The SOL National/BAL fell to the Philadelphia Catholic League 3-1 in a Carpenter Cup semifinal game at Citizens Bank Park. CLICK HERE for Keith Clemens’ photos of all the action.
SOL National/BAL players play a baseball game at Citizens Bank Park, and that’s really cool
By Jarrad Saffren
The Phillies probably disagree with this. But sometimes, it’s just cool to play at Citizens Bank Park.
Ask every Suburban One League National Conference/Bicentennial Athletic League player.
“It was amazing. I don’t care that we lost,” Neshaminy and SOL National/BAL pitcher Billy Meyer said. “I mean, I do care. I wanted to go all the way. But it was a great experience.”
“I messed up in right field a little bit, slipping and sliding. I left my mark,” Council Rock North and SOL National/BAL right fielder Seth Leuz said. “It’s a beautiful field. I’m glad I got a single here. It was fun.”
“Even losing here, it’s just amazing to play at Citizens Bank Park,” Council Rock South and SOL National/BAL infielder Josh Kim said. “Not many high school kids can say they played a game here. My friends are kind of jealous.”
“It’s a great experience,” Christopher Dock and SOL National/BAL outfielder Rashid Saint-Fleur said. “Once in a lifetime, unless you get drafted. And those chances are very slim.
“Even though we didn’t make the championship, I still had a great time.”
The Philadelphia Catholic League beat SOL National/BAL 3-1 Tuesday in a Carpenter Cup semifinal. PCL denied SOL National/BAL a second straight title.
PCL led 1-0 from the top of the first until the top of the ninth. Meyer, Dock’s Daniel Sabath, Devon Prep’s Daniel Brace, and Pennsbury’s Billy Bethel pitched seven shutout innings in a row.
But, in the first eight innings, SOL National/BAL went 1-for-12 with men on, leaving seven aboard.
PCL scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 3-0 lead. With two outs, Bonner-Prendergast’s Tim Dougherty lined a two-RBI single up the middle.
In the entire 2,000-year history of baseball, insurance runs have always made the difference in a game.
They did so again Tuesday.
In the bottom of the ninth, Pennsbury’s Ryan McCarty led off with a double. Holy Ghost Prep’s Owen Foraker followed with a single to left, putting men on first and third.
CR South’s Evan Fisher singled to right, scoring McCarty. But Foraker was thrown out at third. PCL threw out three SOL National/BAL runners. Earlier, Bonner-Prendergast catcher Steve Furman threw one out trying to steal, and another leaning off first.
The next batter flew out to center. Pennsbury’s Tyrone Hodges walked. Saint-Fleur stepped in as the winning run. He grounded out to short.
But hey, the game was at Citizens Bank Park. So, do like Kanye West says: Close your eyes and imagine the good life.
“Out there in right, I looked at all this stadium. I just thought about what this place would be like if it was filled,” Leuz said.
“I zone in on the catcher, so I admired it after the fact,” Meyer said. “I looked around and was like, ‘Wow.’”
“You picture it as a kid in the stands. And then you do it again when you get on the field,” Abington’s Justin Yerkes said. “I wished it was full.”
“Stepping on the mound, seeing all the seats around, it’s a great experience,” Sabath said. “I was picturing people in the stands with their rally towels. 2008 NLDS (National League Division Series) or something like that.”
Leuz, Meyer, Saint-Fleur, and Yerkes are seniors. They can only get back to CBP by making the majors.
“I would like to get back here,” Meyer said. 
“You might be seeing me back here,” Leuz said.
“We’ll see what God has planned,” Saint-Fleur sang. Just kidding, he didn’t sing.
Meyer will play for Mercer County Community College next season. Leuz and Saint-Fleur may walk on at Liberty University and Elizabethtown College, respectively.
Yerkes is probably done with organized baseball after the upcoming American Legion season.
And he has bigger plans than the bigs.
“I want to own fast food franchises,” Yerkes said. “Chick fil-A is pretty good right now.”
Yerkes will study business management at Millersville University.
