By Jack McCaffery

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EASTTOWN TWP. » With each of his pitches in Game 3 of the Delco League championship series last Thursday, Cam Mathes had two goals in mind.

One: Win that game. Two: Be ready for another.

“That was the plan,” Mathes said Sunday. “I wanted to keep my pitch count low in that game so, if I had to, I would be ready for this one.”

Not only was Mathes ready to provide 3.2 innings of hitless relief Sunday, but he was named the championship series MVP after helping host Wayne to a 2-0 triumph over Upper Darby in the deciding fifth game at Devon Prep. The Villanova righthander by way of Marple Newtown High was the winning pitcher in all three Wayne victories, twice in relief, and as the starter in the 8-3 Game 3 victory.

“He’s a horse,” Wayne manager Brian Fili said. “He is one of the best pitchers in this league. He’s a proven player. He’s got guts. His arm was sore, but he wanted the ball.”

For that, Fili had a two-ply Game 5 pitching plan. He would start David Ferguson, convinced the righthander would keep the game close, then make sure to use Mathes in reserve. The result: A combined one-hitter.

“I didn’t want to bring him in too early,” Fili said. “And David Ferguson did a nice job.”

After allowing a line-drive, stand-up double down the left field line to Upper Darby leadoff hitter Adam Fine, Ferguson steadied, striking out two in his 3.1 innings.

But when Vince Gasbarro walked with one out in the fourth, Fili summoned Mathes, who immediately coaxed Christian Strickland, the Cabrini catcher, to ground sharply into a 6-4-3 double play to keep the game scoreless.

Upper Darby righthander Jackson Snyder struck out eight in his five innings, but encountered turbulence in the sixth when Nate Sides singled to right and Steven Wells walked. Blue Sox manager Dave Jerdon turned to 2021 finals MVP Johnny Gonzalez, but Wayne loaded the bases when Bill Ford survived on well-placed infield hit between third and short. Second baseman Steve Theisen would make a nice throw to nail Sides at the plate, and when Gonzalez struck out Tommy Bradley, the Sox seemed to have an escape hatch. But Wells and Ford would score when Jake Siani bounced toward third and a throw from Max Anastasio sailed wide of second on an attempted forceout.

“I knew our guys were going to score,” Mathes said. “We’ve had a relentless offense all year and I knew we were going to through. And I knew the defense would be behind me. All I would have to do is throw strikes and they would make the plays.”

With that, Mathes added a scoreless seventh and Wayne had its 18th championship, the fifth under Fili, ending Upper Darby’s one-year reign.

“It was a great series,” Jerdon said. “It went five games, and that’s what we wanted. Both teams had their best guy out on the mound at the end. Jackson Snyder pitched really well and Johnny came in and almost got us out of that jam. Johnny has just been unbelievable.”

Wells, who homered twice in the series had a single, a walk and scored a run Sunday. Ford, Sides, Matt Briner and Reece Malek each chipped in with a base hit.

“From the start, I said this series was going to be tough,” Wells said. “Everybody was pitching well and fighting their heads off. It was just an all-around great series.”

Mathes threw 63 pitches in Game 3, didn’t work Game 4, and was at his best in Game 5.

“They were five close games,” he said. “And they never stopped fighting. They had a great offense and they kept putting up good at-bats. It was a tough one.”

In the end, though, Mathes was ready, a play broke right, and Wayne had the championship trophy.

“He’s the MVP for a reason,” Fili said. “He is a great competitor and he wants to win.”

He was not alone. “We’ll regroup,” Jerdon said. “And we’ll be back battling Wayne or Aston whoever it is for the championship next year.”

By Matt Smith

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MARPLE » Trailing by three runs to Wayne and in a must-win spot, Upper Darby showed its championship mettle Friday night in Game 5 of the Delco League finals.

Needing a spark against mighty Wayne, the Blue Sox practiced patience at the plate and unloaded when needed. Max Anastasio and Vince Gasbarro each hammered a home run and UD’s batters worked 10 walks on the way to an 11-4 shellacking of Wayne to even the best-of-5 series.

The winner-takes-all Game 5 is set for Sunday at Devon Preparatory School. First pitch is 2 p.m.

After falling behind 4-1 after 2 ½ frames, the Blue Sox rallied for 10 unanswered runs and dominated. They bounced Wayne starter Joe Peluso with two outs in the third. Relievers Mike Valente, Nate Sides and Matt Briner didn’t fare better.

“We fell behind early… but once we got on the board with Max’s (home run) we kind of got rolling,” said Gasbarro, who finished 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and a pair of walks. His dinger in the fourth inning gave the Blue Sox a 10-4 cushion.

“It felt good to get in a groove today and we scored in almost every inning, so we kept the pressure up the whole game. That’s what’s we needed to do after losing (Thursday).”

