Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action in the District 1 Tournament. North Penn, Hatboro-Horsham, Springfield Twp, Neshaminy & Pennsbury were winners. (NP/CR South photos courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball)
District 1 Class 5A second round
#11 Hatboro-Horsham 6, #3 Upper Moreland 1
Looking for a Cinderella story so far in the District One baseball playoffs, and Hatboro-Horsham may just be the team in the Class 5A field.
The No. 11 seed with just a 7-12 record going into the week, the Hatters went on the road and upset #6 West Chester East on Monday. Twenty-four hours later, they had a shorter road trip – to neighboring rival and third-seeded Upper Moreland – and another dominant win, this time by a 6-1 final score.
It was no fluke either, as H-H scored all six of its runs in the first three innings and played from in front, and pitchers Shane Mills and Conner Cataldi did the rest, shutting down a potent Upper Moreland lineup.
“What a weird game,” said Hatters coach Bill deBoer. “Offensively, all the scoring was done in the first three innings, we had nine hits and no RBIs, we took advantage of a few mistakes and simply capitalized on each with runs scored.
“Shane Mills was outstanding on the mound for us, pretty much hitting his spots with three pitches. He did a great job of being around the zone and forcing them to put the ball in play. He had six Ks and two walks in 5.2 innings pitched, and we played good defense behind him. Another error-less game by the Hatters supported Shane.”
By the Numbers: H-H: Shane Mills (WP, 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), Cataladi (1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), Dom Rapino (2-for-4), Kenny Lutz (2-for-3), Jamie O’Donnell (1-for-2, 2 walks, 2 runs scored).
UM: Pat Kilgus (3-for-4, double), Lucas Zipper (double).
Key Inning: Top of the 3rd: After UM got on the scoreboard in the second, H-H turned a 3-1 lead into a commanding 6-1 advantage with three in the top of the third. Jamie O’Neill and Dom Rapino got things started with back-to-back singles, and one batter later Ricky Klenk hit an RBI single. After two ground outs, the Hatters added key insurance runs, as Isaiah Brown walked with the bases loaded and Kenny Lutz hit an RBI single.
Coach Bill deBoer: “At the plate, our guys continued with what is becoming our staple of battling and grinding out at-bats. We struck out eight times, but also took eight walks, ran the bases hard and took advantage of some miscues.
“It doesn’t always work out that you capitalize on mistakes, (but) today it definitely worked in our favor.
“Kenny Lutz and Dom Rapino had two hits each, nobody had an extra base hit out of our 9, just a really unusual game that seemed much tighter than the score showed.
“Mills was by far our player of the game, but once again we had multiple contributions up and down the lineup. Connor Cataldi again came in the sixth with two outs to close the door for us.”
Up Next: H-H (9-12) advanced to play in the semifinals against the winner of #10 Upper Perkiomen and #2 Radnor, who are scheduled to play Wednesday. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday. Upper Moreland closed out its season with a 14-6 record.
H-H 123 000 0 – 6 6 1
UM 010 000 0 – 1 5 4
District 1 Class 4A semifinals
#1 Springfield Twp 11, #4 Interboro 3
Springfield has had an impressive season in winning the SOL Freedom Division championship.
Tuesday, as the #1 seed in the District One Class 4A semifinals, the Spartans were really impressive once again.
They scored eight runs in the first three innings, including five in the first, and never let visiting Interboro into the game on the way to a 11-3 win, sending the team to Friday’s district title game.
“It was nice to get the win today,” said coach Rob Bond. “We had a rough start, but Nolan Kidwell did what he has done all season. He controlled the game and was great.
“The guys really got after it today, attacking the ball in the box. They were able to bunch runs together, really put the ball in play.”
Mike Capoferri led a 12-hit attack with two hits, a double and five RBIs.
Kidwell pitched four innings and did not allow an earned run to pick up the win.
Springfield (18-3) will play #2 Pope John Paul II in the district title game Friday at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth.
“The players are excited to compete for a district title,” Bond said. “They have worked extremely hard, and we hope that hard work pays off. You don’t get many chances to win the districts, so they are focused and hopefully ready to go on Friday.”
By the Numbers: Springfield: Mike Capoferri (2-for-3, double, 5 RBIs), Owen Hastings (2-for-4, triple), Chris Cahill (2-for-4), Matt Sokel (2-for-4), Nolan Kidwell (WP, 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7).
