Check out the results for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. To view Keith Clemens’ photos from the Souderton/Quakertown game, please visit the Photo Gallery…CLICK HERE.
By Jarrad Saffren
A few games into the Suburban One League baseball season, here is what we know, or think we know, so far: Upper Dublin is for real. Central Bucks South is realer. And Council Rock North is the realest. Those teams have targets on their backs, fronts, arms, and legs in their respective conferences. Thursday’s results and recaps are below.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 3, Hatboro-Horsham 2
Dan McCartin out-dueled Colin Kennedy, and Central Bucks South manufactured the winning run in the top of the seventh inning.
McCartin pitched 6.1 innings, gave up two runs, and struck out seven. Kennedy pitched six innings, allowed two runs, and fanned four.
Hatboro-Horsham’s other ace, Brian Edgington, entered in the top of the seventh to preserve the tie. Andrew Dietz led off for CB South and walked. Ben Berger laid down a sacrifice bunt and was safe when the ball was bobbled. Then Edgington picked Dietz off second base. Pinch hitter Justin Mauz followed by ripping a single up the middle, putting men on first and second for Tyler Rossi.
Rossi rocketed a single and Berger scored.
But the drama was not over. After getting the first out in the bottom of the seventh, McCartin put runners on first and second. Alex Bendzlowicz came in. After CB South’s catcher picked off a runner at second, Bendzlowicz recorded the final out.
“It was a crazy seventh inning,” Titans’ coach Brian Klumpp said.
Klumpp was happy with his starting pitcher.
“Dan pitched very well,” the Titans’ coach said. “He had good command of his fastball and his slider was good. He got ahead in counts and kept them off balance with his slider as the strikeout pitch.”
Kyle Rossi had a huge day for the Titans, racking up three hits, two RBIs, and a run scored. The Rossis combined for all three RBIs for CB South. Jared Prendergast and Eric Jester drove in one run each for Hatboro-Horsham.
CB South has now beaten North Penn and Hatboro-Horsham, two of the SOL Continental’s best teams last season.
“That’s huge for us,” said Klumpp, who also said the Titans can expect to see pitchers like Kennedy. “We are going to see a lot of teams’ number ones, especially because we won our first game against North Penn. When you win a game like that, it opens the eyes of teams in the league.”
Klumpp said he needs to keep his team grounded.
“It’s still early and we have a tough game coming up against Pennridge,” the Titans’ coach said. “We can’t let down after the North Penn win. We have to keep playing this type of baseball and we’ll be sitting pretty.”
CB South (3-1, 2-0 SOL) goes to Pennridge Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. start. Hatboro-Horsham (3-2, 1-1 SOL) battles Central Bucks East Thursday at 3:45 p.m.
Central Bucks South 0-0-2-0-0-0-1 3
Hatboro-Horsham 0-1-0-1-0-0-0 2
Souderton 4, Quakertown 3
Souderton pitchers walked eight and hit a batter in the first three-plus innings.
“We had a rushed start with pitching,” Souderton coach Michael Childs said. “They walked the first two batters in the top of the fourth and both came around to score.
Souderton trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the fourth.
“I said, ‘Listen we have to start now,’” Childs said. 
Tyler Summerall smoked a two-RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-2. Indians’ pitcher Dan Knechel, who struck out two in the fourth to get out of a bases-loaded jam, continued to tame the Panthers’ offense. Quakertown did not score in the 3.2 innings that Knechel pitched.
“He keeps the ball low, throws strikes, and has good off-speed pitches,” Childs said. “He’s not one of our main starters but we are still trying to figure out our number two behind Aaron Gulibon.”
Knechel’s strong audition kept Souderton in the game. Gulibon and Blake Gular started off the bottom of the sixth with hits. Then Brett Moyer bunted them over. Summerall stepped up again by stroking a two-RBI single between first and second base.
“He hit it hard,” Childs said.
Knechel slammed the door in the top of the seventh. Childs said he was most impressed with Knechel’s toughness.
