Ed Morrone recaps all eight of Thursday’s SOL baseball games. North Penn/CB West photos provided courtesy of Cindy Manero. Wissahickon/PW photos courtesy of Kim Supko.
By Ed Morrone
SUBURBAN ONE NATIONAL
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 12, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 7
In a rivalry game early in the season, CR North jumped out to an 8-1 lead and then had to withstand a hard charge by CR South in the sixth before ultimately pulling away for a hard-fought 12-7 victory.
Cavan Tully and Jason Walter both homered for North, and Tyler Marlow and Carson Shane each knocked in three apiece for the victors.
“Jason’s home run in the second inning got us started,” North head coach Matt Schram said. “It was cold as heck, so I wasn’t expecting as much offense as we provided. The home run sparked us, and the guys got it going off Brendon Carter, a big time ace pitcher in our league.”
Once North built an 8-1 lead, Schram said his team didn’t necessarily take its foot off the gas, but South was able to chip away and pull to within 8-6 on the heels of a five-run sixth inning. Matt Smith’s bases-clearing triple brought South back to within 8-5, and he scampered home on an error to cut the deficit to two. To North’s credit, the comeback served as a bit of a wakeup call, and the Indians quickly pushed across four more in the bottom half of the inning to ice the game.
“We booted some balls and they got some hits that should have been outs,” Schram said of the top of the sixth. “This game is survival of the fittest, and in the bottom of the sixth, we scored a bunch of runs, thank God.”
After losing to South three times last season, including a defeat that knocked the Indians out of the playoffs, North was happy to grab the early-season triumph over its biggest rival.
“Anytime we face them, it’s high energy and high voltage with a lot of emotions everywhere,” Schram said. “They made it a game, and my first response was ‘Here we go,’ but we fought on. We were inexperienced last year, and in this game, I think our experience started to show. Other than the errors, it was the best way for us to start our league season, walking away with a win against a real good team feeling good.”
Ryan Stalker got the win for North, while Carter took the loss for South.
Council Rock North (3-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Friday, and Council Rock South (1-3, 0-1) will host Truman on Monday.
Council Rock South 0 0 1 0 0 5 1 7-3-3
Council Rock North 0 1 6 1 0 4 x 12-9-4
PENNSBURY 11, ABINGTON 1
Despite graduating 13 seniors from last year’s district and state champion team, Pennsbury has picked up right where it left off, scoring 44 runs in its first three games after its 11-1 five-inning win over visiting Abington.
The Falcons led 8-0 after two innings, getting four strong innings of one-run ball from starter Christian Buchler. Kyle Dear paced the offense by going 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Jake Martell was 2-for-3 with two runs and Justin Massielo went 2-for-2 with an RBI and four runs scored.
“It’s a very different team from last year,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “But we have the same culture and same mentality. We do return 10 kids from last year’s team, including four starters, so we knew we had the talent even if some people might question us after losing 13 seniors. Guys who played backup and pinch running roles last year on the state title team are getting to spread their wings a little bit.”
Pesci said it may not be realistic for the Falcons to post double-digit outputs in every single game, but he is excited by the early season progress.
“Are we going to score double digit runs every game? No, but we hope to,” the Falcons’ coach said. “We’ve done enough work hitting that we can hit for extra base hits up and down the lineup. Guys coming up clutch in big situations is key, especially being able to draw walks and take advantage of mistakes. It won’t come easy as we head deeper into the league season. It gives the pitchers confidence that we can score runs if they make a mistake.”
Jamie Burkhart’s 2-for-3 effort out of the leadoff spot let the Ghosts.
The Falcons (3-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Friday while Abington (1-2, 0-1) will be on the road at Souderton for a non-league game Friday.
Abington 0 0 0 1 0 x x 1-6-2
Pennsbury 4 4 2 0 1 x x 11-12-0
BENSALEM 13, NESHAMINY 0
Bensalem came close to a no-hitter in its league opener, as Neshaminy managed just one single in the final inning in what was a dominant display of pitching and offense for the Owls.
Nick Dean pitched five no-hit innings, striking out six and walking two, while Dominic Grady and Keith Rooney finished the job with each throwing a scoreless frame.
On offense, Dean also homered, knocked in two and scored twice, while Austin Shay (2-for-4, three runs) and Stephen Aldrich (2-for-3, three RBI, run) also posted big games at the plate.
Bensalem (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Friday, and Neshaminy (2-1, 0-1) will host Pennridge in a non-league game on Monday.
Bensalem 1 0 5 1 0 1 5 13-10-1
Neshaminy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-1-4
SUBURBAN ONE CONTINENTAL
SOUDERTON 11, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 7
Souderton found itself staring at a 4-0 deficit after the top of the first and trailed 7-3 after four, but the Indians never stopped fighting. They rallied for two in the fifth and six more in the sixth, pulling off an impressive 11-7 comeback victory at the expense of CB East.
Luke Barnum went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI and Conlan Wall scored three runs out of the leadoff spot as Souderton overcame five errors in the field to claim the win.
