Malvern Prep reaches Independent baseball final

Joe Ravert hit two home runs and also handled the pitching for Malvern Prep in Saturday's semifinals of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools baseball tournament at Perkiomen School.

The Friars (30-5), top-seeded in the 14-team competition, blanked Chestnut Hill, 10-0, in five innings and earned a berth in Sunday's championship game.

Ravert drove in five runs with a two-run homer in the first inning and a three-run shot in a five-run second inning. Mike DeMatteis' two-run double ended the contest.

Haverford School's semifinal against Penn Charter was suspended in the fourth inning with the Fords leading by 3-0. The game will resume at 1 p.m. Sunday at Haverford, to be followed by the title game.

Chestnut Hill   00000 - 023

Malvern Prep   3502x - 1071

WP: Joe Ravert. LP: Salem. 2B: CH-Hull. MP-Mike DeMatteis, Billy Ford. HR: MP-Joe Ravert 2.