“One ball hit him in the chest and he picked it up and threw to first,” the Indians’ coach said. “He’s a tough kid. He came in and got the team fired up. He’s definitely in the running for the number two job.”
Jake Reed had two RBIs for Quakertown and Jake Wooden added another. Tyler Guidos allowed two runs in five innings.
Childs said the win over Quakertown will help his team’s mindset.
“It’s huge for confidence,” he said. “We had a tough loss against Hatboro-Horsham last week on a bases-loaded wild pitch. It was nice to watch the guys come back from that.”
Souderton (1-2, 1-1 SOL) plays Central Bucks West Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. Quakertown (2-2, 1-1 SOL) takes on North Penn Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Souderton 0-0-0-2-0-2-X 4
Quakertown 0-0-0-3-0-0-0 3
Pennridge 8, Central Bucks West 5
Pennridge scored three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to overcome a 5-1 deficit, winning its second straight league game and denying Central Bucks West its first win.
“We put some hits together so that was really nice,” Pennridge coach Tom Nuneviller said. “We had threatened numerous times. We had the bases loaded a couple times, but we couldn’t score. We finally put some clutch hits together and got some runs.”
In the sixth, Luke Nuneviller and Riley Hager rocketed back-to-back doubles, making it 5-2. Then Mitch McLeod slammed an RBI single. After Dan Long got hit by a pitch and Kyle Yoder walked, Ryan Gordon singled home Long to cut the CB West lead to one.
In the seventh, Andrew Horne led off with a walk. Nuneviller followed with a single and Hager took one for the team. McLeod struck out, bringing up Long, who had been struggling. Long barreled a triple to right-centerfield, plating three runs to put Pennridge up 7-5. Long crossed the plate on Yoder’s groundout.
“Long was pressing a little bit at the (plate),” Nuneviller said. “He was swinging a little too hard. So I was happy to see him get that hit.”
Long also pitched the last 1.2 innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Long forced a pop-out and struck out two straight batters with runners on first and second.
“He was pumped,” Nuneviller said. “It was his biggest game of the year by far, offensively and on the mound.”
Nate Coyle relieved Ian Kacergis for Pennridge and did not allow a run in 2.1 innings. The Rams scored runs off all four CB West pitchers. Yoder had two RBIs and three walks for the Rams. McLeod, Gordon, and Joe Robinson knocked in one run each. Steven Gebre had two RBIs for the Bucks. Luke Irons and Matt Peralta had one each.
Nuneviller was proud of his team.
“Down 5-1 it didn’t seem like it was going to be our day,” he said. “But we battled back in the sixth and got them in the seventh.”
Pennridge (3-2, 2-0 SOL) takes on CB South Thursday afternoon. CB West (0-3, 0-2 SOL) plays Souderton Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.
Pennridge 0-0-1-0-0-3-4 8
Central Bucks West 1-4-0-0-0-0-0 5
SOL National
Council Rock North 2, Pennsbury
Council Rock North pitcher Matt Hand and Pennsbury pitcher Zach Conley made the All-SOL National Conference first team last season.
They matched up Tuesday at CR North, and Hand won.
The Indians’ ace tossed six shutout innings and struck out 10. The Falcons’ ace shutout North for three innings but allowed a two-run single to Tyler Nowmos in the fourth.
“I tried to get ahead with fastballs on the corners,” Hand said. “Then the second time through I started hitters with changeups and curves. We tried to set hitters up on the insides and outsides.”
“He (Hand) had everything working for him,” North catcher Jared Schram said. “In and out. He was working his off-speeds and keeping guys off-balance. He had a great game.”
Hand is having a great season. He has not allowed a run in 11 innings. His other numbers: 21 strikeouts, two walks, four hits, and wins in both of North’s league games, are just as impressive.
“I still have some areas to work on. I’m leaving the ball up a little bit,” Hand said. “Stuff-wise, my curveball and fastball are looking pretty good.”
