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First-year coach Kevin Schneider needed very little time to deem the baseball players from Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., difficult to defeat, as the teenagers instantly divulged a desire to sustain their reputation as worldbeaters. The resident of the 700 block of Mountain Street received impressive proof of their fire Friday, as the Saints buried Roman Catholic 11-0 at La Salle College High School to claim their fourth league title since 2009.
“The tradition at the school is great, but we had to go out and create our own identity,” the Blue Division Coach of the Year said of his charges, who, in the second year of double-elimination play, crafted a 6-1 mark that included five straight triumphs. “I don’t think anybody really wanted to play us. We were prepared to go to war.”
The Cahillites quickly became casualties, as the East Passyunk Crossing-based victors won the two-contest final by a 22-1 score, with the 10-run mercy rule ending each afternoon. The Saints tallied 37 runs during their playoff march, but no matter how hallowed the hitters proved, the title became theirs thanks to the three-headed pitching monster comprised of senior Charlie Jerla, junior Pat Doudican and sophomore Ethan Pritchett.
“We are at our maximum performance level, and it was great to put it all together against Roman,” Jerla, of the 1500 block of South Second Street, said of dumping their Red Division opponent. “We’ve known all along that we have the talent, and we got our chemistry together at the best time.”
The future Marist College attendee earned Second-Team league honors as a hitter and a hurler and looked forward to being a standout at the plate and on the mound last week. He perfected the premiere task by smacking a two-run third-inning double and completed a staggering postseason campaign by compiling a five-inning shutout. Whiffing eight in the effort, he allowed four hits and kept his earned-run-average at triple zeroes. Over 16 innings, he surrendered nine hits and struck out 13. He had hoped to up the figure to 14 as the soon-to-be final batter stepped to the dish, but he more than settled for the outcome, a comebacker he tossed to first baseman Josh Ockimey.
“Charlie was just dominant the whole playoffs,” junior outfielder Bay To, who led the Saints with eight runs scored, said.
The First-Team contributor and Southwest resident noted the Saints have succeeded because they look to play complete contests where they give nothing to the opposition. The pitching staff almost pulled off a flawless demonstration of his sentiment, as it yielded only 10 scores in 46 innings and fanned 40 foes.
“Winning the championship just validates everything we’ve been doing since the fall,” Schneider said of the unprecedented six-victory trek to the championship. “The coaches issued them challenges, and they met them, especially after every loss.”
The Saints, who improved to 20-4 by sweeping the final, needed to regroup sporadically during the regular season but required a gut check May 13 when they fell 5-2 to Cardinal O’Hara at McNichol Field, 25th and Moore streets. The setback, which came two days after they downed Archbishop Carroll 4-0 at the same location, sent them to the Losers’ Bracket, meaning five consecutive wins would be necessary for them to revel.
“There was no real sense of panic,” junior second baseman Vinny Vaccone said of accepting their assignment. “We just wanted to go one game at a time and win the championship.”
The resident of the 1200 block of Wolf Street rejoiced May 15 when Doudican, the division’s pitcher of the year, proved his bat is as potent as his left arm by securing a walk-off home win against Archbishop Wood. Earning a date with the defending champions, the Saints, behind Jerla’s masterful performance and a second-inning single by junior shortstop and First-Team league selection Justin Curtin, beat the La Salle Explorers 1-0 at McNichol to set up the Losers’ Bracket final rematch against O’Hara.
“It was great to beat them,” To, who stroked a double in the pivotal third inning, said of the 3-0 Pritchett-orchestrated win at Widener University.
“It certainly was,” Schneider added, noting that following the La Salle game, the players felt nobody would halt their journey.
Still, though, teams never win titles on paper, so the Saints eagerly anticipated the matchup against Roman, which entered with a 3-0 playoff ledger. Because of the double-elimination setup, the Cahillites needed only one victory, but the Saints left them looking for it in a big way. May 21’s “First Final” at Widener became the Doudican Show, as the Lower Moyamensing product collected three hits and six RBI to complement his eight-strikeout performance in an 11-1 annihilation.
“For the second game, we just wanted to show our best and bring the title back to South Philly,” junior catcher Tommy Nardini, of the 2900 block of South 15th Street, said of the other outburst.
“I was thinking, ‘We’re really about to do this,’” To said of taking the field for the final inning.
Once Jerla’s toss met Ockimey’s glove, the Saints could claim one-third of their championship plan fulfilled. They will venture to Ashburn Field, 20th Street and Pattison Avenue, 11 a.m. today to face Philadelphia Academy in the Class AA title tilt. The outcome will determine seeding for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament, but no matter the number before their names, the Saints consider themselves blessed.
“I don’t think we can get much stronger,” Jerla said. “We’re pumped.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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