Olympic-Colonial Opens with Extra Inning Carpenter Cup Win
The Olympic-Colonial has won the most titles in the history of the Carpenter Cup baseball tournament, now in its 31st year, but it's been awhile since the South Jersey team with players from the Olympic and Colonial Conferences has been dominant.
The Olympic-Colonial last won a Carpenter Cup title in 1997 has encountered recent first round struggles.
This year in the tournament's opening game at Philadelphia's FDR Park, the Olympic-Colonial got off on the right foot with a 5-3 win in 10 innings on Monday over Chester County.
The Olympic-Colonial will face defending champion Suburban One National/Bicentennial in Friday's 9 am. second round game at FDR Park. Suburban One National/Bicentennial opened with a 6-0 win over Jersey-Shore in the nightcap.
"We didn't win (a game) last year and had a good team and so winning this was great," said Olympic-Colonial sophomore centerfielder Jack Herman of Eastern. who had an RBI triple.
This year a change was made for the Olympic-Colonial, as the franchise was able to add the four Olympic Conference teams from Burlington County - Cherokee, Shawnee, Lenape and Seneca.
The Burlington County schools in the Olympic Conference, once competed for the Olympic-Colonial but in recent years have been playing for the Burlington County franchise.
Immediately that move paid dividends when Cherokee senior lefthander Nick Snyder threw three scoreless innings, striking out seven.
Chester County opened the scoring on an RBI single by senior Bill Hitman of Pope John Paul in the fourth inning.
Olympic-Colonial erupted for three runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Eastern junior Lou Priolo, an RBI triple by Herman and a run scoring single by Seneca sophomore Nick Decker.
Herman, who has committed to Maryland, swatted his triple to right field.
"He got me earlier with a curve ball and I had a feeling with two strikes he would come back with the curve," Herman said. "I got the barrel on it and drove it to deep to right."
It was so deep that the fleet Herman had a stand-up triple.
The Olympic-Colonial received solid pitching. Audubon junior Dan Wilson allowed one run in three innings and Camden Catholic senior lefthander Jay Crusemire, who allowed an unearned run in two innings.
Chester County sent the game into extra innings by scoring on a passed ball in the ninth.
Olympic-Colonial broke the tie in the 10th inning on an RBI groundout on a chopper to first by Haddonfield junior Joe Loperfido. That scored Camden Catholic junior Bill Eisler, who opened the inning with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
"I was trying to hit the ball to the right side," said Loperfido, who has committed to Duke.
Later in the inning the Olympic-Colonial scored an insurance run on an RBI single by senior Derek Wakely of Group 2 state champion West Deptford.
Timber Creek sophomore lefthander Anthony DiMartino, who threw two innings, earned the win, striking out two batters in the 10th inning.
Olympic-Colonial 000 030 000 2 - 5 11 2
Chester County 000 100 101 0 - 3 9 2
WP: Anthony DiMartino. LP: Chris Edwards. 2B: O-Bill Eisler, Eric Ainsley, C-Thomas Caulfield. 3B: O-Jack Herman.