has come a long way from where we started. We’re a young team, and not a lot of us have played at a high level like this, but we’re for sure on the way up and ready to play anyone.”

A 6-1 loss to Conwell-Egan on April 8 could prove costly, as the Eagles are also 1-7. 

“Playing in the PCL is tough,” said Conwell-Egan senior shortstop Chris Furey, a La Salle University commit. “We are going up against big-time college commits each and every single game. Each game, someone has to step up. We are thin at each position and it is killing us. Hopefully, we’ll start finding a few ways to win. 

“Moving forward, right now we need to focus on winning as many games as we can.Our goal is just to find a way into the playoffs because in the playoffs, anything can happen.”

The other 1-7 team, Lansdale Catholic, appears to be the odds-on favorite to land the 10th and final playoff spot because their five remaining opponents pose a composite record of 13-27.

After the aforementioned 10-9 victory over Devon Prep, the Crusaders lost 6-2 at Bonner-Prendergast and 6-5 at Archbishop Wood, teams that are 5-3 and 7-1, respectively. This week is hugely important for LC – home games against St. Joseph’s Prep and Archbishop Ryan – before finishing against Cardinal O’Hara, Bishop McDevitt, and Conwell-Egan. 

“It’s been really tough,” said LC senior Andrew Guippone. “I see the teams we have played and truly believe we could be right with them in competition. We have shown our potential against some of the best teams in the league and we competed pretty well against them, so it’s especially tough when we lose. Also, against teams that we lost to who aren’t as good as those top teams, we just didn’t play to our potential at all.”

The only team without a league victory is Bishop McDevitt. The 0-8 Lancers did, however, win a non-league contest recently, 12-4, over Academy of the New Church (ANC).

The young Lancers only have two seniors – Austin Alcorn and AJ Greenberg. Both players refuse to focus on the negative.

“In my opinion, the lack of success in the win column does not represent the effort and hard work we put in as a collective group,” said Alcorn, who has been a varsity contributor for four years, the initial three at shortstop and this season at centerfield. “We have a coaching staff that pushes us to strive for our highest potential, and they want what’s best for us. 

“My teammates and I never go into a game with a losing mindset, no matter who the opponent may be. We go out there and play our game, and the end result is not always a positive one, yet we can walk away with our heads held high knowing we fought our hardest.”

Greenberg, who smashed a home run in the win over ANC, agrees. 

It’s been tough because to start the season we only had 13 guys total on the team,” he said. “After one knee injury and one guy quitting, we needed everybody to step up.

“Obviously our program hasn’t been successful in recent years, but we work hard in practice and try to have a positive attitude at all times.”

The viewpoint is clearly different for Archbishop Wood, Cardinal O’Hara, and La Salle, all bunched up in a three-way tie for first at 7-1.

“This team has really bonded since our very first game and we pick up each other like no other team I’ve ever played for,” said Cardinal O’Hara junior Joe Kelly. “I think a lot of that is from our coaches.”

Senior teammate Jim White acknowledged that the Lions’ next two challengers will help determine the late-season favorites.

“We see great competition every game, but this upcoming week is important for us to stay focused and play our game,” said White. “Neumann-Goretti (opponent on April 29) is a great program; just look at their history. And Roman Catholic (May 1) is a tough team as well. We need to stick to the game plan and hopefully scratch out two wins.”

Junior Chad Walker doesn’t distinguish one opponent from another.

“I think any week for us is big, to be honest,” said Walker. “I honestly think we are the team to beat, and we want to play hard against anyone and everyone.” 

La Salle senior Dave Kratz talked about the Explorers’ adversaries this week – Conwell-Egan and Father Judge. The former needs an upset win; the latter is tied with Roman Catholic as the only teams with a 6-2 record and just blanked Bishop McDevitt, 14-0, behind sophomore Jeff Duda’s two singles, triple, walk, and three runs batted in.

“We’ve been playing at such a high level lately, and to keep this momentum with two wins this week would be huge,” said Kratz. “It’s definitely an extremely competitive and balanced league this year with eight teams that could easily win it. 

“It just makes every game that much more important and we know we need to be focused and sharp for every team we face in the league. I’m extremely confident in the way we have been playing lately and hope we can keep it up.”

 

(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)

Roman Catholic's (6-2 PCL) Jason Kelly notches a strikeout to clinch Roman's 2-1 victory over previously undefeated Bonner-Prendergast - video courtesy of Thomas Tarpey

La Salle defeated Neumann-Goretti 11-1 to remain at the top of PCL standings - Video by Liam Turnbach

Father Judge sophomore catcher Jeff Duda went 3-4 tallying 3 RBI's in the Crusader's 14-0 victory vs. McDevitt - Video by Alex Duda

PCL Baseball Standings (4/29)

Cardinal O’Hara 7-1

Archbishop Wood 7-1

La Salle 7-1

Father Judge 6-2

Roman Catholic 6-2

Archbishop Carroll 5-3

Bonner-Prendergast 5-3

Neumann-Goretti 5-3

St. Joe’s Prep 3-5

Archbishop Ryan 2-6

Conwell-Egan 1-7

Devon Prep 1-7

Lansdale Catholic 1-7

Bishop McDevitt 0-8