It’s no secret that Ridley and Interboro is one of the biggest rivalries in Delco.
Most people typically look at the annual Thanksgiving football game, but that rivalry carries over into other sports as well.
In this game, however, these two teams came together. This was a breast cancer awareness game to honor the life of Nicole Munro, the mother of Interboro infielder Jaxson Munro, a Prendie alum who passed just before the season started on March 6th after a battle with metastatic breast cancer.
One of the best parts about running this website and account is seeing the community come together when needed. These two teams may not like each other on the field, but the respect for something bigger than baseball is what it’s all about.
Ridley 11, Interboro 0
By: Brendan Ricciardi:
On the field, this game was all Ridley, as they got some revenge after Interboro took them down last season.
The Raiders put up six runs on Interboro starter Joel Sheridan and knocked him out before he recorded an out. That included a two-run single from Jayden Carney, an RBI single from Brendan Soper, a two-run single from Evan Nangle and an RBI triple from Connor Callahan in consecutive at bats.
Logan Bubb knocked in the seventh run of the bottom of the first to take a commanding lead.
The Ridley offense obviously came to play, but their pitching did the same as well.
Jayden Davis, who typically works behind the plate, struck out four batters and retired all six that he faced on the mound. Ariol Cocaj, Jayden Carney, and Luke Ladislaw all threw hitless innings to finish off a five inning combined no-hitter.
Soper had two hits on the day, while Carney, Callahan, Ladislaw and Nangle (3) all drove in multiple runs.
Ridley has been playing much better baseball of late, winning four of their last five. They are still very much alive in the playoff race as they sit at 4-6 in the CL and 5-8 overall. Next up for them will be a home game against Strath Haven.
As for Interboro, Jaxson Munro threw 1.1 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts. Munro and Sheridan walked and Chase Norbeck was hit by a pitch for their baserunners in the loss.
The Bucs, who are still sitting at 7-2 in the Del Val, fall to 10-3 overall and will host Chester on Thursday for their next game.
Bonner 4, Episcopal 3
By: Brendan Ricciardi:
Every time you think that Bonner’s season is over, they come back with a win like this.
Bonner had lost four in a row and Episcopal had won seven in a row, so naturally, Bonner took this one on the road to end both teams’ streaks.
Jake Gorman was excellent on the mound for the Friars, allowing just one earned run over 5.2 innings with three strikeouts. Gavin DiRita’s RBI triple tied the game up at 1-1 in the third, and Ryan Friel knocked him in with a single in the next at bat to take a 2-1 lead.
Reggie King’s RBI single in the fifth tied it, and the teams would trade runs in the sixth, including a Cole Romano sac fly for Bonner and a JD Amoroso double for Episcopal.
In the top of the seventh with the score tied, Jack Brown led the inning off with a single for Bonner and Jack Coleman walked. Gavin DiRita did his job with first and third, knocking in Brown on a groundout to take the lead for Bonner.
DiRita then went on the mound to close out the game, but after two walks, Owen Lockhart came in to try and get the save. He picked up a strikeout, fly out and ground out to pull a houdini act and leave with a win and strand two runners.
Ryan Friel and Jack Brown both had two hits for Bonner in the win, a game that will certainly help the confidence.
JD Amoroso and Michael Schaffer had two hits in the loss for Episcopal, with Amoroso and Reggie King driving in runs.
Dan Castro allowed two runs over three innings with four strikeouts in the loss for EA. Kyptyn Williams allowed two hits and one earned run with a strikeout in relief, and Matt Roberts allowed a run with a strikeout in 1.1 innings of work.
Bonner sits at 3-6 in the PCL but improves to 5-9 on the year overall with the win. They will host Carroll for a Delco on Delco PCL matchup Monday.
As for Episcopal, this loss ends their seven game win streak and drops them to 13-6 overall with a 4-2 Inter-Ac record. They will head to Germantown Academy on Tuesday for their next game.
O’Hara 8, Pope John Paul II 2
By: Brendan Ricciardi:
O’Hara had been shutout in consecutive games to start this week, but one swing by Jake Steigerwalt changed things for the Lions.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Steigerwalt belted a Grand Slam to left field to turn the tables and put the Lions up 5-2. That swing scored Joey Thompson who walked, Jack Quinn who singled and Connor Clark who was hit by a pitch.
The Lions would add three more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth for good measure. Jack Quinn had an RBI single to score Ben Kalichak and then Connor Clark ripped a two-run double to score Quinn and Nate Evert.
Colin Thomas was outstanding on the mound for O’Hara. He allowed just three hits and one unearned run over seven innings and struck out nine in the process while having two hits at the plate himself.
O’Hara had lost six straight games entering this one, and while it won’t affect their playoff chances, it has to feel good and got their confidence rolling again as the season winds down.
The Lions will have a tough task on Monday night when they play St. Joe’s Prep with a 7:00 start at Rutgers-Camden in New Jersey.
Carroll 9, Springside Chestnut Hill 1
By: Brendan Ricciardi:
For a Carroll offense that has struggled of late, that five run first inning sure had to feel good.
Ryan McGaughey got the offense on the board with a two-run double in the top of the first, scoring Ryan Hefferan and Dan McNally.
Later in the inning with two outs, Ricky Evans came up clutch with a two-run single to double that lead to 4-0. Gavin Moore would score on a passed ball to make it 5-0 before the Blue Devils even touched a bat.
Shane Panichi added on a two-run double in the fourth to extend that lead to 7-0 in an eventual 9-1 win.
Panichi had two hits to lead the way for the Pats. Panichi, Evans and McGaughey drove in two runs while Nick Gilroy and Ryan Hefferan drove in one.
On the mound, the pitching was sharp as well. Gavin Moore allowed just one hit and one unearned run in two innings. After a scoreless third from Colin Moran, Ricky Evans took it the rest of the way as he allowed two hits over four scoreless innings to get the win.
Although it doesn’t count towards the standings, that’s a great win against an Inter-Ac team. Carroll is still hanging around in the playoff mix in the PCL as they sit at 3-6, but this win improves their season record overall to 6-9.
Carroll will head to Bonner for a Delco on Delco PCL matchup Monday. That’s a big game for the PCL playoff chances for both teams.
Calvert Hall 2, Malvern Prep 1
By: Brendan Ricciardi:
It’s pretty rare that we write about a Malvern Prep loss, but they ran into one of the best teams in the area in Maryland’s Calvert Hall.
Calvert Hall threw six different pitchers, keeping the Friar hitters off balance all day.
Kayden Wallace started on the mound for Malvern Prep and threw well, allowing five hits and two earned runs over five innings with six strikeouts. Tyler Ryan also threw a scoreless inning.
Malvern Prep had two hits, both in the seventh inning as they almost rallied from down 2-0.
Calvert Hall was actually one out away from a no-hitter before Jackson Melconian, who recently returned from an injury, singled to keep the game alive. After stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch, he was driven in by Bryan Cogliano to make it 2-1.
I can’t say I’ve ever heard of Calvert Hall before, but they must be doing something right if they nearly no-hit 23-4 Malvern Prep.
The Friars drop this one but still lead the Inter-Ac at 5-1. They will head to Haverford School on Tuesday for their next game. The last time these two teams met on that field, there were 11 homers in a 23-15 Malvern Prep win, so buckle up.