Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Friday. CB West/Truman photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Central Bucks South 8, Neshaminy 6
A six-run fourth inning was the difference for CB South, which salvaged a rough three-game week with a huge win over a Neshaminy team that came into the game on a seven-game winning streak.
“We’ve had a tough couple of weeks here with these crossover game,” said South coach Kevin Bray. “There’s a lot of great competition across the Suburban One and this is a big one for us to get this win.”
The Titans hit three home runs in the game, including two in the bottom of the fourth, which was tied at 2-2 after Neshaminy had just tied the game in the top of the inning.
After a Dakota Beck single to start the inning, Josh Yang followed with a two-run homer to center to put South back in front. Later in the inning, two walks and an error with two outs loaded the bases and Owen Petrich homered to center field, putting the Titans in command at 8-2.
Josh Kelly led off the bottom of the first with a homer as well.
Even more impressive, South’s big offensive game came against one of the SOL’s top pitchers in Neshaminy’s Justus Agosto.
“He’s very good,” Bray said. “He’s around the plate, has decent velocity. Our guys didn’t get over-excited about this game. Before the game, I just told them to relax and have fun out there. That calmed them down. We were able to grind out at-bats, and that’s what you have to do against teams like this, against pitchers like this.”
Neshaminy scored twice in the fifth inning on a Mike Donato RBI groundout and a Tyler Warr RBI single, and then in the seventh scored two more to pull within two runs on a two-out, two RBI single by Jake Kozlowski.
Then, with runners on first and second, reliever Justin Marracchini ended the game with a strikeout.
Starter Alex Balint picked up the win for the Titans.
CB South (7-5) is off until Tuesday when it plays at Council Rock South. Neshaminy (8-2) hosts CB East on Tuesday.
Neshaminy 100 120 2 – 6 7 1
CB South 101 600 x – 8 7 1
Central Bucks West 4, Harry S Truman 3
CB West scored four runs early and then held on in the seventh, as with the bases load and nobody out, reliever Roman Berretta got out of trouble with a pair of strikeouts and a flyball out to left to end the game.
“Roman Berretta came in with the bases loaded and no outs and gutted his way through,” said Bucks coach Brian Weaver. “This was his first varsity outing, a senior who works as hard as any player anywhere. For him to get a save in such a big spot, in a must-win game, it’s the sort of moment that really fills up your heart.”
Starter Cole Fehrman picked up the win for the Bucks, throwing four shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine. Beretta was credited with the save.
“Cole had another strong outing,” Weaver said. “He gives us a chance to win every time he takes the ball. Even with the offense sputtering, he commanded the game and kept Truman quiet.”
West took control of the game with four runs in the bottom of the first. Andrew Kohl hit a two-run home run to left, and later with two outs, Damian Thomas had a two-RBI single to make it 4-0 and that held up for most of the game.
“Our first inning went exactly how you’d want it to go,” Weaver said. “Fehrman worked out of the top half, then we batted around in the bottom.
“Andrew Kohl took the first ball in pregame off of his face and he was down briefly, then he comes up in the 2-hole and homers. The guys all offered to punch him in the nose before his second at-bat, but oddly he said no.
“After that though, Truman’s pitchers completely shut us down. They threw off our timing and commanded their pitches. We didn’t make a peep the rest of the game.”
Truman started to claw back with a run in the sixth on an Andrew Armstrong RBI single. Then in the seventh, the Tigers started the inning with a hit batter and three straight walks. Will Brennan then singled home another run to make it 4-3.
But Berretta did the job and prevented further damage and the Bucks earned a key victory.
The win improved CB West to 5-7 on the season with a game at Pennsbury on Tuesday. Truman (4-9) hosts North Penn on Tuesday.
Harry S. Truman 000 001 2 – 3 4 1
CB West 400 000 x – 4 6 1
Bensalem 5, Pennridge 1
Logan Young pitched five shutout and no-hit innings, and also had a big day at the plate, leading unbeaten Bensalem to its 10th straight win without a loss.
