Ed Morrone recaps all of Thursday’s SOL baseball action. Wissahickon/Hatboro-Horsham photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE to go directly to a gallery of action photos.
By Ed Morrone
SOL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
NESHAMINY 8, PENNSBURY 7
Neshaminy led defending district and state champion Pennsbury 6-0 through four on Thursday, and then got a frightening reminder that no Suburban One game is over until the 21st out is recorded.
Leading 8-2 after six, the Redskins held on for dear life as the Falcons posted five runs in the top of the seventh, aided in large part by two of Neshaminy’s three inopportunely-timed errors. But when all was said and done, the Redskins, a young, relatively inexperienced group much like Pennsbury, found a way to close the door and pick up a big rivalry win.
“We were playing clean all game, and then we started kicking the ball around,” Neshaminy head coach Dan Toner said of the seventh inning. “Once they got some guys on base, they started hitting, and it was one of those things where we luckily had a big enough lead where that one bad inning didn’t ruin a good game for us. We were lucky enough to score some runs early and have enough of a cushion to survive.”
Of Neshaminy’s 11 hits, one through four hitters Corey Joyce, Matt Yauger, Brian Nicolas and Joe Kaleck had eight of them with each collecting a pair of hits. That group also scored six of the team’s eight runs, showing just how important them getting on base and making things happen is for a Neshaminy lineup that has several new faces in it.
“Those guys get us started when they get on base,” Toner said of his first four hitters. “Instead of swinging for the fences, they are trying to move runners over and are very good situational hitters. Like Pennsbury, we have a brand new lineup as well, with Brian, Corey and Chris (Cavallaro) being the only returners. We have three sophomores in our lineup who are seeing varsity pitching for the first time, and it was awesome to see some guys step up when we needed it.”
Kyle Rovny got the start for Neshaminy, going the first 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking four. Joyce came on in relief and pitched better than his line indicated; of the five runs he gave up, only one was earned, thanks to the errors in the seventh.
“Kyle has been our number one and he’s given us exactly what we expected,” Toner said. “We expect him to step up in big games and compete and he definitely did that today. We need him to limit big teams to a low score, and he did.”
The win was a big one for the Redskins, who improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in SOL play.
“Any win is a big win, but especially against one of our big rivals,” Toner said. “They beat us in the district semis last year, so we want to beat them the same way they want to beat us. It was a huge confidence boost for us.”
For Pennsbury, the team fought valiantly until the end but came up just short. Sam Ruta (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), Justin Massielo (2-for-4, RBI, 1 run) and Gary Minnes (2-for-3, 2B) all contributed multi-hit games for the Falcons.
Neshaminy will travel to Hopewell for a non-league game on Saturday, and Pennsbury (4-3, 1-2 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Monday.
Pennsbury 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 7-9-3
Neshaminy 2 0 4 0 1 1 x 8-11-2
BENSALEM 15, HARRY S. TRUMAN 2 (5 innings)
Bensalem’s incredibly torrid start to the 2018 season continued on Thursday, as the Owls scored in all four of their at bats and made short work of visiting Truman.
Four Bensalem players collected multiple hits: Keith Parrish (2-for-2, RBI, four runs scored), Nicholas Dean (3-for-4, two runs, two doubles), Scott Rooney (2-for-3, three runs, four RBI, two doubles) and Damon Lavender (2-for-3, run, RBI), and all but one Owl player in the lineup had at least one hit. The one who didn’t, Brian Swentkowski, still contributed with an RBI.
On the mound, Stephen Aldrich gave up two unearned runs in the second inning but was otherwise unfazed in collecting the win, surrendering just two hits while walking three and striking out three. Nick Fossile pitched one clean inning of relief, picking up a pair of punch-outs.
Evan Profy had a hit and RBI for the Tigers
Bensalem (5-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Springfield Township on Saturday in a non-league game, and Harry S Truman (2-3, 1-2 SOL) will travel to Conwell Egan on Saturday for a 9 a.m. non-league contest.
Truman 0 2 0 0 0 2-2-5
Bensalem 4 4 1 6 x 15-13-2
SOL CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 11, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 8
For the Bucks, this one was worth the wait.
CB West, a young team that typically only starts two seniors, came into Thursday winless in its first five games. But a matchup against their biggest rivals brought out the thunder in the Bucks’ bats, even if they did have to hold off a Patriots rally after grabbing an 8-4 lead after three innings.