CJ Kilgarriff pitched the seventh for North, closing out the Falcons after allowing a one-out baserunner. Pennsbury left seven runners on base, three in scoring position.
North coach Matt Schram said the win was important.
“I know they (Pennsbury) lost a lot of guys but they are good every year,” the Indians’ coach said. “You beat a team like that, you’re beating a good, quality, playoff-bound team. That’s a good win for us.”
Hand and Seth Leuz led North with two hits each. Dave Murphy poked two hits for the Falcons.
CR North (4-0, 2-0 SOL) buses to Harry S. Truman Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. start. Pennsbury (2-2, 1-1 SOL) battles Bensalem at 3:45.
Council Rock North 0-0-0-2-0-0-X 2
Pennsbury 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
William Tennent 10, Harry S. Truman 0
William Tennent earned its first league win by putting the ball in play and letting Truman beat itself.
“Throughout the lineup everybody was making contact,” William Tennent coach Rick Penecale said. “We hit the ball hard, got bunts down.”
Paul McElroy went 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBIs and three runs scored, and Greg Delgado added a double and three RBIs. Christian Mendez also went 3-for-3. The Panthers rocked 12 hits and the Tigers made eight errors.
Tennent starting pitcher Ryan Lucas cruised after the Panthers scored five runs in the first two innings. Lucas allowed no runs and four hits.
“Ryan pitched real well,” Penecale said. “Once you get a lead like that, it’s easy to finish it out the way we did.”
Penecale was relieved that Tennent earned its first league win.
“All wins are big in this league,” he said. “Anytime you get one it’s well-deserved. Every team is tough.”
Penecale was also excited to beat Truman, which upset Council Rock South last week. “We definitely were expecting a tough team. They were tough last year and we saw that they beat CR South,” the Panthers’ coach said. “We found holes. We played well.”
Since beating South, Truman has lost twice by a combined a score of 30-6.
William Tennent (2-2, 1-1 SOL) takes on Neshaminy Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. Harry S. Truman (1-2, 1-1 SOL) plays CR North on the same day and time.
William Tennent 1-4-0-2-2-0-1 10
Harry S. Truman 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
Neshaminy 4, Abington 2
Conwell-Egan transfers carried Neshaminy to its first league win of 2016.
Billy Meyer pitched a complete game and allowed just three hits, two runs, and three walks. He also struck out 14.
“The ball was coming out good. He was really in command with his fastball and curveball,” Neshaminy coach Chris Tenaglia said. “He pitched backwards and feels comfortable throwing curves in any count. Billy kept them off balanced and was throwing pretty hard.”
“It was a pretty cold day out there,” Tenaglia added. “They (Abington hitters) struggled with him.”
The game was Meyer’s first start but fourth appearance.
“He is a starting pitcher. But you don’t try to overextend guys early in the season,” Tenaglia said. “Those scrimmages and non-league games, you split those games up. But Billy’s a guy we are going to rely on big time. You’re talking about an ace-type pitcher.”
Neshaminy scored all four of its runs in the second inning. Bill Ritchey and Ed Parry started the frame with base hits. Meyer bunted and beat the throw, loading the bases. Josh Lehman and Brian Nicolas, another Conwell-Egan transfer, roped RBI singles to put Neshaminy up for good.
Tenaglia said the Conwell-Egan transfers make Neshaminy better.
“Billy Meyer had a lot of success in his career at Conwell-Egan. Brian Nicolas did last year too. They expect to contribute for sure,” Tenaglia said. “You have a number one pitcher and a kid who can play middle infield. Anytime you get those types, it’s definitely going to help you. They’ll be at the core of any success we have this year.”
Tenaglia reiterated the tired but true stance that league games mean everything.
“Anytime you get a league win you build a little confidence. You get yourself in a rhythm. You try to make that snowball into another one,” the Redskins’ coach said. “It’s very similar to football. You play 10 games that count in football. We play 14 league games and non-league games don’t count. So only 14 count. It’s a football game really.”
