‘It was a good run’: Delco loses nail-biter to Delaware South in Carpenter Cup quarters
The Delaware County team put up a valiant effort in the Carpenter Cup quarterfinals, but dropped a 6-5 decision Wednesday morning to Delaware South.
For the first time since 2021, Delco advanced to the third and final day of the Phillies’ college showcase at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. Delco won three out of its four games, earning the top seed from its bracket after a 3-0 performance in Tuesday’s pool-play round.
“It was too little, too late today,” Delco head coach Mike Snow said. “It was back and forth the whole game. The crew we had, I expected a little cleaner play on defense. We gave up some unearned runs over both days. But it didn’t stop us yesterday. We were able to win. But when you think that we lost only one game — and it was by one run — out of four games over two days, that’s not bad. It was a good run.”
The quarterfinal clash was up for grabs the entire way.
Trailing by one run early, Delco rallied in the bottom of the fourth inning. Abigail Krasowski from Radnor tied the game with a single and Kayla Frye of Springfield followed with a run-scoring hit, pushing Delco ahead 3-2.
Delaware South quickly answered back with two runs in the fifth inning, capitalizing on a pair of Delco errors to retake the lead.
Undeterred, Delco continued to show its mettle. In the bottom of the fifth, Janie Lofland from Conestoga led off with a walk and Interboro’s Mare Nagle advanced her with a perfectly executed bunt single.
Zoey Rogers from Garnet Valley then hit an RBI groundout to tie the game again, and Nagle scored the go-ahead run due to an error by Delaware South’s second baseman, giving Delco a 5-4 lead.
Delaware South responded in the top of the sixth inning, scoring two runs to seize a 6-5 lead. A clutch single by Ava Calciano drove in what proved to be the winning run.
Nagle smacked a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh, and Krasowski drew a two-out walk, putting the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base.
Nicole Semerjian from Marple Newtown faced an extended at-bat, but ultimately struck out on a full count, sealing the win for Delaware South.
Delaware South lost to Lehigh Valley, 2-1, in the championship game. The irony is that Delco dealt Lehigh its only loss of the tournament, claiming a 5-3 victory Tuesday evening.
Outstanding performances
One player who made a significant impact for Delco was Krasowski, who will be a sophomore in the fall.
Despite playing for a Radnor squad that managed only two wins in the spring, Krasowski proved that she belonged with the top young talent in the area.
Her performance certainly impressed Snow and assistant coaches Todd Odgers, of Springfield; Bob Newman of Haverford; and Charlotte Bosco of Conestoga.
In the quarterfinal against Delaware South, Krasowski contributed a pair of hits and two RBIs.
Her standout moment in the tournament came Tuesday in the pool-play round against the Philadelphia Catholic League, smashing a bases-loaded triple to break the game wide open in the late stages.
“Abby swung a super hot bat both days. I was surprised by it because she didn’t hit against us (Marple Newtown) during the high school season. Todd, Bob and Charlotte knew what she could do, though. They saw her hit,” Snow said. “When it comes down to putting a team together, we’re all putting our input in, we’re talking about what happened during the season and we are looking at the tryout. We consider many different factors. We know these kids in different ways and we try to use all of the information that is available to make the right decisions and put together the best group. It was awesome to see her play so well.”
Rogers, Lofland and Nagle also shined at the plate for Delco in the four games.
Rogers went 4-for-4 in the win over the Catholic League and delivered the game-winning RBI triple in a 5-4 decision over Delaware North. Lofland went 4-for-4 in the victory over Lehigh and provided the game-tying, two-run double against Delaware North, as Delco rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh.
Delco received solid pitching from Kiera Norton, Conestoga; Allison Daly, Haverford; and Layla Murphy, Sun Valley. Grace Corner of Marple Newtown excelled behind the plate at catcher.
“We had a talented group of juniors — rising seniors — who are moving on, a bunch of kids who played multiple years for us,” Snow said. “Mare played three years for us. Zoey and Janie played two years. Grace played three years. Layla was with us for two years. We have a lot of juniors who are moving on, but I think this freshman class learned a lot along with the sophomores. I think we’ll be able to put a team together that’s pretty similar in the future.
“Delaware South and Lehigh, a team we beat, played in the championship. That’s a little tough. The initial thought when we started was that we want to win this thing and we think we can win this thing. It was very possible. We had all the pieces, but it just didn’t go our way.”
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