Matt Cooper collected three hits and three RBI, including a home run, while Rhys Nicholas went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Trevor D’Arcy and Ryan Rudek scored two runs apiece from the one and two holes in the lineup on a day where almost everybody contributed on offense.
“We have confidence we’re a good hitting team,” West head coach Brad Tracy said. “We haven’t scored a lot of runs, but we believe we will, and today we worked the count and put together good at bats.
“A big inning helped us out when Matt Cooper hit a bomb on a day the wind was blowing out. Anything hit in the air had a shot today; Rhys has had good at bats since day one and Ryan Rudek gets on base all the time any way he can. Up and down the lineup, we had competitive at bats and smart situational hitting.”
Tracy said starter Jake Boehm pitched better than the seven runs he surrendered in five innings indicated, and Cooper and Brian Gilvary each pitched an inning in relief and kept East in check after the Patriots cut the deficit to 8-7 heading to the bottom of the fifth.
“Jake pitched pretty well today in difficult conditions,” Tracy said. “He gave us five solid innings and kept us in it. Coop had four walks in his inning, he was maybe a little fired up for the East-West game but he’s an emotional leader for us. And Brian came in and did what he did, and that’s throw strikes.”
East got a trio of home runs from James Pello, Grant Meiers and Colin Weber. Jack Nugent (double) and Dan Schick (triple) also collected extra-base hits. Weber led the Bucks with three RBI while Meiers and Pello had two each. Sean E’Nama’s two hits led the Patriots, but the Bucks kept the Patriots at bay enough to earn a hard-fought victory.
“We’ve been scrambling the early part of the season to get a win, and these games against East are on another level so it’s nice to get one,” Tracy said. “We hope this turns the season around, and we’re going to come out tomorrow against CB South and try to complete the CB sweep. We only start two seniors, and today with Jake it was three; the young Bucks came through today.”
Central Bucks West (1-5, 1-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Friday, and Central Bucks East (4-4, 1-3 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league game on Friday.
Central Bucks East 2 1 1 1 2 0 1 8-7-3
Central Bucks West 2 0 6 0 1 2 x 11-10-1
SOUDERTON 10, PENNRIDGE 5
When the Indians found themselves down 5-1 after two innings of play, they didn’t break a sweat. After all, they’ve gotten quite used to playing the role of comeback kids.
Souderton exploded for seven runs in the third inning to taken an 8-5 lead and never looked back from there. Luke Shank went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI and nine-hole hitter Jordan Morales went 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI apiece; additionally, Luke Barnum had two hits in four at bats and scored twice, while Moses Clemmens had two hits and two RBI.
It was a day where hitting became contagious for the Indians, and the team was happy to leave Pennridge with a win despite falling behind early yet again.
“We’ve been playing from behind every game, so our goal coming in was not to be behind early,” Souderton coach Mike Childs said. “Sure enough, we were again, but the boys never lose composure. They stay calm and rely on each other. Luke Shank had three hits, Jordan was on base four times – we capitalized on some errors, and our goal since day one has been to put the ball in play and let them make mistakes. We don’t hang our heads after a bad start.”
David Gulibon got the win for Souderton, and despite giving up five runs on nine hits, he struck out six, kept his team in the game and allowed the bats to rally. Aaron Groller relieved him and punched out five in three innings, while Andrew Curran struck out the side in the seventh.
“David will bounce back and do his thing, just like last season,” Childs said. “Early on, some guys are still shaking off rust.
“As a staff, we had 14 strikeouts and just three walks, which is impressive. They picked each other up. We’re blessed to have a lot of arms this year, including some guys on the bench we haven’t gotten to yet. The guys are hungry and all want a piece of the action.”
Pennridge got three hits from Jimmy Petrik and Anthony Helbling, while Nick Christ had two hits and two RBI in the losing effort.
Souderton (3-1, 2-0 SOL) will hold its annual game to honor veterans when it hosts Dock Mennonite Academy on Friday at 3:45 p.m. Pennridge (0-3, 0-3) will host Upper Moreland in a non-league game Friday.
Souderton 1 0 7 0 2 0 0 10-12-1
Pennridge 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 5-12-3
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 14, WILLIAM TENNENT 4 (5 innings)
On Thursday and in every game so far this season, the motto of “everybody hits” has rung true for CB South. The Titans have outhit every opposing lineup they have faced this year, and while all of the games haven’t resulted in wins, the team’s 12 hits to go along with 14 runs were more than enough to get the job done against William Tennent.