“We scored two after a fielding error following a bunt, then made it 7-7 on a suicide squeeze,” Souderton coach Mike Childs said of the decisive inning. “More guys got on and they walked some runs in. We took advantage of some mistakes at the end.”
Souderton starter Blaise Sclafani gave up six runs (four earned) in 2 2/3 innings of work, but the trio of Aaron Groller, Jordan Morales and David Guilbon pitched nearly flawless ball the rest of the way for the victors.
“Pitching is our strength, but it wasn’t at the beginning today,” Childs said. “Blaise struggled in his first time, out but the next guys came in and did their jobs. Our pitchers came through at the end, and that’s the great thing about good teams: when someone falls, someone else picks him up.”
But the real star of the show was Barnum, who is just returning from a wrist injury he sustained playing basketball. Clearly, he showed no signs of rust in knocking two over the fence, including his second one which cleared the 361-foot mark in right-center.
“He’s a senior who has started since his sophomore season,” Childs said. “He’s one of our leaders and captains. After he came around third after the first one, I told him that I guess his wrist was all right. Those two home runs got the guys fired up and really sparked the team when we needed to be sparked. The guys admire Luke, and doing that coming off a wrist injury is pretty remarkable.”
For CB East, Sean Enama knocked in two runs, while Daniel Schick had the team’s only multi-hit game. Jack Roland got the start, giving up five runs (four earned) in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.
Souderton (1-0 SOL) will host Abington in a non-league game on Friday, and Central Bucks East (2-2, 0-1) will host Wissahickon in a non-league game Friday.
Central Bucks East 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 7-5-5
Souderton 2 0 0 1 2 6 x 11-8-2
NORTH PENN 11, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
North Penn had a hot start at the plate in its league-opening win over CB West, scoring at least one run in every inning the team batted. The Knights turned an early 1-0 deficit into an 11-1 drubbing of the Bucks.
Danny Kirwin (4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 6 K, 3 BB) and Mason Blankenburg (2 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 2 BB) combined for six strong 
innings. Leading the way at the plate for the Knights were Tyler Siddal (2-for-3, RBI, 2 runs), Billy Collins (2B, RBI), Ryan Bealer (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Jake Drelick (2 RBI).
“We did a good job at the plate of being aggressive and showed a lot of patience,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said. “Obviously scoring in every inning was big, and I liked our offensive approach on what was a cold day to hit.”
The Knights recently returned from a trip to South Carolina and had some baseball under their belts before falling back into a holding pattern with the inclement weather back home. The offensive eruption allowed both Kirwin and Blankenburg to settle in.
“Danny challenged hitters and we made routine plays, which set the tone,” Manero said. “He didn’t have his best command, but as the game went on, he got a good feel for the ball and settled into a rhythm. We didn’t want to get into a game where we made mistakes because it was cold and windy, and we were able to control the game on the defensive side of the ball.”
For the Bucks, Rhys Nicholas was 2-for-3.
North Penn (4-0, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Spring-Ford for a non-league game Monday at 7 p.m. Central Bucks West (0-3, 0-1) will host William Tennent on Friday.
Central Bucks West 1 0 0 0 0 0 x 1-4-5
North Penn 1 4 2 1 1 2 x 11-7-1
SUBURBAN ONE AMERICAN
WISSAHICKON 5, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4
(Submitted by Michael Steitz, Wissahickon baseball)
The Trojans made an unplanned visit to Plymouth Whitemarsh this Thursday for a SOL American showdown, the first of the season for Wissahickon. With field conditions at Wissahickon unplayable, both teams "settled" with playing the conference match-up at the Colonial's new turf complex.
Quinn Rovner made his second start of the year and asserted dominance early against a potent Colonials lineup.
Rovner cooled off some hot Colonial bats which were coming off of a statement win over American Conference powerhouse Upper Moreland on Wednesday. The Trojans, on the other hand, had not played for a lengthy period of time, but Michael Steitz shook off the dust with a 2-out, 2-run double to cap off a 3-run first inning for the Trojans. Both teams struggled to create offense during the middle innings. However, some defensive struggles for the Trojans put Rovner in a jam, and he exited in the fourth after allowing four runs.
Mike Gorman came out of the bullpen and revived a Trojans' team that was on the wrong end of the Colonials' comeback. After 1.1 innings of scoreless work from Gorman, the Trojans came to bat in the bottom half of the sixth, still down by one. Brian Hynes led off the frame by reaching on a hit-by-pitch and stole second. With one down, JT Culp stepped up and plated Hynes on a double to the left-center gap, pulling the Trojans level. With two outs and runners on the corners, the inning fell in the hands of the Trojans two-hitter, Steve Loden. Loden delivered in the clutch with the game-winning RBI single which brought home pinch runner Daniel Howie. Gorman closed things out with an uneventful seventh frame, and the Trojans survived an early test in a dangerous American Conference.
******
After the Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead after an inning of play, first-year head coach Andy Noga knew his team would have to stay focused for the eventual run its opponent would go on.
He was right.
