South Philly Review

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Prep Charter catcher Mike Sandefur smashed a grand slam in Tuesday’s Public League semifinal clash. The senior looked to help his squad to capture the Class AA championship yesterday in a game that ended after press time.

Photo by Rob Torney

Late May means high school baseball playoff games are fulfilling their roles as parts of spring’s irresistible charm.

After nearly two weeks of postseason play, however, only one of the Public League’s five representatives remains alive. Who could have predicted the historical powerhouse Girard Academic Music Program, 2136 Ritner St., would not attain a seventh-straight Class A title or that Prep Charter, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., would, thanks to three memorable games, be South Philadelphia’s lone shot at Public League prominence?

A young team, West Passyunk’s Prep Charter did not look to waste any time during its May 19 first round home game against Strawberry Mansion. Scoring all of its 15 runs in the first inning helped the Huskies demoralize their opponent, whom they shut out in three quick innings. Sophomore Juwan Jordan and junior Michael Borelli combined to twirl a no-hitter, with six strikeouts. Senior outfielder Carmen DeCarlo and fellow senior catcher Michael Sandefur led the offensive assault with two hits and three RBI each.

The offense did not come as easily for the Huskies in Monday’s Class AA quarterfinal tilt against Mariana Bracetti, as they faced a more formidable defensive opponent. Even in a low scoring affair, Prep Charter had a trick up its sleeve, as freshman Robert Freer pitched a no-hitter in his first playoff start.

Instead of knocking out the opposition early, the Huskies went into the seventh inning tied at two. Sandefur belted a walk-off two-run blast, propelling his squad to its 14th win and a spot in Tuesday’s Class AA semifinal against Philadelphia Academy. With a 17-9 win that featured grand slams from Sandefur and junior pircher Michael Borelli, the team advanced to yesterday’s championship against Esperanza.

Having lost its final five regular season games, GAMP had hoped the postseason would bring them new air and revenge for an 8-5 loss to Masterman May 9. Unfortunately, the final 14 Pioneers went down er in their 2-0 championship loss. Senior pitcher Dom Raia, bound for Chestnut Hill College, struck out 15. The Girard Estate bunch finished with an 8-12 record.

Horace Furness High School, 1900 S. Third St., and South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St., were the first teams shown mercy after being blown out early. The former had no luck on Friday the 13th, as the Falcons fell 15-2 in five innings against Ben Franklin in a Class AAA first-round matchup, absorbing their sixth loss against five wins. Southern’s Rams were sent packing Monday courtesy of their 18-3 Class AAA Quarterfinal loss to Roxborough, dropping their mark to 6-6.

After dispatching Del-Val Charter 16-9 in May 16’s Class AA quarterfinals with an offensive explosion, Bok Technical High School, 1901 S. Ninth St., again put up runs early in Monday’s semifinal tilt against Phila. Academy Charter, only to collapse in the sixth inning, yielding the four runs that led to their 7-4 loss. The Wildcats could not make the best of home field advantage after Del-Val Charter surrendered theirs due to their damaged field. The Passyunk Square team concluded the year 4-9.

The Neumann-Goretti Saints, 1736 S. 10th St., entered yesterday’s Catholic League quarterfinal against Lansdale Catholic eager to add to an incredible year. League champions two years ago, the East Passyunk unit finalized its first undefeated regular season Sunday, scoring an 18-7 triumph against Archbishop Carroll.

The 18 runs made for nice uniformity, helping the Saints to their 18th victory. Junior second baseman Mike “Zoom” Zolk blasted two home runs, but he had company in trotting around the bases, as seven teammates also launched bombs.

Seeking to erase the memory of last year’s semifinal loss to Monsignor Bonner and to prove the graduation of three potent hitters would not slow them, the Saints made the opposition’s pitches seem like enemies against which they held long grudges. In their contests, they touched home plate 193 times, giving them an astounding 10.7 runs-per-game average.

Sunday’s destruction of its hosts resulted in their second 18-run output in three games and capped a four-game stretch where they scored 65 runs. Their season low is three runs, scored in a 3-0 triumph over Archbishop Ryan May 7. The shutout twirled by sophomore Joe Kinee gave the Saints their fourth shutout, all against league foes.

Their 12-0 mark won them the Catholic League Blue Division by four games and gave them their fourth-straight year of double-digit victories against their parochial brethren.

Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.