RADNOR, PA- After a thrilling postseason surge in 2024 that turned heads across the Delco baseball world, the Radnor Raptors made an unforgettable run to the District Championship and clinched a spot in the state playoffs for the first time in recent memory.

Now, entering this year’s playoffs as the #2 seed, the Raptors have their sights set on finishing what they started—this time as one of the area’s powerhouses.

Following last season’s momentum, Radnor opened 2025 ranked #1 in our power rankings. Although they’ve since slipped to the second seed behind a competitive Haverford squad, this year’s campaign tells a different story.

In 2024, Radnor finished 15-10 overall and needed a dramatic seven-game win streak just to secure a playoff berth. This season, they shared the Central League title, the first in program history and look poised for an even deeper postseason run.

Their first test? A matchup against #10-seeded Upper Perkiomen, who knocked off #7 Upper Merion with a convincing 7-1 victory to earn a trip to Radnor. The Raptors, meanwhile, are focused on making a statement early and moving one game closer to punching their ticket to the championship game.

Radnor’s formula for success remains unchanged, and it starts on the mound. All eyes will be on ace Austin Havertine, who’s been dominant all year. In 50 innings pitched, Havertine boasts a microscopic 0.98 ERA with 86 strikeouts to just 12 walks. He recently recorded his 200th career strikeout in a win over Penncrest and will likely carry the load again in Game 1. While Daniel Kellis and Ryan McWilliams are ready in relief, the Raptors are hoping Havertine can go the distance.

Offensively, Radnor can be just as dangerous. Their lineup features a dominant trio in Teddy Monahan, Matt Szychulski, and Zach Fein, a group that consistently sets the tone at the plate. Monahan leads off and leads the team in both batting average (.417) and on-base percentage (.478). Szychulski and Fein follow closely behind, giving Radnor a deep and balanced offensive attack that puts pressure on opposing pitchers from the start.

Upper Perkiomen, meanwhile, thrives on a team-oriented approach. They finished the season 13-8 overall and 9-7 in the Pioneer Conference, securing fifth place. Senior pitcher Cole Pierce pitched on Monday and he led the team in innings pitched with 53.2 and no one else on the team even had more than 20. To say he was their ace would be an understatement.

We are expecting to see either Jackson Long (3.26 ERA) or Topher Burns (2.42) starting on the mound for the Indians.

At the plate, Upper Perk leans heavily on Pierce as well. He is second on the team in batting average (.367) and RBIs (14). Zane Saeger leads the team with a .407 average and 1.069 OPS. The next most productive bat belongs to Dice, who enters with a .353 average and 9 RBI.

On paper, Radnor has the clear edge. With Havertine leading the charge and a hot line up behind him, the Raptors are well-positioned to advance. But it’s playoff baseball and we’ve seen that anything can happen.

One thing’s for sure though: if the rain holds off, Radnor will be ready to put on a show.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA- In the third and final matchup of the 2025 season, the Churchmen ultimately won the season series, taking the deciding game and knocking the Devils out of the playoffs.

But, much like the previous two meetings between these teams, victory didn’t come easy. In their first showdown, Episcopal edged out SCHA 4–3 in nine innings, thanks to a walk-off sac fly by junior Reggie King.

Today’s result, however, came down to two things: Logan Correll and strong pitching.

For the Churchmen, Hunter West gave EA three solid innings, allowing just two runs on five SCHA hits. Roman Notaro took over for the next three frames, giving up just one run, before Charlie Smith closed out the game to send EA to the semifinals.

A key moment in the game, though, didn’t come from the mound—but from a player who often dominates it. In the second inning, Logan Correll put the Churchmen on the board with a two-run homer to right field, landing just inches inside the foul line. Talk about a multi-talented player.

But SCH is never one to back down. In the fourth, they sparked a rally to tie the game 2–2 after singles by Connor Crittenden and Dax Caplan were followed by a Quin Dion groundout that brought both runners home.

Still, EA quickly answered—showing why they finished second in the Inter-Ac and not a team to be taken lightly. Spencer Schuh led off the bottom of the fourth with a single, and a follow-up single from Cohen brought him home giving EA back the lead 3-2.

