CONWELL-EGAN:
Eagles say farewell to twelve
By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
As they say, all good things must come to an end.
Such was the case yesterday (Tuesday, May 19) in South Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Park as Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC) saw its season come to grinding halt with a 4-0 loss to St. Joe’s Prep.
Hawks hurler Kyle Mullen shut the Eagles down, scattering 6 hits while striking our 9 batters and walking only one. Only one player--Pat Secick--had multiple hits for CEC. Only one had a multiple base hit, a double by Ben Keller.
Mullen recorded the win for the Prep which moved on to face Neumann-Goretti in the PCL semis on Friday, May 22. Egan junior Andrew Schaeffer took the loss for the Eagles, who say goodbye to a dozen seniors.
With 12th-graders manning every post on the diamond, Conwell-Egan thought it would roll through the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) this year. At the halfway point, the Eagles were 7-1, their only loss a 5-0 shutout delivered by All-Catholic mound ace Joe Harvey, of Kennedy-Kenrick.
“After that, we thought we were really, really good,” stated senior Joe Petrino, a first baseman from Yardley. “We kind of got ahead of ourselves.”
There was no cause for worry though. Egan defeated Kenrick the first time the two sides squared off here at home. The clash with Archbishop Wood would surely tell the tale of who reigned supreme in baseball at least here in lower Bucks if not the entire PCL.
But a late-game error cost the Eagles in their first skirmish with the Vikings, a 4-3 loss. Then, Wood ace Jeff Courter shut Egan down in a 7-0 Vikes’ win in the rematch.
“We came out firing in the beginning of the year. I thought we were playing real well,” stated Bill Petraitus, a senior leftfielder from Levittown. “Then, we hit a bump in the road--a little glitch in the schedule.”
The Eagles got the ship righted in time to face first-year PCL entry Lansdale Catholic, defeating the Crusaders 2-1 on a suicide bunt squeeze by Petraitus in the first game in Lansdale. Langhorne’s own staff ace Kevin Cahill pitched a gem, giving CEC the momentum it need to beat Lansdale in the rematch, 16-11.
The Eagles actually trailed the Crusaders in the second game 5-1 before rallying to win the rematch by five runs.
After that, Egan split a pair with non-league rivals LaSalle and Holy Ghost Prep but a pair of lat-season losses to Neumann-Goretti threatened to shake the Eagles confidence heading into the postseason. In each game, Egan had the game right there for the taking. In each game, the Saints took the advantage, scoring 4 runs in the seventh inning to take the first game 10-6 and 5 runs in the sixth inning to take the rematch 7-4.
Rather than point to the negative, the Eagles cite their recent win over Ghost and a pair they recorded to late in the season against Lansdale.
“We’re right back where we want to be,” stated Petraitis before CEC entered the postseason.
“They were two big wins against Lansdale--that gives us the edge. We got in their heads and put the pressure on them saying they have to come beat us. That puts the pressure on them.”
When the PCL baseball tournament opened May 18, the words of Petraitis rang true.
In the playoff opener on May 18, Egan defeated Lansdale again, this time 12-2 in a mercy rule-shortened 5-inning game at CEC.
The Eagles scored 4 runs in the first inning and were ahead 7-0 after three. Egan tacked on 5 more runs in the fourth to go ahead 12-0.
On this day, everybody hit. Petrino was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI. Joe Tretter went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI including a double. Ben Keller (pictured above) was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI including a triple. Sean O’Hara hit 2-for-3. Andrew Schaeffer went 2-for-3 including a double and 2 RBI, Dalton George 2-for-3 including a double. Pat Sevick, Joe Brown, and Chris Fischer also pushed runs across the plate
The win sent CEC to the semifinals pitted against St. Joe’s.
Last year, Egan was the number 1 seed heading into the postseason only to get picked off by Archbishop Ryan in the PCL tournament opener. The CEC players waited with angst to wash the bad taste of the 2008 tournament from their memories.
“This was the year that we all couldn’t wait for. We were dying to play this year,” sated Petraitis. “Last year, we lost a heartbreaker. With all these seniors coming back this was the year we need to do it.”
In addition to its fast start, among the season highlights the players point to is a late season win at Holy Ghost Prep. The Eagles trailed 5-1 after five innings, then tied it up in the top in the sixth only to watch the Firebirds go ahead 6-5 in the bottom of the frame.
Egan scored 2 more runs in the top of the seventh then held on for the win.
“A lot of our players associate with guys from Ghost; that game meant a lot,” stated Petraitis. “They were talking smack the whole game but we proved who the better team was.”
Keller proved why he everyone says he’s the best hitter on the team pushing three runs across the plate against Ghost. Schaeffer recorded the win against HGP and he will be back.
A dozen others--the CEC seniors--have labored on the diamond for the blue and white for the last time.
***
NOTES: Cahill has been named First Team All Catholic.
***
Conwell-Egan 12, Lansdale Catholic 2 (5 inn.)
Lansdale Catholic 000 11 - 2 7 3
Conwell-Egan 412 5x - 12 17 0
(May 18 at CEC)
WP: Kevin Cahill; LP: Jamey Minnemeyer.
Doubles: C-E: Joe Tretter, Dalton George, Andrew Schaeffer; LC- John Welch.
Triple: C-E: Ben Keller.
RBIs: C-E: Joe Petrino 3, Ben Keller 2, Andrew Schaeffer 2, Joe Tretter 2, Pat Sevick, Joe Brown, Chris Fischer; LC: Rory Clemens, Eric Lewandowski.
Multiple hits: C-E: Joe Petrino 3-for-3, Joe Tretter 2-for-3, Ben Keller 2-for-3, Sean O’Hara 2-for-3, Andrew Schaeffer 2-for-3, Dalton George 2-for-3.
