Check out the results for SOL baseball teams in action on Thursday. Photos of the Pennsbury/Abington game are courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography (http://jdphotopa.zenfolio.com/). Check back for a full gallery on Friday.
By Jarrad Saffren
The District One Class AAAA baseball power rankings do not factor in non-league games, so league play is more important in Suburban One League baseball than in any other sport. All 24 Suburban One League teams opened league play Thursday. The results and recaps are below. Warning: There were some weird walk-off endings.
SOL American
Upper Merion 3, Cheltenham 0
Cheltenham’s last hitter cued the ball off the end of his bat to Upper Merion first baseman Ben Gutkowski.
Gutkowski scooped the ball up and tagged the base himself. Upper Merion’s players congratulated pitcher Jarrett Quinn and shook hands with Cheltenham’s players. Just like any other game.
In Upper Merion’s team meeting after the game, Gutkowski held the ball up and presented it to Quinn, his “good buddy.” The senior hurler had thrown a no-hitter.
“It wasn’t like we had any crazy celebration,” Upper Merion coach Matt Mitchell said. “There was excitement and buzz. But Jarrett expects a lot. He wasn’t going insane. He was like, ‘Okay, we got this one done, now let’s go get the next one.’”
Quinn tossed seven shutout innings, striking out nine and walking four. He worked forward the first two times through the Cheltenham order.
“They had a difficult time catching up with his fastball,” Mitchell said.
After getting ahead with fastballs, Quinn finished with his curveball. Five of his strikeouts were on curves.
In the late innings, Quinn pitched backwards, or started hitters with his curveball and changeup. Mitchell expected Quinn to be ready for the season, but not this ready.
“He’s been coming to all of our offseason activities and throwing on his own,” Mitchell said. “But I didn’t expect midseason form like that.”
Like in most no-hitters, there was a highlight-reel defensive play that saved the effort. In the fourth inning, a Cheltenham hitter crushed the ball to deep centerfield. The Vikings’ centerfielder raced back, reached up, and caught the ball over his shoulder.
Quinn, who will pitch for Cumberland County College next year, was Upper Merion’s ace last season too. But a freak finger injury in the second game slowed him down for the rest of the spring.
“He could have been talked about for league honors if that didn’t happen,” Mitchell said. “It was nice to see him bounce back.”
Upper Merion’s offense did just enough to help Quinn. Gutkowski, Quinn, and Mike Hutchinson had one RBI each. Hutchinson, Richard Metricarti, and Ray Scheier stroked doubles. The Vikings scored one run in the fifth and another in the sixth.
“After those insurance runs everybody relaxed,” Mitchell said.
Upper Merion (1-1, 1-0 SOL) plays Bensalem Friday afternoon. Cheltenham (0-2, 0-1 SOL) battles Upper Dublin Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Cheltenham 000 010 0 1-1-1
Upper Merion 001 000 0 2-4-0
Upper Moreland 10, Plymouth Whitemarsh 3
Upper Moreland coach Ken Irwin said before the season that this may be the deepest team in his six years with the program.
The Golden Bears proved him right Thursday. Eight players got hits and six drove in runs. Archbishop Wood transfer Tommy Jacobs had the best offensive day, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
“Even a lot of our outs were hit hard,” Irwin said. “We kept the pressure on and ran the bases well. Guys came off the bench and they all got hits too. It was a good first day.”
Upper Moreland ace Joey Bates left after the fourth inning with a 4-2 lead. He gave up one run in the first and another in the fourth. Bates tossed 1-2-3 innings in the second and third.
“He was still pitching well but the plan was to pitch three guys,” Irwin said. “On Tuesday we play Wissahickon and on Thursday Upper Dublin. They are probably the top two teams in our league. We want to keep our guys strong.”
In the first, Upper Moreland trailed 1-0 when a PW player ripped the ball down the third base line. Upper Moreland’s third baseman dove, caught the ball, and fired to first for the out. Runners were on second and third, and both probably would have scored.
