Check out the results of SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. CB East photo courtesy of Karen Discavage.
By Jarrad Saffren
In the first half of the Suburban One League baseball season, we highlighted individuals more than teams. Kids like Gulibon (Gulibon, Gulibon, Gulibon), Hand, and Klepchick (The one-namers, which is the ultimate compliment).
The stars were emerging and teams were feeling each other out, not quite playing for league titles and district playoff spots just yet. But now they are. So now, like all coaches want us to, we will highlight the teams more than the players.
It is that time of year. The pennant racing, scoreboard watching season where non-league games become a distant memory, like flip phones or network television (That is technically still a thing, but only technically).
As I spoke with winning coach after winning coach Tuesday night, they all said a variation of the same thing (I say that every week, but this is just how coaches are. They stay on message better than presidential candidates not named Mitt Romney or Hillary Clinton (Flip-floppers).
Anyway, here is what each winning coach said, roughly: “It was a big win. A really big win. Now we need another.”
Ten SOL teams earned big wins Tuesday. Now they all need another.
SOL Continental
Souderton 13, Hatboro-Horsham 0
Souderton’s junior varsity team went 16-3 in 2015. Now that core is helping lead the varsity Indians to their first district playoff appearance since 2009.
I have already written extensively about number two starter Dan Knechel, who did not allow a run in 23 JV innings last season and is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 2016.
But I have only mentioned Thylar Summerall and Luke Barnum in passing. Summerall played JV last season after hurting his leg.
“If I bring up a kid, he’s playing,” Souderton coach Michael Childs said. “I don’t want to waste him on the bench.”
Barnum played JV because he was a freshman. Both made varsity before the 2016 season and may be Souderton’s two best hitters.
From the two-hole, Barnum is hitting .348 with seven runs and seven RBIs. Two runs and one RBI came in the win over Hatboro-Horsham Thursday.
From the six-hole, Summerall is batting .391 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. He hit a grand slam against the Hatters and had five RBIs.
“He’s hitting the ball well. He makes adjustments within at-bats,” Childs said.
Summerall hit his grand slam with two strikes.
“He swung through one, looked at another, and third one he puts out,” Childs said.
The rest of the lineup also produced. Leadoff man Kyle Lennon, another 2015 JV alum, scored two runs and drove in one. Brett Moyer had one hit, one run scored, and three RBIs. Gulibon (one-name club) stroked a hit and an RBI.
More than anything, Childs said, the lineup showed its power. Summerall’s double to right-center hit the “361” sign.
“It was almost his second home run,” Childs said.
Barnum’s double hit the fence. Matt Reinert’s triple also struck the fence. Moyer’s two-run double sailed over the centerfielder’s head.
“These are deep shots. We are smacking the ball around,” Childs said. “And Colin Kennedy is a smart pitcher. He’s one of the better pitchers in our league. We were very patient today.”
The Big Red has outscored its last two opponents 24-0 and its last four opponents 35-1. There is another part of this game, and it’s usually considered the more important part. What’s it called again? Right, pitching. The Indians do that too.
Gulibon threw a one-hit shutout Tuesday, fanning nine. He improved to 3-2 with an 0.69 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.
“Gulibon’s doing awesome,” Childs said. “He’s getting 9-10 strikeouts per game and we are playing defense behind him. We are also starting to hit for him and hit with power, which I knew we were capable of.”
Souderton has won eight of nine after an 0-2 start. Central Bucks South has led the SOL Continental all season. This could be a riveting pennant race, like the 1993 National League West race between the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants (Google it kids. You google everything).
“We are playing well that’s for sure. I told the guys after the game today, ‘You are the true definition of a team, on and off,’” Childs said. “The last time I had a team get along, help each other out, and play for each other like this, was the 2007 state (finalist) team. Am I saying they are going to do that? No. Do we have the capability of doing that? If we keep playing like this.”
Wow. Childs just became the first SOL coach to reference the state title game. That’s a very big deal. So is Souderton.
But have the Indians peaked? No!
“I’m not worried at all that our team has peaked,” Childs said. “There are still things we need to work on.”
Back to coach-speak. It’s actually kind of refreshing after so much humanity.
Souderton (8-3, 6-2 SOL) plays Quakertown Thursday at 3:30. Hatboro-Horsham (5-6, 3-5 SOL) takes on CB South on the same day at 3:45.
Souderton 2-7-4-0-X 13
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks East 11, Pennridge 1
Central Bucks East finally won a league game after an 0-7 start. Ironically, the Patriots improved to 6-7, meaning they are 5-0 in non-league play.
CB East coach Kyle Dennis explained the difference.
