Pennsbury and North Penn both clinched at least a share of their conference titles. Check out Monday’s SOL baseball recaps.
National Conference
PENNSBURY 2, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
The Falcons closed out conference play in style on Monday with Billy Bethel tossing a one-hit shutout to clinch at least a share of the SOL National Conference title.
"Two years ago, we won the first league title in a while, but that was building for a couple of years beforehand," coach Joe Pescii said. "Last year we lost 14 or 15 seniors from the 2015 team, and we only had two, so the expectations were kind of unsure. We roll into the season and have a chance to win the league title in the last game of the year but lose that game (9-2 to William Tennent), which was kind of devastating.
"That's what happens when you're doing well – it's every team's World Series to disrupt that for you. We had that bad taste from last year, and now we have 13 seniors and we had a couple of underclassmen that continued over from last year, and they wanted it."
A pair of 1-0 losses – the first to Neshaminy and the second to Bensalem – made every game down the stretch a must-win for the Falcons.
"We had a huge week last week against Neshaminy, (Council Rock) South and (Council Rock) North," Pesci said. "You come into the last game against Truman, who is always going to battle. They're not going to roll over for us."
Monday night's game was another battle that saw Bethel gut out a shutout. The Chestnut Hill-bound senior fanned five and walked four in the complete game win.
"I don't know if I made a mistake having a night game to do the Senior Night recognition, but our game manager for our school said it was the most people he'd seen at a baseball game in high school," Pesci said. "It was just crazy, and I think that atmosphere got to the kids a little bit.
"Billy threw a one-hitter, but uncharacteristically, he had four walks. He also had a bunch of big strikeouts with kids in scoring position. We haven't hit a lot this year, but pitching and defense has really been key for us, and I think the kids just wanted it bad enough and took care of business."
The Falcons plated a single run in the third and added an insurance run in the sixth. In the third, senior Bryan Nagy led off with a single. Vaughn Ward was safe on an error, putting runners on first and third, and Nagy scored when Tyrone Hodges grounded into a doubleplay.
In the sixth, the Falcons tacked on an insurance run. Hodges was once again in the middle of the action and got things started with a one-out double.
"Tyrone Hodges reached on an incredible double," Pesci said. "The ball was hit into the left center gap, but the kid cut it off.
"Ty read it well enough and didn't stop out of the box, and he was safe at second, so he earned that double."
Massielo's double plated Hodges with a run that gave the Falcons their final margin of victory.
Massielo was 1-for-3 with a double and was credited with the game’s only RBI. Hodges was 1-for-3 with a double and run scored. Nagy was 1-for-2 with a run scored. Ryan McCarty, who was 2-for-3, was the only player with multiple hits.
Pennsbury closed out its regular season with a 10-2 record in conference play and a 14-6 record overall. Harry S Truman was 1-11 in conference play (2-14 overall).
Pennsbury
Pennsbury 001 001 0 2-5-2
Harry S Truman 000 000 0 0-1-1
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 4, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
The Knights clinched a share of the conference title with Monday’s win. Danny Kirwin made sure of that with a strong outing on the mound, allowing just five hits while striking out eight and walking none in the complete game win.
The scored was tied 1-1 after the two teams exchanged first-inning runs, and that score stood until the top of the fifth when Corey Stouffer delivered an RBI single that turned out to be the game winner.
Joe Picozzi was 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Knights. Ryan Bealer and Billy Collins each also had one RBI. Zack Miles had the Knights’ only extra-base hit – a double.
Daniel Clayton’s RBI single in the first accounted for the Bucks’ only run. Steven Gebre tripled for the Bucks.
Jake Boehm was charged with the loss.
North Penn (15-3, 8-3 SOL) will be on the road at Pennridge Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (6-11, 4-8) will travel to Council Rock North for a non-league game on Tuesday.
North Penn 100 010 2 4-8-0
Central Bucks West 100 000 0 1-5-2
American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 4, CHELTENHAM 3
Tommy Jacob smashed a three-run home run to highlight a four-run first inning. That would be all the runs the Golden Bears would need as they held on for the Senior Night win.
“It was nice to be able to get all my guys in – all my seniors started,” said UM coach Dan Heiland, who has nine seniors on his roster. “They all got in, they all made contributions, whether it was at the plate or in the field.
“It was a good win. It wasn’t the way you plan it – getting all four runs in the first inning and only coming out of there with three hits, but a win is a win.”
Randy Meehl was hit by a pitch to lead off the first inning, and Ryan Lowry drew a base on balls. Brandon Kohn’s infield single in the third base hole loaded the bases. Kevin Walter followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Meehl, setting the stage for Jacob’s big blast.
