I feel like a classic sports cliche is to say a team “really needed that one” after a big win.

I think there’s a strong argument to be made that nobody needed a win of this caliber more than Episcopal did.

Episcopal 4, Malvern Prep 1

By: Brendan Ricciardi:

Last year, these two teams met on this same field for the PAISAA State Championship game, and things didn’t go spectacularly for Episcopal starter Hunter West, but things were a bit different this time around.

The Duke recruit was fantastic in this game, holding a previously 16-2 Malvern team to just two hits and one run over six innings with five strikeouts.

EA got two quick runs to put the pressure on in the top of the first. JD Amoroso was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, then a Spencer Schuh double made it second and third.

Amoroso would score on wild pitch from Malvern starter Jack Herbein, and later in the inning with two outs, a Dillon Walls RBI single made it 2-0.

Episcopal would add insurance runs in both the fourth and the fifth as well. Baxter Schuh scored on an error in the fourth, and Michael Schaffer hit a two-out RBI triple to score Spencer Schuh, who singled the at bat before.

Malvern scored their lone run of the game on a Grady Forsberg RBI groundout to score Jalen Bowman, who singled earlier in the inning, but that’s all they were able to get in this one off the Churchmen pitching staff.

Hunter West’s day was done after six, and Roman Notaro retired three straight hitters after allowing a leadoff single to wrap up this win.

Episcopal gets a well-deserved and much-needed first Inter-Ac win to get to 1-2. They will head to Springside-Chestnut Hill on Friday for their next game.

As for Malvern, they fall to 2-1 in the Inter-Ac and will host Appoquinimink for a non-conference game Wednesday.

All six teams in the Inter-Ac are either 2-1 or 1-2. Buckle up.

Haverford School 13, Penn Charter 8

By: Brendan Ricciardi;

This was a rollercoaster of a game, and Haverford School sophomore Zack Lawler was the leader of it.

Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the second, the right fielder and leadoff hitter hit a Grand Slam, flipping the script and putting the Fords ahead 5-4. The teams would trade two runs a piece in the fourth inning and the game was tied 7-7 going into the bottom of the fifth, where Lawler would again homer to put Haverford up 9-7.

Later in the inning, Ethan Stern would hit a two-run double to double that lead and make it 11-7 as the Fords would start to pull away.

Owen Murphy started on the mound for Haverford and allowed two earned runs over four innings with five strikeouts. Gabe Danisi threw the final 2.1 innings, striking out six with two hits and one earned run allowed.

Braydon Scanlan also homered for the Fords, who saw 8/9 starters on offense record a hit. While Mike Noone did not record a hit, he was hit by two pitched and walked, so that counts in my book as a good day.

Haverford improves to 2-1 in the Inter-Ac and will host Germantown Academy on Thursday for their next game.

Chichester 18, Penn Wood 0

By: Brendan Ricciardi:

Zach Murray was our hitter of the week last week after he drove in 13 runs in three games, and he kept that hot streak going in this one. Murray went 3/3 with 2 HR and a double, driving in five runs in the process.

Chichester also had three-hit games from Damian Diaz-Badillo, Cole Sanford and Luke Werley. Diaz-Badillo, Sanford, Werley and Gavin Derrickson all drove in two runs.

On the mound, Josh Stephenson went all three innings of this mercy-rule shortened game and struck out six.

Jaiden Davis’s double was the lone hit of the day for Penn Wood.

Chichester improves to 6-0 in the Del Val and for all intents and purposes can wrap up another league title by taking down Interboro on the road on Thursday.

As for Penn Wood, they fall to 1-5 in the Del Val and will host Overbrook for a non-conference matchup on Thursday for their next game.

Interboro 11, Chester 0

By: Brendan Ricciardi:

Interboro scored in all five of their at bats in this one to take the win over Chester.

They scored four in the first, one in the second, one in the third, four in the fourth and one in the fifth to hit the mercy rule.

Jaxson Munro had two hits including a homer in the win for the Bucs.

Interboro also saw Garry Shropshire go 3/4 with a double and a triple, as well as 2/2 with 2 RBI days by Calvin Monroe and Anthony Gentile.

John Cartlidge also drove in two runs for Interboro.

On the mound, the Bucs split things up to get different guys some work. Zander McGowan threw three scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to start the game. Trent Siebnaler and Jayden Pfaff threw scoreless innings in relief.

Interboro improves to 5-1 in the Del Val, and will look to tie Chichester for first place in the conference when they host the Eagles on Thursday.

As for Chester, they fall to 2-4 in the Del Val and will look to take the season series from Academy Park when they play on Thursday at Interboro.

Delco Christian 19, Morrisville 1

By: Brendan Ricciardi:

Delco Christian got the scoring started with five in the bottom of the first, but really took over this game when they put 14 on the board in the bottom of the second against Morrisville.

Gabe DiGreorio and Maden Longley both had huge games on offense. DiGregorio went 3/3 with a HR with 5 RBI, while Maden Longley also went 3/3 with a HR and drove in four.

Matteo DeBellis and Nathan Burd also both had two hits and drove in two runs for the Knights, who had 16 hits as a team.

On the mound, Nathan Wilcox recorded all nine of his outs via the strikeout, allowing just two hits and one earned run.

Delco Christian improves to 3-1 in the Bicentennial League and will head to Bristol on Thursday for their next game.

Friends Central 20, Friends Select 5

By: Jonah Casel:

Friends’ Central’s Senior Day was a big-time win for the Phoenix in three innings. The home team honored their seven seniors: Caleb Bachman, Shane McGarry, Michael Mamaluy, Lucas Abreu, Vaughn Jones, Finn Neely, and Henry Hartling. Mamaluy is injured, but he still had the opportunity to take the field at first base with his team before he was subbed out for Fisher Haggerty.

Neely got his first start of his varsity career, and got the win. He surrendered four runs, three of which were earned, in the first inning, but the Phoenix bounced back and drove in seven in the bottom of the first.

The Phoenix were all over the basepaths, stealing fourteen bases in total. Jones, Bachman, and McGarry combined for nine of them.

In the third inning, Caleb Bachman reached another milestone in his 4-year Friends’ Central career. He smoked a single to second base for his hundredth hit as a Phoenix. A storybook ending to Bachman’s senior night!

The Phoenix improve to 4-1 in the Friends League and have a busy rest of their week, facing Franklin Towne on Wednesday, George School on Friday, and Germantown Academy on Saturday.