Josh Persing and Chris Clevell drove in one run each for Abington. Matt Grudza and Corey Joyce had RBIs for Neshaminy.
Neshaminy (2-3, 1-1 SOL) travels to William Tennent Wednesday for a 3:45 p.m. showdown. Abington (2-2, 0-2 SOL) goes to Council Rock South for a 3:30 game.
Neshaminy 0-4-0-0-0-0-0 4
Abington 1-0-0-1-0-0-0 2
Bensalem 8, Council Rock South 5
The bottom of the order hit Bensalem to victory Tuesday.
Bensalem’s 5-8 hitters—Kenny O’Connell, Shawn Puskar, Brian Swentkowski, and Stephen Aldrich—drove in six of the Owls’ eight runs. Swentkowski and Aldrich, the seven and eight hitters, had two RBIs each. Joey Benedetti also had an RBI for Bensalem. O’Connell finished the day 3-for-3 while Puskar was 2-for-4.
The Owls scored at least two runs off all three CR South hurlers.
Benedetti pitched five innings, allowed two runs, and struck out seven. Dom Grady threw the last two innings and held the lead.
John Crane led the Hawks with three hits and two RBIs. Cody Kutler pounded two hits and one RBI.
Bensalem is off to a surprising 5-0 start. CR South is off to an even more surprising 0-2 start in SOL National play.
Bensalem (5-0, 2-0 SOL) battles Pennsbury Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. CR South (1-2, 0-2 SOL) meets Abington at 3:30.
Bensalem 0-2-0-1-2-3-X 8
Council Rock South 1-0-1-0-0-1-2 5
SOL American
Norristown 3, Springfield 2
In the top of the sixth inning, Norristown third baseman Tom Detweiler picked up a bunted ball and fired it over the first baseman’s head into right field. A run scored and Springfield took a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom half, Detweiler led off and walloped a home run to tie the game. Norristown pitcher Terell Dale retired Springfield in order in the top of the seventh. Nick Falco led off the bottom with a single. Then Tyler Gorman grounded into a fielder’s choice that moved Falco to second. Two batters later, with runners on second and third with two outs, Detweiler scorched a single to center, knocking in the winning run.
“He (Detweiler) atoned for that mistake,” Norristown coach Rich Campbell said.
Detweiler got the glory. But Campbell was just as pleased with a new addition to Norristown’s lineup: leadoff man Tyler Pastella. The shortstop scored Norristown’s first run in the third after walking, stealing second, advancing to third on an overthrow, and coming home on a Reggie Collins groundout to second.
“Pastella was big for us,” Campbell said. “The big thing with the run in the third is that we brought home a runner from third with less than two outs. That’s something we struggled with the last two years. Collins worked a 2-2 count and did what you’re supposed to do, hit a grounder to the right side.”
The run would not have been possible without Pastella. Campbell said he is the leadoff man Norristown has lacked.
“He’s an on-base guy. He leans into pitches, walks, fouls pitches off. He’s that kind of kid,” Campbell said.
Pastella was academically ineligible as a freshman and for most of last season. But this year he is passing all of his classes.
“He’s a really smart baseball player. I tease him that he’s a baseball rain man,” Campbell said.
Norristown ace Nick Edling pitched 5.1 innings and gave up two runs, one earned. Dale relieved him in the sixth with the bases loaded and forced a double play to end the threat. Dale earned the win.
“This was two straight outings that Edling was victimized by a mistake in the field that cost him a win,” Campbell said.
Edling gave up three unearned runs in a loss to Upper Dublin Thursday. He has allowed five runs in 11 innings, one earned. He also has 17 strikeouts.
“The secret to his success has been strike one, strike two,” Campbell said. “He has taken over the number one spot. Clearly.”
Norristown (2-2, 1-1 SOL) plays Upper Merion Thursday afternoon. Springfield (0-2, 0-2 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on the same day.
Upper Dublin 7, Cheltenham 3
Upper Dublin scored six two-out runs in the fourth inning. First, Thomas Juelke crushed the ball over the leftfielder’s head, rounded the diamond, and scored easily, an inside the park home run.