Key Inning: Bottom of the 1st: Trailing 1-0, the Spartans answered right away, as Chris Cahill singled, Matt Caruso reached on an error, and Bob Hartman was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Max May tied the game with a RBI sac fly, Owen Hastings singled to load the bases again, and Mike Capoferri followed with a bases-clearing double to make it a 4-1 game. Capoferri scored on an Anderson Kerper RBI single.
Interboro 100 020 0 – 3 4 3
Springfield 521 201 x – 11 12 0
District 1 Class 6A second round
#8 North Penn 12, #24 Council Rock South 0 (5 innings)
There was some reason to be concerned for North Penn.
Council Rock South, the last team to make the district playoff field, had an impressive 16-run output in its upset of Great Valley less than 24 hours earlier, and 24 seeds have a history of making noise in the District One Tournament.
But the Knights put that to rest early with five runs in the first, and 12 runs in the first three innings on the way to the mercy-rule shortened 12-0 win.
“Council Rock was extremely impressive against Great Valley yesterday,” said NP coach Kevin Manero. “The top of their lineup can really swing.
“I thought the most important inning was the first. We had (Trevor) Lugara going, and we scored five in the first. That was an important first inning statement, because they had a lot of momentum after yesterday’s win.”
Lugara allowed just three hits and didn’t walk a batter in five innings, while striking out six.
“Oddly enough, I don’t think he had his best stuff today,” Manero said. “But he’s such a competitor. He pitched to both parts of the plate, threw multiple pitches for strikes. Even without his 1-A stuff, his 1-B stuff is good enough. Council Rock had a lot of lefties in their lineup, and he has a lot of ways to approach left-handed hitters.”
By the Numbers: North Penn: Trevor Lugara (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), Kevin Brace (2-for-2, 3 runs), Christian Barnes (double, 3 RBIs), Ben Grattan (2-for-3, 3 RBIs, 2 runs), Luke Chartrand (2-for-2, 1 RBI).
Key Inning: Bottom of the 1st: NP took advantage of some wildness, with two hit batters and a walk to load the bases. Christian Barnes followed with a two-run double, and then Ben Grattan singled to score two more runs. Grattan would later score as he stole home to make it 5-0.
Coach Kevin Manero: “We had a lot of contributions in the middle of the lineup. Kevin Brace continues to set the table in the top spot. He had two more hits today. Christian Barnes had a big double. Our No. 5, 6, 7 hitters had five hits and seven RBIs.”
Up Next: North Penn (16-5) moves on to the quarterfinals scheduled for Friday against #1 Haverford.
CR South 000 00 – 0 3 3
North Penn 543 0x – 12 8 1
#5 Pennsbury 7, #12 Lower Merion 0
First-round byes haven’t always translated to postseason success for Pennsbury, but Tuesday, with ace Keller Bradley on the mound, the Falcons felt pretty good about their chances.
Bradley, a Vanderbilt commit, did his part with another dominant effort, and offensively and defensively, the team was very sharp and efficiently dispatched visiting Lower Merion by a 7-0 final score.
“In ‘19, we were a 1-seed, had a bye and lost to the 17,” said Falcons coach Joe Pesci. “In ‘22, we had a good run, but in ‘23 we had a bye and lost to Quakertown. In ‘24, we lost in the first round.
“So we’ve had a tough time, but our guys were pumped to play and not have the games pushed back in the week because of rain.
“Keller was great, 11 Ks, 86 pitches. He stopped a couple opportunities they had. They had two guys on in the second, and he got out of it. They had a couple on in the fifth, and the defense made the plays. It was great to get run support today, because a lot of times, when he pitches it’s a close game. Today, I feel like for the first time we really put a complete game together.”
By the Numbers: Pennsbury: Keller Bradley (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K), Ryan Webber (2-for-4, triple, 3 RBIs), Dylan Hirsh (1-for-1, 2 RBIs).
Key Inning: Bottom of the 1st: Evan Hawkes singled to open the inning, and Carlton Crane then reached on an error. A sacrifice fly by Dylan Hirsh scored the game’s first run and the Falcons would never look back.
Coach Joe Pesci: “To start the game, Michael Sogness made an absolutely web gem at third. Their No. 1 hitter, Gus Wright, their best player, ripped one down the third base line. Michael slid, back-handed it, spun and made the throw to first to get the out. That took the starch right out of them and fired our guys up. Making that play is amazing.
“Pierce Perry and Evan Hawkes tracked a couple balls down and made nice plays in the outfield too. The big one was in the fifth inning. We were up 2-0, they had runners on second and third with one out. They flew out to center field, Evan Hawkes caught it and came up firing, and they held the runner. We got out of the inning, and they didn’t score, so that was big.
