(photo of Muhlenberg’s Cole Moody via Shelby Kauffman/DBN)
READING, PA — In playoff baseball, the team that does the little things right typically wins, and that was the case in this game.
Despite outhitting Muhlenberg 9-2, Haverford’s season comes to an end with a 2-1 road loss under the lights at Muhlenberg High School. All three runs in this game were scored in the first inning, with both Muhlenberg runs scoring on an Andrew Brown error.
The Fords came out of the game hot, with Jimmy Boyle singling to start the game. After courtesy runner Pete Manaras came in, Shane Durkan knocked him in all the way from first base to put the Fords up 1-0. Durkan was then picked off third base, which would come back to play a huge factor.
In their half of the first, Muhlenberg loaded the bases with two outs, and a hard ground ball with some slicing spin on it was misplayed which allowed two runs to score.
Both pitchers in this game limit their opposing, as we expected coming in. Jimmy Boyle allowed just two hits and two unearned runs with seven strikeouts over his six innings. For Muhlenberg, Cole Moody had some traffic on the bases with eight hits allowed, but just allowed that one run with seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
Haverford certainly had some opportunities. They stranded the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, and left a runner on second in the fifth.
The real chaos in this game was in the top of the seventh.
After a strikeout to start the inning, Cole Moody hit the pitch count and Ryan Rosenberry came on in relief. Boyle worked a one-out walk to welcome him into the game. Pete Manaras again came on to run, and he was able to advance to second on a wild pitch.
Shane Durkan then slapped his third hit of the game into right field, and Pete Manaras came barreling home only to be met with a picture perfect throw from freshman right fielder Carter Burr. On the live broadcast I thought there was no shot he was going to be out, but Berr delivered a perfect strike and catcher Carlos Castillo made a great tag on a tough short hop recorded the second out.
The juice in the Haverford dugout certainly went down after that, and Rosenberry recorded a strikeout to end the game.
It was a very entertaining ballgame, but the difference really was that error on the Haverford defense and the two runners that they had picked off in scoring position in a game like this.
Shane Durkan had three hits while Sam Sturman had two for the Fords.
Haverford ends the season at 19-6 with so much to be proud of. They made states for the first time in program history, and the senior class with guys like Jimmy Boyle, Shane Durkan, Lucas Rothstein, Sam Sturman, Rocco Kelleher and plenty more truly turned this program around along with Head Coach Brian Miller.
They went from 6-10 in the Central League in 2023 to 10-6 in 2024, 15-1 in 2025, and 16-0 in 2026. Two Central League titles.
I especially want to shoutout Boyle, who you could argue has been the best pitcher in Delco when you combine the last three years. He had not been the losing pitcher in a game since 2024 before today. I have no doubts that he will crush it at D2 Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and would not all be surprised if we see him at the D1 level someday.
Star first baseman and Pitt recruit Cam McCormack, who missed most of the season with a torn meniscus, will be back next season to bring some more thump back into the middle of the order. On paper, they might not be quite as dominant as they were the last two years, but they should still have a heck of a team and compete in a wide open central league.
That leaves Springfield as the last team standing in Delco, as they are in the 5A quarterfinals after a 2-0 win over Southern Lehigh. They will take on Rustin on Thursday at a time and place that is TBD.