(Photos /Video by Ryan Nix for PSD)
BY JEREMY GOODE
PHILA.-- Malvern Prep has been a powerhouse in baseball for years. Since 2008, they have won 11 Inter-Ac league championships. Since 2006, they have won 10 state titles. They are currently defending champions for their league and states.
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy would like a word, and they are making a push to bring back a championship to Chestnut Hill after a strong start in league play.
Earlier in the week, SCHA took care of the Malvern Prep Friars, beating the number one team in the Inter-Ac conference, 8-6. On Thursday, Apr. 24, SCHA hosted Germantown Academy, the second-best team in the league by record, and beat them, 7-1.
“This league is arguably the best league in the northeast part of the country,” SCHA head coach Mike White said. “None of these wins are easy, and that is a tough GA team.”
Last season, SCHA finished third in their league, two games behind Haverford and four behind Malvern Prep. Five games into league play this season? SCHA is tied in second place with GA and is a game behind Malvern Prep for first in the league.
All of the Inter-Ac games are important because the league does not have a playoff system for any of their sports. For every team, the regular season conference games determine the league winner, adding additional weight to the regular season. The six teams play everyone in the league twice: once at home and one on the road. The games then play themselves out.
It could come down to a tiebreaker. That is the beauty, or possibly also the challenge, of the Inter-Ac conference. It is not good enough to beat the average teams and beat a few good teams while losing to others. It is not, “let’s get hot at the end of the season while entering the playoffs.” Sometimes, a first league-game loss could be the end of any hopes of winning the league.
This season, maybe not so much. Halfway through the season, every team in the league has at least one loss. Two teams have two losses. If Malvern Prep wins out, they will repeat as league champion. But SCHA will get to play them again and looks to beat them for a second time this season.
Of course, the Inter-Ac is a game-by-game league; it is hard to look too far ahead into the rest of the schedule since every game matters a little more. SCHA took that approach and completed the week 2-0, taking care of GA two days after earning another strong win against Malvern.
Both teams got on the board quickly. In the top of the second inning, GA’s Brayden Vargas scored on a Jack Bucci line drive to left field. SCHA responded in the bottom half of the same inning with two runs themselves (little did they realize these would prove to be the winning runs). SCHA’s Kelley Boyle and Paul Cifra were responsible for hitting in two Blue Devils. Jakai Badgett scored the first run, and he finished with a walk and a single while scoring twice. At shortstop, Badgett was key in helping turn two double plays.
Springside Chestnut Hill in game vs. Germantown Academy. (VIdeo by Ryan Nix for PSD)
“What is so special about this team is everybody is playing for one another,” Badgett said. “We’re not just playing for individuals. Three of our players got hurt, so we kind of put them on our backs and keep playing with the mentality that we have.”
Stokes Tate started for SCHA. He threw four strong innings, holding onto a 2-1 lead and earning the win.
SCHA turned to Joe Piezynski for the final three innings of the game. He kept GA at one run.
“Obviously, it is nice to pitch comfortably, but I do like those high-pressure situations,” Tate said. “I feel like that pressure brings something out that you normally can’t get under normal circumstances.”
It is an Inter-Ac league in which teams often need to turn to pitchers to get them through a game.
Two days earlier, Tate closed the game against Malvern Prep and appreciates the three-shutout innings Piezynski was able to provide.
“Joe is always reliable out of the bullpen,” Tate said. “It is nice to have him come in and throw strikes and do his job day after day.”
The SCHA bats came through in the bottom of the fourth inning, breaking the game open with a five-run inning. SCHA scored most of their runs through small ball, moving runners over, walking, and putting the ball in play in the infield. Dax Caplan and Mason Zlotkin each recorded an RBI. The lineup batted around the order, and Badgett batted twice in the inning.
“We were able to get production from the bottom of our lineup. That’s where championships are always won; with the bottom eight,” Tate said.
Round one goes to SCHA against Malvern Prep and GA. Fortunately for everyone, they will get another shot against each other. Until then, SCHA will play with the momentum they have established midway through the league schedule.
“We have the confidence we can play with anyone,” White said. “But we take it one game at a time.”