Sabath and Kim are juniors. So they could get back to CBP in the 2017 Carpenter Cup, and beyond.
Beyond is the goal.
“Yeah that’s the goal,” Sabath said. “We’ll see. One step at a time.”
“I don’t know,” Kim said. “I want to go to college and hopefully find a nice career. But maybe.”
Old man advice: Hold on to the dream fellas. Hold on to it for as long as you can.
Sabath and Kim are not committed to colleges. Five or six new schools started looking at them during the tournament.
“A lot of emails after the first game, especially,” Sabath said. “It’s nice to get looked at while you’re having fun.”
Tuesday’s game was at Citizens Bank Park.
PHILADELPHIA CATHOLIC 3, SOL NATIONAL/BAL 1
PCL: Marquise Wood cf 2-1-1-0, Langston Livingston rf 2-0-0-0, Gregg Sywulak rf 3-0-1-0, Shane Flaherty ss 1-0-0-0, Steve Furman c 2-0-0-0, Pete Klein lf 1-0-0-0, John Coppola 1b 1-0-0-1, Bobby Heck ph/cf 1-1-0-0, Christian Lutz lf 2-0-0-0, Evan Raiburn ph/3b 2-0-0-0, Nick D’Amore 3b 2-0-1-0, Jeff Manto ph/2b 2-1-1-0, Jared Healey ss 2-0-0-0, Andrew Cosetti c 1-0-0-0, Matt Romano dh 2-0-0-0, Tim Ulrich dh 2-0-0-0, Greg Grandelli 2b 2-0-1-0, Tim Dougherty 1b 2-0-1-2, Jeff Ciocco p 0-0-0-0, Ethan Pritchett p 0-0-0-0, James Kelly p 0-0-0-0, Aidan Welch p 0-0-0-0, Sean Hughes p 0-0-0-0, Kody Cracknell p 0-0-0-0, TOTALS 32-3-6-3
SOL NATIONAL/BAL: Cavan Tully dh 3-0-0-0, Paul McElroy dh 1-0-0-0, Aidan Coyle 2b 2-0-0-0, Cory Joyce ss 2-0-0-0, Tony Gallo 2-0-1-0, Justin Massielo 2b 2-0-0-0, Seth Leuz rf 2-0-1-0, Ryan McCarty 2-1-1-0, Matt Carter ss 2-0-0-0, Owen Foraker lf 2-0-1-0, Paul Poppert 1b 2-0-0-0, Evan Fisher 1b 2-0-1-1-, Tim DiLoreto c 1-0-1-0, Justin Yerkes c 2-0-0-0, Josh Kim 3b 1-0-0-0, Tyrone Hodges Jr cf 0-0-0-0, Shaun Stackhouse cf 2-0-1-0, Rashid Saint-Fleur rf 2-0-0-0, Daniel Sabath p 0-0-0-0, Billy Meyer p 0-0-0-0, Daniel Brace p 0-0-0-0, Billy Bethel p 0-0-0-0, CJ Kilgarriff p 0-0-0-0, TOTALS 32-1-7-1
Philadelphia Catholic 100 000 002 3-6-1
SOL National/BAL 000 000 0011-7-1
E-PCL 1, SOL Nat/BAL 1. LOB-PCL 7, SOL Nat/BAL 8. 2B-Nick D’Amore, Ryan McCarty. SF-John Coppola. SB-Marquise Wood, Bobby Heck, Jeff Manto, Josh Kim.
PCL IP H R ER BB SO
Jeff Ciocco (W) 3.0 2 0 0 1 3
Ethan Pritchett 2.0 2 0 0 1 1
James Kelly 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
Aidan Welch 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
Sean Hughes 1.0 0 0 0 1 3
Kody Cracknell 1.0 3 1 1 1 0
SOL Nat/BAL IP H R ER BB SO
Daniel Sabath (L) 3.0 2 1 1 2 2
Billy meyer 3.0 2 0 0 0 2
Daniel Brace 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
Billy Bethel 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
CJ Kilgarriff 1.0 2 2 2 1 2
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