"It's virtually impossible to stay focused through all of that. You're stuck there in the dugout. The kids were telling jokes. Trying to stay loose. You can never get too excited about playing, because you're not sure how long the delay is going to last, or if the rain is going to come again."
Result: Frankford fell, 6-2.
And, yes, of course, the delays were just as frustrating for the winners.
The Pioneers' starting pitcher was senior righthander Rafael "Omar" Cruz, who lasted into the sixth inning. He allowed two runs in the first and one in the third, then was knocked out in the sixth before getting an out.
"You have to feel pretty going into the sixth with the score at 3-1; it's still a battle," Namnun said. "Really, if not for some early walks, it could have been 1-1."
Frankford scored once in the fifth on Carlos Ramirez' RBI single and again in the seventh when an attempt at a doubleplay went awry. With two men on base, Augusto "June" Ortega grounded into a force play to end it.
"Overall, I thought we had a great year," Namnun said. "You have to feel that way anytime you win a Public League championship. We pushed and pushed and got that, and I'm very proud of the kids for that accomplishment."
Frankford has won seven of the last 10 PL baseball titles. In the three major sports, a Pub team had not achieved that feat since Overbrook's basketball program from 1950 to'59.
Contact Ted Silary at silaryt@phillynews.com. Online high school coverage at philly.com/rally.
