Truman, Hatboro-Horsham and PW are highlighted in this week’s notebook, which also includes a recap of last week’s SOL action.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
Suburban One League National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Truman Tigers
Truman head coach Tim Monaghan might be in his first year as the head coach of the Tigers – but Monaghan is a veteran coach with 11 years under his belt as an assistant at Truman.
“Honestly, some of the players on this team have had success outside the high school program,” said Monaghan. “Right now we don’t have a single player with any high school playoff experience.”
Last season was an extremely difficult year for Truman. The Tigers finished the SOL National Conference season with a record of 2-12 – and Truman finished the 2013-2014 season with an overall record of 3-13. This year Truman is 3-2 in the SOL National Conference – and 5-3 overall.
“We knew for us to play with confidence – we had to get off to a good start,” said Monaghan. “This is a group of players that had to learn how to win at the high school level. And we have had a level of success so far this year.
“The players go out on the field with the idea of supporting one another,” added Monaghan. “We talk all the time about just focusing pitch-to-pitch, inning-to-inning, and game-to-game. The stakes increase with each win.
“Our pitching has kept us in every game,” continued Monaghan in reference to senior Matt Walczak, senior Aaron Wolf, senior Matt Shea, and sophomore Brian Aicher. “They have been unbelievably consistent.
“We also talked about having nine (conference) wins as our target,” added Monaghan. “We have that number in their heads – and if we get there we should get into the playoffs.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Pennsbury (5-1) kept its hold on to first place with a pair of conference games last week. The Falcons soared to a 5-2 victory over Truman and closed the week with a 4-3 victory over Neshaminy. In the win over the Tigers – Zane Conley was the winning pitcher with eight strikeouts in five innings, while Zach Szumigala and DJ Endler each had two hits and two RBI. In the victory over the Redskins – Logan Buell produced the game winning walk-off hit, while Pat Lawrence and Szumigala each had two hits.
Council Rock North (3-2) won its only confernce game of the week as the Indians defeated Neshaminy 6-4. Brandon McIlwain had three hits that included a double and triple along with three RBI. Seth Luel had two hits and an RBI and Matt Hand had two hits for the winners.
Council Rock South (3-3) won its only conference game of the week as the Golden Hawks soared to an 8-2 win over William Tennent. Jack Murray was the winning pitcher in relief. Dean Obarowski had two RBI for the Hawks, while Josh Kim and Kyle Lennon each had solo RBI.
Truman (3-2) won two of three conference games last week. The Tigers opened the week with a 5-2 loss to Pennsbury – followed with an 8-3 victory over Bensalem – and closed the week with an 11-9 win over Neshaminy. In the loss to the Falcons – Evan Miller sparked the offense with two hits and an RBI. In the win over the Owls – Matt Helbing and Aaron Wolf each had two hits, while Matt Shea hit a triple and had an RBI. In the victory over the Redskins – Miller had three hits and two RBI, while Mark Lopez had two hits and two RBI. Matt Walczak had three hits and an RBI and Chris Mangold had two hits and an RBI.
Bensalem (3-3) won two of three conference games last week. The Owls opened the week with a 2-1 win over Abington – followed with an 8-3 loss to Truman – and closed the week with a 7-6 victory over William Tennent. In the win over the Ghosts – Joe Benedetti allowed just a single run over five-plus innings to earn the win, while Nick Mulvey drove home the game winner with a sacrifice fly. In the loss to the Tigers, Benedetti was the leading hitter for the Owls with two hits. In the win over the Panthers – Mulvey had two hits that included a home run and two RBIs, while Benedetti also homered and Jerry Crespo had two hits and two RBIs.
Abington (3-2) split a pair of conference games last week. The Ghosts opened the week with a 2-1 loss to Bensalem and closed the week with a 6-5 victory over William Tennent. In the loss to the Owls – Greg Troyer was the tough-luck loser, allowing just two runs in six innings, while Jack Larini drove home the only run for Abington. In the win over the Panthers – Nick Bein had three hits and an RBI, while Connor Breslin and Brendan Gallagher each had two hits.
Neshaminy (2-4) had a rough week as the Redskins lost all three conference games. Neshaminy opened the week with a 6-4 loss to Council Rock North – followed with a 4-3 loss to Pennsbury – and closed the week with an 11-9 loss to Truman. In the loss to the Indians, Matt Smith had two hits for the Skins, while Matt Grudza and Bill Ritchey each had a double. In the loss to the Falcons, Kyle Skeels had two home runs. And in the loss to the Tigers – Skeels had two hits that included a monster grand slam home run and four RBIs, while Grudza had two RBIs for the Skins.
