DELCO – Upper Darby cemented its place among the Delco League's all-time great teams, while Wayne fended off a frisky Aston Valley squad to reach the brink of the finals for the sixth time in eight seasons on Thursday night.

 

Upper Darby punched its ticket to the Delco League Championship Series for the third consecutive season with a 15-7 rout of Drexel Hill in Game 3 of their semifinal series at Monsignor Bonner on Thursday night.  The Blue Sox swept the cross-township rivalry series, 3-0.

 

Things got off to a wild start in this one, as Drexel Hill plated five runs in the first to take an early lead for the second consecutive game.  And for the second consecutive game, Upper Darby answered in a big way, as the Blue Sox scored seven in the top of the second to take a 7-5 lead.  The Ducks got one back in the bottom of the frame, but UD added one in the third and seven more in the fourth to take control of the game and the series.  Drexel Hill managed another run in the sixth, but that would be all as the Blue Sox sealed the deal and their return to the finals.

 

Upper Darby collected 10 hits on the night and was the beneficiary of 12 walks issued by Drexel Hill pitching over the first four innings of the game.  Josh Hankins was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and four runs batted in on the night, while Adam Fine, Andrew Yates, and Steve Theisen added two RBI apiece.  Chris Salvey led the Ducks with a pair of hits, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and his third home run in the series.

 

With the win, the Blue Sox advance to their third consecutive Delco League Championship Series, a feat last achieved by Wayne from 2018-20.  Upper Darby topped Aston Valley in five games for its first title in 2021 before falling to Wayne, also in five games, a year ago.  One of those clubs will be Upper Darby's final opponent in 2023 as well.

 

Upper Darby   0 7 1   7 0 0   0  –  15 10 2

Drexel Hill      5 1 0   0 0 1   0  –    7  6  4

 

Upper Darby wins series, 3-0

 

W: Shindle

L: Lytle

S: Finney

 

After darkness suspended Game 2 with the score at 4-4 after nine innings on Tuesday night, Aston Valley pulled off a feat that only one team managed to achieve all season in the Delco League: the Knights beat Wayne.

 

A run in the top of the 12th pushed Aston Valley past the league's defending champions, 5-4, to level the semifinal series between the teams at a game apiece.

 

The Knights took a 2-0 lead for the second consecutive game, plating a pair in the top of the first.  Wayne got one back in the bottom of the inning, but Aston Valley pushed the lead to 3-1 in the second.  Another run for the Knights in the sixth extended the lead to three, but two in the bottom of the sixth and one in the seventh knotted the affair at 4-4 and sent things to extra innings.  After two scoreless innings at Devon Prep, the teams reconvened at Buggy Field on Thursday to finish the game before the start of Game 3.  It would take three more innings, but Aston Valley would get the winning run in the top of the 12th to tie the series at a game apiece.

 

Shawn Haut, Kody Clausius, and Shawn Edevane had two hits apiece to lead the Knights, while Nate Sides turned in a 5-for-5 performance in defeat for Wayne.  Both teams had ample opportunities to plate the winning run earlier, as both left a dozen on base in the game.

 

The win tied the series prior to the start of Game 3 at Buggy Field later Thursday.

 

Aston Valley   2 1 0   0 0 1   0 0 0   0 0 1  –  5  8  0

Wayne           1 0 0   0 0 2   1 0 0   0 0 0  –  4  9  1

 

Series tied, 1-1

 

W: Porter

L: Peluso

 

The defending champions are one win away from a chance to repeat as a three-run seventh led Wayne past Aston Valley, 5-3, at Buggy Field on Thursday night.

 

For the third time in as many games, it was the visitors taking the lead as Wayne tallied a run in the top of the second.  The Knights answered with a pair in the bottom of the frame, but Wayne leveled things with a singleton in the top of the fifth.  It remained tied until the seventh, when Wayne hung a three-spot on the board.  Aston Valley got one back, but that was all the home side could muster as the visitors moved to the brink of the finals.

 

Luke Zimmerman was 2-for-4 on the night with a run scored, while Nick Mullen added a pair of RBI in the winning effort.  Mason Deluca led the way for Aston Valley, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.

 

Mike Valente went the distance for Wayne, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out 11 against just one walk.  Aidan Chermol took the loss, allowing three runs on two hits in two innings.  Tyler Reinert got the start for the Knights, allowing a pair of runs on five hits in five innings.

 

Wayne will look to end the series in Game 4 on Friday night, which is set for 5:45 p.m. at Buggy Field.

 

Wayne           0 1 0   0 1 0   3  –  5  7  0

Aston Valley   0 2 0   0 0 0   1  –  3  3  0

 

Wayne leads series, 2-1

 

W: Valente

L: Chermol