“That changed the whole complexion of the game,” Irwin said. “It would have been 3-0 instead of 1-0.”
Upper Moreland (1-0, 1-0 SOL) goes to Harry S. Truman Friday for a 3:45 p.m. start. Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-3, 0-1 SOL) plays Wissahickon Monday at 3:30 p.m.
Upper Dublin 3, Norristown 2
Norristown led 2-0 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Upper Dublin’s JT Breslin led off the inning with a single. Then Thomas Juelke walked. Matt Hebling bunted toward first and Norristown’s pitcher threw the ball over the first baseman’s head, scoring Breslin.
With runners on second and third, Jason Greene singled to right, scoring Juelke and Hebling to win the game in walk-off fashion.
“We had a big win earlier in the week and came out flat today,” Upper Dublin coach Ed Wall said of his team’s win over archrival Wissahickon.
Wall also said UD starter Conor McFadden kept the Cardinals in the game. McFadden allowed one run in five innings.
“Our defense made big plays too,” Wall said. “Tommy Reilly had nice catches on shallow fly balls.”
Both teams struggled offensively. Norristown’s Terell Dale laced two hard ground balls through the holes and came around to score both times. He also stole second and third on both occasions. Charles Grello drove him in with a double in the left-centerfield gap in the fourth.
Norristown had a chance to break the game open in the first but could not get a big hit.
“We walked some people but worked out of it without allowing a run,” Wall said. “Conor settled in and had a nice game.”
Upper Dublin (2-0, 2-0 SOL) goes to Cheltenham Tuesday for a 3:30 p.m. start. Norristown (0-2, 0-1 SOL) hosts Academy Park Friday afternoon.
Norristown 000 101 0 2-7-3
Upper Dublin 000 000 0 3-3-0
Wissahickon 5, Springfield 3
Wissahickon earned its first win of 2016 behind Alex Tappen and aggressive base-running.
“It’s about time,” Wissahickon coach John Bernhardt said. “We finally won one.”
The Trojans scored three runs in the first and took a 3-1 lead into the third. But Springfield tied it with a two-run rally. Wissahickon regained the lead in the next inning and never gave it back.
Matt Shilling earned the win and Tappen tossed four shutout innings in relief. Wissahickon stole nine bases. Blake Rapoport led the Trojans with four steals and Shilling added three.
Wissahickon (1-3, 1-1 SOL) takes on PW Monday at 3:30 p.m. Springfield (0-1, 0-1 SOL) battles Norristown on the same day and time.
SOL Continental
Quakertown 4, Central Bucks West 3
The score was 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Quakertown had already come back from a 3-0 deficit. Now the Panthers just needed one run to complete the comeback.
Matt Bukavich got a great jump and stole third. Trail runner Jake Reed stayed on first.
“We normally don’t try to steal third with two outs, especially in a game like that,” Quakertown coach Jon Pallone said.
The pitcher came set and Reed took off from first. The shortstop caught the ball and Reed was in a rundown. Bukavich charged across home plate before the Bucks were able to tag Reed.
“I was looking for a delayed steal,” Pallone said.
His first base coach, Bob Helm, who also coaches Quakertown’s senior legion team, had a different idea.
“He told him to go early,” Pallone said. “He saw something and went with it. I trust him. Obviously it was the right call.
“He’s got free range to do that kind of stuff. He’s a very knowledgeable coach.”
Quakertown lost a heartbreaker in extra innings Wednesday to the Perkiomen School, widely considered one of the best teams in the area.
“We were looking to make a statement with that game,” Pallone said. “Losing in extra innings was gut-wrenching.”
Pallone was frustrated that the Panthers came out flat against the Bucks. CB West starting pitcher Jake Manca frustrated Quakertown for four innings. “He was throwing a lot of strikes and changing speeds,” Pallone said.
In the fourth, West’s Steven Gebre laced a two-run single to center. Then Trevor D’Arcy scored Gebre with a sacrifice fly. 
“Then we got going,” Pallone said.
Reed slammed a three-run double in the sixth to tie the game, one of three hits in the game for him.
