PHILADELPHIA — Four pitchers made sure Delaware South is one win away from Citizens Bank Park.

Delaware South combined for 18 strikeouts and a one-hitter for a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Public League in its opening game of the Carpenter Cup at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park on Friday afternoon.

Delaware South advanced to play Inter-AC/Independent (Pa.) Monday at 2 p.m. also in FDR Park. The semifinals and finals are contested at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The first six innings belonged to Appoquinimink pitchers Ryan Steckline and Brady Stamper, who went three innings each. Newark Charter’s Sean Kelby threw the seventh and the eighth before Smyrna’s Jeremy Carrow came on in the ninth.

Carrow, who just finished his junior year, capped it by striking out the side in order in the ninth.

“They pitched a one-hitter today, they did great,” Carrow said. “The whole pitching staff did good. I had to up the tempo, keep it going.”

Steckline, who is signed to play for Monmouth University next season, struck out six while Stamper, a Liberty University signee, followed with five strikeouts in his three innings of work.

Kelby then struck out four during the seventh and eighth innings.

It is only the fourth one-hitter in the history of the tournament, which began in 1986 and features teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The last one-hitter was in 2014 by Berks County (Pa.).

“We knew we had some strong pitchers and that’s what we wanted to do,” said Lake Forest High’s Corey Wyatt, who is coaching Delaware South this year.

“We have some All-State pitchers and guys going Division I so we kind of let them ride it. I feel bad that not all of our pitchers got in there, but those dudes are horses. We rode them to the next round.”

Delaware South took the lead 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Middletown’s Jake Walls. It would add on two more in the seventh thanks to an error and Dover’s Mike Carrington’s sacrifice fly.

Delaware South, made up of high schoolers from Kent County, Sussex County, Middletown-area schools and Newark-area public schools, also scored in the top of the first on two errors by Philadelphia Public.

Philadelphia Public’s lone hit came in the bottom of the first by Anthony Brown, who plated its only run of the game.

This is the second consecutive year Delaware South won its first-round game, after a 10-year drought. It was eliminated in the 2016 quarterfinals by the Philadelphia Catholic League team, one game short of Citizens Bank Park.

“That would be amazing to play there,” Carrow said. “I’ve never been to a pro stadium before so that’d be fun.”

“It would be awesome for all of us,” Wyatt said. “Just stepping on that field is a dream come true for coaches and players. We asked for a four-game commitment and that’s our belief that we can get to that round. That’s what we’re hoping for.”

NOTES: Delaware South improved its all-time record in the tournament to 13-23. Delaware split into two teams, North and South, in 1993. … Ten of the Delaware South players are recently graduated seniors. Only 12 players are from the Henlopen Conference. … Milford’s Abraham Mow tripled in the fourth inning for Delaware South and Appoquinimink’s Joe Weglarz doubled in the sixth but neither scored. … Zach Lesher, from Newark Charter, is on the Delaware South roster. His father former Major Leaguer Brian Lesher played in the Carpenter Cup for Delaware North. … Delaware South’s jerseys have “DG” above the numbers on the back to honor former Philadelphia Phillies manager and Delaware native Dallas Green, who died in March. … The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, June 23 at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. with the championship game at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 24.