Baseball: PCL Advances To The Carpenter Cup Championship

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA – Tim Dougherty was smiling ear to ear, and for good reason.

A few minutes earlier, his two-run single in the top of the ninth inning provided the game’s most important hit, as the Philadelphia Catholic League defeated defending champion Suburban One National, 3-1, in the semifinals of the 31st-annual Carpenter Cup Classic at Citizens Bank Park.

Tuesday’s afternoon victory moved the Philadelphia Catholic League into Friday’s 10 AM championship against Suburban One American at Citizens Bank Park, or, if you enjoy acronyms, the PCL will now play SOA at CBP.

“We always say that, ‘Hey, we are here. We might as well win this thing,’” said Dougherty, a junior Bonner-Prendergast first baseman. “We are really close to actually doing it.”

Tim Dougherty's two-run single helped PCL reach the Carpenter Cup Classic Championship

The Philadelphia Catholic League is only one victory away from seizing its fourth-ever title and first since 2005. Several pitchers will be unable to play because of previous vacation planning, so it will be up to others to fill in.

They’ll have big shoes to fill. The PCL’s semifinal win featured tremendous pitching. Fresh off their PIAA Class AA state championship, the Neumann-Goretti combination of seniors Jeff Ciocco (three) and Ethan Pritchett frustrated Suburban One with a composite five shutout innings. After Archbishop Carroll junior James Kelly, Roman Catholic junior Aidan Welch, and Archbishop Wood junior Sean Hughes (three strikeouts) hurled one hitless inning apiece, Archbishop Wood junior Kody Cracknell survived a nail-biting ninth for the save.

“We used six pitchers and had one ready to go,” said PCL coach Joe DeBarberie. “I want to give everyone a chance to get in there.”

The PCL took a 1-0 lead in the first when St. Joseph’s Prep senior John Coppola’s sacrifice fly scored Roman Catholic sophomore Marquise Wood, who had led off, stolen second, and advanced to third on a passed ball. In the ninth, the PCL loaded the bases and with two outs, Dougherty slammed a first-pitch single to right field that scored Archbishop Wood senior Bobby Heck and St. Joseph’s Prep junior Jeff Manto.

Bonner-Prendergast senior Tim Dougherty talks about his clutch two-run single in the 9th inning

“I wasn’t happy with my earlier at bats,” said Dougherty. “I was looking curve ball, put a good swing on it, and got the fat part of the bat on it. I was just standing there and all of a sudden, I started taking it all in,” he said. “It was something I won’t ever forget.”

Because of such staunch PCL pitching, the insurance runs seemed unnecessary.

Not quite.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Suburbanites lashed three straight singles to score their first run. On the third single, a Suburban One National runner was gunned down at third by La Salle senior Langston Livingston, whose spot-on throw from right field to Bonner-Prendergast junior Evan Raiburn allowed him plenty of time to apply the tag.

“I was just throwing to the lead base,” said Livingston. “I wanted to be aggressive. I was surprised that he went. I thought he would stay at second. When I saw him tagged out, it was a relief. It was a huge play.”

The PCL has been coming up with “huge” plays throughout the tournament; a triple play highlighted a first-round win, a pickoff at third base proved immense in the quarterfinal, and the Livingston peg might have saved the semifinal win.

“I’d guess that we have practiced more than any other team,” said DeBarberie. “We will have our eighth before the final game. That’s a credit to the players for being committed.”

(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com.)