“All of a sudden we were alive,” Pallone said.
Bukavich had three hits and two steals. Quakertown starter Cooper Johnson pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four runs, none earned. Bukavich pitched the last 2.2 innings, allowing no runs.
Frank Amsler and Drew Sypawka had two hits each for CB West.
Quakertown (2-1, 1-0 SOL) plays Norristown Monday afternoon. CB West (0-2, 0-1 SOL) welcomes Palisades Friday at 4 p.m.
Central Bucks West 000 300 0 3-7-0
Quakertown 000 030 1 4-9-4
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Souderton 1
Jarrett Prendergast led off the bottom of the seventh of a 1-1 game with a double to left-centerfield.
“He really got a hold of one,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Pete Moore said.
Then Calvin Broaddus hit the ball back to the pitcher. Prendergast broke for third base and the pitcher threw to third. Prendergast beat the throw. Souderton intentionally walked leadoff man Billy Carr to load the bases for Kyle Katz. But Katz struck out. Colin Kennedy was next, and the first pitch to him bounced to the backstop. Prendergast dashed home and scored the winning run.
“The kids were excited,” Moore said. “It was our first league game. Souderton is always strong, well-coached.
“Typically teams are separated by one or two games to get in the playoffs in this league, so a league win is always big.”
Hatboro-Horsham lost 15 seniors from last year’s team.
“There was nobody out in the field today that played these positions for us last year besides Brian Edgington on the mound,” Moore said. “There was a bunch of new guys out there and they all stepped up. To start 3-1 and 1-0 in the league is a good thing to help these guys get confidence.”
Katz went 2-for-3 in the two-hole in the batting order. Edgington pitched a complete game, throwing just 66 pitches, 43 for strikes. He also induced 14 groundouts.
“I’m pretty confident with our pitching,” Moore said. “Our top two guys Edgington and Kennedy we’ll put up against anybody.”
Matt Reinert was the only Souderton player to get multiple hits, going 2-for-2. Mitch Amenta drove in Blake Gular for Souderton’s only run. Aaron Gulibon pitched 6.1 innings and allowed just one earned run.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-0, 1-0 SOL) travels to Pennsbury Friday for a 3:45 start. Souderton (0-2, 0-1 SOL) plays Quakertown Tuesday afternoon.
Souderton 010 000 0 1-5-3
Hatboro-Horsham 000 000 1 2-3-0
Pennridge 6, Central Bucks East 5
Another SOL Continental game, another walk-off finish.
This one came in the bottom of the ninth, two innings after CB East scored two runs in the top of the seventh to send the game to extras.
So how did it go down? Much like the others. In distinctly odd fashion.
Andrew Fantaskey and Mitch McLeod led off with singles. Then Dan Long reached on an error. Then Kyle Yoder took a ball to the shoulder on an 0-2 pitch. Game over. A walk-off hit batsman.
It’s not the type of play that season highlight-reels are made of, but it earned Pennridge a big win over a playoff-caliber rival.
“We were pretty excited to get a league win for sure,” Pennridge coach Tom Nuneviller said. “Any win is important. That was a good start for us.”
Nuneviller praised his third pitcher and fifth hitter.
“Ian Kacergis did a nice job, and Joe Robinson had some good at-bats today,” Nuneviller said. “We had some good at-bats as a team, especially with two strikes. We’ve been stringing hits together and putting crooked numbers on the board. Throughout our scrimmages and now our games.”
Robinson had two hits and a run scored. Yoder had two hits and an RBI. Luke Nuneviller led the Rams with two RBIs. Kacergis pitched two scoreless innings after the first two Rams pitchers gave up multiple runs.
CB East got stellar bullpen work from Tyler Quinlan and Kyle Feasby, who gave up one run in 5.1 combined innings. Andrew Collins and Matt Ernst each had two hits for the Patriots.
Pennridge (2-1, 1-0 SOL) plays Neshaminy Friday afternoon. CB East (1-1, 0-1 SOL) hosts Archbishop Ryan at 3:45 p.m.