Small ball wins big games.

Sticking to that strategy, the Churchmen went back to work in the fifth. A double from Dillon Walls, followed by clutch back-to-back singles from Schuh and Virbitsky, gave EA a more comfortable 5–2 lead.

The Devils added one more run in the sixth, but in a game dominated by pitching on both sides, small ball proved to be crucial. Ultimately, the Churchmen were simply the better team today.

With the win, the #3 seeded Churchmen knock the SCHA Devils out of the playoff bracket and will play in the PAISAA state semi-final game against the #2 ranked Perkiomen School on the road at 4:00 if the weather allows it.

BERWYN, PA – With both teams eyeing a home playoff spot in the 6A bracket, the stakes were high heading into this game. In the end, it was Garnet Valley that pulled ahead late, shaking up the playoff picture.

Conestoga sent Henry Fuerst to the mound to open the game, but the Jaguars wasted no time putting pressure on. On the very first play, Nolan Carroll laid down a bunt to reach first, and after four straight balls, Garnet had runners on first and second. Ryan McGhee then grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring home a run, and a wild pitch helped bring in another. Just like that, the Jaguars held a quick 2-0 lead. Though Fuerst settled down to escape the inning, the Pioneers were already playing catch-up.

Playing catchup isn’t always easy though, and Conestoga’s offense got off to a rough start. Leadoff hitter James Quici was hit by a pitch but was quickly picked off at first. Garnet’s starting pitcher, Joe Anzalone, then made quick work of the rest of the order.

Riding the wave of strong pitching, Garnet added to their lead in the top of the second. After back-to-back singles by Anzalone and Dylan Orr, the Jaguars tacked on a third run. (Pitchers can hit too).

With a 3-0 lead, Garnet seemed in full control, but Conestoga wasn’t done yet. In the bottom of the fourth, the Pioneers finally showed signs of life.

Chase Rantanen walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a stolen base. Kurt Tharnish followed with a clutch single to get Conestoga on the board. The rally continued as Josh Lee delivered a two-RBI single, and James Quici made up for his earlier misstep on first with a double to center that gave the Pioneers a 4-3 lead. Just like that, the momentum had swung completely to the home dugout.

But Garnet wasn’t rattled. They came right back in the fifth, tying the game 4-4 after a walk and a Haull double.

Though it looked like this one might go down to the wire, Garnet saved their biggest blow for the seventh.

In the final inning, they exploded for five runs, using singles from Kyle Klein, Ashton Yau, Cole Lombardo, and Nolan Carroll to break the game wide open. Sometimes, small ball wins big games, and this was one of those times.

Conestoga tried to rally once more in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t close the gap. Final score: Garnet Valley 9, Conestoga 4.

The win keeps Garnet Valley (10-5) tied with Strath Haven for fourth place in the Central League. They’ll wrap up their regular season on Monday at Lower Merion (10-5) at 3:45 p.m as the winner of this game may very well play themselves into a first round bye.

Conestoga (8-7), meanwhile, will look to bounce back in their final league game, hosting Upper Darby (1-14) next Monday. They will likely make the playoffs even if they lose, but a win will lock in a spot.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA – When you’ve got the budget for a brand-new turf stadium with overhead lights, why not schedule first pitch for 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday?

But under those very lights, things didn’t fall in Marple’s favor. The defending District 1 5A champions — who claimed last year’s title by defeating the now No. 2-ranked Radnor — are still fighting to stay in contention. However, tonight’s narrow 4-1 loss dealt another blow to their fading playoff hopes.

The game opened as a classic pitcher’s duel, with both teams threatening early but unable to break through over the first four innings. That changed in the top of the fifth, when Harriton finally broke this game open.

With two quick outs to start the inning, it looked like another scoreless frame. But an error allowed Calvin Costello to reach base, and Gaven Bowman followed with a single. A perfectly placed bunt by Eli Bloch brought in the first run. Bryce Siegel then singled, and on the next play, advanced to second on another Marple error, allowing two more runs to score and giving Harriton a 3-0 lead.