Zach Steinberg (3-for-4, two RBI, three runs), Joey Loynd (1-for-2, RBI, three runs) and Jake McKeown (2-for-2, two RBI, two runs) all homered for the Titans, while John McSweeny (2-for-4, three RBI) and Owen Petrich (2-for-3, two runs) each collected multi-hit games for the victors.
“We have two league wins now, which is always big,” South head coach Brian Klumpp said. “One through nine today, we hit. We made a few tweaks to the lineup and it paid off pretty well.”
It wasn’t just the bats who brought their A-game, as Titans starting pitcher Ryan Rieber pitched all five innings, allowing four runs (one earned) and five hits while striking out five and walking three. He gave up a home run, but pretty much coasted after the Titans took a 5-2 lead into the third inning.
“Ryan didn’t have his best stuff, but he threw well and battled,” Klumpp said. “As a big lefty with movement, that’s something you can’t teach. He battled through some errors and got through it and has gotten two wins in league play for us. We’re happy with that.”
The Titans will have little time to dwell on the win, as they will face a determined CB West team that just picked up its first win on Thursday.
“I told the guys to enjoy it for a half hour and then be ready for a hungry West team,” Klumpp said. “We haven’t beaten them on the road in the two years I’ve been here, losing to them on a walk-off hit batter and a walk-off walk. We’re just as hungry as they are, and we want to go there and get a win.”
For the Panthers, Xavier Delgado (3-for-3, 2 RBI) and Tommy Plunkett (2-for-2, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 runs) had big days at the plate.
Central Bucks South (2-3, 2-0 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Friday, and William Tennent (2-3, 1-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Monday.
William Tennent 0 2 1 0 1 4-5-3
Central Bucks South 2 3 0 6 3 14-12-2
SOL AMERICAN CONFERENCE
UPPER MORELAND 7, SPRINGFIELD TWP 6 (8 INNINGS)
In a seesaw battle that had to be decided in extra innings, Upper Moreland was just happy to be the home team that had the final at bat.
The Bears led 3-0 after one and 5-2 after three, but Springfield refused to quit. The visitors posted two runs in the visiting sixth to knot the score at 6, where it stayed until Thomas Longstreth played the role of hero.
Longstreth (2-for-4, three RBI) hit a well-placed, bases loaded single between short and third to bring home the winning run, giving Upper Moreland its first win of the season.
Upper Moreland put runners on first and second in the home eighth, and Springfield decided to intentionally walk Cole Kitchen (2-for-2, three walks) to face Longstreth, who worked a full count before delivering the game-winning knock. Connor O’Donnell (2-for-2, two RBI, two walks) also had a strong game for the victors.
“The game was a battle until the end, back and forth it went,” Upper Moreland head coach Dan Heiland said. “We get up 3-0 after the first and they come right back and put up two runs the next inning. It seemed like every time a team thought they had momentum, the other team stepped up to make big plays both in the field and at the plate.”
Upper Moreland (1-2, 1-2 SOL) will be on the road at Pennridge for a non-league contest Friday, and Springfield Township (1-3, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Saturday for an 11 a.m. non-league contest.
Springfield Twp 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 6-13-1
Upper Moreland 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 7-10-2
WISSAHICKON 5, HATBORO-HORSHAM 2
(By Michael Steitz, Wissahickon baseball)
The Wissahickon Trojans roster includes only three seniors. In spite of being a generally young team, the Trojans showed advanced maturity in a come-from-behind win over Hatboro Horsham on Thursday. Quinn 
Rovner ('19) was dealing for the Trojans, as was Hatboro's Jimmy Tooley ('21). Tooley's 4.1 innings of scoreless work was aided by the Trojans early struggles to capitalize on big opportunities. The Hatters’ freshman had his best stuff in tough situations, stranding six runners in scoring position over the first four frames. Hatboro broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-0 lead, putting Tooley in line for the win. However, the Trojans were quick to respond by threatening once again in the fifth, forcing the Hatters to go to the bullpen.
Matt Brown got the call for the Hatters, and once again slammed the door on what seemed to be an impending Trojans’ rally. Rovner took the mound once again in the fifth, and worked through another quick inning. With time running out for Wissahickon, the bats finally came to life. A devastating attack for five runs ended all scoring for the game, and Rovner cruised through his final six outs to pick up the complete game win. The five-run sixth inning was highlighted by RBIs from Tyler Caso ('19), Andrew Booth ('20), and Michael Steitz ('18). The resilient team effort from the Trojans boosted their overall record to 5-1, and kept them undefeated in the American Conference.
