This week's notebook highlights William Tennent, Souderton and Upper Merion and also recaps last week’s SOL action.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
Suburban One League National Conference ‘Snapshot’
William Tennent Panthers
William Tennent set itself a goal at the beginning of the season.
“We really want to be a team that will play in the post season – we want to make the (district) playoffs,” said William Tennent head coach Rick Penecale. “This is why we worked so hard in the offseason in the weight room, this is why we played fall baseball – we want to play playoff baseball.”
It didn’t look like that was going to happen this season for the Panthers. Tennent – which just missed the postseason last year by percentage points – started the conference season 1-4. However, the Panthers had a marvelous week of baseball last week, going 3-0 with one-run wins over Truman (8-7) and first place Council Rock South (7-6) – and closed the week with a punishing 13-2 win over Council Rock North.
And with a 4-4 conference record Tennent is more than back in the race trailing only Rock South (5-2) and Pennsbury (5-3) in conference standings.
“We dug ourselves quite a hole, but I was proud of the way we dug ourselves out of that hole,” said Penecale. “The league is so even – it is no surprise if any team in the league beats another team. Every team is going to face a challenge every game for the rest of the season.”
A huge reason that the Panthers are back in the hunt has been the play of senior catcher Ben Zeitz.
“We moved him to the # 4 hole, and he has been hitting the ball great,” said Penecale. “He can drive the ball into the gap – bunt if we need him to bunt – and is great in the clutch.
“He is also a very solid defensive catcher - he threw a couple of runners out last week that helped turn games around,” continued Penecale. “And after losing 11 seniors to graduation, he has stepped up and taken a great leadership role on this team. He is an extension to our coaching staff.”
William Tennent has a huge week this week as the Panthers play at Pennsbury (5-3) Monday, travel to Bensalem (3-4) on Wednesday – and host Neshaminy (4-4) on Friday.
That Was The Week That Was in the SOL National Conference
William Tennent (4-4) had an awesome week as the Panthers collected three wins. Tennent opened the week with an 8-7 win over Truman as Tim Brodhag delivered the game-winning single. Ben Zeitz and Vinny Case also had key hits. The Panthers continued to win close games with a 7-6 victory over Council Rock South. WT was down 4-0 early and 6-5 late but rallied to claim the win. Brandon Tocce was the winning pitcher in relief, while Jeremy Hefle sparked the offense with 2 RBI. William Tennent closed with week with an impressive 13-2 rout of Council Rock North. Zeitz fueled the offense with 3 hits and 4 RBI, while Ryan Lucas was the winning pitcher.
Council Rock South (5-2) moved into sole possession of first place as the Golden Hawks soared to a pair of wins and suffered a single loss last week. CR South opened the week with a 3-2 victory over rival Council Rock North. Greg Paprocki was the winning pitcher and allowed just four hits, and Nick Ponente delivered the game-winning hit. The Hawks closed the week with a 7-6 victory over Abington as Rock South scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Ben Anderson, Jake Nevin, and Paprocki each led the offense with two hits. The lone loss of the week came when CR South fell to William Tennent – 7-6. Nick Fabino led the Hawk offense with three hits.
Pennsbury (5-3) remained in contention as the Falcons split a pair of conference games last week. Pennsbury opened the week with a 5-2 victory over Neshaminy. Connor Ward was the winning hurler for the Falcons, while the offense was sparked by Brendan Campbell (home run) and Justin Jacko (2 RBI). Pennsbury closed the week with a 12-8 loss to Bensalem. The Falcons were led offensively in the loss by Jacko (three hits) and Jake Goldberg (2 RBI).
Abington (4-4) remained in contention as the Ghosts split a pair of conference games last week. Abington opened the week with a 7-6 victory over Bensalem and closed the week with a 7-6 loss to Council Rock South. In the win over the Owls, Nick Bein had three hits and 2 RBI, while Matt McDonough was the winning pitcher and had 2 RBI. In the loss to the Hawks – in a game that Abington led 5-0 - Bein had two hits to lead the offense.
Bensalem (3-4) remained in contention as the Owls split a pair of conference games last week. Bensalem opened the week with a 7-6 loss to Abington as Bill Uphoff, Andy Moser, and Ben Anderson all had key hits. The Owls closed the week with a 12-8 victory over Pennsbury. Uphoff had three hits while Bill Kohler and Jason Mulvey each had two hits. Chris Reyes was the winning pitcher for Bensalem.
Council Rock North (4-4) remained in contention despite losing both conference games last week. The Indians opened the week with a 3-2 loss to rival Council Rock South and closed the week with a 13-2 loss to William Tennent.
Neshaminy (4-4) remained in contention despite losing both of its conference games last week. The Redskins opened the week with a 5-2 loss to Pennsbury and closed the week with a 4-3 loss to Truman. Cole Creighton was the tough luck loser against the Falcons, while Eric Klimowicz led the Skin attack in the loss to the Tigers with 2 RBI.
