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Following an off day, the semifinal round of the Delco League playoffs is scheduled to resume Friday.

That is, if the weather cooperates. The forecast is calling for heavy thunderstorms in the area during the early evening hours.

No. 1 Wayne and No. 4 Narberth at the very least hope to conplete Game 3 of their best-of- 5 series. Wayne held a 6-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning over the host Mudcats Wednesday before play was suspended due to darkness. The series is even at a game apiece.

Wayne starter Cam Mathes pitched five solid innings with five strikeouts. He allowed one earned run. Luke Mutz is 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles and Jake Siani has scored two runs.

Narberth was on its fourth pitcher in Colin Simmons when play was halted. Starter Jimmy Wigo allowed four hits, three of which didn’t leave the infield, and a run with four strikeouts across 3.2 innings for the Mudcats. Tyler “Bugs” Kehoe and Joe Ravert also pitched in relief.

If 17-time champion Wayne can get six more outs, it will be one win away from another finals appearance. Game 4 will start immediately following the conclusion of Game 3.

Wayne and Narberth have had some memorable playoff affairs over the years. Their heated rivalry brings out the best of both franchises.

“I absolutely love it,” Mutz said. “They have a lot of young guys, college guys out there and so do we. I love hearing them talk, chirp a little bit. It’s fun to play them. You get excited. That’s the kind of baseball I like playing. There’s a lot of energy in this game.”

On the other side of the playoff bracket, No. 2 Upper Darby will head to Church Road Park with a 2-1 series lead over No. 3 Springfield. The Blue Sox cruised past the Colonials in Game 3 behind another sterling pitching performance by the ageless Johnny Gonzalez, who threw a complete game three-hitter to lead the defending champions to an 8-1 victory. Game 4 of the best-of-5 series is scheduled to start at 5:45.

Gonzalez, the reigning finals MVP, threw just 77 pitches, 57 for strikes. He struck out three, walked one and retired 12 of the last 13 hitters he faced.

Vince Gasbarro and Josh Hankins drove in two runs each to pace the offense. Hankins went 3-for-5 with a run scored.

Adam Fine was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and Max Anastasio went 3-for-4 and scored twice. Upper Darby broke the game open with four runs in the top of the fourth inning.

The winners of both series will meet in the best-of-5 finals next week.

By Matt Smith

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NARBERTH » Luke Mutz is making the most of his two remaining years of college eligibility.

After graduating from Swarthmore College with a double major in biology and economics, concluding his four-year Garnet career with the Centennial Conference Player of the Year award in 2022, Mutz is joining the Villanova program for the 2023 campaign.

In the meantime, the slick fielding second baseman is hitting leadoff for Wayne in its semifinal round series against Narberth.

Game 3 of the best-of-5 was suspended Wednesday due to darkness with Wayne holding a 6-2 advantage in the top of the sixth inning. The teams will meet Friday at Narberth Park to finish Game 3 and start Game 4. The series is tied 1-1.

Back to Mutz. Last year he competed in a college summer league, Perfect Game in upstate New York, and did well enough to attract the attention of Division I programs.

“I was looking for schools and I ended up going to Villanova, so I’m really excited about that,” Mutz said. “I knew I still wanted to play and I knew I couldn’t play at Swarthmore so I went up there, tried to get good numbers against a lot of good competition. It was mostly Division I players, which was great. I ended up doing pretty well, so I entered the transfer portal shortly after the season and I had some contact with Villanova early and it was a good fit.”

Mutz was 2-for-4 in Game 3 with a pair of RBI singles. He got to Narberth starter Jimmy Wigo in the second inning, singling home Jake Siani to make it a 1-0 game. In the fifth he provided another run-scoring hit, this time off lefty reliever Tyler Kehoe, to bring in Siani again. Wayne batted around in the fifth, plating five runs to take a 6-2 lead.

“We’ve had some high-scoring affairs in the first couple of games, so a big focal point today was just kind of seeing your pitches, make sure you get yours and, if not, grind out long at-bats,” said Mutz, an All-Delco player at Strath Haven under Wayne coach Brian Fili. “You know, the worst-case scenario is you don’t score in the first few innings, but they throw a lot of pitches and just get to the bullpen and, you know, we got good enough hitters that we’re going to score at some point.”

Wigo and fellow Marple Newtown grad Cam Mathes, who pitched five solid innings for Wayne, both had to work through command issues in the early going. Wigo allowed four hits, three of which didn’t leave the infield, and a run with four strikeouts across 3.2 innings. Wigo was a bit shaken up after drilling Steven Wells in the front of the helmet in the first inning. After a long delay Wells was able to dust himself off and stay in the game.

