Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Wednesday. Quakertown/Pennsbury photos courtesy of John Gleeson. UD/WC East photos courtesy of Kim Supko, and PW/Souderton photos courtesy of Michael Rice. Check back for galleries of all three games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f12122253
District 1 6A second round
#2 North Penn 9, #15 West Chester Henderson 0
Avoiding the upset bug early in the playoffs was a high priority for second-seeded North Penn, and it made sure that wasn’t going to be a problem, scoring six runs in the first inning for ace sophomore left hander Trevor Lugara and rolling from there to the shutout win over West Chester Henderson.
“It kind of came full circle for us,” said Knights coach Kevin Manero. “In our first home conference game, we took a 6-0 lead early and didn’t tack on, and we let it slip away.
“Today, we took a 6-0 lead in the first inning, and this time Trevor beared down and threw great. Justin Egner led off the first inning and ripped a fastball for a single and that was a good sign for us.”
In that first inning, after Egner’s single, Jack Picozzi and Chase Jones drew one-out walks, and then with the bases loaded, Ben Farley had a two-run single to get his team on the scoreboard.
Hunter Wetzel later had an RBI single with two outs, James Mangine scored two more with a triple to left field and Mangine scored on a wild pitch. And just like that it was a 6-0 game.
North Penn added three runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Mangine led off with a single, went to second on a passed ball and was bunted to second by Mario Sgro. Egner then scored the run with an RBI fielder’s choice. A walk to Picozzi and a Jones single loaded the bases, and again Farley delivered with a two-RBI single, blowing the game wide open at 9-0.
“One through nine, we’re not hitting the ball hard, but the guys who are hitting the ball hard are spread out throughout the lineup,” Manero said. “We don’t have a lineup where if you get past one spot, it drops off. We’re getting good balance and that’s what you want this time of year.”
Farley went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, while Mangine was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
The rest came down to pitching and defense. The Knights committed only one error, and pitchers Lugara and reliever Wetzel didn’t walk a batter.
Lugara, now 9-0, pitched six shutout innings, working around six hits and striking out five. Wetzel pitched the seventh.
“He really is locked in,” Manero said about Lugara. “He’s a real role model for focus and determination. He doesn’t let anything phase him. He has pitched big games for us, but the funny thing is, as much as he pitched big games, starting at home in the playoffs, that’s a lot of pressure. But the external circumstances don’t seem to weigh him down at all.”
With the win, North Penn (17-4) advances on to the quarterfinals on Friday, and it will host upstart No. 24 seed Quakertown, which has upset No. 10 Owen J. Roberts and No. 7 Pennsbury in the first two rounds.
“One hundred percent, anything can happen,” Manero said. “The District One tournament is grueling. The first week of the District One Tournament is the hardest part of the session, so many teams may be ranked a little lower, but they’re good baseball teams getting hot at the right time.
“We’ve had years where we snuck in as a lower seed and made deep runs in the postseason. It’s the nature of our league. The SOL is a tough league and we beat each other up a lot. You have to get hot at the right time. Everybody has been through the wringer, but they’re all very well-prepared teams that could beat anybody.”
Henderson 000 000 0 – 0 6 2
North Penn 600 300 x – 9 9 1
#4 Abington 3, #20 Harry S.Truman 2
In so many ways, this has been a breakout season for the Abington baseball program.
Heading into the district playoffs, coach Bill Degen’s Galloping Ghosts had won 12 of 13 league games. Win or lose in the postseason, they made huge strides.
Wednesday, the Ghosts made a little more history and they’re moving on to the District One quarterfinals after a come-from-behind, walk-off 3-2 win over visiting Harry S. Truman.
“The seventh inning was awesome,” Degen said. “We talked about trusting each other and they did. In my 30-plus years of coaching, that was the best inning I’ve ever been a part of. These boys just put the work in and believe in each other and trust that if they do their job so will the next guy.”
Heading into the seventh inning, Truman, thanks to a two-run first inning and lights out pitching from freshman Austin Allen, had a 2-1 lead and was three outs away from advancing to the quarterfinal round on Friday.