Truman (2-6) split its conference games last week as Tigers opened the week with an 8-7 loss to William Tennent and closed the week with a 4-3 win over Neshaminy. In the loss to the Panthers, Evan Miller fueled the HST offense with 3 RBI. In the win over the Redskins, Aaron Wolf was the winning pitcher and also had two hits and an RBI.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL National Conference
Monday (4/28/14)
Abington @ Council Rock North
William Tennent @ Pennsbury
Truman @ Council Rock South
Bensalem @ Neshaminy
Wednesday (4/30/14)
Neshaminy @ Abington
William Tennent @ Bensalem
Pennsbury @ Council Rock South
Council Rock North @ Truman
Friday (5/2/14)
Truman @ Abington
Neshaminy @ William Tennent
Council Rock North @ Pennsbury
Council Rock South @ Bensalem
Saturday (5/3/14)
Council Rock North @ Council Rock South
Suburban One League Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Souderton Indians
Souderton has put itself back in the conversation as a contender for a conference title. Last week, the Indians (5-3) won a pair of games and trail only Hatboro-Horsham (6-2) in the conference standings. And Souderton will travel to play those first place Hatters on Monday.
“Hatboro-Horsham is in first place, and we want to be in first place,” said Souderton head coach Michael Childs. “We have a chance to get back into first place, and we are going to have to play our best game if we want to beat Hatboro. They are playing great baseball right now.
“We beat them the first time on a controversial call,” added Childs. “I’m sure that they will use that as motivation when they play us. I sure would use it.
“This season has been one crazy year in our confernence,” continued Childs. “We look at Suburban One Sports every day to see where we stand in the standings. We have been first – we have been sixth – and now we have a chance to be tied for first again.
“There really hasn’t been a dominant team this year in our conference,” added Childs. “Last year North Penn was the last seed in the district playoffs and ended up winning the state title. It could be that type of year again this year.”
Stay tuned.
That Was The Week That Was In The SOL Continental Conference
Hatboro-Horsham (6-2) moved into sole possession of first place as the Hatters won both of their conference games last week. Hatboro-Horsham opened the week with a 3-0 victory over Central Bucks West and closed the week with a 2-1 win over Central Bucks East. In the win over the Bucks, David Brown pitched the first six innings to earn the win, while Eric Lane and Eric Thomas each had two hits. In the win over the Patriots, Kevin Barron fired a complete game and had nine strikeouts.
Souderton (5-3) moved back into contention with a pair of conference victories. The Indians opened the week with a 10-2 rout of Quakertown and followed with a 4-2 win over North Penn. In the win over the Panthers – Jason Smith, Micah Plank, Zane Moyer, and Blake Gular all had key hits. In the win over the Knights, Dan Heilemann was the winning pitcher, throwing a complete game and allowing just four hits and no walks. The key RBIs were delivered by Brad Stolzfus and Gular.
Central Bucks East (5-3) remained in contention as the Patriots split a pair of conference games. CB East opened the week with a 3-1 victory over rival Central Bucks South and closed the week with a 2-1 loss to Hatboro-Horsham. In the win over the Titans, Brandon Birkhead fired a complete game and had four strikeouts.
North Penn (5-3) remained in contention as the Knights split a pair of conference games last week. North Penn opened the week with a 5-3 victory over Pennridge and closed the week with a 4-2 loss to Souderton. In the win over the Rams, Colin Healey collected the win with a complete game effort and Chris Kersey fueled the offense with three hits and a homerun. In the loss to Souderton, Kris Atkins led the offense with two hits.
Pennridge (4-4) remained in contention as the Rams split a pair of conference games last week. Pennridge opened the week with a 5-3 loss to North Penn but rebounded with a 14-2 win over Central Bucks South. In the win over the Titans, Pennridge pounded out 19 hits. Danny Shane had three hits that included a homer and 3 RBI. Eric Weslowski was the winning pitcher.
Central Bucks West (4-4) remained in contention as the Bucks split a pair of conference games last week. CB West opened the week with a 3-0 loss to Hatboro-Horsham and closed the week with a 9-3 victory over Quakertown. Will Taylor was the winning pitcher against the Panthers. The Bucks had 11 hits that included a 4-hit, 3-RBI outing by Brennan Snyder.
Central Bucks South (3-5) lost a pair of conference games last week as the Titans fell to Central Bucks East by a 3-1 score and dropped a 14-2 contest to Pennridge. Matt Radwanski was the tough luck loser against the Patriots.