“The first inning was rough. My front shoulder was pulling out and I wasn’t getting my glove side up, so everything was falling high arm side,” said the left-hander Wigo, who will pitch at Monmouth starting next year. “And when that happens, you saw it, I nailed him right in the head. You just have to move on and forget about it as best as you can. I know I have to throw more strikes. Too many high counts, but as soon as I get ahead it’s different for me.”

Mathes, the cagey veteran, was able to settle down, too. He gave up two straight hits, including a bunt single, and walked Pat Toal to load the bases with no outs in the fourth. He battled back to strike out Dom Joseph and forced a ground ball fielder’s choice off the bat of Zach Tropiano; a throwing error by shortstop Nate Sides enabled two runners to score for Narberth.

After Wayne regained the lead with a five-spot in the fifth, Mathes pitched a 1-2-3 frame to end his night. The Villanova grad allowed three hits, two runs (one earned) and walked three, but also struck out five and coaxed a lot of weak contact.

“Cam is a D-A-W-G dawg. I mean that,” Mutz said. “We’re always confident with him on the mound. I don’t care if it’s bases loaded and nobody out. I love watching him pitch, I love playing behind him. And we know he’s going to compete for us every single pitch.”

Narberth coach Steve DeBarberie was forced to call upon three relief pitchers in Kehoe, Joe Ravert and Colin Simmons, who issued consecutive walks to Wells and Mike Valente to begin the sixth before play was halted. The good news is everyone has a day off Thursday, but both coaches are limited in terms of substitutions when they resume play Friday.

“Ravert came in and got out of a big situation for us (in the fourth), but then they just started hitting his curveball. They put good swings on the ball,” Narberth coach Steve DeBarberie said. “We’ll be back Friday and hopefully we can get out this jam. It’s still a tight ballgame and we got two at bats left, so hopefully we can keep it here and see what happens.”

For the second straight game Springfield jumped out to an early lead in its best-of-5 Delco League semifinals series with defending champion Upper Darby.

This time, the Colonials pulled away for a 7-2 victory to even the series at one game apiece. Game 3 is Wednesday at Church Road in Springfield (5:45).

Holding a 3-2 lead after four innings, Springfield scored four times over the final three frames to break the game open. Will Kelley knocked in two runs and Reed Farrell and Norm Donkin added two hits and one RBI apiece. Cole Palis also drove in a run while starter David Shoemaker went six innings to get the win.

Christian Strickland and Vince Gasbarro knocked in one run each for the Blue Sox while Matt Querey had two hits.

Upper Darby sure knows how to win in dramatic fashion.

Steve Thiesen drilled a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the defending champion Blue Sox a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Springfield in Game 1 of the best-of-5 Delco League semifinals.

Game 2 is Tuesday night at Cardinal O’Hara (5:45 p.m.).

The second-seeded Blue Sox rallied from a 5-0, first inning deficit to take the series opener. Gabe Encarnacion, Reed Farrell and Connor Scanlan drew consecutive walks with the bases loaded to give the Colonials a 3-0 lead. Tom Crumlish followed with a two-run single to extend the lead to 5-0.

Christian Strickland ripped an RBI single and Andrew Yates followed with a three-run homer in the third inning to get Upper Darby within 5-4. Yates singled in the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Yates finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and one run scored. Andrew Fine added three hits and two runs scored. Crumlish paced Springfield with two hits.

By Matt Smith

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SPRINGFIELD » Reed Farrell is getting a crash course on what it’s like to handle college pitching in the Delco League this summer.

It certainly helps having a college senior in Dave Shoemaker as a battery mate. Next spring, Farrell, a Garnet Valley graduate, will catch Shoemaker at the University of Pennsylvania.

They worked in tandem Wednesday night to lead Springfield past Marple Newtown, 5-3, in Game 1 of a Delco League quarterfinal playoff series.

The hard-throwing lefty gave the Colonials six solid frames on the bump. He gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits, struck out seven and walked none.

“Working with Reed has helped a bunch because he’s coming in next year, so we can work on our chemistry. I rarely ever had to shake off a pitch,” Shoemaker said. “Us being on the same page is big for both of our confidence. That was the most in-sync we’ve been all year, which is nice.”

Farrell has been a workhorse behind the plate for Springfield since his high school season concluded. He was the top backstop in the Central League and earned second team All-Delco honors at the position in the spring. He has enjoyed catching Shoemaker in the Delco League, as not every incoming college catcher has the chance to catch his future teammate in a live game setting.

“Obviously, it means everything to me,” said Farrell, who collected two singles and drove in a run Thursday. “I mean, being able to catch a guy before you really get to be on the team with him is great. I’ve gotten to know him the past month and a half. I’ve caught him four or five times. I feel like we’re getting on the same page pretty quickly.”