Young went the first five innings and combined with reliever Ryan McLaughlin for the one-hit shutout. Young allowed the one run (unearned) but no hits and just two walks, while striking out nine in an 86-pitch outing. McLaughlin threw two innings, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out three.
At the plate, Young had two of Bensalem’s five hits, and an RBI.
The Owls scored three runs in the bottom of the second and that would end up being plenty of run support for the pitchers. Nate Rice hit a two-out, bases-loaded double to drive in all three runs.
Pennridge crept to within one on a two-out Bensalem error in the top of the fourth, but the home team put up two insurance runs in the fifth to put this one away. Nick Nush picked up an RBI single and Young was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate another run.
Matt Dubyk had the Rams’ lone hit on the day, a one-out single in the sixth inning.
Bensalem (10-0) plays at Souderton in its final crossover game on Tuesday. Pennridge (2-10) hosts Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Pennridge 000 100 0 – 1 1 1
Bensalem 030 020 x – 5 5 3
Central Bucks East 5, Pennsbury 4
CB East needed a bounce-back game after losing Wednesday and after watching a lead slip away in the top of the seventh, bounced back in the bottom of the seventh, as catcher Nick Carter singled home the game winner with two outs.
“Right now, our goal is to be the best team we can be, and every game we’ve lost, we’ve taken something from,” said Patriots coach Kyle Dennis. “When we lost to Bensalem, we just couldn’t throw strikes that game. When we lost to Truman the other day, we talked about our approach at the plate.
“Today, we were able to execute and move runners when we had to. If we’re going to be as good as we want to be, we have to be able to score runs in a multitude of ways.”
With one out in the bottom of the first, freshman shortstop Reese Moody scored a run for his team with the long ball, a solo home run to right to put the Patriots up 1-0. Later in the inning, Carter singled home a run for his first RBI of the game.
“We kind of scratched it together,” Dennis said. “We were able to take a lead early. Reese Moody hit a home run. That was an exciting moment for him. We squeezed home another run on a single by Nick Carter. The wind was blowing in from left. We needed to be a little bit more creative how we scored runs.”
Joe Tiroly had an RBI single for Pennsbury to cut the lead to 2-1, and in the fifth, the Falcons took advantage of an error to tie the game.
East answered right back on a Tony Rossi RBI single in the bottom half of that inning, and carried that lead into the seventh.
Pennsbury scored twice to take a 4-3 lead as Cailin Fang singled home two runs in the top of the seventh.
Then in the bottom half of the inning, Moody led off with a single and an error then put runners on first and second. After two outs, Carter stepped up and ended the game in walkoff style.
“Nick Carter was our backup catcher,” Dennis said. “Andrew Whinney was our starter and he’s been out with a rib injury. Nick Carter stepped up to the ball and took advantage of this opportunity. He’s done a great job for us.”
Rossi went 3-for-4 with a RBI to lead East offensively, while Carter and Moody had two hits each.
Junior Max McGrady, making his second varsity start, went five innings on the mound for the Patriots, allowing just one earned run and striking out four. Brett Young picked up the win, with two innings pitched out of the bullpen.
Pennsbury was led by Fang, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Tiroly and Charlie Evans also had RBIs.
East (9-3) next plays Tuesday at Neshaminy, the start of a four-game week. Pennsbury (7-5) hosts CB West on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 010 010 2 – 4 6 2
CB East 200 010 2 – 5 9 2
North Penn 7, Council Rock North 5
Three runs in the top of the sixth broke open a back-and-forth game as the Knights went on the road and eeked out a must-win game at CR North.
Jeff Sabater’s two-run single broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth, and Sam Cohen plated another with a sacrifice fly.
“It was a back-and-forth game,” said NP coach Kevin Manero. “It kind of had the makings of that from the very beginning. We weren’t going to set any records for time; it wasn’t a fast game. We had a big inning (in the sixth) and our bullpen did a nice job settling things down. It was a big win to close the week.
