Check out the results for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday. To view photos of the CB West/Wm. Tennent game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Central Bucks South 11, Harry S Truman 0
David Drea had himself a day.
South’s senior pitcher came out of nowhere to toss a masterpiece on Thursday. He was one strike away from a no-hitter in the abbreviated five-inning contest when Trysten Hunt singled. Drea retired the next batter he faced, but Hunt’s single could detract from a masterful performance that saw Drea record 12 of 15 outs via strikeout. He walked just two.
“He pitched outstanding,” coach Mike Schaefer said. “He pitched an unbelievable game. It was just amazing.”
Making Drea’s performance even more remarkable was the fact that he had seen limited innings in his previous two seasons with the squad.
“He was a kid that had some struggles here and there, but what’s such a great story is that despite some of those disappointments and struggles, as a senior, he’s come out and done nothing but thrown excellent,” Schaefer said. “As a coach, it’s very rewarding to see that perseverance, especially despite some struggles, and that’s what makes it that much better.
“He wasn’t a kid that’s been in the limelight the past three years. He’s just doing what he does. I think there’s something about being a senior and coming into your own, and he’s definitely doing that.
“We have a great balance of guys – we have six sophomores on our roster, we have six juniors on our roster and we have seven seniors, and they’re having a lot of fun together. We’re really, as a staff, just enjoying being around them. It’s just been great.”
On Thursday, the Titans scored early and often. They seized command of the game with an eight-run first that featured a pair of Truman errors as well as singles by Mike Anastasia, Mike Kuypers (2 RBIs), Tommy Dugan (RBI), Tyler Watson (RBI) and a two-run double by Alex Happ. Before fans had settled in their seats, the Titans had staked Drea to an 8-0 lead.
That was more than enough, but a sacrifice fly by Kyle Rossi and an RBI single by Kuypers upped that lead to 10-0 in the second.
Kuypers finished the day 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored. Will Moller also was 2-for-2 with a double on a day that saw the Titans collect 10 hits off a duo of Truman hurlers. Daniel McCartin contributed a double.
Matt Walczak absorbed the loss on the mound for the Tigers, allowing all 11 runs – none earned. He fanned six and walked three. Mickey Shea threw two scoreless innings.
The loss was the first of the young season for the Tigers (3-1, 1-0 SOL). The Titans boast an identical 3-1 record. (0-1 SOL).
Central Bucks South 821 00 11-10-0
Harry S Truman 000 00 0-1-3
Hatboro-Horsham 9, Cheltenham 2
The Hatters brought their three-game losing streak to a welcome end, capping a stretch of five games in five days with a win over their neighboring rival.
“It was really important for us to end the week on a win today,” coach Pete Moore said. “They’ve been working hard, and you get out on the field for the first time, you’re playing five games in a row, and things come up you’d like to be able to address in practice, but we haven’t had a practice on a field yet.
“We told them – ‘We understand our record is not what we want it to be, but you’re doing things the right way.’ They’re going hard on the field all the time. They’re lifting, they’re doing what we’re asking them to do. The results weren’t there, but the effort was. I was real proud of that.”
Comprising the nucleus of this year’s Hatter squad are 15 seniors.
“They’re close on and off the field,” Moore said. “Yesterday we had a blowout loss (10-1 to Pennsbury). We got beat up pretty good. The last couple of innings we made mass switches, and I thought it was a great sign that our senior leaders who are typically our starters – when they were pulled out of the game, they remained focused on the game and were supporting the other guys that were getting a chance to play.
“Sometimes when you make changes like that, kids’ heads go out, and they’re not paying attention. It was nice to see that they were supporting each other. We were on the other side today, and we were able to get everybody in the game as well. It was the same thing – they were supporting each other. The attitude has been positive.”
Moore credited senior Eric Lane, who will be playing collegiately at Kutztown, for providing positive leadership.
“He’s one of our captains, and he’s just a very good leader in terms of his knowledge of the game,” the Hatters’ coach said. “He’s really stepped up into that leadership role this year of wanting to help other players get better. It’s not just about him.
“He wants to help other guys, and the way he’s talking to them on the bench and after games and when we sit down as a team, he’s just very mature for a senior in high school.”
In Thursday’s win, junior Kyle Katz picked up the win on the mound, allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out three over four innings. Matt Saunders threw two scoreless frames in relief, striking out five, and Chris Crookham struck out two in a scoreless seventh.
Crookham and fellow senior Ryan Murphy paced the offense. Crookham was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Murphy was 3-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored. Kevin Barron added a double for the Hatters (2-3, 0-1 SOL).
In a span of five days, the Hatters have played one quarter of their season.
“The idea when we put our schedule together this year – we had four non-league games that were supposed to be play before our league season started,” Moore said. “We have a lot of competition for jobs, and we wanted to see who was ready to step in and fill roles that we had.
“We’ve been able to find that out. Unfortunately, our one loss was in the league to Souderton, but we’ve learned from every game that we’ve had. Now we can go to practice a couple of days and work on the things we need to work on.”
