By John Knebels • Posted May 29, 2026

As the noise grew louder at the University of Pennsylvania’s Tommy Lasorda Field, La Salle senior catcher Luke Borgmann could feel the game unraveling. A lead that once felt insurmountable had suddenly become a one-run nail-biter.

Yet, as they have done more than any baseball team in Philadelphia Catholic League history, the Explorers found a way once again.

Behind junior pitcher Alex Hisem and the steadying presence of Borgmann behind the plate, the top-seed Explorers escaped two-seed Conwell-Egan, 7-6, in the PCL championship game on May 22, capturing their second league title in three years, fifth in eight seasons, and the program’s record 13th title.

“As the game started getting close, I was just trying to slow everything down,” Borgmann said later. “Sometimes the background noise in stressful situations can cause wandering minds or mistakes. I just wanted him to trust himself, trust the defense, and keep attacking hitters.”

And standing 60 feet, 6 inches away during those tense final moments was Hisem, trying to breathe through the chaos.

So Borgmann walked to the mound. Not just as a catcher, but also as a stabilizer.

Before the unraveling, La Salle had done enough to believe it had control.

The Explorers had weathered an early 2-0 deficit and slowly flipped the game with a steady offensive response — working pitch counts, stacking quality at-bats, and finally breaking through against Conwell-Egan star pitcher Brady Guzzie, the Catholic League’s Most Valuable Player.

Behind the offense of senior Keegan Wade (2-for-3, two RBI, two doubles) and senior Brycen Clarke (three-run homer), the lineup had built what looked like a foolproof 7-2 lead.

But nothing about this one stayed settled.

For most of the afternoon, the Explorers appeared in control. Then suddenly, with two outs in the seventh inning, everything tilted.

Three singles and a two-run homer by Guzzie sent a visible jolt through the stadium and sliced La Salle’s lead from 7-2 to 7-6.

Still, the Eagles weren’t finished. Two more runners reached base on singles.

Now the tying and go-ahead runs stood on base while tension spread through both dugouts.

Earlier in the game, La Salle coach Kyle Werman had watched his team steadily wrestle momentum away from one of the Catholic League’s most dangerous opponents.

His lineup had solved Guzzie after falling behind early. Wade had energized the dugout with both his glove and bat. Clarke’s towering three-run homer in the sixth inning felt like the swing that had created separation — until it wasn’t.

“I just kept evaluating the moment after every hitter,” Werman said. “What’s the score? Is my pitcher still making pitches? It honestly felt like someone flipping heads six times in a row. At some point, tails was going to come up.”

Werman never rushed to the mound in panic.

Neither did Borgmann.

Behind the plate, the senior catcher could sense the game trying to spiral emotionally. Hisem, however, never completely lost himself inside the inning.

“I’ve been in a lot of high-pressure games this year,” Hisem said. “Taking breaths is something I do to slow the game down and focus on executing the next pitch.”

That composure became contagious.

Pitch by pitch, Borgmann kept reinforcing the same message: attack the zone, trust the defense, don’t let the inning become bigger than it already was.

Finally came the last at-bat, ending with a strike-three call at the knees.

Then came bedlam.

Hisem disappeared underneath a pile of celebrating teammates.

“Your mind kind of blacks out,” Hisem said. “All you can do is celebrate.”

Once again, La Salle celebrated by lifting another PCL championship plaque.

Four days later, the Explorers blanked Central, 10-0, in the District 12 final, clinching a trip to the PIAA Class 6A state tournament beginning June 1.

***

Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebel