Ed Morrone recaps Tuesday’s games featuring SOL baseball teams. PW/Springfield photos provided courtesy of Cindy Manero.
By Ed Morrone
SOL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
NESHAMINY 6, ABINGTON 2
For a team still searching for its identity, Tuesday’s 6-2 road win at Abington was a welcome sight for Neshaminy.
The Redskins, who graduated 11 seniors from last year’s team, were coming off a walloping at the hands of Bensalem last week and played to an 11-11 tie with Pennridge yesterday until the game was suspended. Head coach Dan Toner said the team is still figuring things out, and on this day, things went rather swimmingly for Neshaminy.
“We’re hitting the ball better as we try to find our identity,” Toner said. “For a lot of the guys, it’s their first time playing varsity baseball. Brian Nicolas and Cory Joyce are returning starters, but there’s not much experience beyond that. We’re ironing things out, getting guys in there and see who can produce. It’s good to see guys attacking the baseball, especially Brian; he’s one of the top players in the area and off to an incredible start.”
Nicolas, Neshaminy’s three-hitter, was 1-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored. Neshaminy jumped on Abington with three runs in the first and never looked back. Joyce was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and Joe Kaleck added an RBI double, a run scored and two walks.
On the mound, Jake Fehrle got his first start of the season and pitched the first four innings. He allowed two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking four. Dan Errigo pitched the final three innings for the Redskins, allowing just a pair of hits while fanning three.
“Jake is one of the top guys in our rotation,” Toner said. “It was his first game as he’s been waiting on his arm to get back in shape, and for him to come out and pitch as good as he did was a very positive thing for us to see.”
Neshaminy started strong with wins over Hatboro-Horsham and Central Bucks East before the Bensalem debacle, which Toner called “one of the worst games I’ve ever seen.” Alas, the Redskins have shown improvement, and haven’t gotten down when they haven’t played their best.
“This was definitely something we needed,” Toner said. “It was big for our program to put a victory in the win column.”
Neshaminy (3-1, 1-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Thursday while Abington (1-5, 0-2) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
Neshaminy 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 6-5-0
Abington 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2-6-2
SOL CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, PENNRIDGE 1
Central Bucks East made the few hits they got count.
Jack Roland did the rest.
Grant Meiers hit an RBI single to highlight a two-run first inning for the Patriots, who managed just four hits on the day against Pennridge pitchers Jimmy Petrik and Nick Christ (Meiers had two of the four). Luckily for the Patriots, they didn’t need much in the way of offense, as starter Jack Roland went the distance, allowing one run on 10 hits while striking out two and walking one.
“Jack’s a competitor,” CB East coach Kyle Dennis said. “He doesn’t have high velocity stuff but he mixes his pitches well and challenges hitters. He gave up hits, but they were mostly singles, and he only had one walk.
“When the defense can play behind him like ours did, you can give up 10 hits at the high school level and get a win. Jack pounded the strike zone and contained them. He shut them down from any potential big innings.”
Dennis said that after the team’s two-run first, he expected a big day for the Patriots (4-2, 1-1 SOL) offense. That wasn’t the case, but the team manufactured runs when it had to. On a day when the bats were mostly quiet, Roland and the fielders behind him carried the load.
“We know what we’re doing right and what we need to work on,” Dennis said. “Today we saw that if we could score a couple, we have the defense to hold them down.
“Pennridge is a good team that can hit very well, as they did today. We turned two or three double plays, including a line drive to end the game when they had the tying run on third and the winning run on first. These guys get it, and they played heads up baseball.”
Petrik went the first 4.1 for Pennridge (0-2, 0-2 SOL), allowing one earned run and three hits to go with seven strikeouts and two walks. Brett Henofer had three hits, including a pair of doubles. Eddie Kerrigan was 2-for-4
Central Bucks East will host North Penn on Wednesday, and Pennridge will host Souderton on Thursday.
Pennridge 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1-10-1
CB East 2 0 0 0 0 0 x 2-4-2
NORTH PENN 12, TENNENT 8
Unlike the CB East-Pennridge game, offense was at a premium at North Penn on Tuesday.
The Knights and Tennent combined for 20 runs, as North Penn survived a back and forth contest by putting up four runs in both the home fifth and sixth innings.