William Tennent (0-5) also had a rough week as the Panthers lost all three conference games. William Tennent opened the week with an 8-2 loss to Council Rock South – followed with a 6-5 loss to Abington – and closed the week with a 7-6 loss to Bensalem. In the loss to the Golden Hawks – Nick Cataldi drove home the lone run for the Panthers. In the loss to the Ghosts – Cataldi had a double and two RBIs, while Tim Brodhag also had an RBI. And in the loss to the Owls – John Lucas had three hits and an RBI.
SOL National Conference ‘Game of the Week’
Tuesday – April 21, 2015
Abington Ghosts @ Truman Tigers
Neither Abington or Truman were playoff teams a season ago, but both have aspirations of getting to the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs this year. Pennsbury is king of the mountain in the SOL National Conference so far this year – but the Ghosts and Tigers are not far behind. A win by either team could be huge – a loss could be very damaging as teams reach the midpoint of the conference schedule.
Suburban One League Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Pete Moore was not alone with the high expectations for the 2015 Hatters.
“We came into the season reading in the media about how good we were going to be – and that was great to see,” said Moore. “We have 15 seniors on the team – eight in the starting lineup – and we had a lot of varsity experience.
“Then we go out and lose three of the first four games,” added Moore. “Not that losing is a good thing – but it was a good reminder of what we have to do to win games. We are a blue-collar team – and we are going to have to work hard to win games in this league.
“We are the smallest school playing in our conference, but we have a tradition of winning baseball,” continued Moore. “It is an honor to play in this conference – this conference has produced a whole lot of good baseball players.”
Hatboro-Horsham shook off its shaky start and is 4-1 in the conference – winning all three conference games last week.
“The win over Pennridge was special,” said Moore. “We played with more intensity than any game this year – and we needed that to beat an excellent Pennridge team.”
Hatboro-Horsham has a lot of its plate this week as the Hatters play Central Bucks East on Monday (4/20) – North Penn on Tuesday (4/21) – and Souderton on Thursday (4/23).
“Central Bucks East has won three games in a row and is playing well,” said Moore. “North Penn is undefeated in the league – and Souderton gave us our only conference loss. There are no days off for anyone in this league.”
Moore cited the excellent play of senior Ryan Murphy as one of the players who helped turn the season around.
“Ryan threw the complete game against Pennridge – and he is hitting .385 this year,” said Moore. “He was injured at the beginning of the season last year and didn’t pitch after that – but still hit .375. He is our closer when he doesn’t start, and he is the guy we want on the mound at the end of the game.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
North Penn (5-0) remained unbeaten in the conference and won all three games last week. The Knights opened the week with a 7-2 victory over Central Bucks West – followed with a 3-2 victory over Pennridge – and closed the week with a 5-1 win over Souderton. In the win over the Bucks – Kevin Williamson was the winning pitcher, while Jared Melone had two hits that included a home run and three RBIs. In the win over the Rams – Greg Kerr delivered the key hit and made a winning pitcher out of Paul Haynie, while Alex Peterson sparked the offense with three hits. In the win over the Indians – Melone fueled the offense with two RBIs, while Mike Christy and Ryan Bealer also had RBIs for the Knights.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-1) kept pace with North Penn as the Hatters won all three conference games last week. Hatboro-Horsham opened the week with a 6-5 victory over Quakertown – followed with a 4-1 win over CB West – and closed the week with a 3-1 victory over Pennridge. In the win over the Panthers – Chris Crookham sparked the offense with two RBIs, while Joe Simmons, Ryan Murphy, and Justin Gregorio all drove home runs, which made Eric Lane the winner. In the win over the Bucks – Colin Kennedy threw a complete game five-hitter, while Crookham had two doubles and Gregorio had two RBIa. In the win over the Rams – Murphy was the winning pitcher with a complete game four-hitter, while Simmons and Alec Blyler each had key hits.
Central Bucks East (3-2) had a perfect week as the Patriots won all three of their conference games. CB East 
opened the week with a 6-4 victory over CB South – followed with a 5-0 win over Quakertown – and closed the week with a 10-1 victory over CB West. In the win over the Titans – Michael Broderick was the winning pitcher, throwing five innings with five strikeouts, while Collin Sheehan fueled the offense with two hits and three RBIs. In the win over the Panthers – Thomas Prato had three RBIs, while Cameron Komanchak and David Yanni each had two hits. In the win over the Bucks – Sheehan had three RBIs, while Geoff Salfi and Yanni each collected two RBIs.