“Truman is a very good team and Austin Allen was awesome on the mound,” Degen said.
Abington ace LJ Wolff got off to a slow start, as the Tigers scored two runs in the first. Wyatt Spinks was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, and Ryan Cavanaugh followed with an RBI triple to right field. A Gabe Marrero sac fly scored Cavanaugh to make it a 2-0 game.
Wolff was dominant the rest of the way, retiring 16 straight after Cavanaugh’s triple and only two singles in the sixth and seventh innings.
“Once again, LJ Wolff was outstanding,” Degen said. “They scored two runs in the first and he shut them down with 14 strikeouts and a complete game.”
Allen blanked the Ghosts for the first four innings. In the fifth, Abington got one back, as Chase Goodson was hit by a pitch and came around to score on an error, after a Mason Kishbaugh single.
Goodson then led off the bottom of the seventh with a single. He went to second on a Kishbaugh ground out and came around to tie the game on a Matt Worek RBI single.
The next batter, Mike Judge, belted a double to right field, scoring Worek with the game-winning run.
Degen said he believed Monday was Abington’s first playoff win in 30 years.
And with the win, Abington (14-6) advances to Friday’s quarterfinal round where it will host Liberty Division rival Plymouth Whitemarsh, the No. 5 seed. The teams split a pair of games in the regular season.
Truman 200 000 0 – 2 3 2
Abington 000 010 2 – 3 5 1
#5 Plymouth Whitemarsh 6, #21 Souderton 5
These two teams played one another in a nonleague game just two weeks earlier, but needless to say, Wednesday’s Class 6A second-round game was quite a bit more significant, with a lot on the line.
And No. 21 Souderton showed early that it was there to play, with three runs in the top of the first inning.
But from there, Plymouth Whitemarsh pitching, led by starter Dylan Robinson, settled down and the offense exploded with six runs in the bottom of the fourth to take command on the way to a 6-5 victory.
“It was a real team effort today,” said Colonials coach Chris Manero. “We had six different guys in the lineup pick up RBIs, and we used three guys on the mound who all stepped up in big moments.”
That started with Robinson, who entered the game 7-1, with a 2.12 ERA. But in the first, Souderton jumped right on him, as Chris McKenna singled, Austin Kreyenhagen singled and Ethan Warner reached on an error, loading the bases with nobody out. Tyler Lutz drove in two with a single to center field, and Joey Crecca followed with a double to center to make it a 3-0 game before PW even came to bat.
But Robinson settled in and shut the Indians down for the next four innings. He ended up going five and allowing four earned runs but was able to keep his team in the game while the offense heated up.
Matt Krawitz came out of the bullpen and got out of the sixth inning, and Chase Fisher got a key out in the seventh to pick up the save, with two runners on base.
“Dylan had a tough top of the first, but man did he settle in and pitch tough after that,” Manero said. “He’s been our bulldog on the mound all spring and none of that changed today.
“We were very happy with how Matt and Chase stepped up out of the pen. They both came into high leverage tough situations and got big outs when we needed them the most.”
PW’s big fourth inning started with a Johnny Giordano single and then Tyler Gartland and Nick DeLucca walked with one out to load the bases. Colin Brady then roped a single to right to put the Colonials on the scoreboard, and after Gabe Caucci walked to drive in another run, Luke Gartland tied the game at 3 with an RBI single.
Chase Olszyk followed with an RBI single, a Gavin Rocks single scored another and then Giordano made it 6-3 with an RBI single.
“Luke Gartland had one of the most impressive at bats I’ve seen in a long time,” Manero said. “With the bases loaded in the fourth inning, he launched a ball down the left field line that looked destined to score at least two. It was called foul, and that could have been a very deflating moment.
“But, he regrouped, shook it off and built a great at bat, eventually resulting in an RBI single.
“Today was exciting, but when the sun comes up tomorrow, we have to shift our focus to the next challenge and get back to work.”
PW (15-6) plays at #4 Abington in a quarterfinal game on Friday.