******
For five innings, the hot Wissahickon bats were silent. Then, thanks to one big inning, the Trojans continued their winning ways and set up a Friday conference clash with fellow 3-0 Quakertown.
Better late than never.
Wissahickon posted all five of its runs in the sixth inning, getting five hits and two walks in the frame, with the go-ahead knock coming on an RBI single off the bat of Brian Mendhart (2-for-4, RBI, run). Andrew Booth (2-for-2, RBI) and Eddie Fortescue (2-for-3, RBI, run) also had multi-hit games for the Trojans.
“Earlier in the game, we had some loud outs,” Wissahickon head coach Andy Noga said. “The wind was blowing in and those balls became routine fly balls. The guys stayed at it and worked quality at bats in the sixth.
“We applied some pressure and stole some bases, and we broke it open from there. It was a grind-it-out, gritty kind of game, and good teams win these types of games. We weren’t at our best and things didn’t always go our way, so you’re proud when you find a way to win those types of games.”
Quinn Rovner was lights out on the mound for the Trojans, needing just 80 pitches to go the distance. He allowed six hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out seven and walking none. Aside from a pair of runs the Hatters pushed across in the fourth, Rovner was spot on in the win.
“Quinn did phenomenal,” Noga said. “He’s the ace of our staff and he really wanted to win this game.
“He came out and things weren’t going well, obviously our bats were a little silent early, but Quinn threw up zeroes except for the one inning. He flushed it out of his mind, filled the strike zone with strikes, and to throw that many pitches in a seven-inning game is awesome. He had no walks and just did a great job through adversity, staying very even-keeled.”
Up next is a showdown of undefeated squads for the Trojans, who will take on Quakertown, a 13-2 winner over Cheltenham on Thursday.
“It’s pretty early to be scoreboard watching, but we knew what was going on with Quakertown, who is playing very well,” Noga said. “They have a strong game with a lot of returning guys and are well-coached, so we look forward to the challenge. I told the guys to enjoy tonight but when they wake up and are thinking about the game to get greedy. We’re 2-0 this week, but 3-0 is the goal for us and for Quakertown, so we’re excited.”
Wissahickon (5-1, 3-0 SOL) will host the Panthers at 3:30 p.m. Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (2-4, 2-2 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks East for a non-league game.
Wissahickon 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 5-9-2
Hatboro-Horsham 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2-6-1
QUAKERTOWN 13, CHELTENHAM 2 (5 innings)
For Quakertown, it was just one of those days where everything went right.
The Panthers scored in all five innings they came to bat and eight of their 14 hits went for extra bases: five doubles, a triple and homers off the bats of JJ Paul (2-for-2, RBI, run) and Dennis Pierce (1-for-1, RBI, four runs, three walks). Justin Guidos (2-for-4, RBI, two runs), Brian Robison (2-for-2, two RBI) and Nathaniel Barnes (3-for-4, three RBI, two runs) all chipped in with multi-hit games for Quakertown.
“Sometimes you have these types of days,” Quakertown head coach Jon Pallone said. “The last couple of games we’ve left a lot of guys on base, but hits are contagious and we finally caught it. It was nice to get the bats woken up. When those get going, it makes things a lot easier.”
Not to be overshadowed by the prolific bats, Quakertown starter Matthew Ciarrocchi pitched four sparkling innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six and walking two.
“Matt was pounding the zone, he’s a big guy who worked really hard this offseason,” Pallone said. “We have a lot of guys we feel we can give the ball to, a lot of guys we have confidence in. Matt got better throughout the game and really settled in. It’s nice having this many pitchers that we can go with.”
Quakertown won’t have much time to celebrate, as they’ll match up with fellow SOL American undefeated squad Wissahickon on Friday.
“When some teams get hot, guys think they don’t have to improve,” Pallone said. “The exciting thing with our guys is even when they’re doing well, they want to get better. Our goal is to be the best at the end of the season.
“At the same time, the most important game is Wissahickon tomorrow and then whatever game is next after that. We lost to PW last year when they were last in the league, and it was like a 9-2 game where we got smoked. We can’t take anyone lightly, and tomorrow is an opportunity against another 3-0 team. We’re going to come out and do what we can, and hopefully we’re firing on all cylinders again.”
With the loss, Cheltenham fell to 3-3 and 0-3 in SOL play. The Panthers will travel to Abington for a non-league game Friday, and Quakertown (3-1, 3-0 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon.
Cheltenham 0 0 0 0 2 2-2-2
Quakertown 3 3 1 4 2 13-14-1
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