Central Bucks South (2-3) won two of three conference games as the Titans climbed back into the race. CB South opened the week with a 6-4 loss to CB East – followed with a 3-1 victory over Souderton – and closed the week with a 3-2 win over Quakertown. In the loss to the Patriots – Alex Happ, Steve Trachtenberg, and Mike Kuypers each had two hits. In the win over the Indians – Happ had two hits and two RBIs, while Kuypers threw a complete game and had 10 strikeouts with no walks. In the victory over the Panthers – Mike Anastasia had two hits and two RBIs, including the game winner, while Danny Klepchick picked up the win with three innings of shutout relief.
Pennridge (2-2) fell out of first place as the Rams won just one of three conference games. Pennridge opened the week with a 4-0 victory over Souderton – followed with a 3-2 loss to North Penn – and closed the week with a 3-1 loss to Hatboro-Horsham. In the win over the Indians – Joe Molettiere hurled five innings to earn the win, while Tom Nuneviller led the offense with two hits. In the loss to the Knights – Danny Long sparked the offense with a double and RBI. And in the loss to the Hatters – Molettiere was the tough luck loser striking out eight hitters over six innings and allowing just a single earned run.
Souderton (2-4) had a difficult week as the Indians lost all three conference games. Souderton opened the week with a 4-0 loss to Pennridge – followed with a 3-1 loss to Central Bucks South – and closed the week with a 5-1 loss to North Penn. In the loss to the Rams – Dylan Morissette had a double as SAHS managed just four hits. In the loss to the Titans – David Straub had the lone extra base hit for the Big Red with a double. And in the loss to the Knights – Nate Luscombe, Tyler Mathe, Connor Lennon, and Aaron Gulibon each had single hits.
Quakertown (1-4) had a difficult week as the Panthers lost all three of their conference games. Q-town opened the week with a 6-5 loss to Hatboro-Horsham – followed with a 5-0 loss to Central Bucks East – and closed the week with a 3-2 loss to Central Bucks South. In the loss to the Hatters – Jake Reed had two RBIs, while Jake Perrine collected a single RBI. In the loss to the Patriots, John Liley had a double as the Black Cats managed just three hits. And in the loss to the Titans – Tyler Guidos had two hits and an RBI and was the tough luck loser throwing eight innings and allowing just two runs.
Central Bucks West (1-4) had a difficult week as the Bucks lost all three of their conference games. CB West opened the week with a 7-2 loss to North Penn – followed with a 4-1 loss to Hatboro-Horsham – and closed the week with a 10-1 loss to Central Bucks East. In the loss to the Knights – Robert Philipps sparked the offense with two hits. In the loss to the Hatters – Steven Grebe had the lone RBI for the Bucks. And in the loss to the Patriots – Luke Irons had two hits, while Grebe collected the lone RBI for the Bucks.
SOL Continental Conference ‘Game of the Week’
Tuesday – April 21, 2015
North Penn Knights @ Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
This battle between North Penn and Hatboro-Horsham could well be a fight for SOL Continental Conference supremacy. The Knights enter the week unbeaten while the Hatters have just a single loss. If both teams take care of business on Monday – Hatboro-Horsham could own a piece of first place with a victory. A North Penn win would be a huge boost to the Knights hope of defending their conference championship.
Suburban One League American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Chris Manero and his seniors have been on a senior class trip to sunny Florida last week, but the coach and his Colonials are anxious to get back to southeastern Pennsylvania.
“We have only played four conference games – and we’re disappointed right now with our start,” said Manero as PW is currently 1-3 in the SOL American Conference. “It is still very early in the season for us – and we are going to have to play a lot of games to catch up with the rest of the conference.
“Playing a lot of games in a week can either be a good thing – or a bad thing,” added Manero. “If you have pitching – and I think we have enough – it can be good. But you are going to have to correct things on the fly without the practice time.
“Being 1-3 is not where we want to be, and I know we are going to end up far better as the season goes on,” continued Manero. “We have some things to work on – but we’ll get better.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh has received an excellent start of the season from senior Evan Bischoff.
“Evan has been great on the mound for us,” said Manero. “He has been very effective – has pitched deep into games – and has a nice mix of pitches. His curveball really bites.
“Brett Highland and Zach Metz have been hitting the ball well so far,” added Manero. “Both of them are hitting around .500
“Our hitting has been fine with the exception of hitting with runners in scoring position,” continued Manero. “But we really need to be better defensively. We have been inconsistent, and we have to get better at that or we are going to be in for a lot of trouble.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Wissahickon (6-0) remained unbeaten in the conference with three wins last week. The Trojans opened the week with a 10-0 victory over Upper Merion – followed with a 10-0 victory over Norristown – and closed the week with a 7-4 victory over Upper Dublin. In the win over the Vikings – Logan Williams picked up the win with a seven-strikeout – one-hit performance, while Blake Rapport and Alexander Tappen each had two hits. In the win over the Eagles – Julian Osterneck had four hits that included a double and RBI, while Matt Shilling had two hits. In the win over the Cardinals – Tappen was the winning pitcher, while Tappen had three RBIs and Nick Falso had two hits and an RBI.
