Carpenter Cup semifinal delayed

Posted: June 29, 2010

When the simple act of throwing a baseball became a major challenge, Greg Welsh knew it was time to head to the dugout.

Welsh, the Council Rock South senior lefthander for the Suburban One League National/Bicentennial team, was on the mound Monday during a brief but heavy storm that suspended semifinal play of the 25th annual Carpenter Cup baseball tournament at Citizens Bank Park.

The SOL National/Bicentennial holds a 4-3 lead over the SOL American/Continental in the bottom of the seventh inning. SOL American/Continental is batting with a runner on first and nobody out.

Carpenter Cup games are nine innings and at least seven innings must be played to be a complete game. The teams will resume the game at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Since that was originally the time of the championship game, the final will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Jersey Shore of Ocean and Monmouth Counties earned a spot in the final with Monday's 4-0 semifinal win over defending Carpenter Cup champion Burlington County.

Welsh, a Penn State recruit, who pitched 12/3 scoreless innings before the game was suspended, walked the first batter in the seventh, Matthew Hollenbeck of Hatboro-Horsham. The rain intensified as he took the mound for the start of the inning.

"I was happy when they made the decision because it was tough to grip the ball," Welsh said. "I thought I was throwing well until it started raining."

Welsh says he can bounce back and return to the mound Tuesday. Carpenter Cup rules allow a pitcher to throw as many as three innings in a game.

"I'll be ready," he said. "I still have four outs that I can pitch."

SOL American/Continental got a three-run double from Wissahickon sophomore J.T. Critts in the second inning. Council Rock North junior outfielder Mike Tentilucci of SOL National/Bicentennial went 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI before being replaced.

An RBI single by Holy Ghost Prep leftfielder and Maryland recruit Greg Olenski tied the score at 3 in the fourth inning. Later in the inning, Tentilucci broke the tie by scoring on a wild pitch.

In Monday's first semifinal, Jersey Shore continued its mound dominance with a 4-0 win over Burlington County. In three games, Jersey Shore has allowed a total of two runs.

Jersey Shore scored four unearned runs in the seventh inning after Seneca junior righthander Kevin Comer and Rancocas Valley junior righthander Devon Hedgepeth each threw three scoreless innings for Burlington County

Comer is one of the top prospects in the Delaware Valley. Hedgepeth is not as well known and was making his first pitching appearance after playing center field the previous two games.

For the third straight game, lefthander Andrew McGee of Toms River South started and pitched three scoreless innings for Jersey Shore. The Monmouth-bound lefthander has allowed just one hit in nine Carpenter Cup innings. After recording seven strikeouts against Burlington County, he has 17, while issuing just two walks in the three games.

McGee says he is ready to return to the mound, and he will have an extra day of rest.

Burlington County 000 000 000 - 0 3 3

Jersey Shore 000 000 40x - 4 7 0

WP: Matt Morris. LP: Tom Potts. 2B: J-Bryan Soloman. 3B: J-Joseph Ramirez.

SOL Natl/Bicen 011 200 0 - 4 7 0

SOL Amer/Cont 030 000 -- - 3 3 2

Game suspended due to rain in seventh inning with no outs, runner on first.

2B: SOLA-J.T. Crits; SOLN-Brian Beyer; Ryan Hartley; 3B: SOLA-David McInerney


Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com.

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