“I don’t know really. It was perplexing,” Dennis said. “Our pitchers did a great job. And we’ve been averaging the same number of hits in wins and losses.”
Dennis took a breath, thought for a second, and came up with a logical answer.
“I guess we haven’t been getting that hit in league games to break them open,” Dennis said. “In non-league games we’d pick up that hit.”
CB East picked up three of those hits against Pennridge.
In the bottom of the first, CJ Gillmer belted a single to left field, putting the Patriots up 2-1. In the second, Andrew Collins barreled a two-run double to left. Later in the frame, Dan Schick smoked a two-run double to right.
“We put some good swings on balls today and finally got some key hits,” Dennis said.
Starter AJ Curran only needed a few. The lefty pitched a complete-game two-hitter. He fanned five, walked one, and threw 79 pitches.
“Curran’s been phenomenal,” Dennis said. “His stats are mind-boggling for a kid who’s 2-3.”
Curran has a 2.36 ERA and four walks in 23 innings. “He’s not overpowering,” Dennis said. “He mixes his pitches well and throws three pitches for strikes.”
Dan Long knocked in the only run for Pennridge. Austin Rodenberger was the only Rams hurler who did not allow a run.
The Rams fell to second-place behind CB South and Souderton.
“Pennridge is a great team,” Dennis said.
Can CB East become one too and make a miraculous run to the playoffs?
“Most years you need to be 9-5 or 8-6 in league play, so I have no prediction on that,” Dennis said.
CB East is 1-7 in league play and can finish 7-7 at best.
“We are just going to play hard every day and play hard for our seniors,” Dennis said. “The frustrating part is, we’ve been in a lot of games that we just have not been able to break open. But we have been working hard at practice this whole time. Just trying to get a little bit better every day with something.”
Clutch hits. Check.
CB East (6-7, 1-7 SOL) battles North Penn Thursday at 3:45. Pennridge (9-5, 5-3 SOL) plays Central Bucks West at 3:30.
Central Bucks East 2-7-0-0-2 11
Pennridge 1-0-0-0-0 1
Central Bucks South 3, North Penn 2
2-2. Bottom 8th. Tommy Dugan leads off for CB South and rips an infield single to shortstop.
Then Andrew Dietz ropes a double to right, putting men on second and third with no outs. North Penn intentionally walks Casey Sloms, loading the bases. Tyler Watson lifts a sacrifice fly that scores Dugan and wins the game. The walk-off sacrifice fly. So baseball.
CB South keeps pace with Souderton atop the SOL Continental.
“It was a big win, especially coming off a tough loss to CB West,” CB South coach Brian Klumpp said. “We needed a win to stay on top of the division. It was a good way to kick off the second half of season.”
Klepchick (one-name club) pitched all eight innings for the Titans and earned his fifth win. He struck out five and his ERA is a disgustingly delicious 0.58.
North Penn took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run double by Greg Kerr. Klepchick walked two in the only inning that the Knights scored.
“The first inning was his worst. It’s been the same recipe every game,” Klumpp said. “He got stronger as the game went on. He was himself after the first. He really started to hit his spots. And once we tied it up he got even better.”
In the bottom of the fourth, Eric Gross singled to left, plating Sloms. Then Mike Goldsworthy singled, scoring Watson and tying the game.
Klepchick retired 12 of 15 hitters after CB South tied the score.
Dugan, Dietz, and Watson each had two hits for the Titans. Mason Nadeau stroked two hits for the Knights. Matt Stevenson pitched 7.1 innings and struck out five.
Klumpp continues to look at the positives with his off today, on tomorrow offense.
“We definitely have the ability to put up runs. We scored 12 against Conwell-Egan and nine against CB West,” Klumpp said. “Today the bottom half got key hits. The 7-8-9 hitters had the RBIs and that was huge, getting production like that from the bottom.”
CB South (8-3, 6-2 SOL) hosts Hatboro-Horsham Thursday at 3:30. North Penn (8-5, 4-4 SOL) plays CB East at 3:45.
Central Bucks South 0-0-0-2-0-0-0-1 3
North Penn 2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 2
Quakertown 7, Central Bucks West 0
Quakertown had fallen out of the district playoff picture after losing six of seven. The Panthers desperately 
needed a win, and they got one, ending Central Bucks West’s four-game league winning streak.
“It was big. It was very big,” Quakertown coach Jon Pallone said. “A lot of those games were close. Anybody beats anybody in this league.”
Keep going Jon.
“We have to go one game at a time. You have to walk before you can run,” Pallone said. “We play Souderton Thursday. That was a one-run game last time. They stole home to beat us in the bottom of the seventh. We went into that inning with a lead.”
