CB West, CB South & CR North were winners in the opening round of the District One 6A Tournament. CB West/Neshaminy photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
CLASS 6A
#17 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2, #16 NESHAMINY 1
With Cole Fehrman and Matt Mays on the mound for the Bucks and Redskins respectively, runs figured to be hard to come by in Monday’s district opener, and they were. The two mound aces found
themselves locked in a classic pitcher’s duel, and for the second time in six days, it was the Bucks escaping with a win over the Redskins.
“Cole has been phenomenal all year, and today he was no exception,” West coach Brian Weaver said. “He faced adversity almost every inning and still came away with five shutout frames.
“His command was really sharp. He and (catcher) Max McGlone worked a stellar game together. And Julio Ermigiotti came in to close and was really effective. He worked out of the sixth with only a run scored despite being in some trouble. That was the key to the game – he got us out of that and kept the lead going into the seventh.”
Both pitchers took a shutout into the sixth inning. The Bucks put a pair on the board in the top of the inning. Jackson Cunnane and Kevin Bukowski led off the inning with back-to-back singles. It looked as though Mays and the ‘Skins might escape unscathed after Mays picked off Cunnane’s courtesy runner and coaxed a pop-out for the inning’s second out, but Aidan Quinn drew a walk, and Sam Greer’s ground single to left plated Bukowski. Matt Carr followed with an RBI single, and the Bucks led 2-0.
“Our bats struggled to hit Mays again through the first five innings,” Weaver said. “He does an exceptional job locating and mixing speeds, and Neshaminy’s staff calls a great game. In the sixth, we started to string some things together. Kevin Bukowski singled and Aidan Quinn worked a two-out walk. They’ve been in the middle of everything. Then Sam Greer, who has been really clutch in the last two weeks, singled in a run to get us on the board. And Matt Carr dropped in a single to tack on the second one.”
In the bottom of the inning, Ermigiotti replaced Fehrman on the mound, and the Redskins staged a rally. Anthony Trommer drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on Joel Bonner’s ground single to left. Luke Hardnock lined a single to right, plating Trommer, but Ermigiotti slammed the door on that rally with a pair of huge strikeouts.
Ermigiotti struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 seventh to preserve the win.
Greer’s 2-for-3 effort with one RBI led the Bucks’ six-hit attack.
Fehrman allowed three hits in five shutout innings. He struck out 10 and walked two. Ermigiotti threw two innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out four and walking one.
Mays allowed six hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking two. Evan Krippel did not allow a hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.
“Overall, it’s a huge game for the program, but we know we’ve got a very good Henderson team waiting for us in 48 hours so it’s no time to stop and admire the view,” Weaver said. “There’s still plenty of work to do if you want to survive in District 1.”
Central Bucks West (12-9, 9-7 SOL) will travel to #1 West Chester Henderson for a second round game on Wednesday. Neshaminy (9-7 SOL) closed out its season with an 11-8 record.
Central Bucks West 000 002 0 2-6-0
Neshaminy 000 001 0 1-5-0
#19 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8, #14 RIDLEY 1
Justin Marraccini turned in a superb outing on the mound in an impressive complete game win, and Eric Damico drove in four runs to lead the visiting Titans to an opening round upset.
“Justin Marraccini pitched a fantastic game for us,” South coach Kevin Bray said. “He went the distance, allowed six hits and only one run, and that was huge for us. We were very confident that Justin could get it done today. He’s been a bulldog for us all year, and we were really happy with the way he pitched today.
“Our guys were ready to go. They had a business-type demeanor the last couple of days. It was a 45-minute bus ride, so that’s not the most ideal, but our guys were ready to go from the jump.”
The Titans benefitted from some Green Raider control issues, capitalizing on three walks and two hit batters to score a pair of runs in the second inning. They upped that lead to 5-0 with three runs in the third. JT Anderosky led off the inning with a line drive single to center, and Robby Porco followed with a ground single to center. With one out, Anderosky scored on a wild pitch, and Jack Carver’s single to center plated Porco. A two-out single by Damico gave the Titans their five run advantage.
Ridley scored a run in the bottom of the third, and that 5-1 scored stood until the top of the seventh when Damico stroked a double to left that plated a pair, and Matt Boyce followed with a double that brought another run home for the 8-1 final.
Damico was 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs.
“He had a day,” Bray said of Damico. “Eric’s been a staple for our program the past few years. Behind the plate, he’s fantastic. He catches a boatload of games, and that takes a toll.
“You’re okay if your catcher isn’t hitting .450. He manages our pitching staff great, he has a good rapport with our pitching coach, Dave Jentsch. He got two balls to hit today, and he didn’t miss them. He carries us in general as a leader, but it’s always nice to see those guys rewarded with a good performance.”
Boyce was 2-for-4 with a double in a contest that saw the Titans collect seven hits.
“Matt Boyce in our nine hole had two hits – I’m really pleased with his performance,” Bray said. “We had a couple of sac bunts along the way. Robby Porco had two runs scored. Our guys were just ready, and it showed.”
