Olympic Colonial, which boasts the most Carpenter Cup titles in the tournament's 26-year history (five), lost for the second straight year in the quarterfinals. The team last won the title in 1997.
With Dean Wilson on the mound and keeping the Lehigh hitters at bay, Olympic Colonial built an early 4-1 lead.
With two outs in the second inning, Olympic Colonial manufactured three runs. Haddon Township senior Mike Byrnes scorched a liner to center that scored Audubon's Brian Flacco, who had begun the uprising with a hit up the middle. Byrnes stole second and advanced to third when catcher Cody Kramer's throw rolled into the outfield.
A throwing error off a dribbler by Nick Meoli (Pennsauken) allowed Byrnes to come around. Ned Kerr, a junior from Paul VI, knocked in Meoli before the side was retired.
An inning later, Olympic Colonial scored again, when Eastern's Mike Marchitto knocked in Flacco with a single. All four Olympic Colonial runs came with two outs.
By then, Wilson, having pitched the maximum three innings, was pulled - he allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out five - and Lehigh Valley went to work. The team scored five runs in the fourth, thanks mostly to a bases-clearing double by Justin Pacchioli.
"We're all thinking it'd be pretty fun to play at Citizens Bank," Flacco said, "but you can't always get what you want."
Junior Karl Keglovits, who hit 90 m.p.h. on the stadium's radar gun, pitched a hitless final three innings for Lehigh Valley. He struck out eight of the nine batters he retired, and walked one.
Olympic Colonial 031 000 00 - 4 8 3
Lehigh Valley 010 502 0x - 8 11 4
WP: Seth Stoudt. LP: Keith Wallace. 2B: LV–Justin Pacchioli, Rob Bennie, Collin McGee.
Contact Evan Burgos at rallysports@phillynews.com.