Steven Wells homered off Upper Darby ace Johnny Gonzalez, who pitched on one day’s rest, in the top of the first inning to give Wayne a 2-0 lead. Anastasio’s solo jack in the bottom of the second was answered by Wayne in the third when Briner stroked a two-run single to make it a 4-1 game.

From there the Upper Darby bats took over. Steve Theisen and Andrew Yates worked one-out walks and Joey Suppa hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 4-2. Following a Gasbarro single the Blue Sox coaxed five consecutive walks to take a 6-4 lead. Theisen smacked a two-RBI single to cap a seven-run outburst. All runs were unearned and scored with two outs.

“It’s uncharacteristic of Joe. He just fell behind hitters and he’s not usually like that, he’s a strike thrower. We also didn’t help him out defensively in that (third) inning,” Wayne manager Brian Fili said. “Besides all the walks, compounding that with an error mixed in didn’t help. It’s uncharacteristic of us as a pitching staff to fall behind hitters, it’s something we don’t usually do. … When we were up 4-1 we knew they were going to be selective at the plate and they were going to make us throw strikes.”

Upper Darby has had a penchant for rallying. The Blue Sox erased a 5-0 deficit in Game 1, which they eventually lost thanks to an error in the bottom of the seventh. They showed fight trailing 8-0 in the seventh inning of Game 3, managing to score three runs with two outs.

“In general we want to work through their starters and not make them get easy outs. When we focus and have some discipline and work counts, we usually have positive results,” Gasbarro said.

Gonzalez allowed only two hits after the third inning. He didn’t have his best stuff, but said he was throwing harder as the game went along.

“I thought I battled,” he said. “I was tired. Kept throwing strikes and didn’t walk anybody.”

It’s very possible that the 49-year-old will get the ball again Sunday. No one would be surprised if he starts or gets the ball in relief. Gonzalez said he will see how he feels getting out of bed Saturday morning. Gonzalez, who is the reigning Delco League championship series MVP, had thrown three straight complete games in the postseason including a 3-1 gem in Game 2 Wednesday.

Fili said he wasn’t sure who he’d give the ball to for Game 5. Don’t be surprised to see Cam Mathes, who pitched six shutout innings Thursday, in some kind of role.

Upper Darby can win its second straight title. Wayne is seeking its third in four years and 18th overall. And no matter who pitches for either team, Game 5 should be one to remember.

“We’ve got a really strong team, up and down,” Gasbarro said. “We know we are good enough. I have been in this league long enough and sometimes you know when you have it and sometimes you don’t and we definitely know we have it this year. So we just have to come out on Sunday and bring it again, execute and we feel like we can win it again”.

By Matt Smith

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MARPLE » Cam Mathes did what any good ace does in a pivotal game. He pitched a beauty.

One day after Johnny Gonzalez tossed yet another complete game for Upper Darby, Mathes came out Thursday and, figuratively speaking, told everyone to “hold my beer.”

The Villanova grad fired six shutout innings, allowing one single that barely left the infield dirt, and struck out five to help Wayne roll to an 8-3 victory in Game 3 of the Delco League championship series. Wayne and Upper Darby return to Cardinal O’Hara Friday to play Game 4 of the best-of-5 series. Leading the series 2-1, Wayne is one win away from its 18th league title.

Thursday was all about Mathes, the All-Delco star and pride of Marple Newtown High, who needed only 64 pitches to get through six innings. He allowed two baserunners and retired the first 12 hitters he faced.

Wayne held an 8-0 lead after 6 ½ innings, safe enough for manager Brian Fili to give Mathes the rest of the night off. Mathes pitched an inning in Game 1, too, and if the series goes to a fifth and deciding game he could give Wayne some length out of the bullpen.

“The plan is for Sunday, if possible,” Mathes said. “I’ll tell you, though, it’s a longshot that my arm’s going to be feeling good enough. We’ll see. We had good enough run support tonight that we were able to do that and get Tommy in there to pitch the seventh.”

Tommy Bradley went from catching Mathes for six innings to taking the hill in the seventh. He retired the first two batters he faced, but the defending champion Blue Sox managed to work four walks and scored three runs with two outs to make things a little interesting at the end.

“When (Mathes) is pitching like that…it’s kind of like giving me the day off, to say the least,” said Bradley, a Bonner-Prendergast grad. “He was huge. He went out there and got the job done.”

Wayne’s offense provided Mathes with plenty of run support just 24 hours after it was held to one run on three hits. A four-spot in the first inning against UD starter Frank Parrotti helped matters.

“That certainly gives you a lot more confidence on the mound knowing your guys are scoring and making plays behind you,” Mathes said. “After Jake (Siani) made that diving catch in center in the first inning, I knew they were going to have my back the whole time and give me as much support as I needed. And they came up and got some big hits all game.”