Central Bucks South (13-8, 9-7 SOL) will travel to #3 Owen J Roberts for a second round game on Wednesday.
Council Rock South 023 000 3 8-7-0
Ridley 001 000 0 1-6-1
#20 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4, #13 SPRINGFIELD DELCO 1
Collin Williams looked every bit the part of the mound ace that he is in Monday’s opening round win. The Indians’ ace allowed just one hit and one run (unearned) in 6.1 stellar innings. He struck out nine and walked three. The Cougars scored their lone run in the bottom of the first without the benefit of a hit. It turned out to be their last hurrah.
“Collin is a top-notch pitcher,” Rock North coach Matt Schram said. “He had a rough start because that’s his first high school playoff game – it’s funny to say that about a senior, but with COVID and whatever else.
“He had a rough start – his first inning was shaky, but then he settled in. Once he settled in, he threw well, he did really well.”
The Cougars first-inning run came on the heels of the Indians scoring a run in the top of the first. Austin Stalker and Jadon Tang opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and the bases were loaded after Josh Huddy drew a walk. It looked as though the Cougars might escape unscathed when pitcher Sean Williams struck out the next two batters that he faced, but a bases-loaded walk to Brian Curry pushed a run across for a short-lived 1-0 lead.
The Indians took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second when Will Scibona, who collected a one-out single, scored on Tang’s RBI single.
“One of the biggest issues we had the second half of the season was – (Williams) was not able to pitch with a lead,” Schram said. “We were constantly playing catchup baseball when Collin was on the mound the last couple of games.
“For him to actually pitch with a lead, it’s so much better for him. It’s better for every situation. That second run – that’s when he settled in. Now he’s pitching with a lead, and he didn’t have to work so hard.”
In the top of the fourth, the Indians added a pair of insurance runs.
Stalker led off the inning with a single and two outs later Shane Anhalt was safe on an error. Stalker scored on a wild pitch, and Quinn Erlandsen’s ground single to center plated Anhalt with a run that gave the Indians their final margin of victory.
“All of them were key hits,” Schram said. “Erlandsen had a two-out hit that scored the fourth run. It’s always big – getting two-out RBIs are momentum changers, and those can be game changers, and that was a game changer.”
Scibona’s 3-for-4 effort led the Indians’ 12-hit attack. Adding a pair of hits were Stalker (2-for-5, 2R), Tang (2-for-4, RBI) and Erlandsen (2-for-4, RBI).
“We struggled so much the second half of the season,” Schram said. “We had a lot of injuries, we had a lot of this, we had a lot of that.
“For us to go in as a 20 seed – if you look back since they started this 6A format, nobody who has been seeded 20 has gotten out of the first round. A true baseball fan will say – you never know what’s going to happen when you play baseball. Compared to other games – even the endings of baseball games, you have to make the last out to end the game whereas in other sports, that’s not always the case.
“We backed in, but I think we can agree that we were better than 8-8. Fortunately, we were able to get a win today against Springfield which is a good ballclub that we faced a number of years ago in the playoffs, so we knew what we were going up against with them.”
Council Rock North (11-8, 8-8 SOL) will travel to #3 Souderton for Wednesday’s second round game at 12:30 p.m.
Council Rock North 110 200 0 4-12-2
Springfield Delco 100 000 0 1-1-2
CLASS 5A
STRATH HAVEN 2, UPPER MORELAND 1
The Panthers escaped with the walk-off win when when Nick Corritone singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh, plating his teammate from second base to break a 1-1 tie and give Strath Haven the hard-fought win.
“It was a tough loss today,” UM coach Jim Fasano said. “We had some opportunities and didn’t take advantage of them. I am proud of the boys for fighting back to tie the game in the top of the sixth though. We just couldn’t scratch another run or two across.”
After the Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Bears rallied to knot the score in the top of the sixth when Kaleb Powell singled with one out to plate Nate O’Connor, who singled to lead off the inning. That 1-1 tie stood until the bottom of the seventh.
Jimmy Torpey scattered seven hits and allowed just one run in six strong innings while striking out three and walking two. He was not involved in the decision.
“Our defense was sharp and Jimmy Torpey was outstanding today,” Fasano said. “He’s been our horse all year and deserved a better fate than a no decision. But it’s better than a loss, I suppose.”
Colin Fell absorbed the loss, allowing two hits and one run in a third of an inning. Patrick Kilgus (2-for-3) led the Golden Bears’ six-hit effort.
“I’m sad the season had to end, especially for our senior leaders: Sean Dallahan, Nate O’Connor, Bo Meakim and Jared McCellan,” Fasano said. “Those are all class acts from great families, they will go far in life.
“If you’re any good, every season ends with a loss except a special few. Today was that day for us but we can hold our heads high – a league championship and playing last year’s district champions to a stalemate through 6.5 innings. It was truly my pleasure to coach this group.”
Upper Moreland (9-7 SOL) closed out its season with a 9-9 record.
Upper Moreland 000 001 0 1-6-0
Strath Haven 000 010 1 2-9-0
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