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If Dom Raia were to author a thesaurus, he might choose “baseball” as a synonym for “life.” The right-handed pitcher has blended the two this week, participating in the 26th annual Carpenter Cup Classic Monday and graduating from high school yesterday. Come August, the workhorse will bless Chestnut Hill College with his knack for achieving diamond and classroom success.
A four-year starter at Girard Academic Music Program, 2136 Ritner St., Raia donned his Pioneers cap for the penultimate time at the 16-team tournament that draws players from Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The bearded blazer of baseballs enjoyed his third appearance at the Philadelphia Phillies-sponsored gathering, which has significant meaning for him.
“Chestnut Hill found out about me here last year,” the resident of the 2400 block of South Woodstock Street said from Ashburn Field, 20th Street and Pattison Avenue.
The Division II school beat out four other institutions to land Raia’s powerful arm and penchant for numbers.
“I love math so I am going to major in accounting,” he said, noting education as his runner-up.
Analyzing digits pertaining to his senior year and overall career reveals Raia as a chief contributor to his Girard Estate team’s success. Though the squad depends on his pitching prowess, it benefitted from his lethal bat, too. Raia stroked 36 hits in 66 at-bats, good for an astounding .545 average, and tallied 20 runs batted in. His plate approach garnered him a school-record 110 hits.
Widener University desired for him to play the infield, where he landed First Team All-Public honors his sophomore and junior years. Mounting a mound, though, appealed more to Raia.
“I’m a pitcher now,” he said.
Nobody would judge him if he slipped a few adjectives like “clutch,” “determined” or “ferocious” in front of his title. He earned co-MVP honors for Division A and made First Team All-Public as a hurler. GAMP, looking to add a seventh straight District 12 Class A championship, struggled this year, going 8-12. Raia accounted for half of the wins and just two of the losses.
His most dominant performance came in May 23’s Class A title game against rival Masterman. Raia recorded 15 strikeouts in six frames yet dropped a 2-0 decision. For the year, he registered a 2.04 earned run average and 80 whiffs in just 48 innings.
“Despite our record, this year really stands out because of my leadership role,” he said of weighing this season against the team’s more fruitful ones.
In last year’s title contest, he smashed an RBI single and tossed a no-hitter to secure a 3-2 win, a feat he said will go down as his favorite memory in cleats. Feeling fortunate to showcase his talent, he beamed with pride to be competing in the Carpenter Cup.
“The guys here are fantastic players and will make scouts happy,” he said.
He had to make Juan Namnun, the Public League’s coach, happy. The single-elimination competition pitted Lehigh Valley, owner of two titles, against the city unit, which recorded its only victory 21 years ago, pre-Raia and every other player.
Last year, Raia pitched the first three innings, absorbing the loss in an 11-2 setback against the Philadelphia Catholic bunch. This week’s affair saw Lehigh Valley score just two runs through the first six innings, but those scores were enough to stymie the Public League, which recorded only three hits, including a double by Central’s Mark Gervasi, a First-Team first baseman from the 1800 block of West Moyamensing Avenue, in the same span.
The guests, however, erupted for five runs in the seventh. Raia trotted out in the eighth, missing the strike zone with his first five deliveries but finding enough juice on his fastballs to prevent the deficit from growing. He recorded a fly out, ground out and a pop out, which, after Lehigh Valley added five more scores in the ninth, made him his team’s only pitcher not to yield a run.
Raia’s GAMP teammate Tyler Criniti, a junior outfielder and Second Team All-Public honoree, singled in the ninth, but the resident of the 1100 block of Mercy Street did not reach home. The 12-0 final sent the team to its 26th loss in 27 games, but left Raia thankful to match his hurls against his opponents’ swings.
“I appreciate any chance to face the best,” he said.
He gives partial credit for his demeanor to GAMP’s Art Kratchman, who served as an assistant coach for the game.
“He always pushed me to be the best I can be, and I thank him for that,” he said of his former leader.
His parents, Dom and Dawn, have likewise molded him and brought about his maturation. Though baseball occupies him constantly, he has used their example to develop camaraderie with this community.
Doing so while at GAMP meant being involved in the marching band, the stage crew, the usher corps, the organ donor walk, Alex’s Lemonade Stand and cleanups at Girard Park, 21st and Shunk streets. Baseball seems supreme, though, and he has spent the last four ears working out with former major leaguer Frank DeMichele. His preparation has him ready to make the Griffins contenders in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
“I am definitely excited to help the team,” he said.
His secondary studies have concluded, but he has one more opportunity to represent GAMP at today’s senior all-star game at Frankford High School. His summer will include time with the DelVal Senators in American Legion action and the 2011 RBI Phillies team, which plays at Ashburn Field. Regional action for the latter will send him to Harrisburg, and a trip to Minnesota’s Target Field would be in store if his team reaches the championship.
“Baseball,” he said, adding a smile, when summarizing other summer pursuits. “I enjoyed balancing being a GAMP student and an athlete. I hope to do the neighborhood proud at the next level.” SPR
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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