Calciano, Delco East stay alive at Carpenter Cup with afternoon sweep
PHILADELPHIA >> Delaware County East’s Malia Calciano knew right away that the missile she hit to center field wasn’t a home run.
“No,” she said, “I’m slow.”
Calciano’s self-depricating humor is appreciated, but in the rising Strath Haven senior’s defense, the ball went a long way but to the wrong part of the field.
The ball landed in front of the center-field fence, the deepest spot in the park. Had Calciano pulled the pitch, she likely would have gone into her home run trot; instead, she hustled to second for a double.
“I didn’t think (the ball was going over the fence),” Calciano said. “I do think the centerfielder thought it was. She stopped running, but I knew I had to run.”
Calciano’s RBI double in the fifth inning against the Inter-Ac League Tuesday at the 13th annual Carpenter Cup Classic was her second two-base knock of the game. She finished 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored as Delco East rolled to a 10-1 victory in a losers-bracket contest.
Delco East will return to FDR Park Wednesday at 1 o’clock to face the winner of Burlington County-Delaware South.
After receiving a tough draw in its opener — perennial championship contender Tri-Cape — Delco East rallied to defeat Mid-Penn in its first afternoon game. Whether they won or lost, Delco East would have advanced to its 5 o’clock game with Inter-Ac because, according to tournament officials, Mid-Penn had to forfeit due to a roster requirement violation (the Carpenter Cup doesn’t mess around).
In any case, Delco East coach Chris Calciano, who helps coach his daughter at Strath Haven, opted not to tell his players that their second game Tuesday was a glorified exhibition. Delco East trailed by three runs before scoring four in the seventh to earn a 7-6 victory.
“The group of girls here are amazing,” said Malia Calciano, who is a first-time Carpenter Cup player. Calciano helped end Strath Haven’s decades-long District 1 playoff drought this year. “I’ve never been on a team that’s more devoted to winning and just being on the field. It’s awesome.”
Haverford High’s Amber Moscoe jammed her thumb sliding into home plate in the Mid-Penn game. She disguised the injury with sports tape and played all seven innings at second base against Inter-Ac. She led off with a walk and scored Delco East’s first run.
“It’s fine,” she said. “You don’t really have to throw a lot at second base, so that helps.”
Penncrest’s Julia Eckels and Harriton’s Kiley Marsh each had a two-run single in Delco’s four-run fourth inning. Haverford’s Morgan Marchesani added a two-run double in the fifth, while Penncrest’s Emma Stauffer went 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
Penncrest’s Maya Hartman pitched four innings of one-hit ball for the win. Rebecca Sorrentino (single, RBI, two runs) pitched three frames in relief.