Shoemaker lets Farrell call the game. If Farrell has suggestions on how to approach a certain batter, Shoemaker is all ears and trusts that his catcher will make the right decision…even if he’s an incoming freshman. The relationship has only helped Farrell develop into a batter player, a much more confident catcher.

“He’s pretty lenient out there,” Farrell said. “He respects what I know and I respect what he knows. It’s a good mix. I learn from him and he learns from me.”

At the plate Farrell has hit near the bottom third of the order most of the season for the Colonials. He is beginning to realize that not every hit has to be a bomb. Farrell led off the second inning with a single and his pinch runner, Will Ferris, eventually came home.to score on an RBI double by Will Kelley. In the fourth he smacked a run-scoring knock to right field to put Springfield up 4-1.

“It’s a great league to be in, a good mix of college guys and older players,” Farrell said. “I’ve been trying to stay a little shorter (with his swing). Not trying to hit it out. You don’t know what you’re getting every time. One day you could be facing 90 (mph) and the next day you could get 70 or 80. So staying short has definitely helped me, especially this last month.”

Shoemaker was recruited to play for Springfield by his other Penn teammate, Cole Palis, who starts at shortstop for the Colonials.

“I thought I could come in here and just throw a fastball and nobody will hit it. I found out right away that wasn’t going to work and I knew I had to switch it up a little,” he said. “It’s a good enough league that I know I have to pitch to guys with my stuff and go after them because no strikeout is easy.”

Kelley’s double gave the Colonials a 1-0 lead, but the Black Sox answered with a run in the third. Cole Connelly reached on an error by second baseman Connor Scanlan, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Aiden Johnson, and came home on an RBI single by Blaise Rantanen. The Black Sox didn’t make too much hard contact against Shoemaker, who got a bunch of swings and misses. But the Colonials’ shoddy defense (three errors) allowed the Sox to stay alive.

Johnson threw a complete game loss with five punchouts. He wasn’t bad, but seven walks caused his pitch count to rise above 100 in the sixth inning. Springfield left a small island on the base paths (10 LOBs). In the sixth, the Colonials tacked on a key insurance run. Norm Donkin, a former Daily Times Male Athlete of the Year, reached on an error and eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk by Palis. Johnson escaped further damage by getting Gerard Sweeney, whose two-run single in the third put Springfield ahead to stay, popped up to shortstop Colin Myers and fanned Gabe Encarnacion for the third out.

Cardinal O’Hara grad Kyle Calderaro picked up the save with a scoreless seventh inning, fanning slugger Tom Carey to end the game.

Springfield looks to close out the series Friday evening at O’Hara. If the Colonials can sweep, they will meet Upper Darby in the semifinal round next week.

By Matt Smith

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UPPER DARBY » Chris Huyette gave Narberth five solid innings on the mound in Wednesday’s Delco League playoff opener at Bonner-Prendergast High School. But he’d be the first to tell you that he had plenty of help from his defense.

There was one play in particular that had the Mudcats still talking after their 3-1 victory over Aston Valley in Game 1 of a best-of-three quarterfinal.

In the fourth inning, third baseman Pat Toal fielded a grounder to his right side where, in foul territory, he made an incredible off-balance throw to nab Jakob Cantor at first base. It was the sort of play a gold glover would make. Toal’s teammates called him Nolan Arenando, the All-Star third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.

They were kidding around … sort of.

Around here it’s a play you can only find made in the Delco League.

“Honestly, that’s probably the best play I’ve ever made,” said Toal, a Haverford School grad and junior at Cabrini. “He hit it hard enough where I had time to throw him out.”

It was a play that had the Mudcats fired up going back to the home dugout. Huyette had retired 10 of the previous 12 batters he faced after beginning the night on shaky ground. Adam Tommer took him deep for a solo home run in the first inning. He walked and hit a batter in the opening frame, too.

But once the Bonner-Prendie and Immaculata product settled in, he was dominant. Huyette allowed only two hits and struck out six in five innings of work.

“I just made a couple of quick adjustments and the defense behind me … these guys make it really easy just to go out and throw strikes, fill up the strike zone and let them make plays,” Huyette said “I mean, you saw a few of the plays these guys made and it makes life a lot easier, especially pitching with the lead after the second innings.”

Narberth tied the game with a run in its half of the first inning. Tyler “Bugs” Kehoe, fresh off a stint in the Coastal Plain League, led off with a line drive single and advanced to third on a pair of Roman Tozzi wild pitches. Kehoe crossed the plate on an RBI single by recent Marple Newtown grad Dillon Can, one All-Delco driving in another.