It was a game that saw North Penn grab leads in the first, second and fifth innings, only to see the Indians answer back to tie it again.
Evin Sullivan homered to put the Knights up in the first, only to see CR North’s Josh Huddy tie it up with a RBI double in the bottom of the inning. RJ Agriss hit a RBI sac fly in the second for NP, but CR North’s Colin Manel tied it up again in the bottom of the second with a RBI single.
In the fifth, North Penn went up 4-2 thanks to a RBI groundout by Ethan Cohen and a two-out error. CR North tied it at 4-4, as Shane Anhalt and Leor Kedar had RBI singles.
North Penn’s Justin Egner led off the sixth with a single to start things off and by the time the inning was over, the Knights finally were in command at 7-4.
“We had early baserunners in that inning,” Manero said. “We were able to get guys on early. Justin Egner, a sophomore, has been really good for us. He started off that sixth inning with a hit.
“We were doing a good job earlier in the season scoring late. Today, we scored in four separate innings, and those three in the sixth were big.”
The Indians threatened in the bottom of the inning, as Anhalt led off with a home run. They had a single with one out, but that was erased on a double play grounder to end the game.
Reliever Gavin Mikulski picked up the win with two innings out of the bullpen, while Eric Hamilton came on in the seventh to close out the game and earn the save.
North Penn (6-4) next plays Tuesday at Harry S. Truman. CR North (6-7) plays at Pennridge.
North Penn 110 023 0 – 7 7 1
CR North 110 020 1 – 5 8 5
Souderton 6, Council Rock South 5
Two runs in the top of the fourth gave Souderton the lead back and then starting pitcher Jacob Horton handled it from there, as the Indians earned a key road win over CR South on Friday.
Horton went six innings, threw 102 pitching, allowing only three hits and one walk, while all five of the runs that scored were unearned. He struck out 12. Zach Crouthamel came out of the bullpen, struck out two and picked up the save with a perfect seventh inning.
“Jacob Horton looked great on the mound today,” said Souderton coach Mike Childs. “We know what he is capable of and today he showed it with 12 Ks. He also had two hits today.”
Souderton grabbed the early lead with a RBI double by Isaac Frye in the top of the first, but in the bottom half, errors hurt the Indians, as they committed two miscues and watched the Golden Hawks go up 2-1.
Then after the Indians scored three in the top of the third, on a Dante Bruno RBI groundout, a pair of passed balls, CR South answered with three of its own, thanks to three singles, an error on a pop fly and a dropped third strike. Ryan Wheet had an RBI single for the Hawks.
Luke Pollock had an RBI single in the fifth to tie the game for Souderton, and Shanley Wall then scored what would be the winning run on a wild pitch and that concluded the scoring on the day.
Souderton (5-7) hosts Bensalem on Tuesday. CR South (5-6) hosts Central Bucks South.
Souderton 103 200 0 – 6 8 4
CR South 203 000 0 – 5 3 1
Abington 12, William Tennent 4
In a night game played at Roslyn Park, Abington won its sixth in a row thanks to seven runs in the first two innings on the way to the blowout victory.
Luke Sydlowski had two hits, a triple and two RBIs to lead the Galloping Ghosts at the plate, while Matt Worek also had two hits, including a double and an RBI.
Overall, Abington had eight hits for the game. Henry Tyler finished with three RBIs, while Alex Dardaris drove in two.
Dardaris had a two-run double in the first to start things, followed by a Tyler RBI groundout and then a bases-loaded walk to put Abington up 4-0. Tyler added a two-run single an inning later and another run scored on a wild pitch and just like that it was 7-0.
After Tennent scored three in the fourth and another in the fifth to trim the lead to 7-4, Abington put it away with a four-spot in the fifth, including Sydlowski’s two-run triple, a pair of errors and then a steal of home by Anthony Ehly. The Ghosts tacked on another run in the sixth.
