Baseball: Philadelphia Catholic League
Tuesday, May 21: Losers Bracket Elimination Game
Archbishop Ryan 7, Archbishop Wood 4 (8 innings)
Notes: The Raiders used a four-run eighth inning to break a 3–3 tie, with Shane Smith’s two-out, two-strike, go-ahead two-run single serving as the difference-maker. Rick Romano pitched seven innings of five-hit ball to get the win, while Nick Centeno stranded the bases loaded in the home half of the eighth to record the save and keep Ryan alive.
Thursday, May 23: Losers Bracket Elimination Game
Archbishop Ryan vs. St. Joseph’s Prep, 3:45 (at Immaculata University)
Scenario: Ryan’s win over Wood was their third consecutive elimination game victory, and now they’ll have a shot at a fourth. Should the Raiders knock off the Prep on Thursday, they will move on to face La Salle, who emerged from the Winners Bracket. In order to win the Catholic League championship, Ryan would have to beat the Prep on Thursday, and then defeat La Salle TWICE (the Catholic League baseball playoffs are now double elimination). Game 1 would be on Saturday, May 25, at 11 a.m. at Widener University; if Ryan lost that game, they would be eliminated. If they win, they would face La Salle for a winner-take-all contest on Tuesday, May 28, at Immaculata (time TBA). This season, Ryan is 1–2 against the Prep (10–8 loss on March 30, 9–6 loss on April 9, 11–10 win on April 11); the Raiders are also 1–2 against La Salle (9–2 win on March 27, 4–3 loss on April 15, 7–3 loss on April 17).
Baseball: Philadelphia Public League
Thursday, May 23: Championship Game
Frankford vs. Franklin Towne Charter, 3:15, (Richie Ashburn Field, FDR Park, South Philadelphia)
Scenario: The winner will be crowned Public League champion. A Frankford win would be the program’s third consecutive Public League title; it would also be Juan Namnun’s fourth title in six years as the Pioneers head coach, and eighth title since he joined Frankford’s staff as an assistant to Bob Peffle (now an assistant at La Salle) in 2000. The teams split two meeting in 2013, with Frankford winning 8–5 back on April 3, and Towne emerging victorius 13–1 on April 25.
Softball: Philadelphia Catholic League
Wednesday, May 22: Championship Game (**Game was originally scheduled for Thursday, May 23)
St. Hubert vs. Bonner-Prendie, 4 p.m. (Arcadia University)
Scenario: The winner will be crowned the 2013 Catholic League Champions. A St. Hubert victory would be the program’s second consecutive title, and the current senior class’ third in four years. For head coach Dave Schafer, a victory would earn him his fifth title in six years. The Bambies advanced to the title game on star pitcher Erica Ragazzone’s two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh against Little Flower’s Lindsey Gibbs, which broke a scoreless tie. St. Hubert, the tournament’s №2 seed, defeated Bonner-Prendie, 4–2, on April 8 in the teams’ only meeting in 2013.
Softball: Philadelphia Public League
Thursday, May 23: Championship Game
Girls High vs. Franklin Towne Charter, 3 p.m. (at La Salle University)
Scenario: The winner will be crowned the 2013 Public League champions. Coach Jen Daley’s team has won five in a row to reach the title game. The first game of that win streak was a 13–12 triumph over Girls High on May 6. In the four wins that followed, Towne outscored its opponents 60–7. The May 6 win over Girls High was the teams’ only meeting thus far to date.
Softball: Catholic Academies League
Friday, May 24: PIAA District 1 Class AAA Quarterfinals
Phoenixville/Marple-Newtown at Nazareth Academy, 4 p.m. (game site is Eden Hall, across the street from Nazareth’s campus)
Scenario: Nazareth enters the district playoffs as the №2 seed after a 3–0 loss to Radnor in the regular-season finale on May 15. Prior to that defeat, the Pandas had won 13 straight games.
Be sure to keep checking back to www.northeasttimes.com for updated schedules and results.