Joel White absorbed the loss despite allowing just three hits in the complete game effort. He fanned three and walked one.
Nick Pagano threw 5.1 innings to earn the win, allowing five hits and three runs while striking out four. Kohn did not allow a hit in 1.2 innings in relief, fanning a pair and walking none.
Chad Johnson was 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Panthers. Alex Haasz doubled and drove in a run. Jordan Rorer and Kieran Versaw-Barnes also had doubles for the Panthers.
Upper Moreland (12-5, 9-4 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (3-14, 3-10) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 001 002 0 3
Upper Moreland 400 000 x 4
Non-league
ABINGTON 6, UPPER DUBLIN 2
The Ghosts broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the top of the third. They led the rest of the way en route to the non-league win.
Colin Kelly had a big night at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort that included a double and three runs scored. Kenny Adkins was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Matt Horn was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs out of the leadoff spot, and Nick McClay was 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
Paul Poppert earned the win on the mound, allowing seven hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out 11 and walking just one in 6.1 strong innings. JP Nolan closed it out for the Ghosts.
Justin Horn was 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead the Cardinals. Max Weinberg was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Abington (6-14, 3-9 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (3-10, 5-13) will be on the road at Upper Moreland.
Abington 103 001 1 6-9-4
Upper Dublin 101 000 0 2-8-1
WILLIAM PENN CHARTER 7, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The Titans managed just two hits off a pair of Penn Charter hurlers – singles by Chris Farrell and Justin Anderosky.
Penn Charter plated two runs in each of the first three innings to seize control of the non-league game.
Ryan Rieber threw three shutout innings for the Titans, allowing two hits while striking out five and walking none. Jack McKeown closed it out with a scoreless seventh, allowing two hits but fanning the side.
Central Bucks South (9-8, 5-6 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
William Penn Charter222 100 0 7-10-2
Central Bucks South 000 000 0 0-2-4
QUAKERTOWN 5, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The night belonged to the seniors, and they delivered in a big way. Five seniors – Devyn Bard, Austin Clarke, Jake Wooden, Jake Reed and Vik Morelock – combined to toss a no-hitter.
“A couple of them haven’t pitched in a couple of years,” Jon Pallone said.
Bard got the starting nod. He struck out one and walked one.
“He’s thrown in a couple of games for us, and he pitched all legion season,” Pallone said. “He threw one inning and his arm felt a little tight. Our game plan was to only have him throw between one and three innings.”
Austin Clarke, who had not played high school baseball for the past three years, threw the next three innings to earn the win, striking out two and walking two.
“He was a very good baseball player in middle school,” said Pallone of the Panthers’ starting quarterback. “This year he said, ‘I just miss it so much. I want to come out.’
“Baseball is such a finesse sport that it’s hard to come around. Today he really showed what he can do. He pitched to contact. He just laid it out there and left them try to beat him, and we made the plays behind him.”
Wooden came through the ranks as a pitcher until his junior season.
“He said, ‘I just really want to make the lineup,’ and we had other guys ahead of him pitching anyway,” Pallone said. “We’ve been throwing him in inner squad games a short amount of time. It’s not like he has no pitching experience, but he really hasn’t thrown in a varsity game in two years. He came out and he threw strikes.”
Reed threw a scoreless sixth, and Morelock took care of business in the seventh to cap off the Senior Night win.
“This is a pretty special group,” said Pallone, who has 13 seniors on his roster. “In a lot of sports at the high school level, it ends up being a pyramid, especially if you have a freshman team.
“We have 15-18 freshmen every year, but by the time they get to be seniors, you’re looking at six to eight guys that normally stick around and make it through cuts. For 13 of them to stick together – my other senior classes have been filled with nice guys as well, but these guys are gentlemen. They are really good kids, really good parents. I’m really going to miss them next year. They like to have fun, and they’re a good, tight group of 13 kids that want to play baseball, that want to have fun and are just fun to be around. It was a really special Senior Night tonight.”
The Panthers scored all the runs they would need in the third. Drew San Angelo got things started with a bunt for a base hit and immediately stole second. Matt Bukavich’s two-out single put runners on first and third, and after Bukavich stole second, Lake Friday delivered a two-run double. Erik Krisher’s clutch two-run double with two outs highlighted a three-run fifth.
Quakertown (13-5, 11-3 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and William Tennent (7-9, 5-7) will host Souderton on Tuesday.
William Tennent 000 000 0 0-0-1
Quakertown 002 030 x 5-7-1
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