Marple responded in the bottom half with an Aiden Doney single that was eventually cashed in on a pop-out, trimming the lead to 3-1. But that was the end of their rally, as Harriton’s pitching shut things down from there.

The Rams added one more insurance run in the sixth to seal a 4-1 victory, powered by an outstanding complete-game performance from starter Sam Bohnenkamp. He struck out 11, allowed just four hits, and one ER.

Harriton (5-9) won’t get much rest — they’ll resume Monday’s rain-delayed game against league-leading Radnor (13-1) tomorrow, picking up with Radnor leading 3-0. Harriton is theoretically still in the race for the final spot in the 5A bracket, but they’ll need to come back and win this one.

Marple (5-10), meanwhile, saw their playoff hopes dim further with just one league game remaining. They’ll host Strath Haven for that last game next Monday at 6:30.

SPRINGFIELD, PA – The final score of this game tells a very different story than what the early innings suggested.

Radnor came out fast, thanks in large part to Teddy Monahan, who had an outstanding day at the plate. Leading off, Monahan ripped a triple to bring energy early into the Raptors’ dugout. Though Springfield momentarily halted the momentum by retiring the second batter, Matt Szychulski followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Monahan and giving Radnor a quick 1-0 lead.

Surprisingly, that would be all the scoring for either team until the bottom of the fourth. Radnor starter Daniel Kellis handled the first two Springfield batters with ease, but trouble followed. A walk and a single by Patrick O’Neill tied the game, and a dropped third strike gave Springfield the opening they needed to push another run across. Just like that, Springfield led 2-1. Kellis, however, stopped the bleeding with a key strikeout to end the inning.

From there, the Raptors mounted their comeback. In the top of the fifth, Will Selbach led off with a single, followed by another hit from Monahan and a walk by Kellis. That set the stage for Evan Hartman, who grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring home the tying run and tie the game at 2-2.

Austin Havertine took over pitching duties for the final three innings, and his impact was felt immediately — both on the mound and at the plate. In the sixth, Havertine sparked the go-ahead rally with a single. Selbach drew a walk, and once again, Monahan delivered with a clutch RBI single to put Radnor ahead 3-2.

From there, the floodgates opened. Zach Fein lofted a sac fly to score Monahan, Szychulski followed with a fly ball that aided by an error, brought home another run, and Kellis capped off the inning with an RBI single. Suddenly, it was 6-2 Raptors.

The final inning and a half went quietly for both teams, and Radnor walked away with their 13th win of the season.

Radnor (13-1) will be back at Harriton (5-9) Thursday to resume their 3-0 lead game from Monday that ended in a rain delay at 4:00pm. They will look to keep pace with Haverford (14-1) in the race for the Central League title.

Springfield (3-11) will play their second to last game of the season Thursday away at Strath Haven (9-5).

ARDMORE, PA – On a day dedicated to honoring their seniors, the Aces gave themselves even more reason to celebrate, picking up a decisive win in one of their final three regular-season league games that puts them even closer to a first round bye in districts.

With Brian Heck on the mound, the Aces took control early and never looked back. Their offense came out firing in the bottom of the first, setting the tone right away.

Gus Wright jumpstarted the action on just the third pitch of the game with a double. Brody Slensky followed with an RBI single to bring Wright home with Toby Myers keeping the momentum going with a base hit to right field, and a groundout by Nicholas Dragut added another run to give the Aces a quick 2-0 lead.

While the Royals managed to escape the inning without further damage, they couldn’t find a response. But to their credit, they held the Aces scoreless over the next five frames. In the sixth, the Aces broke through again.

Though a 2-0 lead might have been enough, some insurance never hurts. Calvin Rendle opened the inning with a single, but two quick outs threatened to halt the rally. That’s when Justin Heck, pinch-hitting for Hartstein, came through with a crucial RBI double to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Aces weren’t done. After two consecutive hit batters and a groundout by Myers, the score grew to 5-0, and that’s where it stayed.

If standings hold, Lower Merion (10-4) is poised to finish third in the Central League behind only Haverford and Radnor — an impressive accomplishment in a competitive season. The Aces will face Ridley (5-8) tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in a rescheduled home game at South Ardmore Park.