Sports Editor
As they say, all good things must come to an end.
Such was the case yesterday (Tuesday, May 19) in South Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Park as Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC) saw its season come to grinding halt with a 4-0 loss to St. Joe’s Prep.
Hawks hurler Kyle Mullen shut the Eagles down, scattering 6 hits while striking our 9 batters and walking only one. Only one player--Pat Secick--had multiple hits for CEC. Only one had a multiple base hit, a double by Ben Keller.
Mullen recorded the win for the Prep which moved on to face Neumann-Goretti in the PCL semis on Friday, May 22. Egan junior Andrew Schaeffer took the loss for the Eagles, who say goodbye to a dozen seniors.
With 12th-graders manning every post on the diamond, Conwell-Egan thought it would roll through the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) this year. At the halfway point, the Eagles were 7-1, their only loss a 5-0 shutout delivered by All-Catholic mound ace Joe Harvey, of Kennedy-Kenrick.
“After that, we thought we were really, really good,” stated senior Joe Petrino, a first baseman from Yardley. “We kind of got ahead of ourselves.”
There was no cause for worry though. Egan defeated Kenrick the first time the two sides squared off here at home. The clash with Archbishop Wood would surely tell the tale of who reigned supreme in baseball at least here in lower Bucks if not the entire PCL.
But a late-game error cost the Eagles in their first skirmish with the Vikings, a 4-3 loss. Then, Wood ace Jeff Courter shut Egan down in a 7-0 Vikes’ win in the rematch.
“We came out firing in the beginning of the year. I thought we were playing real well,” stated Bill Petraitus, a senior leftfielder from Levittown. “Then, we hit a bump in the road--a little glitch in the schedule.”
The Eagles got the ship righted in time to face first-year PCL entry Lansdale Catholic, defeating the Crusaders 2-1 on a suicide bunt squeeze by Petraitus in the first game in Lansdale. Langhorne’s own staff ace Kevin Cahill pitched a gem, giving CEC the momentum it need to beat Lansdale in the rematch, 16-11.
The Eagles actually trailed the Crusaders in the second game 5-1 before rallying to win the rematch by five runs.
After that, Egan split a pair with non-league rivals LaSalle and Holy Ghost Prep but a pair of lat-season losses to Neumann-Goretti threatened to shake the Eagles confidence heading into the postseason. In each game, Egan had the game right there for the taking. In each game, the Saints took the advantage, scoring 4 runs in the seventh inning to take the first game 10-6 and 5 runs in the sixth inning to take the rematch 7-4.
Rather than point to the negative, the Eagles cite their recent win over Ghost and a pair they recorded to late in the season against Lansdale.
“We’re right back where we want to be,” stated Petraitis before CEC entered the postseason.
“They were two big wins against Lansdale--that gives us the edge. We got in their heads and put the pressure on them saying they have to come beat us. That puts the pressure on them.”
When the PCL baseball tournament opened May 18, the words of Petraitis rang true.
In the playoff opener on May 18, Egan defeated Lansdale again, this time 12-2 in a mercy rule-shortened 5-inning game at CEC.
The Eagles scored 4 runs in the first inning and were ahead 7-0 after three. Egan tacked on 5 more runs in the fourth to go ahead 12-0.
On this day, everybody hit. Petrino was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI. Joe Tretter went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI including a double. Ben Keller (pictured above) was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI including a triple. Sean O’Hara hit 2-for-3. Andrew Schaeffer went 2-for-3 including a double and 2 RBI, Dalton George 2-for-3 including a double. Pat Sevick, Joe Brown, and Chris Fischer also pushed runs across the plate
The win sent CEC to the semifinals pitted against St. Joe’s.
Last year, Egan was the number 1 seed heading into the postseason only to get picked off by Archbishop Ryan in the PCL tournament opener. The CEC players waited with angst to wash the bad taste of the 2008 tournament from their memories.
“This was the year that we all couldn’t wait for. We were dying to play this year,” sated Petraitis. “Last year, we lost a heartbreaker. With all these seniors coming back this was the year we need to do it.”
In addition to its fast start, among the season highlights the players point to is a late season win at Holy Ghost Prep. The Eagles trailed 5-1 after five innings, then tied it up in the top in the sixth only to watch the Firebirds go ahead 6-5 in the bottom of the frame.
Egan scored 2 more runs in the top of the seventh then held on for the win.
“A lot of our players associate with guys from Ghost; that game meant a lot,” stated Petraitis. “They were talking smack the whole game but we proved who the better team was.”
Keller proved why he everyone says he’s the best hitter on the team pushing three runs across the plate against Ghost. Schaeffer recorded the win against HGP and he will be back.
A dozen others--the CEC seniors--have labored on the diamond for the blue and white for the last time.
***
NOTES: Cahill has been named First Team All Catholic.
***
Conwell-Egan 12, Lansdale Catholic 2 (5 inn.)
Lansdale Catholic 000 11 - 2 7 3
Conwell-Egan 412 5x - 12 17 0
(May 18 at CEC)
WP: Kevin Cahill; LP: Jamey Minnemeyer.
Doubles: C-E: Joe Tretter, Dalton George, Andrew Schaeffer; LC- John Welch.
Triple: C-E: Ben Keller.
RBIs: C-E: Joe Petrino 3, Ben Keller 2, Andrew Schaeffer 2, Joe Tretter 2, Pat Sevick, Joe Brown, Chris Fischer; LC: Rory Clemens, Eric Lewandowski.
Multiple hits: C-E: Joe Petrino 3-for-3, Joe Tretter 2-for-3, Ben Keller 2-for-3, Sean O’Hara 2-for-3, Andrew Schaeffer 2-for-3, Dalton George 2-for-3.
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