On the mound, Ryan Van Buren pitched the first 3 2/3 innings and picked up the win, giving way to Pat McCallister, who threw the final 3 1/3 innings.
Josh Nydick went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Tennent.
Abington (7-3) plays host to Upper Moreland on Tuesday. Tennent (4-7) hosts Hatboro-Horsham.
William Tennent 000 310 0 – 4 4 3
Abington 430 041 x – 12 8 2
Upper Dublin 16, Cheltenham 1 (4 innings)
Nine different players had hits for the Flying Cardinals, led by Karan Acharya and Tyler Lizell with two each, and they finished off Cheltenham in four innings via the mercy rule on Friday.
Upper Dublin jumped ahead with two runs in the top of the first and added three in the second, taking advantage of two walks, two hit batters and three errors in those first two innings.
Four straight singles – by Acharya, Lizell, David Sharp and Griffin Pestrack – jump-started an eight-run third inning that would blow the game wide open.
Ethan Madnick, Landon Kratchman, Acharya and Pestrack finished with two RBIs each.
Four pitchers – Grant Gill, Pestrack, Justin Richman and Aiden McCarthy – each threw an inning to combine for the win.
UD (6-7) has now won six straight games and will host New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday. Cheltenham (0-10) plays at Quakertown.
Upper Dublin 238 3 – 16 11 1
Cheltenham 100 0 – 1 4 5
Hatboro-Horsham 13, Springfield Twp 7
The Hatters scored in double figures for the fourth game in a row, this time overcoming an early deficit to lead 11-2 after four innings on the way to the six-run victory.
Overall, Hatboro-Horsham scored 13 runs on 14 hits, while drawing six walks. Nine different Hatters had at least one hit.
“We have a few guys who have really been hot for us lately,” said coach Pete Moore. “The depth of our lineup isn’t giving pitchers a break right now. Every starter had a hit today and we have been getting production from every spot in the lineup lately. We scored runs in 14 out of our 15 offensive innings this week, scoring 46 runs in 15 innings over three games.”
Cole Fisher went 3-for-4 with a home run, while Nick Katherine, Will Bruner and Noah Gremo had two hite each.
“We have a junior, Will Bruner, who has worked his tail off all year and been a great teammate,” Moore said. “He continued to produce in practice and we gave him a chance to play this week. He’s fully taken advantage of that opportunity and he went 6-for-11 with two doubles, a homer and seven RBIs this week.
“A senior captain, Noah Gremo, was struggling for the first half of the year, but he was arriving early and staying late to get extra swings and he really broke out this week going 7-for-10 with five RBIs and two doubles. Junior Nick Katherine has been white hot hitting with men in scoring position. Junior Cole Fisher has been a mainstay in the middle of our order.
“We are 5-1 in our last 6 games and the best part is that the guys are seeing the rewards of working hard at practice.”
On the mound, Fisher pitched the first four innings and was credited with the win, before giving way to the bullpen. Logan Fischer pitched two shutout innings to close out the game.
Andrew Kennedy, Nate Dennis and Joe Smith had two hits each for Springfield, while Smith, Kennedy and Willum Conlin had two RBIs apiece.
H-H (7-6) plays at William Tennent on Tuesday. Springfield (4-8) plays at Wissahickon.
Springfield 200 003 2 – 7 8 2
Hatboro-Horsham 114 502 x – 13 14 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8, Upper Moreland 4
For the first time in a while, undefeated Plymouth Whitemarsh found itself in a dogfight and trailed Upper Moreland and its top pitcher, Greg Wiley, 4-2, after five innings.
But in the sixth, the Colonials showed why they’re still undefeated, scoring six runs to take over the game and put away the visiting Golden Bears.
“Greg Wiley is an outstanding pitcher,” PW coach Chris Manero said about the UM starter. “And, not just in his results, but in the way that he shows he really knows how to pitch. So, it was pretty clear from the get go that we would be challenged today.
