Four SOL baseball teams were winners in Saturday’s District One Tournament action.
And then there were four.
When the dust had settled on another fascinating day of district baseball, three SOL teams were still standing in Class AAAA competition, and Springfield (Montco) had walked away with the District One Class AA title. The North’s top-seeded squad, Central Bucks East, was defeated by a Coatesville team that is looking a whole lot better than its South 4 seed would suggest.
The North’s 7th, 10th and 12th seeds – Council Rock North, Pennridge and North Penn – all advanced to Tuesday’s district semifinal round while also earning berths in the state tournament.
All in all, not a bad day for the SOL.
#2 SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 8, #1 BRISTOL 1
The second-seeded Spartans upset top-seeded Bristol to capture their third consecutive District One AA title on Saturday afternoon on the Temple Ambler campus.
“It was just a terrific win for us,” coach Chris Shelly said.
Leading the Spartans to the big win was sophomore hurler Julian Salzar, who responded to the big-game pressure by tossing a four-hitter. He struck out two and walked one.
“He pitched well for us most of the year, but he’s a sophomore, so we weren’t sure,” Shelly said. “We gave the ball to him and said, ‘Keep the ball down,’ and he beat a pretty good Bristol team with four Carpenter Cup players on it from last year.
“We were really challenging him, and aside from that one run when we had our only error, he shut their lineup down. It was a phenomenal job by him.”
The Spartans played solid defense behind Salzar.
“Our defense made some tremendous plays,” said Shelly, crediting shortstop Luke Pollock and first baseman Chase Luxton. “Those two guys made some great plays.”
The Spartans collected nine hits in the win, led by Ian Quigg (2-for-4, RBI) and Pollock (2-for-3, 2 RBIs). Luxton added a double.
“We challenged our kids in the box,” Shelly said. “We haven’t been a great hitting team, and we kind of felt like we were due for a breakout game.”
The Spartans scored single runs in the first and second innings only to watch the Warriors plate a single run in the fourth to make it a 2-1 game. The Spartans got that run back in the sixth and then broke the game open with a five-run seventh.
The highlight of the seventh was a three-run double by Marten Pauwels.
“That was huge,” Shelly said. “This (district title) is huge for us.
“It’s been an up and down kind of year for us. We really felt our kids showed their character in the Suburban One because it’s not an easy league for us – we’re in AA.
“We had some games where we got 10-runned, but we kept impressing on the kids, ‘Your best baseball is out there.’ It was nice to see the kids come through in a big way in a championship game. It’s huge for us.”
The Spartans work isn’t finished yet. Since District One, which has just three Class AA teams, is a sub-region, the Spartans will need to defeat PCL champion Neumann Goretti at Great Valley on Tuesday to earn a berth in the state tournament. The Spartans have won that play-in game the past two years, twice defeating Conwell Egan.
[N-7] COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 9, [N-3] METHACTON 8 (10 innings)
Wild wins have been commonplace during a remarkable district playoff run for the Indians. In their opening round win over Penncrest, they scored five runs in the seventh inning to send the game into extra innings and eventually won in the ninth. They followed that with an upset of the South’s second-seeded squad, Unionville, and then pulled of another heartstopping win on Saturday, scoring five runs in the top of the 10th and then hanging on for the one-run win.
“It’s craziness,” coach Matt Schram said. “We played a total of seven extra innings between the first game and the third game. I know we’ve only played three (games) in this playoff series, but we’ve actually played four.”
Both teams hit four home runs in Saturday’s slugfest.
“The wind and their field, including their outfield fence, played a role,” Schram said. “The wind was just blowing out, and there were a few home runs that I’d call jet stream home runs.”
The fun started early in this one as Tyler Callender hit his first of two home runs on the day, this one a two-run shot to spot the Indians an early 2-0 lead.
“He hit it high, and it just kept on carrying and carrying and carrying,” Schram said.
Cole German hit his first home run of the year, and Ryan Baker also had a home run in a contest that was relatively uneventful until the 10th when the two teams combined for nine runs.
The Warriors responded to Rock North’s two-run first with a three-run second and added a single run in the third to go on top 4-2. The Indians plated single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to knot the score.
Brett Newman threw six shutout innings after allowing four runs in the first three and was in complete command until he was lifted after reaching his nine-inning maximum. He threw just 100 pitches in nine innings.
“He threw the game of his life,” Schram said. “Brett got off the bus with confidence. Not that he doesn’t usually have confidence, but I could just tell he felt great today.
“His curveball was good, not great, but just enough to get them off-balance a little. His fastball was electric today. It wasn’t 100 miles per hour, but he was spotting it, he was pinpointing it. He executed his pitches today, and that was key to him.
“After the second inning, he had 44 pitches, so that means from innings three through nine he only threw 56 pitches. His last two innings – he threw maybe eight pitches to get six outs.
“He was definitely dealing out there. Even finishing the seventh inning, I never even talked to him about coming out. As a matter of fact, if I would have wanted to talk to him, he was already running to the mound. There was no question in his mind, and as a coach, that’s what you want.”