Pallone’s point is this: Quakertown is close. The Panthers need to win those games or just accept close. Goose Egg Dan Knechel will start Thursday for Souderton. Quakertown will counter with Cooper Johnson.
Three players raised the banner of House Quakertown and led the Panthers to victory over CB West. Starter Devyn Bard pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, holding a no-hitter into the fifth.
“He announced himself today,” Pallone said. “He was keeping the ball down, staying aggressive, and making hitters beat him.”
Bard improved to 1-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.66. He has walked nine in 21 innings and Pallone wants him to cut back.
“That’s more than my other guys,” Pallone said. “I’d like less but nine in 21 is still good. I’m still okay with it.”
Aaron Besch and Tyler Guidos got the clutch hits that Pallone had been waiting for. Besch rocked a two-run single to right in the top of the first. Guidos whacked a two-run single to right in the fifth, making it 5-0.
Both also hit sacrifice flies later in the game. “They had struggled getting hits with guys in scoring position,” Pallone said. “But they came up with men on and got big hits.”
Pallone said repetition helped. “They struggled early in the season. But I could see something was there. So I kept getting them at-bats,” Pallone said.
Besch tore his ACL during Quakertown’s 2014 football season and could not play baseball last spring and summer.
“He had to get his timing down,” Pallone said.
Guidos had a “good Myrtle Beach trip” during spring training but “tried to do too much” in his first game after the trip.
“Now his confidence is up and going,” Pallone said.
Lake Friday scored two runs and pounded two hits for the Panthers. Jake Reed touched his cleated foot on home plate three times.
Quakertown (4-8, 3-5 SOL) welcomes Souderton Thursday at 3:30. CB West (4-7, 4-4 SOL) goes to Pennridge on the same day and time.
Quakertown 2-0-0-1-2-0-2 7
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
SOL National
Pennsbury 13, Abington 2
Pennsbury won its third straight league game and jumped ahead of Bensalem in the SOL National standings. The Owls lost to Neshaminy, which is tied for second with Pennsbury.
The Falcons are winning because their offense is hitting like The Big Red Machine, scoring 30 runs in their last three games.
“The offense is coming together,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “For a team that was scoring 1-2 runs per game for the first part of the season.”
Pennsbury scored three in the first and seven in the second against Abington, opening a 10-2 lead. Every starter had at least one hit. The Falcons also walked seven times.
Vaughn Ward had two hits, a run scored, and an RBI. Justin Ward had two RBIs and two runs scored. Bryen Kimbrough hit a triple and increased his hitting streak to five games. Pesci moved Kimbrough to the three-hole before the first win of the streak, against Council Rock South last Tuesday.
“He’s been a huge lift for us,” Pesci said. “We moved Tyrone Hodges to the leadoff spot because he’s leading us in batting average and on-base percentage. We figured if Ty gets on, and we move him over, then Kimbrough will hit him in.”
Hodges had a hit and two RBIs against the Ghosts. Josh Tesarck also knocked in two runs.
Nick Price started on the hill for Pennsbury because Zach Conley needed an extra day of rest. Price earned his first league and varsity win.
“Nick is the type of kid that you could play in every position and he’d know exactly what to do. He gives maximum effort,” Pesci said. “He’s that type of kid. He shut them down after the first. I knew on short notice we could go to him.”
Chris Clewell drove in both Abington runs.
Pennsbury (6-5, 5-3 SOL) plays Council Rock North Thursday. Conley is scheduled to start. Hand (one-name club) started for North Tuesday and will not start Thursday.
“We owe them one,” Pesci said, referring to North’s 2-0 win in the first meeting between the rivals. “They are undefeated. Hopefully we can beat them, get some help, and win a league title.”
Pesci oozes confidence. Even writing his words makes me feel ready to take on any challenge. His players must have excellent self-esteem.
Abington (6-4, 3-4 SOL) buses to Neshaminy for a 3:30 start.
Pennsbury 3-7-0-1-1-0-1 13
Abington 2-0-0-0-0-0-0 2
Neshaminy 7, Bensalem 2
Neshaminy cut Billy Meyer as a freshman because his fastball was 74 miles per hour.
Meyer raised his radar gun digits to 84 by his sophomore year, when he pitched for Conwell-Egan. The heater was up to 88 by the time he transferred back to Neshaminy for his junior year. A 14-mile per hour jump in two years.
“It was an offseason program I was going to,” Meyer said.
Meyer did a weighted-ball, plyometric program that, “Strengthens all your muscles, especially your decelerated muscles,” Meyer said. “It builds up your speed.”
Decelerated muscles are the ones in your upper body that help you stop after throwing a pitch.