“A couple of big plays like that made a difference and, again, Keller was Keller.”
–Offensively: “We scored one in the first, Evan Hawkes drag bunted to start the game, Crane reached on an error, Dylan Hirsh hit a sac fly. Hirsh had a sac fly, a hit by pitch, a walk and a single.
“The big one was in the third inning with two outs, Ryan Webber tripled to make it 2-0.
“We swung the bat really well up and down the lineup. I was really pleased. Today was one of those games. I felt like the only mistake we had was one baserunning mistake.
“It felt good. It was one of those days when everything clicked. After scoring two runs, challenged them to score in four innings and keep adding on, and they did.”
Up Next: Pennsbury (15-5-1, 11-4 SOL) will play at #4 Coatesville in a quarterfinal game tentatively scheduled for Friday.
LM 000 000 0 – 0 3 2
Pennsbury 101 023 0 – 7 7 0
#6 Neshaminy 10, #11 Avon Grove 1
Early runs and solid pitching throughout was a good formula for Neshaminy on Tuesday, as it took care of visiting Avon Grove 11-1 to earn a spot in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
Junior Chase Bonner did what he’s done most of the season on the mound, and didn’t allow Avon Grove to do much, allowing just one run in the fourth inning on five hits with just one walk. He struck out seven, threw 87 pitches and retired the last 10 batters of the game.
“It was good to see us back to what we were a couple weeks ago at the plate,” said Neshaminy coach Dan Toner. “We have been struggling the past couple games, but today we got our bats back. We hit throughout the lineup, ran the bases to perfection, played great defense, and once again Chase Bonner was an absolute stud on the mound.
“Chase pitched another complete game gem. It’s wild to think that he is as good as he is at his secondary position. There is a reason he is the SOL Patriot Player of the Year.”
Offensively, Neshaminy scored one in the first, four in the second and continued to tack on runs, ending with 10 runs on 11 hits.
“Our focus isn’t on individual averages or getting hits,” Toner said. “It’s about moving runners and scoring runs by any means necessary. Every single one of our at-bats today were for the team.
“Senior DH Anthony Kurley came through in a big way today. He was able to get on base all four times and put us in a real favorable position to score runs.
“Brandon Lall and Dan Marable have been great for us all year and continued that today. Both collecting multiple hits. Then you look down the lineup, and there were guys that were 1-for-4 or 1-for-3, but were able to move runners or get an RBI. It was great to see.
“We are excited to be moving on and hope our bats can stay hot for a while.”
By the Numbers: Neshaminy: Chase Bonner (WP, 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), Brandon Lall (2-for-3, double, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), Anthony Kurley (3-for-3, double, 2 runs), Dan Marable (2-for-2, 1 RBI), Mike Sassano (3 RBIs).
Key Inning: Bottom of the 2nd: Up 1-0, Neshaminy scored four to break this one open. Anthony Kurley led off with a single, Danny Nocito was hit by a pitch, and Nick Sassano advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Jake Plebani picked up an RBI with a ground out, Brandon Lall doubled to drive in a run, and Dan Marable and Mike Sassano each added RBI singles.
Up Next: Neshaminy (14-6) travels to #3 Perkiomen Valley in a quarterfinal game scheduled for Friday.
Avon Grove 000 100 0 – 1 5 2
Neshaminy 140 140 x – 10 11 1
#4 Coatesville 2, #13 Quakertown 1
After a walk-off win on Monday in the first round, Quakertown found itself in another close game on Tuesday, but on the road at #4 Coatesville in the second round of the Class 6A district playoffs, the Panthers lost via the walk-off and saw their season come to an end.
“It was a tough battle today,” said coach Jon Pallone. “Yesterday, we were on the other side of a walk off. Both teams were pretty evenly matched and hats off to Coatesville, they played well.”
Quakertown fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but starter Jarred Housten locked things down from there and the offense scored to tie it up in the top of the fourth. But they would only get two hits the rest of the way and never seriously threatened offensively again.
In the bottom of the seventh, Coatesville emerged with the win, as a pair of singles put runners on, an error, and then a game-winner RBI single with one out.
“Jarred Housten got to start two playoff games in two days. How often does that ever happen?” Pallone said. “Yesterday, we used him as an ‘opener’ against PW, then went to Colin Tenney because they had six lefties in the lineup.
