HIGH-SCHOOL

Wood baseball takes down reigning state champs, punches ticket to PCL title

Daryl Bell
Bucks County Courier Times

Archbishop Wood baseball took another step toward establishing itself as the team to beat in the Philadelphia Catholic League and perhaps even the state.

The Vikings defeated three-time defending Philadelphia Catholic League champion and reigning PIAA state titlist La Salle 6-1 on Wednesday at FDR Park in Philadelphia.

The victory pushed them into Saturday's Catholic League championship game against Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast at the University of Pennsylvania. Bonner-Prendergast defeated Neumann-Goretti 5-1 in the other Catholic League semifinals game to advance.

"We are going to have to play very well against them," said Archbishop Wood head coach Jim DiGuiseppe Jr. "They came up to our place on (April 25) and knocked us around pretty good (a 13-2 Bonner-Prendergast victory). They have an excellent team."

Bonner-Prendergast are 21-1 with the lone loss being a non-league 10-8 setback to Morristown on April 30. Wood, which improved to 17-3, got some excellent pitching from senior Connor Woodson and some timely hitting to beat the Explorers (13-8)  for the second time this year.

"I just came after them with everything I had," said Woodson, who came in relief of starter Justin McCann. "I knew they were capable of doing something. I had to keep them down."

La Salle went up 1-0 in the third inning before Wood scored two runs in the fifth. The Vikings added four more runs in the sixth to win easily.

"You never know how these games are going to go," said La Salle head coach Kyle Werman. "I thought we had a chance to beat them (and defend our title). It's a great rivalry between La Salle and Wood. It's always a very close game."