April 13, 2006 Issue                                               

©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Undefeated CHA Falls to Patriots
by Drew Lazor

CHA pitcher Cory Broderick gave up a tide-turning walk and base-hit in the 7th.

The Patriots of Germantown Academy handed a previously undefeated Chestnut Hill Academy (11-1) squad its first lost in a last-inning thriller last Friday. The tenacious GA (10-2) trailed until its last at-bat, when the team pieced together an improbable rally to secure the win over the Blue Devils, 4-3.

CHA, which trounced Father Judge, 16-4, two days earlier, had built a 2-0 lead by the second inning. GA got on the board in the third, thanks to a hitting flurry sparked by a single from junior John Barr. Freshman Tommy Coyle reached the bases on a bobbled infield ball, and senior third baseman Erich Enns followed with a single to load the bases. Devils starter Anthony Cafagna then walked senior Jason Davila, forcing in a run to make the score 2-1. CHA ended the inning on an unassisted, 6-3 double play.

The Devils fought off another scoring attempt by the Patriots at the top of the fourth, when GA starting pitcher Ian Hoff reached first on a slow roller to the infield. Catcher Joe Conaway then sent the ball deep into centerfield, but keen Devils defense saw Hoff tagged out at home plate. CHA increased the lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning, when senior Mike Manzione connected on a bases-loaded single. After CHA senior Cory Broderick retired the side at the top of the sixth, Hoff followed suit, grounding out three straight Devils batters en route to an action-packed final inning.

The game looked to be over after Broderick retired the first two GA batters. The pitcher’s concentration started to slip, however, after he walked junior Nick Stampone and gave up a base hit to Barr. Coyle cut CHA’s lead to one on a ground-rule double to left field. Enns played hero during the next at-bat, with a two-RBI single that gave the Patriots a 4-3 advantage. Hoff’s stellar mound presence neutralized any chance of a last-minute Devils rally, and GA ran away with a huge early-season Inter-Academic League victory. “This one really hurt,” said Devils head coach Stan Parker. “They have very talented players, and Hoff pitched a great game as well.”

Although the Devils will face a number of non-league opponents this year, Parker is primarily concerned with Inter-Ac matches. “This league, from top to bottom, is one of the toughest around,” he said. “All teams have talented seniors and underclassmen. It’s very competitive.”

CHA’s April 7 game against Archbishop Ryan was postponed due to rain. The Devils were scheduled to host Penn Charter on Tuesday, April 11.