Aiding Wayne’s quick start was the sun. With the bases loaded Bradley lofted a lazy fly ball to right field that dropped in for a hit. Right fielder Vince Gasbarro lost sight of a ball, enabling all three runners to score. Bradley stood at second base with a gift threerun double. It was the first of three knocks for Bradley, who went 3-for-3 with five ribbies on the night. Sean Mohollen also ripped an RBI single in the top of the first.

“We all struggled with the bats (Wednesday), but today was a new day,” Bradley said. “I’m tough on myself. I came up with two RBI chances (Wednesday) and didn’t come through. I just reset and refocused. … I went up there and really got the job done.”

Slugging first baseman Steven Wells also had a nice day at the dish, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI. He led off the third with a double and eventually scored on a single by Matt Briner to make it 5-0. Bradley added RBI knocks in the third and seventh innings. Everyone in Wayne’s lineup, including sub Mike Valente, reached base at least once against a cavalcade of Upper Darby hurlers. Five relievers came in after Parrotti was lifted with the bases loaded and nobody out in the third. Wayne produced 10 hits on the night.

Mathes had a perfect game brewing until Max Anastasio worked a leadoff walk in the fifth. Joey Suppa’s duck snort to second base for an infield hit spoiled the no-hitter with one out in the fifth. Mathes has been a stabilizing force for Wayne. He left the club last year to play in a summer league, but is glad to be back for the winningest franchise in Delco League history. This past spring, in his grad year at Villanova, the big righthander pitched to a 3.48 ERA in 20.2 innings with 23 strikeouts.

Mathes and the rest of Wayne hope not to see him pitch again in 2022. With the chance to clinch Friday night, West Chester University product Joe Peluso will take the ball in Game 4. Don’t be surprised if Peluso ends up opposing Gonzalez, who is the author of three straight complete games. The 49-year-old said before Thursday’s game that he woke up in the morning feeling great after his gutsy performance Wednesday. Gonzalez is the reigning league championship series MVP.

“He’s not human. He was made in a lab,” Bradley joked. “The thing that beats you up the most is he’ll go out there, pitch seven innings, make you look bad and then after the game he’s chatting with you and he’s the nicest guy in the world. He obviously got the upper hand (Wednesday) and if he steps out there (Friday) we definitely won’t be surprised.”

By Matt Smith

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EASTTOWN TWP. » Max Anastasio knew he put good wood on the ball, but wasn’t sure if it had the distance to leave the park Wednesday at Devon Preparatory School.

“I was rounding first base, trying to leg out a triple,” said the Upper Darby slugger. “But it felt really good off the bat.”

The ball went over the fence… but the umpiring crew was left confused. The initial call was ground-rule double.

Uh, what? After a quick conference the boys in blue signaled home run. It was the right decision.

Anastasio, whose error at third base Monday enabled Wayne to score a walk-off win in Game 1 of the Delco League championship series, started Game 2 with a two-run bomb. He had redeemed himself.

With Johnny Gonzalez twirling a gem on the mound, the Blue Sox were able to ride Anastasio’s dinger to a 3-1 triumph and even the best-of-5 series at 1-1.

The series shifts to Upper Darby’s home turf at Cardinal O’Hara for Game 3 Thursday. First pitch is 5:45.

Anastasio made a joke about Gonzalez, 49, showing good enough stuff to impress college coaches.

“He still has four years of eligibility,” he said. What more can be said about Gonzalez? He dazzled, holding top-seeded Wayne to three lousy singles in a complete game performance. He allowed one unearned run and one walk, which was an intentional free pass. Gonzalez’s fourth strikeout of the night, getting Reece Malek to whiff, ended the night and left Jake Siani stranded at second base.

“I thought I threw the ball better today than I did against Springfield Saturday,” said Gonzalez, referring to his complete game in Game 5 of the semifinals. “I was hitting spots more than I was that day. Just getting ahead, using my fastball and slider.”

Wayne had no clue how to attack the fast-working Gonzalez. If Wayne hitters decided to swing first pitch, they’d chop it on the ground or foul it back. If they took a pitch or two, most of the time they found themselves down in the count 0-2. It was classic Johnny Gonzalez.

“It’s his experience,” Upper Darby catcher Christian Strickland said. “He’s a pace of play guy, which I love about him. He’ll get you outs fast, roll ground balls and get pop ups. It’s awesome catching him.”

The biggest defensive plays of the game were made by Gonzalez. Siani tried to get on via bunt in the fifth inning, but Gonzalez showed his cat-like quickness off the mound, grabbed the ball and fired a strike to first.

With one out in the seventh, pinch hitter Kevin Mohollen hit a tapper down the third-base line that had infield hit written all over it. Again Gonzalez sprinted to the ball and threw to first for the out. Unfortunately for Mohollen, he pulled up lame as he hustled down the line.