“I think our lineup is playing with a lot of poise and confidence right now, and even though we trailed most of the game, we kept our focus and trusted our abilities to look for an opening and go to work.”
UM got it going offensively with one run in the second and another in the third, starting with an RBI double by Kaleb Powell in the first and then an RBI single by Kevin Davis in the third.
After PW got on the board with a run in the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of errors, the Golden Bears scored two on a two-run single by Connor English in the fifth to go up 4-1.
Even after a Joe Jaconski RBI sac fly made it 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Wiley was still very much in command, striking out the final two batters to finish off the inning.
UM wouldn’t be so fortunate in the sixth, which started with a double to right field by Mike Miller. Joe Redmond scored one with an RBI single and then a Tom Yanoshik double plated two runs and gave PW the 5-4 lead. By the time the inning was over, the lead was up to 8-4 and the Colonials had secured its 12th straight win to start the season.
UM did manage to hold the explosive duo of Joe and Jesse Jaconski hitless for the game, but the rest of the lineup stepped up, including Luke Caucci with three hits.
Ray Tomassetti pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, and didn’t allow a run, to pick up the win on the mound.
“There is no doubt that we will play several more games like this as we head toward the stretch drive of our regular season,” Manero said. “A game like today’s definitely helps our guys to reach back and show that extra grit. I think you have to play some games like this to keep getting better.”
PW (12-0) hosts Lower Moreland on Tuesday. Upper Moreland (4-8) hosts Abington.
Upper Moreland 011 020 0 – 4 7 3
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 116 x – 8 6 0
Quakertown 14, Lower Moreland 2 (5 innings)
Five home runs in the second inning – yes, all in one inning – led Quakertown to a nine-run second and a blow-out mercy-rule shortened five inning victory on Friday.
All of the Panthers’ damage in the second came with two outs. With two on, Anthony Rostick homered to center to make it 3-0. Brandon Pierce came up next and blasted a HR to left field. Justin Butler then made it back-to-back-to-back home runs with his own solo shot to left.
Ty Everitt followed with a double, Pat Kochel an RBI single, and then a two-run homer to center by Trevor Hurst. Vinny Pellegrini, who doubled himself earlier in the inning, then hit a two-run home run for the fifth of the inning, driving in the eighth and ninth runs.
Quakertown also finished the game with five doubles. Pierce went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double and three RBIs. Rostick, Butler and Everitt, Pellegrini and Tyler Woodman had two hits each. The Panthers finished with 18 hits in just five innings.
Pellegrini was the winning pitcher, going four innings and allowing just one earned run, before giving way to Tom Neilson, who pitched a scoreless fifth to close things out.
Quakertown (7-5) has a scheduled nonleague game at Holy Ghost Prep on Monday. Lower Moreland (4-8) is also in nonleague action Monday, against Bristol at home.
Quakertown 091 31 – 14 18 2
Lower Moreland 101 00 – 2 5 1
Wissahickon 17, New Hope-Solebury 0 (4 innings)
This one wasn’t close from the start, and a nine-run fourth inning put an exclamation point on the mercy-rule shortened victory for the visiting Trojans.
Joe Hornig went 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored and three RBIs to lead Wissahickon’s offensive barrage. His first homer, which came after a leadoff single by Ben Junker to start the game in the top of the first, gave his team a lead it would never surrender. One inning later, Hornig hit a solo home run to left field.
Seth Floyd went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Michael Fath, Morgan Wilson and Kasey Weiss had two hits each for what would turn out to be a 16-hit attack for the Trojans.
Junker was the winning pitcher, throwing three shutout innings with just one hit allowed and four Ks. Jackson Tappen tossed a scoreless fourth to close out the game.
Wissahickon (8-5) returns to action Tuesday at home against Springfield. New Hope (6-8) plays at Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 314 9 – 17 16 0
New Hope 000 0 – 0 1 1
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