Quakertown (0-8) remained winless as the Panthers lost a pair of conference games last week. Quakertown opened the week with a 10-2 loss to Souderton and closed the week with a 9-3 setback against Central Bucks West.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL Continental Conference
Monday (4/28/14)
Quakertown @ Pennridge
Souderton @ Hatboro-Horsham
Central Bucks South @ North Penn
Central Bucks East @ Central Bucks West
Wednesday (4/30/14)
Pennridge @ Hatboro-Horsham
North Penn @ Central Bucks East
Central Bucks West @ Souderton
Quakertown @ Central Bucks South
Thursday (5/1/14)
Souderton @ Central Bucks East
Friday (5/2/14)
Pennridge @ Central Bucks West
Hatboro-Horsham @ Central Bucks South
North Penn @ Quakertown
Suburban One League American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Upper Merion Vikings
Upper Merion (2-5) will not win a conference title, but the Vikings will not have to win a conference title to advance to the post season. Upper Merion is one of two Class AAA teams (Upper Moreland is the other) that competes in the conference. Springfield is a Class AA school.
Upper Merion had not won a conference game all season until last week when the Vikings won two of three games. And it was the Upper Merion hitting attack that attracted the attention of the remainder of the conference.
Upper Merion pounded out 13 hits enroute to a 7-6 win over Springfield. The Vikings led 8-0 before folding and dropping a 10-8 contest to Upper Dublin. Upper Merion scored nine runs in the first inning in a huge 13-2 win over Norristown.
If the Vikings hope to advance to that Class AAA postseason, they are going to have to find ways to continue swinging the bats and winning games. Upper Merion has a trio of critical games this week with three road games against Upper Moreland (5-3), Springfield (1-7), and Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-2).
Stay tuned.
That Was The Week That Was In The SOL American Conference
Cheltenham (8-0) remained unbeaten and in sole possession of first place with a pair of conference victories last week. The Panthers opened the week with a 15-0 rout of Norristown and closed the week with an 11-1 rout of Springfield. In the win over the Eagles, Calvin Salazar was the winning pitcher and drove home two runs. In the win over Springfield, Kevin Graham had three hits that included a homerun while Mark Heimann pitched six innings for the win.
Upper Moreland (5-3) moved into third place with a pair of conference wins. The Golden Bears opened the week with a 10-4 win over Wissahickon and closed the week with a 4-0 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh. In the win over the Trojans, Charlie Hooker was the winning pitcher and had four hits and 2 RBI, while Eddie Decker had a key bases loaded double. In the win over the Colonials, Decker was the winning pitcher throwing a complete game with nine strikeouts. Tommy Robinson and Hooker each had 2 RBI for the winners.
Upper Merion (2-5) won its first two conference games of the season as the Viking defeated Springfield 7-6 and followed with a 13-2 rout of Norristown. The Vikes also dropped a 10-8 contest to Upper Dublin. In the win over the Spartans, John Glenn, Carmen Fortino, and Andrew Del Guidice each had three hits. In the win over the Eagles - Glenn had three hits, Fortino had 3 RBI and a homerun, and Del Guidice was the winning pitcher with seven strikeouts in four innings.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-2) remained in second place as the Colonials split a pair of conference games. PW opened the week with a 3-2 win over Springfield and closed the week with a 4-0 loss to Upper Moreland. In the win over the Spartans, Connor Kissane threw three shutout relief innings to earn the win, while Zach Metz and Will Kane collected key hits.
Upper Dublin (5-3) remained in third place as the Flying Cardinals split a pair of conference games. Upper Dublin opened the week with a 10-8 victory over Upper Merion and followed with a 10-0 loss to Wissahickon. In the win over the Vikings, Christian Huckfeldt had 2 RBI to help the Cardinals overcome an 8-0 Upper Merion lead.
Wissahickon (4-4) split its pair of conference games. The Trojans opened the week with a 10-4 loss to Upper Moreland but rebounded with a huge 10-0 win over Upper Dublon.
Norristown (0-8) remained winless as the Eagles lost a pair of conference games. Norristown opened the week with a 15-0 loss to Cheltenham and followed with a 13-2 loss to Upper Merion.
Springfield (1-7) lost three conference games last week. The Spartans opened the week with a 3-2 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh, followed with a 7-6 loss to Upper Merion, and closed the week with an 11-1 loss to Cheltenham.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL American Conference
Monday (4/28/14)
Wissahickon @ Springfield
Upper Moreland @ Upper Merion
Norristown @ Upper Dublin
Cheltenham @ Plymouth Whitemarsh
Wednesday (4/30/14)
Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Wissahickon
Upper Merion @ Springfield
Upper Dublin @ Cheltenham
Upper Moreland @ Norristown
Thursday (5/1/14)
Springfield @ Norristown
Friday (5/2/14)
Wissahickon @ Cheltenham
Upper Merion @ Plymouth Whitemarsh
Upper Dublin @ Upper Moreland
Suburban One Sports.com
‘Super 16’
[Really?]
1. Cheltenham Panthers
2. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
3. Council Rock South Golden Hawks
4. Central Bucks East Patriots
5. North Penn Knights
6. Souderton Indians
7. Pennsbury Falcons
8. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
9. Neshaminy Redskins
10. Council Rock North Indians
11. Pennridge Rams
12. William Tennent Panthers
13. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals
14. Upper Moreland Golden Bears
15. Central Bucks West Bucks
16. Wissahickon Trojans
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