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Pa. Boys: North Penn, Spring-Ford reach final

North Penn and Spring-Ford each got strong pitching performances and are headed for the District 1 Class AAAA baseball championship game after each won semifinals yesterday.

North Penn

and

Spring-Ford

each got strong pitching performances and are headed for the District 1 Class AAAA baseball championship game after each won semifinals yesterday.

Eric Ruth gave up just a third-inning single while throwing

North Penn

's 9-0 one-hit shutout over

Avon Grove

at Norristown.

Ruth fanned 12 batters and walked five, while the Knights (19-4) piled up 14 hits and scored in four of the first five innings. Robbie Zinsmeister poked two singles and drove in two runs.

Spring-Ford

advanced with a 3-1 triumph over

Conestoga

at West Chester University.

Rich Guthridge provided a key two-run double with two outs during the Rams' three-run fifth inning. Guthridge then scored on Jon Hayes' RBI single, making a winner of pitcher Elliott Criss, who worked 51/3 innings for the Pioneers (17-6).

District 1 Class AAA.

Home runs off the bats of Jay Trio, Demetri Vlahos, and freshman Brian Leon accounted for half of

Marple Newtown

's runs in a 10-5 semifinal win over

Unionville

at Glen Mills.

The Tigers (15-6) had a dozen hits, including three by Chris Orlando in five at-bats. Leon hit a bases-empty homer in the second inning, Vlahos had a two-run homer in the fourth, and Trio added a two-run home run in the sixth inning.

Steve DeCecco pitched 41/3 innings to get the win.

Sun Valley

(20-1) will be the Tigers' opponent in tomorrow's title game after ousting

Great Valley

, 3-2, at Widener University, although both finalists qualified for the PIAA state tournament.

Sun Valley watched a 1-0 lead disappear when the Patriots scored twice in the top of the seventh inning, but the Vanguards responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Sam Farnell and Ed Toy each singled, Pat Sheridan walked to load the bases, and winning pitcher Tom Brennan lined the game-winning two-run single.

Brennan pitched just two-third of an inning but got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh with a strikeout.

District 1 Class AA.

Brad Lampson went 3 for 3, including a key two-run double in a three-run second inning that ignited

New Hope-Solebury

's 4-1 semifinal win over

Springfield (Montgomery County)

at Pennsbury.

Matt Maiorelli and Matt Wilson each added a pair of hits for the Lions (16-3), who will face St. Pius X, a 10-0 winner over Lower Moreland at Upper Merion, for the championship and a berth in the state tournament.

Vinny Voorhees limited Springfield to four hits, striking out 13 batters.

District 1 Class A.

Matt Miller dominated

Morrisville

's 7-3 semifinal win over

Delco Christian

at Perkiomen Valley by slugging a grand slam and also handling the Bulldogs' pitching chores.

Delco Christian led for most of the game on Mike Connelly's three-run homer.

Morrisville (17-5) tied the game in the top of the sixth on George Souyack's run-scoring double, and won it in the eighth on Miller's slam. Miller pitched five innings and struck out six batters.

Devon Prep

's semifinal matchup against

Christopher Dock

at Quakertown was postponed because of a wet field and will be played today.

Lacrosse

Malvern Prep

's defense dominated the Friars' EPSLA playoff quarterfinal game against

Springfield (Delaware County)

, blanking the Cougars, 12-0.

The second game of the doubleheader was suspended by lightning with

Ridley

and

Penn Charter

tied, 3-3, in the second period. The game will be resumed at 4:30 today at Conestoga.