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BASEBALL: Friends’ Central Wins Second Straight Friends League Baseball Title in Impressive Fashion

By Marc Narducci, 05/15/22, 2:45PM EDT

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Friends' Central School 2022 FSL Baseball Champions

(Photos by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)

BY MARC NARDUCCI

WYNNEWOOD, PA--The rain started coming down harder than anticipated and finally the umpires called for a break in Saturday’s Friends League baseball championship.

Maintenance had to be applied to the field and that is when sure-handed Friends’ Central shortstop Luke Buscaglia and slick-fielding center fielder Dylan Posencheg came to the forefront.

Buscaglia was raking the home plate area while Posencheg was literally wiping the plate clean with a towel.

It was their home field and they treated it like their own homes.

This is not the type of duty one would expect from two senior standouts, who will be going on to play college baseball, but in a way, it symbolized not only what Friends’ Central is about, but why the Phoenix have been the standard in Friends League baseball the past two seasons.

It showed that no task is above anybody on a team that will do anything to help the program earn success,

And make no mistake, no baseball team in the Friends League has enjoyed greater dominance over the past two years than Friends’ Central.

The jobs performed by Buscaglia, Posencheg and other teammates got the field in order, proving that even Mother Nature couldn’t outlast the Phoenix.

The rain, which made frequent appearances in the championship game, stopped this time long enough for the Phoenix to finish business in an emphatic manner.

Friends’ Central earned its second straight title with a 12-0 win over the Shipley School in a game stopped after five innings due to the 10-run rule.


Friends Central team members try to keep diamond dry during rain pause in Championship game. (Photos by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)


Friends' Central School senior Dylan Posencheg wipes plate during heavy rain in Title Game vs. Shipley. (PSD photo by Lennie Malmgren)

While Friends’ Central has several games left, this concluded the Friends League portion. The Phoenix improved to 20-7 overall and 12-0 in the Friends League, including two playoff victories.

Including last year, the Phoenix have now not only won two straight titles, but 21 consecutive Friends League games.

This was done because there are players willing to accept any role, including raking or wiping the plate.

“Coach (Jon) Rubin started building this team when we were in sixth, seventh grade,” Posencheg said. “He knew what was coming and it’s crazy that it is now unfolding the way he imagined it six years ago.”

This current senior class was a big part of that plan. Consider, that all seven seniors are going to be playing baseball in college.

Posencheg is headed to Dickinson while Buscaglia is ticketed to Division I University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Winning pitcher John Fitzpatrick will compete for West Chester. The other commitments are left fielder Sam Burman (Hofstra), first baseman Derek Francis (Alvernia), right fielder Jon Aman (Widener) and pitcher Caden Carlin (Monmouth).

“The seniors are talented and a very competitive group and what people don’t see is that they really work their tails off day in and day out and are interested in getting better and they are great team players,” Rubin said.

When the seniors work the hardest, it not only sets the tone, but sends a major message – if the top players can always give 100 percent, everybody else better follow.


Friends' Central senior Luke Buscaglia rakes diamond to ensure safe play. (PSD photo by Lennie Malmgren)


Friends' Central Senior Players (photo by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)

As for the game, Friends’ Central took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI double by Posencheg, an RBI single by Francis and then Posencheg scored the third run on a wild pitch.

Even if the offense would have shut down from there, the Phoenix knew it would be more than enough, simply because Fitzpatrick was on the mound.

This was the fifth game in his career that the hard-throwing righthander had faced Shipley and he has yet to allow a single run.

Imagine that.

Shipley coach Bryan Bendowski is one person who won’t be shedding any tears on the day that Friends’ Central holds graduation and Fitzpatrick receives his degree.

“He’s a spectacular arm and we’re happy to see him go,” Bendowski said. “If you look back, we haven’t scored a run off him in three years. He is a special kid and will do well at the next level and we’re happy he’s gone.”

Fitzpatrick only allowed two hits, both singles, while having to deal with throwing wet baseballs, a challenge into itself. He also had to keep cleaning his cleats that were caked in mud, but Fitzpatrick kept mowing down hitters.

“I had a lot of mud on my feet and it wasn’t easy,” Fitzpatrick said.

The only thing more difficult was attempting to get a good swing against a pitcher who has now struck out 52 in 43 1/3 innings this season.

“Finding a grip and changing the balls out, it was tough, but we got through it,” Fitzpatrick said.


Friends' Central pitcher John Fitzpatrick. (Photo/ Lennie Malmgren for PSD)

The only question was whether the game would end before more rain would fall. Posencheg did his part, not only by helping with field maintenance, but also by hitting a three-run home run in the third inning that extended the lead to 12-0 and put the  possibility of the 10-run rule into play.

The fact that he went yard while it was raining fairly heavily, just made his third home run of the season even more impressive.

“I really got on that one,” Posencheg said.

He sure did, a no-doubt-about-it shot over the left field fence.

“Hitting one today was special, it was a special hit for me,” he said.

It must be noted that before Friends’ Central became the team that everybody was aiming for, Shipley (12-8, 10-2) clearly owned that role.

Reporter Marc Narducci catches up with Friends' Central's Dylan Posencheg and John Fitzpatrick and Shipley coach Bryan Bendowski after the FSL Championship:

This was Shipley’s seventh straight title game appearance. The Gators had won five consecutive Friends League championships before Friends’ Central ended the string last year. Even this year, Shipley’s only two Friends League losses came against Friends’ Central.

While championships often serve as the concluding act in a season, both teams still have plenty of baseball left.

Besides non-league games, each will compete in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISSA) state tournament.

That’s why even after posing for their championship photo, the Friends’ Central team, while delighted to win, also signaled that there was some unfinished business.

“We still have PAISSA and we want to make a statement,” Posencheg said.

Actually, the Phoenix have already made their statement, with their play on the field, their character, their leadership and of course their winning ways.

2022 FSL  Championship Awards Ceremony and Celebration (photos by Lennie Malmgren for PSD).