“I just try to compete as best as I can and do as much as I can for my team,” said Can, who will play college ball at New Jersey Tech. “I was trying to stay inside the ball today. They had Roman Tozzi on the mound and he’s pretty good at coming down inside, but against a tough lefty you got to remember to stay inside the ball as long as you can.”

Can has been raking all summer for the Mudcats. The slickfielding second baseman was 3-for-3 with a run scored.

“He’s been hot all year for us,” manager Steve DeBarberie said. “All he does is hit.”

Narberth sent eight hitters to the dish in the bottom of third, scoring twice. Can and Michael Anderson (Bonner-Prendergast/ Rhode Island) each singled with one out for Wilfredo Mendez, who delivered an RBI knock to put the Mudcats in front. Toal then hit a deep fly ball to right field to bring home Anderson.

Anderson pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning with two strikeouts. Toal allowed a lead off single to Quentin Perilli (Penncrest) and walked Cantor with one out in the seventh, but bounced back to strike out Dylan Everly and got Sam Benvignati to ground out to end the game.

After a slow start to the season, Narberth played well down the stretch and earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Mudcats are poised to make a deep run.

“It was surprising this year because we’ve had so many guys come out the whole year and it’s not usually like that,” DeBarberie said. “Normally you’re getting 12 or 13 guys a game, but we’ve had a consistent 17 or 18 guys show up every game. I try to split up the playing time as best as I can and get everybody equal amount of time. We have so much good talent. You’ve got to find that common ground, keeping them happy and engaged. We’ve got a lot of young guys who need to play and now that it’s the playoffs, we’re ready to go.”

Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday at Sun Valley’s Buggy Field.

The other first-round series featuring No. 3 Springfield and No. 6 Marple Newtown begins Thursday at Church Road Park in Springfield. Top-seeded Wayne and No. 2 Upper Darby earned first-round byes.

By Matt Smith

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CHESTER» Alex Cornell threw 131 pitches Tuesday as Marple Newtown clinched the final berth in the Delco League playoffs with a 4-1 victory over Chester.

It was not a career high for the Archbishop Carroll graduate.

“I threw 146 pitches one time,” said the 6-2 right hander. “I remember it was back in Legion.”

When Cornell took the bump Tuesday, he had a good idea he would be asked to go the entire way or close to it. The Black Sox were short on arms.

Manager Nick DuComb came out for a visit to check his temperature in the seventh, as Chester attempted a two-out rally, but the Bloomsburg junior was poised to finish what he started.

Cornell recorded the final out when he got Pat Warrington to hit a harmless fly ball to center fielder Blaise Rantanen.

“I didn’t have my best stuff, that was pretty obvious,” said Cornell, who allowed only three hits but walked five and struck out nine. “For me it’s just a matter of throwing strikes and being consistent. One thing I learned in college is you don’t have to overpower everyone. So just keep constantly throwing strikes, locate my pitches well, and that’s the best thing you can do especially when you don’t have your best stuff.”

Nick Toms belted a solo homer, and Chip Chapman had a single and double for Chester. Otherwise, Cornell was quite good.

It helped to have a four-run cushion before he threw his first pitch. The Black Sox sent nine batters to the plate against Chester starter Dre Solomon in the top of the first with four hits. Right fielder Nick Cerelli rocketed an RBI double off the fence in left field, and catcher Jake Fallows drove in a pair of runs with a two-bagger.

“It’s huge to jump out and score some early runs against a pretty good team,” said Fallows, a junior at William Paterson University in New Jersey. “Knowing how the season has gone so far we definitely have a chip on our shoulder. We’re playing with no strings attached. No matter what, we’re going to come out to play and try our best to win.”

Colin Myers had a sacrifice fly, and Fallows (2-for-4) hit the ball hard all four times. Joe De-Carlo added a single and a walk for Marple Newtown.

Chris Noles, the son of former Phillies Dickie Noles, pitched two shutout innings of relief for Chester. He struck out three.

The Black Sox (4-18-1) occupied last place in the standings all season. Chester (7-16-2) had 12 more points, but all either team needed was one win to make the tournament.

The sixth-seeded Black Sox play No. 3 Springfield (13-10-1) in a best-of-3 series beginning Thursday at Church Road Park. The other first-round series features No. 5 Aston Valley (10-13-1) against No. 4 Narberth (10-12-1), which gets under way Wednesday. First-place Wayne (19-5) and defending champion Upper Darby (17-6-1) earned byes to the semifinal round.

“I told the guys before the game that I don’t want anyone looking back or looking forward, go out tonight and play seven innings and see if we can knock these guys off,” DuComb said. “We’re going to be the underdog the whole way. We did lose 11 one-run games, so it’s been a very tough season. Springfield is obviously a great ballclub and will be heavy favorites against us. We’ve got to show up and play as hard as we can.”