Central Bucks East 003 000 200 5-7-5
Pennridge 041 000 001 6-10-2
Central Bucks South 4, North Penn 2
Dan Klepchick dominated the defending PIAA Class AAAA champions by pounding the strike zone.
“He battled and got ahead in the count which was huge,” CB South coach Brian Klumpp said.
“That’s who he is. He throws strikes, gets ahead, and trusts the fielders behind him.”
Klepchick gave up one earned run in seven innings and struck out nine.
“He was throwing his fastball for strikes, his slider, and his changeup was very good today,” Klumpp said. “He was keeping them off balance and mixing his pitches.”
Klumpp threw Klepchick on purpose against the Knights.
“I had this game marked on my calendar since I got the job,” said Klumpp, who is in his first year with the Titans. “I knew we wanted to have him on the mound against them. It was a statement game.”
Tyler Rossi had two hits and an RBI for the Titans. Three other players—Kyle Rossi, Andrew Dietz, and Casey Sloms—also drove in one run.
Senior Mason Nadeau collected two of North Penn’s six hits.
CB South (2-1, 1-0 SOL) buses to Lansdale Catholic Friday for a 3:30 p.m. start. North Penn (1-1, 0-1 SOL) plays CB East Wednesday.
North Penn 200 000 0 2-6-1
Central Bucks South 010 002 x 4-9-1
SOL National
Pennsbury 11, Abington 1
Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci had reports on Abington starting pitcher Greg Troyer from last season.
“He likes to throw off-speed pitches in fastball counts,” Pesci said. “We knew the deal with him.”
Pennsbury rocked Troyer for three runs in the third inning, ending an offensive slump that started with the 
Falcons’ 7-0 season-opening loss to Archbishop Wood.
“After the Wood game and some scrimmages we were concerned about our hitting,” Pesci said. “Our approach hasn’t been good. We were out in front attacking too much.
“Waiting for the ball is one of the hardest things to do as an aggressive hitter. We put the ball in play a ton today. It was nice to bounce back from a wake-up call loss against Wood. Our guys really bought in yesterday at practice and it showed.”
After moving from the three-hole to the leadoff spot, Notre Dame transfer Ryan McCarty smoked two doubles and is now 4-for-7 through two games with three doubles. McCarty also had two RBIs Thursday. Dave Murphy added two RBIs for the Falcons. Freshman shortstop Justin Massielo led the team with three hits.
“McCarty and Massielo have the right approach,” Pesci said. “If you put the ball in play high school kids will make mistakes.”
Jon Deiss pitched all six innings for Pennsbury, allowing just two hits. Deiss played on junior varsity last season and Thursday was his first varsity appearance.
“He attacked the strike zone,” Pesci said. “The defense made some nice plays too. Tyrone Hodges had a bunch of plays in left field. Justin Ward caught a deep fly to right.”
Jack Larini drove in the only run for the Ghosts.
Pennsbury (1-1, 1-0 SOL) takes on Hatboro-Horsham Friday. Abington (2-1, 0-1 SOL) battles Harriton Saturday at 11 a.m.
Abington 100 000 0 1
Pennsbury 003 053 x 11
Council Rock North 13, William Tennent 0
The Indians are the most dominant team in all three SOL conferences right now. They have won three games by a combined score of 38-7.
CR North clicked on all cylinders again Thursday versus Tennent. Matt Hand breezed through four shutout innings, striking out nine.
“He was dealing,” CR North coach Matt Schram said. “He was really good. Really good. Cruising. His fastball was electric. His cutter was awesome. He’s one of the best pitchers in the league. Today he showed why.”
Schram said Hand is better than last year, even though the righty made the All-SOL National First Team in 2015.
“He’s a more mature pitcher in that he understands pitch counts, pitch location, and command,” Schram said. “Last year he was awesome. He threw fastballs by people. But he’s executing every pitch now. It’s really fun to watch him throw.”
Schram limited Hand to 50 pitches Thursday.