For Souderton, Connor Klock had a two-run home run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-5, but it couldn’t get any closer, stranding a baserunner in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
The Indians finished the season at 11-11.
Souderton 300 002 0 – 5 10 0
PW 000 600 x – 6 5 1
#23 Quakertown 10, #7 Pennsbury 2
There almost always is at least one good postseason story of a lower seeded team making noise against bigger, more highly-regarded opponents.
Monday, No. 23 Quakertown shocked No. 10 Owen J Roberts in an upset that seems mild compared to what it accomplished on Wednesday. The Panthers went on the road and attacked No. 7 Pennsbury right from the jump on the way to a convincing and shocking 10-2 upset victory.
“We’re executing the things we’ve been working on all year,” said Panthers coach Jon Pallone. “Everything is clicking at the right time. We know we aren’t perfect, but we make the next play and that takes a lot of work and maturity for a high school kid to not only understand it, but control their emotions and do it.”
Quakertown scored one in the first and two in the second to post the early lead, but when the host Falcons countered with two in the bottom of the second, the Panthers weren’t deterred, scoring twice in the third, once in the fourth and adding four in the fifth to put this one away.
“We continued to have a good approach at the plate,” Pallone said. “Brayden Schuler, who missed the first part of the season, had some clutch at-bats and came through when we needed it.
“Tanner Clancy hasn’t been in the lineup so much this year, but my assistant told me they saw something in him the last couple practices and we wanted to get him in there and he rewarded us.
“Cole Reich has continued to be hot for us at the plate, constantly finding a way on base.”
In the first, Danny Qualteria, Reich and Cooper Natisin all walked to load the bases with nobody out. Another walk, with one out, to Matthew Martsen, drove in the game’s first run.
Gunner Rahn was hit by a pitch to lead off the Quakertown second, followed by a Schuler double. Qualteria and Reich then drove in runs with back-to-back sacrifice flies to make it a 3-0 game.
Pennsbury took advantage of an error and two walks in its half of the second, followed by a James Schaffer RBI single and a fielder’s choice ground out by Ryan Zuckerman.
But that was it for the Falcons’ offensively.
Quakertown starter Martsen allowed just one earned run in four innings, scattering three hits and four walks, while striking out two. Reliever Natisin pitched three shutout innings, working around three hits and striking out one, without a walk.
“Matthew Marsten was excellent on the mound,” Pallone said. “I’m not sure he was feeling he had his best stuff, but he didn’t let him affect his performance. He gutted it out and threw a great game, stranding runners on the bases. Then, Cooper Natisin came in and shut the door.”
Schuler had an RBI single in the third, while another scored on a double error push the lead back to 5-0.
Reich singled and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, a pair of errors led to four in the fifth innings.
For the game, Reich was 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
Clancy was also 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
” I’m really proud of all the guys on our team being in every game all game,” Pallone said. “We’ve really worked hard at turning this season around.
“Thankfully, we play in a great SOL Division and a strong nonleague schedule to get us ready. It’s physically and mentally challenging, but iron sharpens iron. Our school community is very supportive as well.
Quakertown (11-11) plays at #2 North Penn in a quarterfinal game on Friday.
Pennsbury (16-5), the SOL Patriot champion, was led by Eric David and Sam Labrecque with two hits each.
Quakertown 122 140 0 – 10 10 2
Pennsbury 020 000 0 – 2 6 5
#14 Central Bucks West 10, #3 Methacton 0
Terrific pitching, error-free defense and timely and relentless offense is usually a recipe for success in the game of baseball.
And if CB West continues to play like it did in Wednesday’s convincing 10-0 upset win over #3 Methacton, more wins may be on the horizon for the Bucks this postseason.
“This was one of the biggest games we’ve had as a program in the last 20 years or so, but you never would have known it looking at our guys,” said coach Brian Weaver. “They did a great job staying loose. We knew we’d see (Methacton ace Kross) Howarth, we knew he had good stuff, and we knew they’d had a very good season, but our guys were really unfazed by it all. It would be easy this time of year to get tight, or to look at the bracket and think there was no chance, but we’ve got a quietly confident bunch.”
