Three SOL baseball teams got their games in on a day that saw plenty of postponements and suspended games. Neshaminy photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p837594339)
By Jarrad Saffren
The following scene played out on five baseball diamonds across Bucks and Montgomery counties Thursday: Early innings, one team ahead, the other behind, or perhaps they are tied.
A light rain morphs into a heavy, blinding monsoon of a hurricane of a perfect storm.
Okay, that’s a bit melodramatic. But you get the point. It was raining lightly from about 2:30 on. It started pouring around 4:30-5, forcing coaches and umpires into those anti-climactic huddles where everyone knows the end result.
The coaches emerge with their arms in the air, a figurative white flag. Or two white flags, if you will.
The players throw on their team sweatshirts and pack their travel-sized baseball bags (which would probably cost extra to get onto an airplane). The away team marches to the bus, waking the bored driver who is almost at the end of his workday.
The home team’s players scatter to their cars and read “Be careful driving on these roads!” text messages from their mothers. Then everybody gets home safely with plans to meet back in the same time and place tomorrow, or the next day, or the one after that.
Okay, that’s enough.
Five Suburban One League baseball games were suspended Thursday. Three were postponed. And three were declared official after five or six innings.
“You don’t want it to be that way,” Neshaminy coach Chris Tenaglia said. “You would rather play seven. But at least we were able to get it in.”
Tenaglia was one of the lucky few. He emerged from Thursday with a win and his pitching staff in order.
The results and recaps are below. Many chapter twos will come at a later date.
SOL National
Neshaminy 2, Abington 0
This is kind of scary for other SOL National teams: Neshaminy found its third starter.
Andrew Alvino pitched a complete-game one-hitter and struck out six. The lefty struggled early in the season and was relegated to a late innings role.
Neshaminy scored both runs in the first inning. Corey Joyce and Matt Grudza singled and moved up one base on a wild pitch. Ed Parry grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Joyce (Rhyme!). Then Anthony Raposelli singled to shortstop, plating Grudza.
The Redskins climbed above .500 for the first time all season and remain in second place behind Council Rock North. Abington lost its second straight league game to a second-place team (Pennsbury beat Abington Tuesday and is tied with Neshaminy in the standings).
Neshaminy (7-6, 6-3 SOL) hosts Archbishop Ryan Friday. Abington (6-5, 3-5 SOL) welcomes Upper Dublin on the same day and time.
Neshaminy 2-0-0-0-0 2
Abington 0-0-0-0-0 0
Pennsbury 4, Council Rock North 1 (Suspended)
Zach Conley retired 11 of the last 12 Council Rock North hitters and Pennsbury looked ready to upset the last undefeated team in the SOL.
But then the rain started, complicating matters. The Falcons and Indians will resume Friday but Conley cannot pitch. A PIAA rule mandates that pitchers rest for two days after throwing four innings or more.
“Of course it happens like that,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “It should be a pitch count, not an innings limit.”
Pesci said Billy Bethel will pick up where Conley left off. Bethel has pitched complete games in his last two starts, both league wins. Pennsbury only needs three strong innings Friday to preserve the lead.
It is fitting that Bethel will try to preserve the lead…
In the second, he smoked a two-run triple to the left centerfield gap, breaking a 1-1 tie. The outfielders played shallow because Bethel is a singles hitter.
David Murphy also drove in a run for the Falcons.
North’s top two starters were not available. Hand (one-name club) pitched Tuesday and Gavin Ferrandino was sick. Joe Preciado started and lasted one inning. Coach Matt Schram pulled Preciado after he gave up the double to Bethel in the second.
CJ Kilgarriff relieved him and did not allow an earned run.
Ferrandino will come in Friday if he feels better. The Falcons have a man on third with one out in the bottom of the fourth.
Pennsbury (6-5, 5-3 SOL) travels to Archbishop Ryan Saturday. Council Rock North (12-0, 7-0 SOL) plays Council Rock South Saturday.
Pennsbury 1-3-0 4
Council Rock North 1-0-0 1
Council Rock South 2, Bensalem 0 (Suspended)
This one did not even get through the second inning. In the first, Evan Fisher and Nic
Gallo worked RBI walks, putting Council Rock South up 2-0.
CR South’s Noah Davidson tossed a scoreless inning.
CR South (4-5, 2-4 SOL) plays CR North Saturday at noon. Bensalem (9-4, 4-4 SOL) takes on Pennsbury Tuesday at 3:30.
