Phantoms Help Lead Chester County to Carpenter Cup Win

PHILADELPHIA-It’s the dream of any kid who has ever tossed a ball around in the back yard to one day run onto the field of a Major League ballpark and play a game in front of screaming fans.

Thanks to a come from behind 9-7 win on Ashburn Field in the first round of the Carpenter Cup, the select group of all stars from Chester County will get to do exactly that, as they will run out of the tunnel at Coca Cola Park (home of the Phillies AAA affiliate the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) on Saturday. The winner will punch a ticket the semifinals to be held Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

In the fall of 1985, a committee of high school baseball coaches from the tri-state area met with representatives from the Philadelphia Phillies to discuss and organize the prospect of starting a tournament featuring the most outstanding players in the region.

The Carpenter Cup, the result of those meetings, was named in honor of Robert and Ruly Carpenter, former owners of the Phillies. The Cup was held for the first time in 1986 at Veterans Stadium. The single-elimination format high school showcase tourney has seen the likes of major leaguers Ben Davis, Bobby Higginson, Mike Piazza, Dave Williams and many more over the years.

The Carpenter Cup brings together the very best players in a unique environment where players are teamed with other players who are dreaded rivals during the regular season, providing friends, families and fans an interesting dynamic as they cheer for their squads.

In what has become the single largest showcase of area talent, each year dozens of college coaches and several professional scouts from the Mets, Phillies, Orioles, Nationals and Pirates, to name a few, pack up their clipboards, stop watches and radar guns to head for Philadelphia to try to find a diamond in the rough or next phenom that may someday come to us on ESPN.

“We tried to let these guys know that they will never have a better opportunity to be noticed than here,” said Henderson High manager Luke McNichol. “The scouts and coaches who are hear know what they are looking for. We have emphasized how important it is to go all out on every play. If you fly out, don’t stress. They will see bat speed. If you ground out, book it to first and let them get a time on you. Things like that will make an impact.”

After being shut out in the first two at bats versus Mercer County starter Jose Lopez (2IP, 0ER, K, BB), the Chester County squad got on the board as Perkiomen Valley junior first baseman Nate Struss crushed a double into the gap, scoring Great Valley junior Nick Evangelista, who had reached on a fielder’s choice and Phoenixville junior Shane Allen who had also doubled to knot the game at two.

“I was going to jump on the first fast ball I saw,” said Struss. “You know anybody who is here is going to be tough if they get ahead in the count. This is just awesome to play here and Saturday will be unbelievable.”

“Playing in the PAC-10 we sees guys like this all the time,” added Struss. “I’ve got be honest, I was nervous when took the field but after we got going and got into the game, you just focus on doing the best you can and hope someone notices what skills you have.”

“This is just such a great honor to be here,” said Phoenixville second baseman Shane Allen. “There were alot of nerves as we were announced. It’s weird playing with guys who you’re used to playing against. I think we all came together very well and can’t wait for Saturday. This is such a great opportunity and you have to focus the enitre time you are in the game.”

Trailing 5-2 after six full innings, the second line up had been put in place by Chester County manager John Rozich, and as in many all-star games, the game changed in a blink of an eye as Chester County mounted a comeback.

West Chester Henderson junior Cooper Redding drove in one run as he drilled a ball into the hole at shortstop with the base loaded, scoring Dominic Ficca from Bishop Shanahan. With two outs Phoenixville junior Colin Ammon ripped a triple almost to the wall in the air to drive Ficca home, cutting the lead to 5-4.

“I got a decent pitch and just put a good swing on it,” said Ammon. “This is unreal. My first at bat I just wanted to make contact and got a fastball and was able to get a good piece of it. It would be a dream come true to play in Citizens Bank. Saturday will be awesome but we have to focus on winning the games one at a time.”