Meyer is showing off his accelerated and decelerated muscles in 2016. He pitched a complete game and struck out nine against Bensalem, improving to 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 32 innings.
The big righty allowed a leadoff or one-out baserunner in six of seven innings. But Bensalem only scored in the third. Meyer did not hesitate when asked how he got out of so many jams.
“Confidence,” Meyer said. “I have confidence in every pitch I throw. It does not matter what the count is. I am confident that I am going to get that pitch over the plate.”
There were two types of Meyer strikeouts Tuesday. Ones where Bensalem hitters looked at inside fastballs or changeups and walked back to the dugout shaking their heads. There were five of those. And ones where Owls batters swung over Meyer’s “spiked curveball,” which is “like a knuckle-curveball,” Meyer said.
Meyer learned the pitch from teammate Zach Boop two weeks ago and has worked on it in practice every day.
“It has a more sharper break,” Meyer said. “Zach Boop said he loves the pitch and I had to try it out. First time I threw it I went, ‘Wow.’”
Kind of like the time Mariano Rivera learned his cutter, the greatest pitch in baseball history, while playing catch one day and accidentally throwing it?
“Pretty much,” Meyer said smiling.
Neshaminy actually trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the third. But Ed Parry rocketed a grand slam over the left field fence. The Redskins never trailed again.
“I was just looking for a pitch to hit and I got a nice meatball down the middle,” Parry said. “It was a straight, flat fastball.”
Freshman Corey Joyce had two hits, two runs scored, and an RBI for the Redskins. Coach Chris Tenaglia moved him from the nine-hole to the two-hole Tuesday.
“Starting off the year in the nine-hole, I was seeing a lot of fastballs,” Joyce said. “That got my confidence up.”
Bill Ritchey and Jake Jones also knocked in runs for Neshaminy. Mike Burns ripped two hits.
Trevor McGee had two hits for Bensalem. Shawn Puskar had an RBI.
Neshaminy is tied with Pennsbury in second-place. Bensalem is 1-4 in its last five league games and dropped to third.
Neshaminy (6-6, 5-3 SOL) battles Abington Thursday. Bensalem (9-4, 4-4 SOL) goes to Council Rock South for a 3:30 start.
Neshaminy 1-0-4-0-1-1-X 7
Bensalem 0-0-2-0-0-0-0 2
Council Rock North 8, William Tennent 2
Council Rock North improved to 12-0 overall and 7-0 in SOL National play. The Indians are seven wins away from finishing the regular season undefeated.
CR North coach Matt Schram said I can quote him on anything he says, even this: “If you follow the (New England) Patriots a few years ago (2007) and even the Carolina Panthers this year, I was the king of telling my sons, ‘They have to lose a game,’” Schram said, referring to two NFL teams who chased perfection. “When you are undefeated, it changes the way an opponent comes after you. If I am facing an undefeated team, I am licking my chops. But my sons said, ‘No, you have to be undefeated.’”
One of Schram’s sons, Jared, is North’s catcher and three-hole hitter. He was listening as his dad recalled their argument.
“So Jared wants to be undefeated. He said, ‘Heck yeah,’” Matt Schram said. “My wife is standing here saying the same thing.”
So all of the Schrams want to finish undefeated besides Matt? No, of course Matt wants his own team to finish without a loss.
“Yeah of course I want to win every baseball game,” Schram said. “But the answer seriously is, I am not even thinking about it. I do not want to think about it. That’s for the end of the season. I just keep thinking about getting closer and closer to clinching a playoff spot. Then I’ll think about where our seed is.”
Coaches morph from humans back to coaches very quickly.
Speaking of non-humans, Hand (one-name club). The senior righty put in another Koufaxian line Tuesday: seven innings, 87 pitches, 65 strikes, 22 balls, two hits, one earned run, 15 strikeouts, one walk.
He did not run a full count on a hitter in the first six innings.
“I can’t even recall a 2-2 count,” Schram said. “This was his best performance yet. He was unbelievable. His fastball was really good. His curveball today was the best I’ve seen it. It was leaving hitters’ eyesight. I mean just falling off the table. It would come at you and drop to the ground.”
Hand improved to 5-0 with an 0.60 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 30 innings. Schram has been coaching high school baseball for 18 years.
“I don’t want to say he’s the best I’ve ever seen in high school baseball, but he’s right up there with them,” Schram said. “When he walks somebody this year, we look at each other and are like, ‘Did he just walk somebody?’”
Hand also had three RBIs (I know right?). Jared Schram knocked in one run and has a team-leading 21 RBIs. Juliano Kovalcik had two RBIs for the Indians. Jackson Parker belted two hits and an RBI.
