Kelly Sharp in Staring Debut for Narberth
By Harry Chaykun
It’s almost as if James Kelly is completing spring training these days.
“I wasn’t able to play (at La Salle University) this spring,” Kelly said. “I had mononucleosis. I’ve been working out and throwing a lot. I pitched in relief a couple of times, but this was my first start this 
summer.”
At Narberth Playground Friday night, Kelly made a memorable Delco League starting debut. He limited the Concord Canes to two hits and one run in four innings, striking out six to earn the decision as the Narberth Mudcats (14-11-2, 44 points) defeated Concord, 10-3, to move past idle Wayne (14-7-1, 43 points) into second place.
A four-run first inning and single runs in the second and third gave Kelly more than enough support.
“It was good for him to get those four runs early in his first start,” Narberth manager Steve DeBarberie said. “Our lineup’s finally looking like it could be as good as it’s been in the last three years, and our pitching’s starting to come around.
“We’re really shooting for that first-round bye when the playoffs start. That’s so important in this league.”
Narberth has won two of the last three playoff championships. Having Kelly this summer will make the Mudcats a tough post-season opponent.
“He’s my roommate and a good friend,” third baseman Tom Toal, who got two hits and a walk in five trips to the plate and knocked in three runs Friday night, said of Kelly. “He texted me and said he needed a team to play for this summer, so I told him to come with us.”
Ben Burman’s two-out double in the third drove in the only run Kelly gave up.
“I went with my fastball – a two-seamer – curveball and change,” Kelly said.
Narberth’s big first inning featured three walks, DeBarberie’s bases-clearing triple, and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Guckin, another member of the Mudcats’s La Salle connection.
“I put a good swing on that ball,” DeBarberie said, “before I popped out twice. This gives us a five game non-losing streak, and Kelly’s going to be a good addition for us.”
Toal had a run-scoring single in the second, and a run came home on a wild pitch in the third. Toal added a two-run single in the fifth, and another run scored in that inning when Kevin Ravert was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
“We’ve been playing well in this last five-game streak,” said Toal, who spent last summer with the Irish Hills Leprechauns of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
Sean Spratt’s infield out closed out the Narberth scoring in the bottom of the sixth after Concord used three walks, a pair of infield hits, and a sacrifice fly to score twice in the top of the inning.
Mike White went 3-for-4 and Spratt, Toal and Rich Tecco had two hits apiece for Narberth. Ravert walked three times before being hit by a pitch. Relievers Marty McKeone (three) and Tom Fazzini (one) combined for four strikeouts, giving the Narberth staff 10 for the game.
Nate Sides had a hit, walked twice, scored a run and stole a base for Concord, which remains in the hunt for a playoff berth with 38 points.
Narberth 10, Concord 3
Concord 001 002 0 – 3 4 0
Narberth 411 031 x – 10 11 2
2B: Burman (Concord). 3B: DeBarberie (Narberth). RBIs: Burman, Faso, Carr (Concord), Toal 3, DeBarberie 3, Spratt, Ravert, Guckin (Narberth). SF: Guckin (Narberth). SB: Sides (Concord), Spratt (Narberth).
WP: Kelly. LP: McCrane. Umpires: Stew Soley (plate), Glenn Kochanowicz (bases).