The Panthers (1-1, 1-0 SOL) managed just singles by Gilbert Owens, Gene Han and Jawan West.
Cheltenham 011 000 0 2-3-4
Hatboro-Horsham 502 200 x 9-11-3
Central Bucks West 13, William Tennent 9
After the two teams exchanged a pair of runs in the first inning, the Panthers exploded for five runs in the second. That 7-2 lead was anything but secure.
The Bucks (2-0, 1-0 SOL) scored a pair of runs in the third to make it a 7-4 game and took a lead they would not lose with four runs in the fourth. They added three in the fifth and two more in the sixth to go on top 13-7 before the Panthers scored a pair of runs in the nights.
Nico Munari and Thomas Spratt had productive days at the plate. Munari was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs while Spratt was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. He also had three of West’s six stolen bases in the contest. Also contributing were Drew Sypawka (1-for-2, RBI, triple), Steven Gebre (1-for-3, RBI), Shane Heacox (1-for-1, three runs scored) and Greg Vuono (1-for-3, double, RBI, two runs).
The Panthers were (0-2, 0-1 SOL) were led by the three-RBI performance of Paul McElroy, who had a home run.
Thomas Philips threw three and a third solid innings in relief, allowing one hit and no runs while walking one and fanning three.
William Tennent 250 000 2 9
Central Bucks West 202 432 x 13
Pennridge 7, Upper Perkiomen 2
The Rams capped a perfect week by winning their fourth game in four days Thursday, rallying from an early 2-0 deficit to earn the convincing win. So far this season, scoring runs has not been a problem for the Rams, who outscored their opponents 43-11 this week.
Joe Unangst led the Rams with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate that included a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Caleb Hand was 2-for-3 with two singles and a run scored. Also contributing extra base hits for the Rams were Dan Long (double) and Riley Hager (triple).
Trailing 2-0, the Rams plated a single run in the third and took a lead they would not lose with three more in the fourth.
Unangst, Long, Hager, Hand, Tom Nuneviler and Jason Souder each contributed one RBI.
Mitch McLeod started and worked two innings. He was relieved by Andrew Mayhew, who earned the win with three scoreless innings. David Tatoian threw one scoreless inning. The Rams (4-0, 1-0 SOL) held a 9-5 advantage in hits in a contest that saw both teams play flawless defense.
Upper Perkiomen 110 000 0 2-5-0
Pennridge 001 321 x 7-9-0
Neshaminy 5, Central Bucks East 4
The Skins (1-2) rebounded from a loss to Upper Moreland earlier in the day to defeat the visiting Patriots. The Skins got on the scoreboard early, plating a pair of runs in the first. Kyle Skeels doubled to get the ball rolling. Mike Burns followed with an RBI single, and Skeels scored on a sacrifice fly by Jake Joyce. That lead grew to 3-0 when the ‘Skins tacked on a single run in the second.
The Patriots got one of those runs back in the fourth and took a 4-3 lead when they put a three-spot on the board in the fifth, benefitting from three walks, a hit batsman and a Redskin error.
It turned out to be a short-lived lead as the Redskins answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Jake Strickler led off with his second double of the day, and he scored on an RBI single by Mike Burns.
Burns (2-for-3, 2 RBIs), Strickler (2-for-4, RBI, two runs) and Matt Smith (2-for-2) paced the Redskins’ offense. Wasted in the loss for the Patriots was the perfect 3-for-3 effort of David Yanni, who also scored a run. Andrew Collins and Eric Poppke both doubled for the Patriots (0-2, 0-1 SOL).
TJ Arnao earned the win on the mound, allowing three hits in three innings while walking none and striking out four. Zach Winkler and Matt Grudza both saw action in relief. AJ Curran absorbed the loss for the Patriots, allowing six hits and three runs (only one earned) in 3.1 innings while striking out two and walking one.
Central Bucks East 000 130 0 4-8-1
Neshaminy 210 020 x 5-8-3
Perkiomen Valley 6, Souderton 5 (8 innings)
The Indians took a 5-3 lead into the sixth inning only to watch the Vikings plate a pair in the top of the sixth to knot the score. Neither team scored in the seventh, but the Vikings capitalized on a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly by Sean Moriarty to plate a run in the top of the eighth that turned out to be the game winner.
The Vikings took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on a home run by Adam Gaines, but the Indians answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning that included a steal of home by David Schreffler and an RBI single by Aaron Gulibon. Their lead grew to 3-1 in the fourth, but PV knotted the score in the top of the fifth. The Indians took their final lead with two runs in the fifth.
Gulibon was 2-for-2 with an RBI while Dylan Morrissette was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. The Vikings held a 9-6 advantage in hits.
On the mound, Gulibon turned in four solid innings, allowing two hits and one run wile striking out two and walking one. Austin Eberhart threw one and a third innings and Amenta, who absorbed the loss, threw the final two and two-thirds innings for the Indians (2-2, 1-0 SOL).
Perkiomen Valley 001 022 01 6-9-3
Souderton 002 120 00 5-6-1
UPPER MORELAND 4, NESHAMINY 3
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