The Colonials rallied with two runs in the top of the fourth and another pair in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead. In the home sixth, Brian Hynes started things off by being hit by a pitch, and after stealing second, came around to score on an RBI double by JT Culp that knotted the score at 4. Three batters later, Steve Loden singled to right to plate courtesy runner Daniel Howie to take back the lead.
This time, Wissahickon wouldn’t relinquish it.
“We knew going in that PW was one of the top teams in the league,” Noga said. “They have good pitching and are well-coached, so we knew we weren’t going to blow them out. It was a cold, windy day, and only our third time out, and it showed at times. We dropped some fly balls and some grounders got through, but these things are correctable. We know PW will be toward the top at the end of the year, so to come out on top was huge for us.”
Wissahickon ace Quinn Rovner got the start, giving up four runs on six hits while striking out six and walking three. The team’s “1-b” pitcher, Mike Gorman, came on in relief of Rovner and pitched a near perfect outing for his first varsity win. Gorman allowed just one walk to go along with three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings of work.
“That was big for Mike and big for us,” Noga said. “As a first-year coach, it’s great to see the guys responding and buying in. It’s a good group to start with, and I’m excited to have 15 more games with them.”
Michael Steitz was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI for Wissahickon, while Loden, the sixth-inning hero, was 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI.
For PW, Brett Bottinger got the start and went five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out nine. Stephen Longo had two hits, including a triple, and two RBI at the plate for the Colonials.
Wissahickon (3-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East Friday for a non-league game, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-2, 1-1) will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 4-6-0
Wissahickon 3 0 0 0 0 2 x 5-8-2
QUAKERTOWN 2, UPPER DUBLIN 1
Quakertown used some dominant pitching and timely hitting to get past Upper Dublin on Thursday.
Justin Guidos tossed six strong innings, striking out nine while allowing just three hits and one unearned run, while Mason Hicks singled home the winning run in the top of the sixth to break a 1-1 tie.
During a time in the season when teams tend to play a little sloppier while still finding their footing, Quakertown and Upper Dublin played a relatively crisp contest that was anyone’s game.
“Justin, he’s the dude for us,” Quakertown head coach Jon Pallone said. “He was dominant for us last year and it was a crime he didn’t get an all-league mention. He had more strikeouts than innings pitched and got overlooked, so he’s pitching with a chip on his shoulder and proved he’s one of the best guys in the league.”
Guidos, an East Strousburg commit, gave way to Dennis Pierce to close the door in the seventh. Pierce gave up a hit but struck out two to give Quakertown the victory.
“Dennis has a closer’s mentality,” Pallone said. “He throws hard. I haven’t had a guy with that closer’s mentality in my five years here, and it’s great to have a guy who doesn’t have a problem coming in and shutting the door.”
After returning recently from a trip to Myrtle Beach, Quakertown’s bats were a bit cold like Thursday’s temperature, but the Panthers got hits when they had to.
“Their pitcher, (Garrett) Breslin did a good job,” Pallone said. “He did a good job keeping the ball down in the zone and made us hit on the defensive early in the game. Dennis had a leadoff double in the sixth, got to third on a grounder before Mason got a good, clutch hit for us.”
Breslin allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 for Upper Dublin, striking out five and walking just one. The Cardinals had just four hits on the day, with Alex Goldenberg collecting two of them. Jack Jamison had the team’s only extra base hit, a double.
“There are some kinks we have to shake out, but we’re just excited to get outside and start playing baseball again,” Pallone said.
Quakertown (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Upper Dublin (0-1) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
Quakertown 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2-7-3
Upper Dublin 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1-4-1
SPRINGFIELD TWP 8, CHELTENHAM 5
Facing the same cold, windy conditions all of the SOL teams were pitted against on Thursday, Springfield jumped out to a 7-0 lead after five and held off a late Cheltenham rally to claim victory in its league opener.
Nick Pave pitched five shutout innings for the victors, while Tim Dahme, who had the lone extra base hit of the game (a double), came on and struggled to get loose in relief. However, Pave did enough to shut down Cheltenham, which scored three in the home sixth and two more in the seventh.
“It was frigid, and both teams froze out there,” Springfield coach Dennis Primavera said. “It was 43 degrees, and Cheltenham’s field is on a hill which made it windier and tougher for everyone involved to get loose and play baseball, but we found a way. We made some errors late that allowed them to score some runs, but thankfully Nick dominated the game early and we were lucky to score some runs of our own.”
Although the game was sloppy at times, Springfield found a way to get that all-important first league win in its first try.
“Winning in the SOL is big for us,” Primavera said. “It’s my sixth year, and it’s been probably three or four years since we won the first time out. It was a good win for us, and the kids played well despite the conditions after getting back from Fort Pierce, Florida, where we had six days of 80-degree weather. Fielding-wise, I was satisfied, and the pitching will come around; it’s always the last thing that happens. We’re hitting right now, and we have some horses there who can do some damage, so we’ll see what happens.”
Springfield (1-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Monday while Cheltenham (2-1, 0-1) wil host Jenkintown in a non-league game on Saturday (1 p.m.).
Springfield 2 0 0 0 5 0 1 8-5-3
Cheltenham 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 5-5-2
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