Council Rock South 2 2
Bensalem 0-0 0
Harry S. Truman 0, William Tennent 0 (Suspended)
0-0. It is as if the game never started.
Well, that is not exactly fair to the pitchers, who worked very hard to keep it that way.
So here’s a shoutout boys: Harry S. Truman’s JD Matthews hurled two shutout innings despite allowing three baserunners. William Tennent’s Nick Cataldi pitched three scoreless innings.
And that is pretty much what happened.
Harry S. Truman (4-9, 2-7 SOL) buses to Hopewell (Does anyone from PA honestly know where that is?) Friday.
William Tennent (4-8, 3-6 SOL) goes to Neshaminy Tuesday for a 3:30 start.
Harry S. Truman 0-0-0 0
William Tennent 0-0 0
SOL Continental
Quakertown 5, Souderton 0
Just when I hype up Souderton as the greatest team in the history of any sport, Quakertown pulls this stunner.
The Panthers did something no other high school baseball team has done in the last two seasons: Scored on Goose Egg (I guess I have to change his nickname) Dan Knechel.
Knechel did not allow a run in the first 47 innings (23 junior varsity, 24 varsity) of his high school career. But, in the second, Jake Wooden singled to left field and Aaron Besch darted 90 feet from third to home, a road less traveled against the pitcher formerly known as Goose Egg.
Quakertown took a 1-0 lead and Knechel’s streak was over. The Panthers added four more runs in the third.
Jake Reed hit a two-run single and Besch walloped a two-run home run.
Goose Egg Cooper Johnson pitched all five innings and gave up one hit.
Quakertown won its second straight game and ended Souderton’s six-game winning streak.
Quakertown (5-8, 4-5 SOL) plays North Penn Tuesday at 3:30. Souderton (8-4, 6-3 SOL) battles Emmaus Friday at 3:45.
Quakertown 0-1-4-0 5
Souderton 0-0-0-0-0 0
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Central Bucks South 1 (Suspended)
Hatboro-Horsham scored two runs in the first and two in the second. Central Bucks South starter Dan McCartin gave up all four runs, none earned.
Hatboro-Horsham’s Shaun Thomas drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly to right. Drew Passerini knocked in the second with a single.
Ryan O’Donnell tripled to right to bring home both runs in the second.
Tommy Dugan knocked in the only run for CB South. Brian Edgington gave up four hits and one run in two innings for the Hatters. Alex Bendzlowicz relieved McCartin in the top of the third. The game was suspended with one out in the inning.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-6, 3-5 SOL) takes on Cheltenham Friday at 3:45. Central Bucks South (8-3, 6-2 SOL) goes to Lansdale Catholic for a 3:30 start.
Hatboro-Horsham 2-2-0 4
Central Bucks South 1-0 1
SOL American
Upper Merion 8, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
Upper Merion overcame a 2-1 deficit with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
A walk and two hit batsmen loaded the bases with two outs. Joe White reached on an error by the second baseman, scoring one. Then Jarrett Quinn roped a single to right field, plating Matt Choi and Mike Hutchinson.
Then Jake McGrath doubled to left. 6-2. Another error scored two more runs.
Quinn earned the win (rhyme) for Upper Merion. His Quinnian line: six innings, two runs
10 strikeouts. He also threw 124 pitches and apparently never gets tired.
Luca Amoroso and Anthony Tomassetti drove in the runs for Plymouth Whitemarsh. Dutch Reardon had a hit and a run scored.
Seven players scored runs for Upper Merion. Choi led the Vikings with two. Quinn had two hits and two RBIs.
Upper Merion ended a six-game losing streak. PW has lost two straight after its first winning streak of the season.
Upper Merion (4-9, 4-5 SOL) plays Norristown Tuesday at 3:30. PW (4-7, 3-5 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on the same day and time.
Upper Merion 0-0-1-0-7-X 8
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-1-0-1-0-0 2
Upper Dublin 1, Cheltenham 1 (Suspended)
Upper Dublin scored one run in the first and Cheltenham answered with one in the second.
Cole Swiger doubled to right and Connor McFadden singled to center, making it 1-0 Cardinals. Three Panthers players walked and then Josh Ryan grounded out to second, tying the score.
Play was stopped after the bottom of the second.
Swiger struck out three but walked four in two innings for Upper Dublin.
Upper Dublin (8-1, 7-0 SOL) plays Abington Friday at 3:45. Cheltenham (2-7, 2-5 SOL) takes on Hatboro-Horsham Friday at the same time.
Upper Dublin 1-0 1
Cheltenham 0-1 1
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