Jarrad Saffren recaps Wednesday’s SOL baseball action.
By Jarrad Saffren
High school baseball season is back, which means rain season is, too. Most of Monday’s games and all of Tuesday’s games were wiped out by rain.
Fortunately, Wednesday was a bright, sunny, 60-degree day. So there was baseball.
Eight Suburban One League baseball teams played non-league games Wednesday. There were six games, since two featured two SOL teams.
Central Bucks South, North Penn, Quakertown and Springfield Township continued hot starts. Neshaminy opened its season with an impressive blowout win. Souderton also had a big offensive day.
The results and recaps are below.
Non-League
Central Bucks South 11, Pennsbury 1
CB South’s Dan Klepchick pitched a complete game, allowing no earned runs. He struck out 10 and walked none.
The dominant right-hander improved to 7-0 since the start of last season.
“Klep just pounds the mitt and throws strikes,” Titans coach Brian Klumpp said. “They are a good hitting team that Klep really shut down.”
“I threw first-pitch strikes, kept the ball down,” Klepchick said. “I started them with fastballs and kept them off balance with sliders.”
Klepchick may have pitched his best with men on. Five of his strikeouts came with runners on, four with runners in scoring position.
In the bottom of the first, with two men on, Klepchick fanned two straight batters. Pennsbury had a chance to take an early lead.
Instead, CB South seized momentum, scoring two runs in the second, another in the third and four in the fourth. The Titans chased Pennsbury ace Billy Bethel from the game in the fourth.
Then they scored six more runs off the Falcons’ relievers.
The Titans pounded 14 hits. Four South players—Tyler Watson, Andrew Dietz, Eric Gross and Joey Loynd—had multiple hits. Three Titans players—Loynd (three), Chris Farrell (three) and John McSweeney (two)—had multiple RBIs. Three—Watson (three), Gross (three) and Loynd (two)—scored multiple runs.
It was quite an offensive performance for a team that struggled offensively last season. The Titans have now scored 18 runs in two games.
“It’s been a good start,” Klumpp said. “We hit one through nine.”
“Scoring 11 runs with Klep on the mound, we are safe,” Farrell said. “The rest of our pitching staff will come through too if we put up that many runs.”
“There’s no saying how far we can go,” Loynd said. “We will win a lot of games if we hit like that.”
Pennsbury leadoff man Justin Massielo also hit well Wednesday, going 3-for-3 off Klepchick, two singles and a double.
“He’s very consistent, very even-keeled,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “He’s going to give you everything he has no matter what. He’s at the top because we wanted him to be that spark plug to get things going.”
Pennsbury’s top three hitters—Bethel and Ryan McCarty batted second and third, respectively—combined to go 5-for-8 with a run scored. Bethel doubled and then scored the Falcons’ only run.
Pennsbury’s 4-9 hitters, however, went 2-for-18 with seven strikeouts.
CB South (2-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Conwell-Egan Friday at four. Pennsbury (0-1, 0-0 SOL) hosts Archbishop Wood Thursday at 3:45.
Central Bucks South 0-2-1-4-0-1-3 11
Pennsbury 0-0-1-0-0-0-0 1
Quakertown 3, Allentown Central Catholic 2
Quakertown and Allentown Central Catholic were tied at one going into the sixth. With two on and two outs in the top of the sixth, Quakertown’s Evan Hurst stepped up and hit a two-run single.
Hurst, a senior bound for Arcadia University, is a defensive catcher not known for his offense.
“Anything he can give us offensively is a bonus. He’s such a quiet, humble kid,” Quakertown coach Jon Pallone said.
Matt Bukavich drove in the other run for Quakertown. Justin Guidos slammed two hits and scored a run.
Quakertown starter Devin Bard gave up one run in five innings. “Bard threw well. Maybe too many pitches,” Pallone said. “I was only going to use him for four.”
Victor Morelock pitched the last two innings.
Quakertown is now 2-0.
“We are feeling pretty good. Both games were close, which helps you build some character,” Pallone said. “Central was in the Lehigh Valley Conference championship game last year, so that’s a good win.”
Quakertown (2-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Hatboro-Horsham Friday at 3:45.