“Today, Jarred got the start again and went six strong innings. His first inning didn’t go as expected, and I loved how, when he came off the field, he looked me square in the eyes and said, ‘Just like Upper Dublin.’ In the Upper Dublin game, he had a rough first inning but had one of his best games in one of his biggest moments.
“That’s a guy that rises to the challenge and competes. We’re going to miss him next year.”
By the Numbers: Quakertown: Jarred Housten (LP, 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), Gunner Rahn (1-for-2, 1 RBI).
Key Inning: Top of the 4th: The Panthers tied the game at 1, as Cole Reich reached on an error, Carter Tucholski singled and Gunner Rahn drove in the run with a sac fly to center field.
Coach Jon Pallone: “The offense did a great job in the top of the fourth when Cole Reich got on, Carter Tucholski hit him over to third and both guys did a great job running the bases and then Gunnar Rahn hit Cole in. Cole did another great job realizing the CF was running to his glove side and knowing it would make for a difficult throw home.”
–End of the Road: “I’m grateful to our seniors. They have exemplified Quakertown baseball by being selfless, having integrity and being passionate. They’ve been around to win district playoff games the last three years in a row, something we hadn’t done in almost 10 years.
“We graduated a lot of players from last season and these guys stepped up to reload and not rebuild.”
Quakertown ends its season with an 11-11 final record.
Quakertown 000 100 0 – 1 4 1
Coatesville 100 000 1 – 2 5 1
#2 Methacton 3, #15 Central Bucks South 2
Two runs in the bottom of the fifth proved to be the difference, as CB South struggled against Methacton ace Evan Jones, a Wake Forest commit, and went down to defeat by a 3-2 final score.
The Titans twice took leads, only to see Methacton bounce right back with runs. After South went up 2-1 in the fifth, the Warriors answered with two in the bottom of the fifth to grab a lead it would never surrender, as Jones didn’t allow a hit over the last two innings.
“I think, in the end, (Methacton) manufactured one more run than us at the end of the day,” said Titans coach Kevin Bray. “It was a good matchup. Throughout the game, our guys played well, and I thought (Methacton) played well at the same time. We couldn’t get a couple extra runs when we had a chance, but that’s part of the game.”
CB South, which graduates 13 seniors, finished the season with a 12-9 final record.
“The more important part is being able to be out there on the field with that group one last time is something special, particularly for seniors as well,” Bray said.
By the Numbers: CB South: Owen Pinkerton (2-for-3), Jake Yang (2-for-4), Blake Bell (2 RBIs), Luke Hillegas (5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7).
Key Inning: Top of the 5th: Tied at 1, Shane Farrell started the inning off with a single, Owen Pinkerton singled, and Jack Blum reached on a bunt single to load the bases. One run scored on a fielder’s choice groundout by Blake Bell to give CB South the lead, but a pair of strikeouts ended the inning, as Methacton escaped further damage.
CB South 010 010 0 – 2 8 2
Methacton 010 020 x – 3 7 1
#1 Haverford 6, #17 Souderton 3
Magic couldn’t strike twice in as many days for Souderton, which saw its season come to an end with a 6-3 loss to top-seeded Haverford in the second round of the Class 6A district playoffs.
“Today was not our day,” said Indians coach Mike Childs. “It was not the outcome we wanted, but the players fought hard right until the end.”
Haverford seized momentum early with three runs in the first, taking advantage of a pair of two-out walks and following that with a three-run home run, as Souderton was playing uphill from that point forward.
The Indians got as close as 3-2 with two in the third, and down 6-2, threatened in the seventh, with a pair of two-out walks and a Cody Ricko RBI single, but left the bases loaded with the tying run at the plate.
“This group was a very fun team to coach,” Childs said. “I am very proud of how this team had to handle some adversity and overcame it to make the playoffs and win a game in the postseason. The last game is always tough, especially for the seniors, and the tears that are shed show all the time, effort, and hard work they have given to the program over the last four years.”
By the Numbers: Souderton: Cody Ricko (2-for-4, 3 RBIs), Evan Divens (2-for-3, double).
Key Inning: Top of the 3rd: The Indians bounced back from a rough first inning and inched closer with two in the third. Pollock reached with a walk, Charlie Hunsicker was hit by a pitch, Trent Lutz walked to load the bases, and Cody Ricko plated two runs with a two-run single to right field.
Souderton finished its season with an 11-10-1 final record.
Souderton 002 000 1 – 3 4 0
Haverford 301 020 x – 6 4 0
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