Upper Dublin (6-1) won two of three conference games but fell to second place in the standings. The Flying Cardinals opened the week with a 10-2 victory over Plymouth Whitemarsh – followed with a 6-1 win over Upper Merion – and closed the week with a 7-4 loss to Wissahickon. In the win over the Colonials – Christian Huckfeldt had two hits and two RBIs, while Justin Horn had three hits and John Lee had two RBIs. In the win over the Vikings – Matt Thompson and Lee combined to allow just a single run and recorded eight strikeouts, while Cole Swiger had two hits. In the loss to the Trojans – Swiger had two hits and two RBIs, while Steven Bell had two hits.
Springfield (3-4) won two of three conference games last week. The Spartans opened the week with a 4-2 loss to Upper Moreland – followed with a 3-2 win over Plymouth Whitemash – and closed the week with a 23-15 victory over Upper Merion. In the loss to the Golden Bears – Cory Cottone and Deandre Johnson each had two hits. In the win over the Colonials – Julian Salzer threw a complete game to earn the win and had five strikeouts, while Cottone had two hits. And in the win over the Vikings – Chris Binet hit a pair of homeruns – one a grand slam – and had 7 seven RBIs.
Upper Moreland (2-3) won two of three conference games last week. The Golden Bears opened the week with a 4-2 win over Springfield – followed with a 9-4 loss to Cheltenham – and closed the week with an 11-4 victory over Norristown. In the win over the Spartans – Christian Leighton fueled the offense with two hits and three RBIs, while Jaryd Goldstein earned the victory and did not allow and earned run. In the loss to the Panthers – Randy Meehl led the offense with two hits and an RBI. And in the win over the Eagles – Brandon Kohn threw a complete game to earn the win, while Nick Delucas sparked the offense with a two-run double and had two hits.
Cheltenham (3-2) split a pair of games last week. The Panthers opened the week with a 6-5 loss to Norristown and closed the week with a 9-4 victory over Upper Moreland. In the loss to the Eagles – Amari Cathay scored two runs and had an RBI. And in the win over the Golden Bears – Jack Gordon had a triple and four RBIs, while Hugh Sharkey had three hits and three RBIs.
Norristown (2-4) won one of three conference games last week. The Eagles opened the week with a 6-5 victory over Cheltenham – followed with a 10-0 loss to Wissahickon – and closed the week with an 11-4 loss to Upper Moreland. In the win over the Panthers – Terrell Dale was the winning pitcher and also hit a home run, while Anthony Wayne and Tom Picare had two hits each. In the loss to the Trojans – the Eagles managed just two hits. And in the loss to the Golden Bears – Charles Grello and Joe Cook each had RBIs for the Eagles.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-3) lost both of its conference games last week. The Colonials opened the week with a 10-2 loss to Upper Dublin and closed the week with a 3-2 loss to Springfield. In the loss to the Cardinals – Evan Bischoff and Brett Highland each had two hits. And in the loss to the Spartans – Zach Metz led the offense with two hits.
Upper Merion (0-6) remained in search of its first conference win as the Vikings lost all three conference games last week. Upper Merion opened the week with a 10-0 loss to Wissahickon – followed with a 6-1 loss to Upper Dublin – and closed the week with a 23-15 loss to Springfield. In the loss to the Trojans – the lone hit was collected by John Peregrim. In the loss to the Cardinals – Troy Thomas collected the lone hit. And in the loss to the Spartans – the Vikings collected eight hits and scored nine runs in the fifth inning.
SOL American Conference ‘Game of the Week’
Tuesday – April 21, 2015
Cheltenham Panthers @ Wissahickon Trojans
Wissahickon must beat contending Cheltenham if the Trojans want to accomplish their goal of going unbeaten for the first half of the conference standings. Wissahickon has a tenuous one-half game lead over Upper Dublin as the week begins – and the Cheltenham might just be in a ‘must-win’ situation as the SOL American Conference concludes the first half of its season.
Suburban One Sports.com
Super Seven
1. North Penn Knights
2. Pennsbury Falcons
3. Wissahickon Trojans
4. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
5. Pennridge Rams
6. Abington Ghosts
7. Upper Dublin Cardinals
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