Joe Picozzi (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and Zack Miles hit home runs for North Penn, and leadoff hitter Tyler Siddal posted a 4-for-4 game with an RBI and two runs scored.
“This one was definitely more entertaining for the people in the bleachers than the coaches in the dugout,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said. “Guys stayed with it offensively. We made adjustments and a couple of guys really squared up and drove the ball. It wasn’t the type of game we wanted to play and we’re capable of better baseball, but it’s a tough conference. We’ll take the win when we can get it.”
North Penn led 4-1 after three, but Tennent rallied to take a 5-4 lead heading into the home fifth. After the Knights jumped back on top 8-5, Tennent tied the score back up at 8 after posting three in the visiting sixth.
“Give William Tennent credit, they really battled and stuck with it,” Manero said. “We had a couple of chances to extend the lead and they hung around, chipped away and made it a ballgame. They didn’t lay down, and we responded well with aggressive at bats late in the game.”
Joe Valenti and Mason Blankenburg struggled on the mound for North Penn, but Kolby Barrow pitched the final two innings to get the win in relief. Barrow allowed just one hit and struck out five.
Above all, Manero was thrilled with some of the at bats his team had on offense.
“Tyler (Siddal) is a super good athlete, definitely a next level player,” Manero said. “He’s a spark for us atop the order and is seeing the ball well. Joe had been struggling a bit but his home run today was to center field; he maintained perspective and broke out with a nice game. Zack Miles turned on a couple balls, hit a home run to left field and is feeling himself now. We have a couple guys who need to heat up, but those players are doing a great job taking it over right now.”
For the Panthers, Greg Delgado had a huge game, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Also collecting multiple hits were Joe Shannon (2-for-4), Julian Manes (2-for-3), Alex Wadsworth (2-for-4) and Kip Mooney (2-for-4, 2B, RBI). Danny Goodz drove in a pair.
North Penn (5-1, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Wednesday while Tennent (2-2, 1-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Thursday.
William Tennent 1 0 0 1 3 3 0 8-13-3
North Penn 2 0 2 0 4 4 x 12-13-2
SOL AMERICAN CONFERENCE
QUAKERTOWN 2, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
The Quakertown pitching staff, led by starter JJ Paul, crafted a masterful performance on Tuesday against the Hatters.
Paul fanned six, walked one and allowed just one hit over five innings, while Justin Guidos and Dennis Pierce each tossed perfect frames in relief. Quakertown’s offense managed only two runs, but it was more than enough on a day where pitching ran the show.
“JJ is a pitcher with a lot of potential,” Quakertown coach Jon Pallone said. “He’s a big left hander with good movement on his pitches, and he’s already committed to DeSales, my alma mater.
“He threw the ball really well, and Justin and Dennis are veterans for us at this point. We still have a couple of other guys who haven’t gotten the ball yet, and we’ve got a nice staff. They have a friendly competition with themselves trying to one-up each other. It’s a good thing to see.”
Because of the weather, Quakertown (2-1, 2-0 SOL) was relegated to their JV field on campus, but the team used the switch in venues as a bonding exercise.
“We asked the kids to come in at 6:30 a.m. to help hand rake the field to make sure it was playable, and a majority of the guys who drive got over here and got it ready to go,” Pallone said. “They really wanted to play baseball today.”
Jackson Treski was also on his game on the mound for the Hatters (2-2, 1-1 SOL), striking out nine and allowing just two runs (one earned) in 5.1 innings. He struck out six of the last nine batters he faced but was relieved by freshman Jimmy Tooley when he reached the 100-pitch count.
“Their pitcher did a good job keeping us off balance,” Pallone said. “We would have liked to get more runs, but we’ll take a win against a well-coached team anytime.”
Brian Robison and Bradley Bryan each had two hits for the victors, while Pierce had the lone RBI with a first-inning double.