“Cooper did a nice job in the game,” said McNichol. “Putting the ball in play is huge in that situation [bases loaded], then to get a big double like that, I could not be more proud of him. It great being back at this tournament, although I am getting gray hairs from watching all of the Rustin kids take the hill. They are all juniors. We have to go up against them next season. I think it says a lot about baseball in our area and how strong District One has gotten.”  

The eighth inning will be one that Mercer County hurler Mar Maksimow will want to forget as Chester County pounced on the Notre Dame junior right hander to the tune of four runs, two earned in two-thirds of an inning of work to take the lead for the first time in the contest.

West Chester Rustin junior Sam Palladino made the most of his opportunity, as he was added to the squad due to Spring-Ford High School’s trio not attending as they are playing for the state title Friday. Palladino busted it down the line on a chopper to third, scoring a base hit to lead off.

Drew Taylor of Downingtown East, another late addition, pounded a ball to the fence, driving in Palladino and Kennett’s Steve Valentine, who had also singled.

The big inning continued as Rustin’s Matt Gosik reached on an error then scored along with Taylor on a two-out double by Redding to snare an 8-5 lead heading into the home stretch.

Handling a pitching staff you are no used is no easy task, but imagine doing with name Ashburn on your back with a huge numeral one on it, in Ashburn Field no less.

"Yes, being his grandson I have always had that expectation there," said the Phantoms junior field general Jack Ashburn. "I was hoping to wear my usual number two here, but to wear the number one here is pretty cool."

"This is such a big deal to play here and especially when we take the field Saturday, it will pretty exciting," added Ashburn. "To be here with three of my teammates and for us to be able to come back and win was awesome."   

After watching Mercer County get two runs back in the bottom half of the inning and have a runner at second who represented the tying run, Rozich had seen enough and brought in Perkiomen Valley junior Kenny Wolf, who has been ripping the cover off the baseball all season at the plate, to shoot down the rally.

“I am just looking to do whatever I can to help our team,” said Wolf. “I am ready to go. I hope to get an at bat or two, but I will be ready to pitch again if needed. I never thought I would be put in the game in that situation. I thought I might just get to throw a couple of innings somewhere along the line, but this was more than I could hope for.”

Wolf quashed the uprising by fanning designated hitter Brock Podruski on four pitches, then coaxing a week grounder to short from three-hole hitter Corey Karagiozi to end the inning with no further damage.

Chester County tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Palladino roped a double then scored on an RBI single by Taylor to give the boys in burgundy a two -run edge, just three outs away for a date in Allentown.

Wolf struck out clean-up hitter Matt Cenerino and got catcher Mike Ras to fly out harmlessly to center to put down the first two Mercer County threats in order, but following a single by Blaise Leszyinki there were some tense moments as short stop Kevin Bradley tried to keep the game alive for Mercer.

After going ahead in the count 1-2 on a 380-foot strike that tailed just wide of the foul pole in right, taking away momentarily the collective breath of the Chester County fans, Wolf got Bradley to chase a ball down and away to notch his first save of the tournament and set up a quarterfinal match up with the Philadelphia Catholic League squad that defeated Delaware County 5-4.

“That was a little nerve racking,” said Wolf. “I just wanted to get it closed out right there. I just went all out on every pitch. This is a great opportunity to get seen by coaches who otherwise might not see us, so you have to give 110 percent on every play.

"Jack did a gteat job behind the plate," said Wolf. "It really helped my confidence that he seemed to know most of the hitters."    

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

R

H

E

Chester County

0

0

2

0

0

0

2

4

1

9

11

3

Mercer County

2

0

2

1

0

0

0

2

0

7

10

3

Perkiomen Valley-             Ken Wolf - 1 save,  1.6 IP, 0 R, 0 ER,  3K, 0 BB

                                    Nate Struss - 1-for-1, 2RBI, BB, SB, 4 put outs

Phoenixville-             Shane Allen -1-for-2, run scored , 1 put out

                        Jack Ashburn - 3-for-3, 1LOB,  5 put outs

                        Colin Ammon – 1-for-3, Triple , RBI, 1LOB, 3 put outs