Lehigh Valley

CHICAGO - Rich Thompson waited eight years for the second chance and it finally arrived in the form of a phone call at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. Lehigh Valley manager Ryne Sandberg told him his flight to Florida was at 1:45 p.m. He was going back to the majors. The Phillies traded Thompson, a fan favorite at triple-A Lehigh Valley, to Tampa Bay for outfielder Kyle Hudson. Thompson joined the Rays, who played Boston in St. Petersburg, Fla. "It's awesome," Thompson said by phone from the Charlotte airport.

Jake Diekman was clearly enjoying the atmosphere in his new environment. On a day where the Phillies made several personnel moves, among the more interesting is the arrival of Diekman, a 25-year-old lefthander recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley. Diekman was 1-0 with five saves and a 0.59 ERA in 13 games for the IronPigs. He had 22 strikeouts and three walks in 151/3 innings. During spring training he didn't allow an earned run in five appearances. So Diekman has been on cloud nine since receiving the news that he would be called up to the big leagues.

TYLER CLOYD had another strong outing Thursday and improved to 3-0 at Triple A Lehigh Valley and 6-0 overall on the season. Cloyd went six innings, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk in the IronPigs' 5-1 win at Indianapolis. He was an emergency starter on Opening Day for Lehigh Valley and pitched six perfect innings. He then returned to Double A Reading. Thursday's outing was his second since being promoted. In the three starts overall for Lehigh Valley, he has a 0.90 ERA, allowing two runs in 20 innings.

Lehigh Valley defeated Burlington County, 5-3, yesterday in the Carpenter Cup championship game at Citizens Bank Park. It was the third title for Lehigh Valley, which also won in 2001 and 1998. More than 400 high school students participated in the 26th annual Phillies Baseball Carpenter Cup, a 15-game tournament that included play at FDR Park and, for the first time, Coca-Cola Park, home of the Triple A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Lehigh Valley won the most lopsided championship game in the 13-year history of the Carpenter Cup baseball tournament yesterday. Lehigh Valley got 17 hits, Berks County made seven errors, and the final at Veterans Stadium was 14-1. The previous largest margin in a title game was the Catholic League's 14-4 triumph over the South Jersey South in 1987. This was only the third time in tournament history that both finalists were from Pennsylvania. Berks was making its second championship appearance, having lost to Ocean-Monmouth, 10-5, in the 1994 final.

ALLENTOWN - Olympic Colonial bowed out of the Carpenter Cup with an 8-4 loss to Lehigh Valley in the quarterfinals Friday at Coca-Cola Park. The game was to be the first of a quarterfinal doubleheader at the home of the Phillies' triple-A affiliate, but when heavy rains and wind rolled through at 1:07 p.m., umpires ushered players off the field in the middle of the eighth inning. The game was called, and the result was final, per tournament rules. Lehigh Valley advanced to Monday's semifinals at Citizens Bank Park.

Jeremy Sladen drove in five runs to lead the Reading Phillies past the New Britain Rock Cats, 11-9, last night in the Eastern League. Former Philadelphia Phillie Fabio Castro (3-0) allowed five runs in five innings but got the win. Reading206200100 - 11150 New Britain203002002 - 9140 WP: Fabio Castro (3-0). LP: Jay Rainville (1-2). S: Pat Overholt (4). HR: R-Greg Golson (2), John Suomi (2); NB-Luke Hughes (4). A: 2,819. Lehigh Valley000114000 - 6130 Syracuse60200050x -13140 WP: John Parrish (2-0)

Eighteen hard hats and a sign reading "This office belongs to the people of the Lehigh Valley" decorate the Capitol Hill office in Washington of Rep. Don Ritter, the Lehigh University metallurgy professor who became a Republican congressman in 1978 and has held the job ever since. The scene is more philosophical in the workplace of Joseph Simonetta in Bethlehem, Pa. There, index cards bearing quotes about peace, fairness and justice - from the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Camus, Thomas Edison and Victor Hugo - are taped to the basement walls of Simonetta's parents' home.

ALLENTOWN - The IronPigs took a commanding lead over the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox with 3-2, extra-inning win in Game 2 of their best-of-five International League Division Series. Lehigh Valley rightfielder Brandon Moss was the difference, driving all three of the IronPigs' runs on three hits, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning. He also had a homer in the second for the IronPigs' first run. Lehigh Valley won Thursday's Game 1, 4-2, in Coca-Cola Park.

CHICAGO - Rich Thompson waited eight years for the second chance and it finally arrived in the form of a phone call at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. Lehigh Valley manager Ryne Sandberg told him his flight to Florida was at 1:45 p.m. He was going back to the majors. The Phillies traded Thompson, a fan favorite at triple-A Lehigh Valley, to Tampa Bay for outfielder Kyle Hudson. Thompson joined the Rays, who played Boston in St. Petersburg, Fla. "It's awesome," Thompson said by phone from the Charlotte airport.