Quakertown will host Cheltenham on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham will be on the road at Upper Moreland on Wednesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-1-0
Quakertown 1 0 0 1 0 0 x 2-7-1
WISSAHICKON 7, UPPER DUBLIN 2
(By Michael Steitz, Wissahickon Baseball)
Wissahickon advanced to 2-0 in league play with a 7-2 win over rival school Upper Dublin. Sophomore Mike Gorman made his first varsity start and provided six strong innings for the Trojans. The Wissahickon bats gave Gorman plenty of breathing room by pounding the Cardinals for seven runs. The two teams were in a tight battle following a 2-run second inning for the Cardinals to cut into an early 3-0 Trojans lead. However, with the top of the order coming around for the Trojans in the top of the 3rd, the one-run ball game quickly ballooned to a five-run Wissahickon lead. Michael Steitz started things up with an infield single to the left side, setting the table for Steven Loden who delivered with a two-run blast over the right field wall. Sophomores Brian Menhardt, Andrew Booth, and Brian Hynes all contributed two hits on the day and had a hand in the big inning. The lengthy start from Gorman put little stress on a Trojans bullpen, which will need to be at full strength for two more league games to close out the week. Joel Bjordammen took over for Gorman in the seventh to close things out. Wissahickon travels to Hatboro Horsham on Thursday, and ends the week with a rescheduled game at Quakertown on Friday.
******
Andy Noga’s first year as Wissahickon’s head baseball coach continued its strong run on Tuesday, as the Trojans mashed out 12 hits and got a strong starting pitching performance from Mike Gorman to claim victory over Upper Dublin.
Gorman pitched the first six innings to pick up the win, surrendering seven hits and two runs while striking out five and walking three. The Trojans staked Gorman to a 3-0 lead, and after he gave up two runs in the home fourth, Wissahickon exploded for four more in the fifth to take home the road triumph.
“Michael pitched very well,” Noga said. “He didn’t have his best stuff, but he had his good enough stuff. He got his first win in relief over PW, and he was really pumped up for today. He wasn’t happy that he didn’t have his best stuff, but I was happy he gave us a good chance to win.”
On offense, five Wissahickon players had two hits each. Steve Loden doubled and homered in the two hole, knocking in three of the team’s seven runs. Michael Steitz, Brian Mendhart, Andrew Booth and Brian Hynes all had multiple knocks for the Trojans (4-1, 2-0 SOL), and catcher JT Culp knocked in two runs despite going hitless in the game.
“I was really impressed with the offense,” Noga said. “The guys went into the year confident and today they really showed up. We stayed aggressive, hunted fastballs and really put pressure on the defense. They’re buying in to what we’re saying, and that’s exciting.”
Riley Brink and Joey Monaghan had two hits each for Upper Dublin (1-3, 1-3 SOL), while Brian McPeak had an RBI double.
Wissahickon will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday, and Upper Dublin will travel to Souderton for a non-league game Saturday at 1 p.m.
Wissahickon 0 0 1 2 4 0 0 7-12-0
Upper Dublin 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2-9-2
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 8, SPRINGFIELD TWP 0
Sophomore Ben Mascio needed just 80 pitches to spin a masterful pitching performance for the Colonials.
Mascio allowed a lone single to Springfield’s Nick Pave, striking out five and walking none in the complete game win. It was about as efficient a performance as one is likely to see at the high school level, and afterward Mascio’s head coach gushed about his performance.
“As a sophomore, sometimes that’s a lot to put on a guy,” PW coach Chris Manero said. “He’s not afraid and he pitches with confidence.
“As the game goes on, Ben continues to reinvent himself; sometimes he’s a power pitcher, other times he’s a junk baller. We could tell right off the bat he had good stuff, and he got more comfortable with his pitches as the game went on. He does a great job keeping guys off balance.”
PW got to Pave for two runs in the first and one each in the third and fourth before the Colonials added four more against Springfield reliever Macleod Farley in the sixth. Drew Kliesh was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, while Richie Werner (2-for-3, RBI, two runs) and Brad Krenicky (2-for-3, RBI) each posted multi-hit games for the victors. As a team, PW posted 10 hits.
“We talk all the time about hits being contagious,” Manero said. “Any good baseball person knows your pitcher sets the tone for the team, and when you combine good pitching with timely hitting, that’s the recipe for success.
“We scored some runs early and gave Ben some confidence, and in turn, he was able to help the offense breathe a little bit. We’ve also been playing really good defense lately, and all four of our infielders had plays today where the coaches turned to each other and just said, ‘Wow.’ When the pitcher has that behind him, that really helps, too. It was a combination of everything today, a real team effort.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-2, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham next Tuesday, and Springfield Township (1-2, 1-2 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Moreland on Thursday.
Springfield Twp 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-1-0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2 0 1 1 0 4 x 8-10-1
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