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Upon nodding to coach Frank “Roscoe” Natale’s encouraging sentiments Monday at the South Philadelphia super site, 10th and Bigler streets, juniors David Destouet and David Russino rushed to the field to helm their shortstop and second base duties. Though sophomore hurler Alberto Fernandez would come to appreciate their defensive contributions, their offensive feats proved more endearing, as they reached base six times in helping South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St., to a 7-6 win over Delaware Valley.
“This is a solid team,” Destouet said of the Lower Moyamensing-based club. “It feels good to get this victory.”
The resident of the 2200 block of Morris Street has grown accustomed to triumphing, as the Rams raised their Division C mark to 6-2. The success is offering novelty to the teenager, who last year reveled only one time while an Edward Bok Technical High School Wildcat.
“We played sloppy and that explains our record,” the Point Breeze dweller said of his previous squad, which the School District of Philadelphia ended in June when shuttering the East Passyunk Crossing-situated institution, formerly 1901 S. Ninth St. “We play as a team now, so it’s more fun.”
Natale counts as another new countenance for the unit and has stressed generating quality at-bats and making wise pitches.
“This is a nice group of kids who play hard,” the inhabitant of the 1600 block of South Juniper Street, who also oversees the school’s gridiron action, said. “The key is always putting yourself in a good position to produce good results, and we’ve done that consistently.”
The Rams, 2-9 in Public League duels a year ago, have excelled at the dish, plating double-digit run tallies four times, including a 20-score effort against Bartram April 21. Finding themselves in a tightly contested battle for playoff seeding, they entered with the same league ledger as their foes and sent Fernandez to the mound to muffle their sticks.
Though he vowed to heed Natale’s plea not to walk anybody, the right-hander issues two passes in the opening frame. Combined with four stolen bases and a wild pitch, the offerings led to two runs and an immediate sense that the hosts could have a host of problems. However, as the mantra for many goes, no Public League lead is safe, and the Rams registered a rapid rally with their initial cuts. After Russino’s leadoff groundout, Destouet smacked a single to commence a streak of six straight batters reaching base. Sophomore slugger Pedro Reyes provided the highlight, as the first baseman blasted a two-run double and later crossed home on an error. Fernandez, who helped his cause by reaching on another miscue, swiping a bag and scoring, then fanned the side before his peers would author the game-deciding plot.
Again leading off, Russino muscled a single and showed off the speed that has made him a mammoth part of Southern’s resurgence. Having accumulated eight steals in the bashing of Bartram, he put himself into scoring position for Destouet after a great jump. His fellow junior ended up plunked, with both scoring on another mighty crack by Reyes. The heavy hitter and Fernandez also scored on a fielder’s choice and a groundout, giving the latter a sizeable, but not insurmountable, cushion.
“Once we went up 7-2, we knew it wasn’t over, but we felt pretty good,” Russino said. “It showed character that we were able to hang on.”
The denizen of the 1000 block of Morris Street attends online school, with his status allowing him to play ball for the nearest Public League facility. The first-year presence loves providing a spark at the top of the lineup, which the Bartram annihilation and April 22’s 6-3 handling of Randolph, in which he notched two hits and as many runs and runs batted in, make apparent. Enthused about helping the Rams to become a contender, he has especially enjoyed fraternizing with Destouet, with the upperclassmen most proud of their club’s offensive talent.
After the visitors reduced the deficit to 7-3 in the fifth, the two looked for fat pitches in the home half, with the former finding none in drawing a walk and the latter reaching on an error. Fernandez walked to set the stage for Reyes to clobber another pitch with only one out, but the youth struck out, and junior catcher Walter Tweed’s bouncer to first ended the threat.
“We didn’t score there, but I liked that we wanted to come right back,” Russino said.
The Rams likely rued their failure, though, in the sixth, as the Warriors trimmed the score to 7-5. Matters became more menacing in the final frame, as a hit batsman, two steals and a throwing error by Tweed brought up the tying run with nobody retired. Fernandez snared a comebacker, induced a flyout and tallied his 17th strikeout, though, to secure the satisfying win.
“There were some crazy moments, but you should be proud of your fight,” Natale, the South Philly Review’s 2013 Readers’ Choice High School Coach of the Year, said. “Going forward, though, there has to be more commitment.”
Count Destouet among that stance’s supporters.
“Our mentality is to come back if we’re down and have strong at-bats,” he said. “We want to get better, though, for sure.”
The Rams played Sankofa yesterday in action that ended after press time. They host Franklin Learning Center today.
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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