Jake Diekman was clearly enjoying the atmosphere in his new environment. On a day where the Phillies made several personnel moves, among the more interesting is the arrival of Diekman, a 25-year-old lefthander recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley. Diekman was 1-0 with five saves and a 0.59 ERA in 13 games for the IronPigs. He had 22 strikeouts and three walks in 151/3 innings. During spring training he didn't allow an earned run in five appearances. So Diekman has been on cloud nine since receiving the news that he would be called up to the big leagues.

TYLER CLOYD had another strong outing Thursday and improved to 3-0 at Triple A Lehigh Valley and 6-0 overall on the season. Cloyd went six innings, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk in the IronPigs' 5-1 win at Indianapolis. He was an emergency starter on Opening Day for Lehigh Valley and pitched six perfect innings. He then returned to Double A Reading. Thursday's outing was his second since being promoted. In the three starts overall for Lehigh Valley, he has a 0.90 ERA, allowing two runs in 20 innings.

Almost as soon as horse trainer Tony Dutrow bought the filly for $95,000 in 2010, his wife Kim knew the name. She could only be Grace Hall. One of her owners was Mike Caruso, the three-time NCAA champion Lehigh wrestler from the mid-1960s, a man whose high school and college record was 141-1. Then as now, the Lehigh wrestling venue was intimidating Grace Hall, named after Eugene Grace, the president of Bethlehem Steel and a great Lehigh baseball player. "I've lived in Bethlehem the last 50 years since I came to Lehigh," said Caruso, who went to St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J. He was on the Lehigh board of trustees for 14 years.

READING - He is saying all the right things, not walking with his head down, intent on fulfilling the vast promise that once made him the most desired Phillies prospect and one of the best in baseball. If Domonic Brown is disappointed at starting the season at triple-A Lehigh Valley instead of being with the Phillies, he sure isn't showing it with his words or actions. "It's not really tough for me - it's part of the game," Brown said before Tuesday's exhibition game at Reading.

ALLENTOWN - Luke Carlin hit a two-run home run, and Joe Martinez struck out 13 as the visiting Columbus Clippers downed the IronPigs, 6-2, putting Lehigh Valley on the brink of elimination. After capturing the first game of the best-of-five series, the IronPigs have dropped two straight. They will host Game 4 on Friday. Martinez, a righty, went seven innings and allowed just one run on three hits.     The IronPigs threatened in the eight as the go-ahead run reached base before Josh Barfield flied out to end the rally.

ALLENTOWN - The IronPigs took a commanding lead over the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox with 3-2, extra-inning win in Game 2 of their best-of-five International League Division Series. Lehigh Valley rightfielder Brandon Moss was the difference, driving all three of the IronPigs' runs on three hits, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning. He also had a homer in the second for the IronPigs' first run. Lehigh Valley won Thursday's Game 1, 4-2, in Coca-Cola Park.

Playing at: Lehigh Valley (AAA) Position: Shortstop. Age: 21. Born: Nov. 14, 1989, in Punto Fijo, Falcon, Venezuela. Height: 5-10. Weight: 170. Bats: Both. Throws: Right. How acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent, July 2, 2006. This season: Started in Reading and moved up to Lehigh Valley on Aug. 2. Galvis is hitting .318 in 19 games at Triple A heading into last night . . . Was hitting .273 with a career-high eight homers in 422 at-bats in Reading . . . Generally batting at the bottom of the order for Lehigh Valley, where his 21 hits include 18 singles, two doubles and a triple.

For the second time in a month, Jack Cust was released by a major-league club when the Phillies cut their ties with the outfielder on Saturday. In six games with Lehigh Valley, Cust hit .250 with a home run and two RBIs in 20 at-bats. Believed to be an option for the Phillies as a lefthanded bat off the bench, Cust was signed to a minor-league contract a week after being released by Seattle on Aug. 4. A native of Flemington, N.J., the 32-year-old said he enjoyed the opportunity to play close to home.

  DURHAM, N.C. - Matt Moore struck out 10 in 62/3 innings to lead the Durham Bulls past the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 6-4, in the International League on Sunday. Binghamton 7, Reading 4 BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Juan Lagares was 3 for 3 with three RBIs as the Mets beat the Phillies in the Eastern League. Altoona 3, Trenton 2 ALTOONA, Pa. - Greg Picart's homer in the seventh lifted the Curve past the Thunder in the Eastern League.   Lehigh Valley 000 000 211 – 4 8 0 Durham 013 010 01x – 6 10 2 WP: Moore (3-0)