Penn Charter's Adzick is back to his old self

All Mark Adzick wanted to be was Jamie Moyer.

The Penn Charter pitcher did himself one better. He was Mark Adzick.

Or, to be more precise, he was the old Adzick, sawing off batters effortlessly as Penn Charter denied Chestnut Hill Academy an outright Inter-Ac League championship - at least for now - winning, 4-1, yesterday.

The lefthanded Adzick tossed seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing only a run, and he did so with less than his best. The Wake Forest-bound senior hasn't seen the mound in almost a month because of a strained abdominal muscle.

But on Thursday, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Adzick worked out and started to feel close to his fastball-curveball-change-up self.

"He looked tight the first couple of pitches, but then he let it go," Penn Charter coach Rick Mellor said. "He threw a curveball and I started to cry. Then he threw a change-up - tears were coming. It was just there."

The plan was to let Adzick throw at about 75 percent to 80 percent for five innings. Whether or not the dozen or so scouts on hand got the message, Adzick's fastball was clocked at 86 m.p.h. But not needing to throw the speed may have benefited the southpaw.

That's why Adzick was channeling the 44-year-old, workmanlike Moyer.

"I wanted to have the Jamie Moyer intensity," Adzick said. "Every time I got on the mound, I would be filling in the holes in the ground like Moyer. Just like that - low-key, no walks, although I did walk a few."

Adzick issued four free passes (and struck out four batters), but he worked the corners, inducing the visiting Blue Devils into plenty of comebackers. Then Adzick switched from Moyer to Greg Maddux, snagging almost every ball hit his way.

"He was nice and loose and relaxed," Mellor said. "In the beginning of the year, he was forcing it a little bit because you have 13 scouts [with radar guns]. But it was Mark again, vintage Mark."

CHA (20-4, 8-2 league), meanwhile, will have to wait till Friday to learn whether it has to share the Inter-Ac crown. Last Friday, the Blue Devils clinched at least a tie for the title - their first since 1989. But yesterday's loss, coupled with Malvern Prep's win over Germantown Academy, means CHA needs the Haverford School to beat Malvern on Friday to keep sole possession of first place.

"This is not the most talented club I've ever had," CHA coach Stan Parker said. "Obviously, some kids can play ball here, but this is a team."

Sam Zeglinski got things started in the first inning for Penn Charter (10-9, 3-7), lacing a leadoff double off starter Mike Mattei. He scored three batters later when Doug Fleming singled up the middle. But the big blow came in the fourth, when Quakers senior Mike Basile stroked a two-run home run to right for a 3-0 lead.

CHA, though, made noise in the fifth. Bobby Martz came up with a bunt single and Mike Christiansen was hit by a pitch, giving the Blue Devils two on with no outs. But the top of the order mustered only two fielder's choices and a pop-out, and Adzick escaped with a 3-1 lead.

There's no eluding the draft talk for the usually sarcastic Adzick, who is taking the normal stance for a prospect who is college bound. If he's picked in the first five rounds, he'll most likely sign. If not, it's southward to become a Demon Deacon.

"You can't miss out on the Wake Forest girls," Adzick said.

Sounds like the old Mark Adzick.

Chestnut Hill Academy 000 010 0 - 1 2 0

Penn Charter 100 201 X - 4 8 0

WP: Mark Adzick. LP: Mike Mattei. 2B: PC-Sam Zeglinski. HR: PC-Mike Basile.