As for Upper Darby (1-14), they’ll wrap up their Central League campaign next Monday with a matchup against Conestoga (8-6), closing the book on their 2025 season.

HAVERFORD, PA -The number of home runs flying out of The Haverford School’s ballpark this past week might just be worthy of a senior project.

With banners of the graduating seniors draped along the outfield fence, the tone was set early, this game was for them. And the Fords made sure to deliver a win worthy of the moment.

They wasted no time getting on the board. After Jaidyn Rivera drew a walk and Thomas Lawler singled, a sacrifice fly by Pat White brought in the first run and moved Lawler to second. But it didn’t stop there. Zac Fuscaldo stepped up and launched one over the fence, giving Haverford a quick 3-0 lead.

GA couldn’t answer in the second, and while the Fords tried to keep piling on, they were met by Germantown Academy’s Sean McGettigan, who kept them in check for the time being.

The third inning saw a spark from GA. A leadoff double set the tone, and a sac fly brought him home to make it 3-1. But the real momentum shift came in the fourth. After two quick outs, George Petrellis tied things up with a home run to right, evening the score at 3-3.

But the Fords weren’t rattled, they were ready to respond. And respond they did.

After going down 0-2 to start the bottom of the fourth, Brayden Scanlan gave the dugout life with a single. A walk and another single followed, pushing the Fords ahead 4-3. That set the stage for Pat White. On the very first pitch he saw, he launched a home run over the right field fence. It may have only been the fourth inning, but it felt like the game was already decided. Final score: 7-3.

The last three innings were quiet on both sides of the ball, but the Fords, and their “Dore” energy- stayed loud to the end.

Pat White led the charge with two hits, four RBI’s, and the game-sealing home run. But you won’t just see him on the field this week — he’ll also be starting his senior internship with Delco Baseball Now next week.

The Fords (2-6) remain in the bottom of the Inter-Ac but will play Episcopal Academy (4-3) in The Game of the Week this Friday at EA, where Haverford will look to tie Penn Charter in league standings after the Quakers loss today.

DREXEL HILL, PA- To say it’s been a long time coming for Upper Darby would be an understatement. But today, the Royals took home their first Central League win since 2023, marking the end of their winless conference season.

In front of a supportive home crowd on a perfect day for baseball, the Royals hard work finally paid off. After a long stretch without a Central League victory, the Royals broke through with a hard-earned 7–5 win over Ridley, but like most things in this league, it didn’t come easy.

Things really got going in the third, when Jayden Davis led off with a double, sparking a Ridley rally, and aided by an error and a walk, would bring three runs home and put the Raiders ahead 3-0. On many other days, this would’ve marked the beginning of the end for Upper Darby.

But not today.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Royals capitalized on five walks to close the gap to 3–2. With new momentum behind him, pitcher Pat Callahan held Ridley scoreless in the top of the fifth, giving his offense the chance to build on the spark. They did just that, pushing across two more runs to take a 4–3 lead. Whether Ridley or Upper Darby was more surprised was up for debate — but either way, this was a real ballgame.

The fifth inning passed quietly for both sides, but the top of the sixth brought more drama. Ridley mounted a comeback, scoring two runs on a single by Jake Mansfield to retake the lead, 5–4.

In past games, that might have been the end of the story for Upper Darby. But this time, they had one more rally in them. After the second batter of the bottom of the sixth was hit by a pitch, Tommy Chung and Pat O’Donnell delivered back-to-back singles to tie the game at 5–5. Then came the big swing: Pat Callahan smacked a double down the left-field line to drive in the go-ahead runs and put the Royals up 7–5.

It was a long, painful drought, but with this win, Upper Darby removes themselves from the list of winless teams in the Central League this season.

Upper Darby (1-11) will take the win but will have to bounce back quickly as they host Garnet Valley (7-5) tomorrow at 3:45.

Ridley (5-7) will play Conestoga (7-5) tomorrow at home for a tough Central League matchup to try and gain some ground back and stay alive in the playoff picture.

WALLINGFORD, PA- After beating Strath Haven in our first game of the week this season, Radnor took care of business once again, this time on Haven’s turf.