Trip Hagner, who entered the game in relief in the sixth for the Warriors, also was in a groove of his own, retiring the Indians in order in the seventh and eighth and allowing only a leadoff walk in the ninth.
“They had some really good pitching,” Schramm said. “Their second kid threw real well. He’s clearly one of the better pitchers.”
In the 10th inning, the Indians’ bats came to life against Hagner. Aden Tully, Max German and Callender (RBI) opened the inning with three consecutive singles. Zach Schram followed with a sacrifice bunt, and the bases were loaded after a walk to Brandon McIlwain. German stole home to give the Indians a two-run cushion, and then Baker delivered a three-run blast to put the Indians on top 9-4.
Things got real interesting in the bottom of the tenth. A single set the stage for Clayton Harwick’s second home run of the day, and suddenly, it was a 9-6 game. An error put another runner on board, and a home run by Anthony Santoleri made it a 9-8 game. A walk put the tying run on board, and Schram elected to walk Methacton leadoff batter Tyler Kirkpatrick. The play paid dividends when the next batter grounded out to end the game.
“My head was spinning off my shoulders,” Schram said.
The win vaulted the Indians into the district semifinals and a spot in the state tournament.
“In our first game against Penncrest when we were down 7-2 in the seventh inning, I attributed a lot of the mistakes we did in that game was because I have young guys,” Schramm said. “I literally have seven new faces on the field, and I figured they’re inexperienced and not used to playoff baseball.
“We are experienced, but there’s no quit. In between innings, they’re fired up, they’re getting into it. They’re playing decent baseball. We’re still committing some errors and doing things we shouldn’t be doing, but they’re locking together, and they’re running on their emotions.
“I told the guys at the end of the game, ‘Not only will you remember this season, but you will remember this game forever.’ This is one of those games that will stay in their minds forever.”
Callender led the way with a 3-for-4 day that included two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs. Max and Cole German were both 2-for-5.
Rock North (14-7) will face Coatesville in Tuesday’s semifinal contest.
I told the guys, ‘Yes, we got states, but we still have some baseball to play,’” Schram said. “I know Coatesville is really good, but everybody is good right now.
“I knew that today was going to be the barometer for us if we are legitimately going to make a run for anything. I didn’t want to compete, I wanted to win because Methacton is not only great this year, they’re traditionally good. They’re well-coached, and to win today’s game should give us a lot of confidence that on any given day. Even against Coatesville on Tuesday – anything can happen.”
Council Rock North 200 110 000 5 9-11-4
Methacton 031 000 000 4 8-14-0
[N-10] PENNRIDGE 4, [N-6] BOYERTOWN 1
Evan Myers might not have posted the dazzling numbers of some of his SOL Continental Conference counterparts this season, but the Rams’ senior mound ace has been money for the Rams all season.
He was again on Saturday in the biggest game of the season for the Rams, tossing a complete game four-hitter and retiring 12 in a row during one impressive stretch. He struck out one and walked three in yet another workmanlike effort.
“He was tremendous,” coach Tom Nuneviller said. “He only struck out one, but we didn’t have any errors, so we were making the plays behind him.
“He was on, he was tough. He just did a tremendous job pitching for us. He’s been great for us for two years. Evan Myers will go out and battle for you. We’re glad to have him on our side.”
The Rams put up a single run in the second. Jake Gordon opened the inning with a single, and he moved up to second on a sacrifice by Ben Morina. Joe Unangst followed with an infield single, and the Rams led 1-0 when designated hitter Danny Long delivered an RBI single.
That 1-0 lead held up until the sixth when the Rams tacked on three more runs, benefitting from a pair of walks, a passed ball, Unangst’s RBI infield single as well as Morina’s double steal of home to put the Rams on top 4-0.
Boyertown plated its only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth, but by that time, the Rams were in command, earning a sport in the district semifinals and also their first state tournament berth since 2007.
“We were young last year, so we thought we were going to be much better this year with the experience,” Nuneviller said. “Evan Myers last year was a very good pitcher in our league, but we were so young. We didn’t have any varsity starters coming into last season.
“We had some guys on the mound this year – Trevor Dalton has pitched well for us, and David Tatoian has pitched well out of the bullpen for us. On our roster, we really have eight, nine or 10 guys who could pitch.”
The Rams have also received consistent offensive production from their veterans.
“You expected Mike Kacergis to have a good year after the year he had last year, and Jake Gordon with a year of varsity experience is hitting the ball,” Nuneviller said. “AJ Molettiere has really stepped up this year and hit consistently throughout the entire season.
“We had high expectations, and like everyone, we thought we could contend for the league. CB East went out, and they seemed a little bit better than everyone else in our league. They were the dominant team, but the last three weeks, we played some really good baseball. We had four one-run league wins. We’re playing well and getting good pitching, timely hitting and good fielding, and that’s a good combination.”
In Saturday’s win, Danny Shane was 2-for-4 while Unangast was 2-for-3. The win was the third playoff road win in a row for the Rams, who had an opportunity to experience playoff baseball in Boyertown’s vaunted Bear Stadium.
“It’s terrific,” Nuneviller said. “What an atmosphere there.
“You basically walk into a minor league stadium, and you see that field. What a great place to play.”