Quakertown 1-0-0-0-0-2 3
Allentown Central Catholic 0-1-0-0-0-1 2
Springfield Township 16, Bishop McDevitt 1
Springfield Township scored 11 runs in the first inning. Coach Dennis Primavera put his bench players in to start the second inning.
“I was hoping to get more innings in,” the Spartans’ coach said. “But they only had 10 guys. Then they walked the bases loaded and hit my guy for the 16th run, which ended the game.”
Macleod Farley earned the win for Springfield.
“We wanted to see him and he threw strikes and we did what we had to do,” Primavera said. “The whole team is hitting. But it was only three innings, so it’s tough to say who played well.”
Springfield improved to 3-0.
“The team is playing well. We are focused, have some talent, guys are buying in, listening to the coaches,” Primavera said. “We had a good trip to Florida. We played Germantown Academy and did well against a quality team. We struggled a little against Germantown Friends but pulled it out.”
Primavera is especially pleased with his team’s offense.
“Offensively we’re ahead of where we’ve ever been at this point,” Primavera said. “They’ve been in the gym, which helps. Guys are focused.”
Springfield (3-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Hatboro-Horsham on April 4.
Springfield Township 11-0-5 16
Bishop McDevitt 0-0-1 1
North Penn 10, Chardon (OH) 0
North Penn improved to 3-0, capping its Myrtle Beach trip with its biggest win yet.
The Knights outscored their three Myrtle Beach opponents 21-1.
Hunter Hamlin’s RBI single in the sixth brought an early end to the game.
The Knights broke a scoreless tie with an eight-run third inning that was highlighted by an AJ Patterson triple and back-to-back doubles by Billy Collins and Hunter Evans.
Hamlin was 3-for-4 while Collins, Evans and Connor Mikulski each had two hits.
Five North Penn pitchers – Jon Udzinski, Mason Blankenburg, Ricky Henning, Chris Jupina and Zach Thomas – combined for the shutout Wednesday. The Knights’ pitching staff allowed just one run in 20 innings.
North Penn (3-0, 0-0 SOL) plays Parkland Saturday at noon.
Chardon 0-0-0-0-0-0 0
North Penn 0-0-8-1-0-1 10
Neshaminy 17, Upper Dublin 4
Neshaminy opened its season, and the coach Dan Toner era, with a convincing blowout win over the two-time defending Suburban One League American Conference champions.
Nine Neshaminy players got at least one hit, slamming 16 in all, five for extra-bases. Ed Parry had four hits, three doubles. Anthony Raposelli, Evan Matthews, Ben Raab and Eric Gale stroked two hits each.
Seven Neshaminy players drove in at least one run. Parry also led the team in that category, with four RBIs. Raab and Owen Foraker each knocked in three. Gale and Matthews both had two.
Five Neshaminy players—Brian Nicolas (four), Jerry Scavone (three), Raposelli (two), Raab (two) and Gale (two)—scored multiple runs.
Those are ridiculous offensive numbers. Neshaminy has a deep lineup and should continue to score a lot.
Junior hurler Kyle Rovny gave up one run in 2.2 innings. Senior Zach Tredway fanned five.
Neshaminy scored five runs in three of four innings. The Redskins won by the 10-run rule.
Neshaminy (1-0, 0-0 SOL) hosts Pennridge Thursday at 3:30. Upper Dublin (1-1, 0-0 SOL) plays Council Rock South Friday at 3:30.
Neshaminy 5-5-2-5 17
Upper Dublin 0-0-3-1 4
Souderton 10, Perkiomen Valley 6
Souderton improved to 1-1.
Thylar Summarell had a productive day at the plate. His three-run home run highlighted a six-run fourth inning that put the Indians on top 9-4. He finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Luke Barnum had four hits and three runs. Brett Moyer stroked two hits and an RBI, and Justin Kullman had a double and RBI.
Summarell also pitched two scoreless innings, striking out four. Derek Freed threw one shutout inning.
The Indians (1-1, 0-0 SOL) play Council Rock South Thursday at 3:45.
Perkiomen Valley 0-0-0-4-0-2-0 6
Souderton 2-0-1-6-1-0-X 10
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