It started with pitching. Weaver gave the ball to Sam Greer, who didn’t disappoint, allowing just two hits and two walks, while striking out four in six dominant, shutout innings. Jacob Greer pitched a scoreless seventh inning to finish the game off.
“A lot of things went right, but maybe the most important was Sam Greer’s performance,” Weaver said. “Sam was a straight-up dude today. He was as effective as he’s been in the three years I’ve coached him. He only allowed four runners in six innings but worked around them every time.
“It was a dominant day for him against a strong lineup that can hurt you in a lot of ways. He also had a couple of hits of his own. Ultimately, he kept our team in the game today and gave us a chance, and he also let us save some much-needed pitching for Friday.”
Offensively, the Bucks went to work in the second inning and never looked back, scoring 10 runs on 13 hits.
Sophomore Alex Valdes had a huge game, going 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Max McGlone was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Quinn Ellig was 3-for-4 with one RBIs. Greer and Julio Ermigotti had two hits each.
“At the plate, this was another game where we just got contributions everywhere,” Weaver said “A bunch of guys had multi-hit games, and eight of our nine starters either scored or drove in a run. In the games we’ve performed well, we’ve gotten that kind of balance.
“Valdes had another big game. The last ten games or so he’s really started to click and settle into the varsity pace. We’ve known from his first day as a freshman that he was going to be a special player. It’s great to see him grooving.
“Defensively, we played an error-free game after committing five on Monday, which was a big step for the guys. Our outfield has been doing a heck of a job covering ground, so when you’re telling pitchers to ‘pitch to contact’ they can have the confidence that somebody’s going to track the ball down and make a play.
“(Catcher) Max McGlone had a superb game in all phases. Three hits, three RBIs, including a two-run double in the top of the seventh to keep the pressure on. And defensively, he called a great game and knocked down everything. What he brings to the team day in and day out will never be fully captured in the scorebook.
CB West (16-6) will play in Friday’s quarterfinal round at No. 6 Coatesville.
CB West 051 100 3 – 10 13 0
Methacton 000 000 0 – 0 2 4
Class 5A
#1 Upper Dublin 5, #8 West Chester East 0
Going into the District One Class 5A Tournament, Upper Dublin knew, as the No. 1 seed, that it had the bullseye squarely on its back. Upsets of highly seeded teams are commonplace in districts.
But Aidan McCarthy was having none of that.
UD’s senior left-hander did more than just dominate on Wednesday, he did so to near perfection, allowing just two hits and two walks, while striking out three, as the Flying Cardinals moved on with a 5-0 win over No. 8 West Chester East in a second-round game.
“Today, he had WC East off balance and chasing,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “Our defense took care of whatever came its way.”
Offensively, the Cardinals scored four runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back.
Jared Levis led off with a double and Eric Berman followed with a single. Berman then stole second and Levis scored on a wild pitch. An error scored another run, as did McCarthy’s RBI fielder’s choice. Nick Cairnes scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
Another run scored on an error in the bottom of the fifth, and that was plenty of run support for McCarthy.
“Despite Jared’s double in the first, we didn’t have a ton of hard contact, but we made the most of our opportunities and were able to extend the lead mid game,” Wall said. “We didn’t play our best offensively and still won.
“I’m pretty proud of our team and how gritty we are. We had some really good at-bats that resulted in outs. Guys were just spoiling pitches trying to find a way on. Bryce Greiner had a great contact, but was it was right at the center fielder. Eric Berman, Leo Soriano and Brendan O’Brien were hit by pitches. Paul Stoffel and McCarthy both had eight pitch at-bats.”
Levis finished with two of Upper Dublin’s four hits. It took advantage of three walks, three hit batters and three West Chester East errors.
With the win, UD (15-5) advanced to Friday’s semifinal round. The Cardinals will host No. 12 Oxford
WC East 000 000 0 – 0 2 3
Upper Dublin 400 100 x – 5 4 1
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