While this game officially lasted seven innings, most of the action happened early. If you were watching closely from the first through the third, you likely saw everything that mattered. After the initial offensive series, things settled into a quiet, low-scoring battle, just as expected from two of the Central League’s top teams.

It was a beautiful day for baseball, but from the outset, it was clear this would be a pitchers’ duel. Radnor wasted no time getting on the board. Leadoff hitter Teddy Monahan opened the game with a single, and after a Zach Fein walk and an Evan Hartman single, the Raptors had a 1–0 lead. But they weren’t done yet. With two outs, Kyle Miltenberger drew a walk, and Joe Krasowski delivered a key single that drove in two more. Just like that, Radnor was up 3–0.

Haven starter Caden Shuster stopped the bleeding with a strikeout to end the inning, but his team would now need to chip away at a 3-0 deficit.

That proved difficult.

Radnor starter Daniel Kellis shut down Haven in the first two innings, giving his offense another opportunity to extend the lead — and they took it. On the first pitch of the third inning, Matt Szychulski crushed a triple to center field. Kellis helped his own cause by following it up with a double, bringing Szychulski home and making it 4–0.

This would be the last scoring play of the day for Radnor, but it was more than enough.

Strath Haven got on the board in the fourth, when Shuster knocked in an RBI single to drive in the Panthers’ lone run. But the comeback hopes stalled there.

The final four innings moved quickly, with both pitching staffs in control. Radnor relied on a strong outing from Kellis, who went four innings, and Blake Havertine, who closed it out. The two combined for eight strikeouts while allowing just three hits.

In the end, Radnor’s fast start made all the difference, while Haven was left playing catch-up the rest of the way.

Radnor (11-1 in Central League) will get right back to work tomorrow at home against Marple Newtown (5-7) at 4:15 to potentially stretch their win streak to nine and keep pace with 12-0 Haverford.

Strath Haven (7-5) will hope to bounce back from the loss today when they come back towards the mainline to play Harriton (4-9) away.

HAVERFORD, PA- Entering the game winless in Inter-Ac play at 0-5, Haverford was looking for a spark. They got exactly that, and then some from Jaidyn Rivera, whose six RBI on the day powered a statement win and flipped the script for the Fords.

Jacob Horwitz took the mound for Haverford to start the game and faced early trouble, giving up a leadoff single and hitting a batter. SCH capitalized with their first run of the game, but Horwitz quickly settled down and limited the damage.

The game remained quiet until the third inning, when SCH added another run and threatened to open the game up. But Horwitz dug in and worked out of the jam, stranding runners and keeping the Fords within striking distance.

And strike they did.

Brayden Scanlan led off the bottom of the third with a single, setting the stage for Rivera, who launched his first home run of the day to dead center, tying the game at 2–2 and reigniting the Fords dugout.

With SCH unable to respond in the top of the fourth, Haverford seized the momentum. RBI singles from Thomas Lawler and Caleb Siever gave the Fords a 4–2 lead, completely shifting the energy in the stadium.

From there, relief pitcher Owen Murphy took over and shut the Devils down, allowing just one hit and striking out the next two batters to end the top of the fifth.

That would be the last time SCH touched the field.

The Fords unleashed a relentless offensive performance in the bottom of the inning. Thomas Lawler started things off with a single, an error allowed Zac Fuscaldo aboard, and Zack Lawler followed with another base hit to make it 5–2. A bases-loaded walk pushed the score to 6–2, and they didn’t know it yet, but this game was about to be over.

Siever and Scanlan each added RBI singles to stretch the lead to 8–2. Then, Rivera stepped in again—and delivered a crushing blow. On the first pitch he saw, he hammered a no-doubter over the fence, a Grand Slam that sealed the deal, ending this game in just five innings. Final score: 12–2.

Jaidyn Rivera was a 2024 First team All-Delco outfielder for the Fords, but at the plate he has taken another step forward, leading the team today with 2HR and 6 RBI and putting himself right at the top of the list for player of the year.

The Fords (1-5) will take this momentum back home to face Inter-ac #1 Malvern Prep (6-1) on Friday at 4:00.

SCH (3-3) will look to bounce back after this one on Friday away at Penn Charter (2-4).