“He could have thrown another 50 pitches if he wanted to,” Schram said.
CR North scored one run in the first, eight in the third, and four in the fourth.
“It was our second time around seeing their starter on the mound,” Schram said of the big third. “The first time he kept us at bay. The second time we were able to time his fastball. He kept it up in the zone.”
North smoked three doubles, a triple, and a home run in the third. Jared Schram, Hand, and Seth Leuz all rocketed two-RBI doubles. Juliano Kovalcik bopped the home run.
Schram (2-for-3), Hand (2-for-3) and Leuz (3-for-4) all had multi-hit games. Tyler Nowmos and Juliano Kovalcik both had two RBIs.
The scary part about the Indians is that they are kind of young, with three starting sophomores in the field and a freshman starting pitcher in their rotation.
“This is the best start in my years here,” Schram said. “We are jelling as a staff. Guys are getting good quality at-bats. The guys like each other too. It’s a lot of fun to be around.”
CR North (3-0, 1-0 SOL) travels to Neumann-Goretti for a marquee showdown Saturday at high noon. William Tennent (1-2, 0-1 SOL) plays Harry S. Truman Tuesday at 3:45 p.m.
Council Rock North 108 40 13-12-10
William Tennent 000 00 0-2-2
Harry S. Truman 5, Council Rock South 2
Truman scored five runs despite only getting three hits, including two bunt singles.
Council Rock South made five errors and gave up three unearned runs. Both teams scored once in the early innings before Truman plated four runs in the fourth.
Only one of those runs came on a hit, a bunt single by Dylan VanHorn. VanHorn dropped two bunt singles in the game. Romeo Sturkey had Truman’s other hit, a rocket down the third base line.
Truman beat South for the fifth time in the last seven meetings between the teams. Even though the Tigers are 19-39 during that span and the Hawks are 36-26.
“We always play these guys tough,” Truman coach Tim Monaghan said. “It’s never a guarantee when the two of us get together. I enjoy playing these guys. They are well-coached. Today we took advantage of a few of their mistakes.”
Truman did pitch well. Justin Kerner and John Matthews gave up five hits in seven frames. South’s five through nine batters went 0-for-10. Kerner, a senior, made his first varsity start.
“My cutter was really on today. My changeup wasn’t, and usually that’s a go-to pitch for me,” Kerner said.
Matthews made two straight diving catches in right field in the bottom of the third before relieving Kerner on the mound in the sixth. He tossed two scoreless innings and induced a double-play with two runners on to end the game.
“The fastball was working,” Matthews said.
Josh Kim and Cody Kutler had two hits each for South. Kutler and Josh Blaustein each had one RBI.
Truman (1-0, 1-0 SOL) plays Upper Moreland Friday at 3:45 p.m. CR South goes to Bensalem Tuesday for a 3:30 p.m. start.
Bensalem 8, Neshaminy 7
Bensalem came out scorching hot. The Owls scored eight runs in the first four innings to open up an 8-1 lead.
Joey Benedetti (2-for-4) and Rick Massott each had two RBIs. Bill Kohler drew a bases loaded walk.
With Benedetti on the mound, the lead looked safe, but Neshaminy rallied in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs. Two scored on an error. Corey Joyce (1) and Mike Burns (2) drove home the other three.
Brian Nicolas drove in another in the top of the seventh by grounding out. But with the tying run on third base, Dom Grady closed it out with a clutch strikeout.
Trevor McGee (2-for-4, 1 run) and Ryan Marietta (2-for-3, 1 run) also had multi-hit efforts for the Owls, who collected eight hits.
Burns (2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBIs) and Joyce (2-for-3, RBI, run scored) had big days at the plate for the Redskins. Matt Gruzda drove in a pair of runs.
Bensalem (2-0, 1-0 SOL) takes on Upper Merion Friday. Neshaminy (0-3, 0-1 SOL) battles Pennridge on the same day.
Neshaminy 000 150 1 7-7-1
Bensalem 031 400 x 8-8-3
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