The second 1-3 putout left Gonzalez a little winded. He called a timeout and collected himself before going after Malek, who struck out to end the game.

“That last one, oh man,” Gonzalez said. “I needed to catch my breath and take my time. I wanted to make sure… that I didn’t rush. I had to slow down and make sure I took a deep breath.”

Gonzalez had retired 13 in a row before Malek led off the sixth inning with a single. An error put runners at the corners with no outs. Jayce Tharnish grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing Malek to come home, then Gonzalez got cleanup hitter Steven Wells to ground out to first base. After intentionally walking Nate Side, Tommy Bradley grounded out to third base to end the frame.

Upper Darby scored all of its runs off Wayne starter Anthony Ehly, who gave up three hits, struck out two and walked four in 4.2 innings of work. Steve Theisen rapped an RBI single the opposite way to right field in the fifth to make it a 3-0 game.

By Jack McCaffery

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EASTTOWN TWP. » An umpire’s subtle signal, a rapidly setting sun, a tiring pitching staff and the general impatience that comes with an evening waiting for an opportunity were enough Monday night for Dan Williams to understand his job. Take a bat. Accept a pinch-hitting opportunity.

Then figure out a way to push Wayne to a victory over Upper Darby in Game 1 of the best-of-five Delco League championship series in the bottom of the seventh before an 8:07 sunset would prevent an eighth inning.

“Dan has been in this league forever,” Wayne manager Brian Fili said. “He would get it done.”

So it was with one out that Williams rapped a hard infield hit off pitcher Mason Miller and hustled to second on a passed ball. Then, running on contact with two outs, the 36-yearold sprinted home when Tommy Bradley dropped a grounder to third and survived on an error. Williams’ savvy and hustle pushed Wayne to a 6-5 victory and quick control of a series that moments earlier seemed destined for an overnight delay and, with that, untold pitching complications. Instead, Game 2 will unfold on schedule at 5:45 Tuesday, back at Devon Prep.

“We knew they weren’t going to start another inning,” Williams said. “And in the bottom of the seventh, you kind of want to get it done then anyway. I was just trying to have a good at-bat. The guy was pitching well. He made two really good pitches to get ahead of me, so I was just looking for something I could handle. I was fortunate to put it in play and still have enough wheels to get there.”

By that point, Wayne was looking for a spark after Upper Darby had rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to force a tie and heighten tensions.

Seeking to add to its record 16 Delco League championships, Wayne struck early when leadoff hitter Luke Mutz had the first of his two hits and Jayce Tharnish walked. With one out, former independent-league play-for-pay pro Steven Wells, a left-handed hitter, went the other way for a lengthy home run and a 3-0 lead. In the second, Wayne made it 5-0 when Reece Malek doubled and eventually scored on a Nate Sides sacrifice fly to center. Later, a wild pitch scored Mutz, who had walked.

“I got a fastball up, kind of in the middle to the outer part of the plate,” Wells said. “Based on my recent games, I haven’t been on that ball that well. But I was able to barrel it up and drive the baseball the other way.”

Though staggered, the Blue Sox responded with a four-run third inning when Tyler Summerall and Adam Fine walked, Max Anastasio singled and Steve Theisen clubbed a groundrule double to right. Joey Suppa would plate Anastasio with a single.

Upper Darby forced the tie in the fifth when Matt Querey was hit by a pitch and stole second, then scored on a base hit to left from Fine.

From there, the pitching settled, with Upper Darby enjoying three-plus scoreless innings from Jackson Snyder and Bill Ford not allowing a run in two innings for Wayne.

Wayne loaded the bases with two out in the fifth but failed to score when Malek’s bunt died in front of the plate. Despite howls cascading from the Wayne dugout that the ball should have been ruled dead, the umpires met for a discussion but did not overturn the call.

Aware of the spreading darkness, Fili took a chance in the top of the sixth by sending Cam Mathes to the mound, aware that no matter what would happen, his key pitcher would only work one inning and be ready for any Game 2 responsibilities. Mathes pitched a perfect — and, just as significantly quick — inning, allowing Williams to make the late difference, emphasis on late.

“I was off on contact,” Williams said. “I was watching the play and was going to make a hard turn even if he made a throw. It took a tough bounce on him and I just kept going.”

The series will keep going too, with Upper Darby ready with sitting Delco League Finals MVP Johnny Gonzalez available to start Game 2.

Williams, who recently took a paternity leave to welcome the birth of his first child, Pierce Johnson Williams, would be happy to report for whatever duty Fili has in mind.

“I haven’t been in that role for quite some time,” he said. “But I just want to be here to support my team. I love winning baseball, so I was fortunate to contribute and get a win for us.”