Council Rock North (12-0, 7-0 SOL) buses to Pennsbury Thursday for a 3:30 start. William Tennent (4-7, 3-5 SOL) plays Harry S. Truman on the same day and time.
Council Rock North 0-0-3-0-5-0-X 8
William Tennent 0-0-0-0-0-0-2 2
Council Rock South 6, Harry S. Truman 0
Council Rock South won its second straight league game and has won three of four overall.
“We are slowly getting there,” CR South coach Ted Kirner said.
The best sign was South’s defense. The Hawks did not make an error for the first time all season in league play. Their pitchers also only walked two.
Zach Mayer started, lasted five innings, and gave up four hits.
“We weren’t sure how we were going to use him in the beginning of the year,” Kirner said. “We were thinking probably as the first guy out of the pen. But he has gotten opportunities to start and ran with them. You have to feed the beast, let him keep going. He has earned his spot.”
Noah Davidson pitched the last two innings for South, fanning two. Davidson threw 33 pitches and will likely start Thursday.
“For Noah that was a bullpen session,” Kirner said.
South’s rotation is limited to Mayer, Davidson, and Josh Blaustein right now.
“We have to get creative with the bullpen and how we line up the next few games,” Kirner said. “We have three league games this week, so we are trying not to extend guys.”
Cody Kutler banged two hits for the Hawks. The quiet lefty just goes about his business.
“He’s quiet, soft-spoken, he doesn’t say two words,” Kirner said. “But he barrels balls up. He gets big hits in key spots. Him and Josh Kim are seeing the ball best right now.”
Kim had three hits and two runs scored. Freshman Nick Gallo had two RBIs. Another freshman, Trey Obarowski, started at second base and “did a great job there,” Kirner said.
CR South (4-5, 2-4 SOL) plays Bensalem Thursday. Harry S. Truman (3-9, 1-7 SOL) buses to William Tennent for a 3:30 start.
Council Rock South 1-0-1-1-0-3-0 6
Harry S. Truman 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
SOL American
Wissahickon 5, Springfield 3
Wissahickon won its fourth straight league game. The Trojans stayed a half game back of second-place Upper Moreland and a game and a half back of first-place Upper Dublin.
Jeremy Spittle went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Blake Rapoport, Alex Tappen, and Matt Shilling had one RBI each. Mike Schoenleber also belted two hits.
Wissahickon (6-5, 6-2 SOL) plays Upper Moreland Wednesday in a showdown for second-place. Springfield (1-6, 1-6 SOL) hosts Norristown Thursday.
Upper Moreland 6, Plymouth Whitemarsh 3 (Suspended)
Upper Moreland scored five runs in the first two innings and never trailed, but the game was halted with a PW runner on first and no outs in the bottom of the fifth. The game is scheduled to resume this Friday at Plymouth Whitemarsh (3:30 p.m.).
Brandon Kohn gave up three runs in four innings. Jon Searles knocked in three runs for the Golden Bears.
Nick DeLucas had an RBI and two runs scored. Randy Meehl also scored two runs. Kohn rocked three hits.
Noah Goldstein (two) and Luca Amoroso (one) drove in the runs for the Colonials. PW’s Connor Burke gave up one unearned run in 2.2 innings.
Upper Moreland (6-2, 5-1 SOL) plays Wissahickon Wednesday in a showdown for second-place. Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-6, 3-4 SOL) takes on Upper Merion Thursday.
Upper Moreland 3-2-0-1-0 6
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-0-3-0 3
Cheltenham 4, Upper Merion 4 (Suspended)
In the bottom of the eighth, Cheltenham had runners on second and third with two outs.
“Then it just started pouring,” Cheltenham coach Craig Stein said. “Even after it stopped, the field was unplayable.”
The game was suspended and Stein is not sure when it will continue. Cheltenham scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the score. Jack McHugh singled home Wes Giles and later scored on a wild pitch.
Kieran Versaw-Barnes pitched two scoreless innings in relief for Cheltenham. Nissim Leibovitz had one RBI.
Joe White knocked in two runs for Upper Merion. Mike Hutchinson stroked two hits and one RBI. Nick Marino drove in the other Vikings run. Matt Choi scored two runs and was pitching when the rain started.
Cheltenham (1-7, 1-5 SOL) plays Upper Dublin Thursday and Hatboro-Horsham Friday. Upper Merion (3-8, 3-4 SOL) plays Plymouth Whitemarsh Thursday but is off Friday and Saturday.
Cheltenham 0-0-0-1-1-0-2-0 4
Upper Merion 0-0-0-3-1-0-0-0 4
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