Then Jason Greene singled, Noah Ruiz walked, Justin Horn reached on an error, and JT Breslin walked. Cole Swiger stepped into the box and bombed the ball to left-center, plating three runs. Then Conor McFadden laced a double, scoring Swiger. The Flying Cardinals batted around in the inning.
“The bottom of the order has been doing really well,” Upper Dublin coach Ed Wall said. “It’s been carrying us and letting other bats catch up. It was nice to see Cole and Conor get some base hits.”
Swiger had four RBIs. Breslin racked up three hits. McFadden and Juelke stroked two hits each.
Tommy Reilly made his first start on the mound for Upper Dublin and gave up two runs in four innings, though he did walk six.
“He did pretty well for a cold day,” Wall said. “He kept us in the game.”
Andrew McDermott replaced Reilly and tossed two shutout innings, striking out three. “McDermott did a fantastic job,” Wall said. “There were a lot of swings and misses at his pitches, which was nice to see.”
Swiger pitched the last inning to warm up for his next start. “Cole’s our number one. So we used that as a bullpen for him,” Wall said.
Swiger threw 21 pitches.
“It was perfect,” Wall said. “Because there’s a day between our game against Upper Moreland.”
Three Cheltenham players—Kieran Versaw-Barnes, Joel White, and Jordan Rorer—had one RBI. Versaw-Barnes, Rorer, and Sam McTier had one hit each.
Wall was happy with his team’s overall performance, just not his own.
“I made a couple mistakes on base coaching, which kept a couple more runs off the board,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “I’ll take care of those and do a better job.
“We are pitching real well, playing the field really well, and our bats heated up on a cold day today. Top to bottom we threaten, which is nice to see. We have a good group of pitchers. Tommy and Andrew are probably our fourth and fifth pitchers that we use. There’s a lot to improve, but I like where we are at. For the most part it’s just me. I just need to do better job keeping them loose and letting them have fun out there.”
Upper Dublin (3-0, 3-0 SOL) plays Upper Moreland Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Cheltenham (0-3, 0-2 SOL) takes on Springfield on the same day and time.
Upper Dublin 0-0-0-6-0-1-0 7
Cheltenham 0-0-1-1-0-0-1 3
Wissahickon 3, Upper Moreland 0
Logan Willans dominated Upper Moreland, tossing six shutout innings and allowing two hits and one walk. He also fanned five.
“It was his best start of the year,” Wissahickon coach John Bernhardt said.
The Trojans lost Willans’s first two outings even though he allowed one earned run combined.
“We couldn’t hit and get him wins,” Bernhardt said.
Wissahickon scored just enough this time. Bernhardt said the run total does not reflect the Trojans’ performance at the plate.
“We had nine hits. Plus more guys are doing their jobs,” Bernhardt said. “Alex Tappen had a safety squeeze bunt for an RBI. Matt Shilling had a big RBI single in the first. We are finally getting some timely hits. We are starting to finally play really good baseball.”
Wissahickon (2-3, 2-1 SOL) meets Central Bucks East Monday afternoon. Upper Moreland (2-1, 1-1 SOL) plays Upper Dublin Thursday at 3:30.
Upper Merion 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
Here are Upper Merion ace Jarrett Quinn’s numbers through three appearances, including two starts: 18 innings pitched, one earned run, four hits, 25 strikeouts.
He has won both of his starts, which were also league games. Against PW, Quinn threw seven innings, allowed three hits, one run, and struck out nine. He also induced nine groundouts and threw 15 first-pitch strikes.
Three PW players struck out twice.
Matt Callahan and John Paul Batten drove in one run each for Upper Merion.
Upper Merion (2-3, 2-0 SOL) plays Norristown Thursday afternoon. Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-4, 0-2 SOL) battles Springfield on April 14.
Upper Merion 0-0-0-2-0-1-0 3
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-0-0-0-1-0 1
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