Lehigh Valley Softball Carpenter Cup team takes two of three

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Typing away here on a picnic table complete with birds, bugs -- and trash -- at what should be beautiful FDR Park in South Philly before packing up and heading for the Blue Route.

Here's the report from the Softball Carpenter Cup where Lehigh Valley won two of three. As Meatloaf would sing "Two out of three ain't bad," but it's going to be a long, long road for the locals to win their third title in the event's seven-year history.

Here's a portion of what I filed for tomorrow's edition:

PHILADELPHIA — For a while there on Tuesday, the Lehigh Valley’s Carpenter Cup was overflowing with wins in South Philly.

At Citizens Bank Park, the Lehigh Valley’s baseball entry was winning the championship of its tournament while a just a stroll down Pattison Ave. at FDR Park, the area’s softball team was off to a 2-0 start in the Softball Carpenter Cup.

But after posting a 14-2 win over the Inter-AC representative and pulling out a 2-1 thriller against Berks Country, the local girls ran out of steam.

Playing their third game in a row on a humid day, Lehigh Valley lost its energy and its perfect record in a 8-0 defeat to Mercer County, New Jersey.

However, the Lehigh Valley team, trying for its third championship in the seven-year history of the Softball Carpenter Cup, is still alive.

It will return to FDR Park today at 3 p.m. with a goal of winning two games to get to Thursday’s final three.

Mercer County and Suburban One American and Continental are the only two remaining unbeatens in the double-elimination, 15-team tournament sponsored by the Phillies.

Lehigh Valley and Emmaus coach John Eyer was disappointed in how a few things were handled, but not with the effort of his team.

“Because of one team dropping out, they juggled the schedule and had us playing three games in a row, which is fine,” Eyer said. “But between the second and third games we were supposed to get a 45-minute break and we got only 15 or 20 minutes.

“The kids needed a longer break. They’re tired. And then we had umpiring where they weren’t sure what they were doing."

Lehigh Valley 500 430 2 — 14 16 0

Inter-AC 000 200 0 — 2 7 0

Gollie, Herring (5) and Deutsch, Filchner (5); Drossner, Melham (4), Cybularz (6) and McKay, Fortunato (5). W: Gollie. L: Drossner.

Lehigh Valley 000 010 1 — 2 3 1

Berks County100 000 0 — 1 4 0

Laubach, Wilson (5) and Natiello, Deutsch (5); Erb, Dunkelberger (5) and Bailey, Johnson (5). W: Wilson. L: Dunkelberger.

Lehigh Valley 000 000 0 — 0 4 1

Mercer County 030 005 x — 8 11 0

Wilson, Laubach (5) and Deutsch, Natiello (5); Mendez, Ragazzo (5) and Benedetti, Whittaker (4). W: Mendez. L: Wilson.