FANS OF District 12 baseball still might be wearing black armbands.
Why? One year ago this Wednesday, six D-12 teams played first-round games in PIAA state tournaments over four classifications and . . . well, everyone struck out.
Though two games were close, the overall score was 44-10 and frustration intensified over Greater Philly’s inability to make a baseball dent.
The Public League began competing in state playoffs in the 2004-05 school year and the Catholic League signed up for 2008-09. No teams have played in championship games and just three – Central in ’06; St. Joseph’s Prep and Ss. Neumann-Goretti in ’09 – have advanced as far as the semifinals.
By contrast, D-12 boasts 11 basketball state championships, including three apiece these last two winters, and three more in football.
The 2012 baseball tourneys start Monday, with the top attraction a doubleheader at Temple’s Skip Wilson Field, on the Ambler Campus, involving D-12’s No. 1 AAAA seed (La Salle) at 1 p.m. and AAA’s top dog (N-G) at 4.
– Ted Silary
MONDAY, JUNE 4
FIRST ROUND
CLASS AAAA
Upper Dublin (1-4) vs. La Salle (12-1), at Temple’s Ambler Campus, 1
Frankford (12-2) vs. Council Rock South (1-2), at Spring-Ford High, in Royersford, 3
CLASS AAA
Twin Valley (3-2) vs. Ss. Neumann-Goretti (12-1), at Temple’s Ambler Campus, 4
Phila. Elec. (12-2) vs. Lampeter Strasburg (3-1), at War Memorial Stadium, in Ephrata, 6:30
CLASS AA
Esperanza (12-1) vs. Brandywine Heights (3-1), at Muhlenberg High, in Reading, 4:30
CLASS A
GAMP (12-1) vs. Calvary Christian (1-1), at Great Valley High, in Malvern, 4
