Carpenter Cup Classic:
Public League

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Last year, Brian Susten was a good No. 2 pitcher.
This year, he was a good No. 1.
Yet neither was good enough for the junior lefty from Northeast High School. Next year, he wants to be the best.
So far, he’s taking the right road.
Last year, Susten pitched the Vikings’ not-as-important games. The biggies were handled by Joe Breitweiser, a four-year stud hurler who led Northeast to a lot of victories.
While Susten did get some opportunities against the big guns, most of his time was spent against the Vikings’ lesser foes.
He didn’t waste that opportunity.
“I learned a lot from Joe,” Susten said. “He was very good and he was always willing to help me out, show me stuff. I wasn’t going against Frankford or teams like that, but I learned a lot from playing varsity. I think this year I pitched a lot better.”
This season, the southpaw was on the mound every time the Vikings had a big game. And he won six games, helping Northeast finish the year 9-5 during the Public League A Division regular season and advance to the Public League semifinals.
The Vikings lost to Frankford. Still, the year was a success.
“I thought we did really well,” Susten said. “We had a good team, and we didn’t have any seniors. Everyone from this year’s team is back, so we’re really excited about next year.”
In this year’s finale, as in his final high school game of the season, Susten was named the starter — this time by Frankford coach Juan Namnun as the Public League took part in the 23rd annual Carpenter Cup.
The end result wasn’t what the Pub was looking for, but it also wasn’t terrible. The Public League fell to Mercer County, 4-3.
It was just the second time that the Public League lost a game in the tournament by one run. Then again, the Public League has emerged victorious only once in the history of the tournament.
Susten was able to put the whole thing in perspective.
“It was great . . . it would have been better to win, but it was still fun,” Susten said. “The Public League had a lot of good players this year, and I thought we did really well. Plus it was fun to play with a bunch of guys I’ve never played with before. I knew them, but I didn’t really know them. It was fun to get to know them better.”
Supplying the bulk of the Public League’s offense was Frankford junior Edwin “Tito” Rohena, who blasted a two-run homer out of University of Pennsylvania’s Meiklejohn Stadium. It was just the second home run for the Public League in Carpenter Cup history.
Susten, meanwhile, was pleased by his outing on the mound.
“I thought I pitched well,” he said. “It did help that I got to see great teams all year. When you pitch against teams like Central and Frankford, you’re ready for anything. But it was fun to start an all-star game.”
During the summer, Susten will compete against more elite players when he plays for Jeff Manto’s Big 30 and Montco Mustangs, both travel teams that showcase top talent to college scouts.
In doing so, he’ll rack up a lot of miles.
“I’m going to New York, Florida, Detroit . . . we travel a lot,” Susten said. “It’s fun because you get to compete against really good players, and it makes you better.”
As Susten improves, so does the Vikings’ chance of bringing home a championship next June.
“The main thing is winning a Public League championship,” Susten said. “That’s what I want. Doing well is good, but I haven’t won a championship yet. That’s what we’ll be playing for.” ••