Archbishop Carroll rallies past Germantown Academy for non-league win

RADNOR >> Mike Costanzo wasn’t thrilled with Saturday afternoon’s 4-2, non-league verdict over Germantown Academy.

But he wasn’t about to give it back, either.

Archbishop Carroll was far from perfect. But when the chips were down, the Patriots battled back, scoring twice in the fifth, and then added insurance in the sixth to earn the victory.

“We play to win every game,” Costanzo said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but that’s the attitude we’re taking.”

Carroll jumped on top, 1-0, in the first, on the first of three hits by Max (Approprately Named) Hitman, but then watched GA take the lead in the fourth when  Colton Neidzielski followed a walk by Jack Popolizio and a double by Jack Sulllivan with a two-out, two-run single.

That didn’t stop the home team, which struck back in the fifth, re-taking the lead when Tyler Kehoe reached on an error and moved to second on a single by Hitman.

After a wild pitch moved both runners up, Kehoe scored on an infield hit by Cole Chesnut and Hitman crossed the plate on a ground ball back to the mound, which deflected off the foot of pitcher Wes Champlin.

Pinch-hitter Jake Harvey added insurance in the home sixth with an RBI single, and when Jack Houser 1-2-3’d the visitors in the top of the seventh, Carroll was where it wanted to be.

For GA, it was another tough loss, their seventh of 10 in games in which they’ve had a lead.

“We’re finding creative ways to shoot ourselves in the foot,” said Patriots head coach Tim Ginter. “And today, if we don’t make the mistakes that we make, we win the game.

“So we still have a lot of work to do.”

“We have to get more consistent offensively, and we have put our hits together,” Costanzo said as the Patriots celebrated the win. “And we have to be more committed to winning.”

Archbishop Carroll 4, Germantown Academy 2
Germantown Academy 000 200 0 — 2
Archbishop Carroll 100 021 x — 4
WP: Kamal Gray.
LP: Wes Champlin.
S: Jack Houser.
2B: GA–Jack Sullivan.