The Rams, who improved to 17-6, will face SOL Continental rival North Penn in Tuesday’s district semifinal.
“Playoffs are big, and getting three road wins this week were huge,” Nuneviller said. “We were telling our boys – they give us 20 games at the beginning of the season, and now we’re just getting extra baseball.
“We’re just trying to take advantage of it – play hard, have fun and keep it rolling.”
Pennridge 010 003 0 4-9-0
Boyertown 000 001 0 1-4-0
[N-12] NORTH PENN 5, [S-1] STRATH HAVEN 0
Strath Haven brought a gaudy 20-0 record and the South’s number one seed into Saturday’s district quarterfinal game against a North Penn squad that was the North’s 12th-seeded squad.
Brian Maher proved that seeds don’t matter all that much when the playoffs roll around, and if the undefeated Panthers weren’t familiar with Maher before Saturday’s contest, the North Penn senior made sure they will never forget him, tossing a 60-pitch masterpiece to propel his team into Tuesday’s district semifinals.
Making Maher’s performance even more impressive was the fact that 49 of his 60 pitches were strikes.
“I always tell the guys, and I’m a big believer that, at this level especially, if you make other teams swing all day long, you’re going to be on the right side of the game most of the time,” coach Kevin Manero said. “In baseball, if you swing, swing, swing, and you’re successful three out of 10 times, that’s considered good, so from a pitching standpoint, you should be making guys swing.
“Brian went out today, and he just threw strike after strike after strike. He was ‘strike one’ on almost everybody. He worked in a great rhythm, a great pace, and he just completely controlled the baseball game.”
The Knights staked Maher to an early lead. Brady West and Brad Bertucci opened the first inning with back-to-back hits, and with two outs, Jared Melone, Bobby Scott and Zillur Rahim delivered consecutive RBI singles to put the Knights on top 3-0.
“We are coming out, and we’re doing a great job of scoring in the first inning,” Manero said. “Obviously, it’s much easier to play with a lead. Preferably, you score early and tack on every inning, but it certainly does give us a nice boost when you can score in the first inning.
“I’ll give their pitcher (Kevin Bosco) credit. He kept us off balance for most of the game and mixed his pitches very well.”
Neither team scored again until the seventh. Chris Kersey led off with a single, and Melone followed with a perfectly-executed hit-and-run single, putting runners on the corners. Rahim followed with his second RBI single of the day, and freshman Mason Nadeau delivered a big RBI single to put the Knights on top 5-0.
“Just as important as that three-run first inning was the two-run seventh inning because I felt like once we scored those two runs in the seventh, that kind of took the wind out of their sails,” Manero said. “We did a real nice job executing in that inning and just putting the ball in play and getting the guys over and scoring some big runs late in the game.
“If you’re scoring early and scoring late and you’re throwing strikes, you’ll probably be in pretty good shape.”
With Saturday’s win, the Knights earned a spot in the state tournament.
“First of all, I’m so happy for this team because they are a bunch of great kids, and they’re doing a lot of things right right now,” Manero said. “They are playing so well as a team and with so much confidence.
“We all know that baseball, as soon as you think you have it figured out, is going to come back and bite you at some point. You can never get too high, and you can never get too low, but for the next 24 hours, these guys can be as excited as they want because they have pushed themselves to this point. They have done it themselves.
“This is a team that lost 95 innings of starting pitching from last year. It’s a team that graduated our third baseman, shortstop, centerfielder and second baseman. Despite all of that, they have come together and started playing some incredible baseball. I’m so happy for them. Hopefully, they can continue to execute and go as far as they want to go.”
West, Kersey (double), Melone and Rahim led North Penn’s 12-hit attack with two hits each.
“You know what’s great – our four hitter is a junior, our five hitter is sophomore, our six hitter is a junior, our eight hitter is a freshman and our nine hitter is a sophomore,” Manero said. “We went into the season with the possibility of all seniors in the starting lineup, and that’s what we have now.”
The Knights (13-8) will face Pennridge in Tuesday’s district semifinal, and according to Manero, the playoffs have a completely different feel than the regular season.
“Today the place was packed,” the Knights’ coach said. “They announced 400 people in attendance. Four hundred people is a lot of people for a high school baseball game.
“There was just a palpable buzz in the air. When the game was over, we went out to left field to speak our piece, and when they went back in the dugout, just the roar from the fans – you don’t get that any other time except the postseason.”
North Penn 300 000 2 5-12-1
Strath Haven 000 000 0 4-2-4
[S-4] COATESVILLE 5, [N-1] CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
The Patriots saw a successful season come to an end when they fell to a red hot Coatesville squad in Saturday’s quarterfinal round. The Red Raiders scored all the runs pitcher CJ Martinez would need in the first inning when they plated an unearned run. Coatesville added three runs in the third and one more in the fourth to ice the win.
Martinez allowed just two hits. Pat Reilly accounted for both them – one of them was a triple.
East (16-5) closed out the season with an SOL Continental Conference title.
Coatesville 103 100 0 5-6-0
Central Bucks East 000 000 0 0-2-3
- Log in to post comments
