Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action in the District 1 Tournament. (North Penn/Quakertown photos provided courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball & Neshaminy/Spring-Ford photos courtesy of Jesse Garber: https://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p986649125)
District 1 6A semifinals
#6 Downingtown West 7, #7 Central Bucks East 5
The Patriots made history on Friday when they earned the program’s first ever trip to the PIAA 6A State Tournament. They were hoping to take it one step further and advance to Thursday’s title game but came up just short.
“After taking an early lead, some timely hits for Downingtown gave them a lead we couldn’t overcome,” East coach Kyle Dennis said. “Sophomore Jason Abert pitched well in a spot start. He usually functions as our closer and has been tremendous this year in that role. He was given a start today and went toe to toe and pitch for pitch with one of the best arms in Ches-Mont.”
The Patriots faced a formidable opponent in Pitt commit Drew Turner. The Whippets’ senior ace threw six innings to earn the win, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out 12 and walking three.
“Downingtown West is a solid team when Turner is on the mound, as shown by his 12 strikeouts today,” Dennis said. “He throws hard and challenges hitters with his fastball in every count and mixes it up with a good breaking ball.”
The Patriots put a pair of runs on the board in the top of the first. Reece Moody lined a leadoff double to right field, and he scored one out later when Chase Harlan singled. Jack Mislan was hit by a pitch, and Chase Fulford’s single plated Harlan.
A solo home run by Quinn Henicle in the bottom of the inning cut East’s lead in half, and the Whippets evened the score with an unearned run in the third.
A two-run fourth gave the Whippets a 4-2 lead, and they added three more in the bottom of the sixth to go on top 7-2.
The Patriots didn’t go down without a battle, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh. A pickoff at second prevented an even bigger inning that was highlighted by a three-run home run by Mislan.
Harlan’s 3-for-4 day at the plate with a double and RBI led the Patriots.
“We were able to chip away in the seventh when we got into the bullpen after (Turner) hit his pitch limit, but ultimately fell short,” Dennis said. “Our guys competed until the last pitch, which is all any coach can ask for.
“This is the first team in CB East history to go this far into playoffs, so we have nothing to hang out heads about. I am exceptionally proud of them. We look forward to traveling to PW on Thursday to compete in the 3-4 seeding game.”
Central Bucks East 200 000 3 5-7-1
Downingtown West 101 203 x 7-8-1
#8 Downingtown East 10, #5 Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
The Colonials knew they would have their hands full going against Tulane commit Michael Devenney. They had five hits in five innings off the Cougars’ ace but nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.
The Cougars, meanwhile, opened up a 4-0 lead after four innings and then added six in the top of the seventh on their way to the win.
“I do like the way we approached and battled against Devenney,” PW coach Chris Manero said. “He’s a plus arm for sure, but we were able to get guys on the bases.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find that big hit, especially with two outs, when we needed it. Credit to him also for locking in with runners on base.”
Both teams finished the game with seven hits, but the Colonials were charged with four errors.
“We haven’t lost many games this season, but a common element in the ones that did slip away has been issues with our defense,” Manero said. “We still have room to grow, both with instincts and some speed of the game situations.
“We know we have more baseball ahead of us, and if we want to succeed over the next two weeks, we will have to grow from today’s loss.”
Gabe Caucci, Chase Olszyk and Johnny Giordano each had a pair of hits.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (17-6, 13-3 SOL) will host #7 Central Bucks East in Thursday’s third place game.
Downingtown East 002 200 6 10-7-0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 000 0 0-7-4
District 1 6A playbacks
#2 Neshaminy 11, #13 Spring-Ford 1 (5 innings)
The Redskins showed no ill effects from Friday’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Central Bucks East in a quarterfinal contest, bouncing back with a no-doubt-about-it win over the Rams in a playback contest with a state berth on the line.
“From the start of the year, we had some pretty specific goals,” senior Luke Schweiker said. “As a team every year, we want to make the playoffs. That’s been a given for our team the past 
several years, but we really wanted to make states and make a run this year.
“As a team, it was a disappointing loss (Friday). It was the second time we lost to CB East this year, and it definitely left a bad taste in our mouths, and we didn’t want today to be the day that sent us home and, for the seniors, ended our high school baseball careers, so we really came with that mindset of hanging on for at least one more day, just trying to get into states any way we can and trying to keep playing any way we can to be together with this team as long as we can.”
Schweiker certainly did his part to make sure Neshaminy’s season would not end, turning in yet another strong outing on the mound.
“Luke Schweiker had a dominating day on the mound,” coach Dan Toner said. “He has taken over the role as our ace and has gone above and beyond expectations.”
In five strong innings, Schweiker allowed just two hits and one run while striking out five and walking four.
“I think the biggest thing is not overdoing it,” Schweiker said of his success on the mound. “Not doing too much, just allowing my teammates to do their jobs behind me, make the plays and trust each pitch call that coach gives me and trusting my catcher to do the job, so pretty much just doing my job and just trusting the process of how the game flows and how the game works.”
Neshaminy scored single runs in both the first and second innings. Stone Powell’s RBI single accounted for the game’s first run, and in the second inning, the Redskins capitalized on a walk and hit batter as well as an RBI single by Adam Hunter to go on top 2-0.
The Rams scored a run in the top of the third, but the Redskins got it back in the fourth. An eight-run fifth brought an early end to the contest. Neshaminy benefitted from seven free passes in the inning. Hunter had two hits – including a double – to highlight the inning that included singles by Anthony Trommer, Chase Bonner and Joel Bonner (RBI).
“Over the weekend, we talked about how players need to step up in big time moments,” Toner said. “And to make it to the state tournament, we would need that today. We had multiple players do just that. Adam Hunter had the biggest day for us on offense and got the momentum rolling for the team.
“We also discussed that the big moments didn’t have to come from just the offense. Joel Bonner had probably the best day you could have as an outfielder. He made a great catch that he had to run a long way for, and in the same play, threw the runner out at home. He followed that up with a diving catch and then once more with an on-the-run leaping catch. Every play was extremely impressive.”
Hunter finished an impressive day at the plate 4-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Trommer was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored out of the leadoff spot. The duo combined for seven of their team’s nine hits in a contest that vaulted the Redskins into the state tournament.
“Making the state tournament was extremely important for our program,” Toner said. “We made it my first year coaching in ‘17, then in ‘19 and ‘21. We didn’t want to miss it again after a two-year layoff. I’m proud how hard these guys worked to make it happen.”
If the Redskins were feeling the pressure of a win-or-go-home contest, they didn’t let it show.
“It comes with a calming presence to it, even though it’s win or go home,” Schweiker said. “In a big situation like that, we all come together as a team and pull for each other. Every guy is picking each other up. No one wants to let each other down, so we’re all at 100 percent, firing on all cylinders for this kind of game. We were all prepared and ready to go today.
“I have to give credit to all my teammates, who put together great at-bats and made all the amazing plays in the field they did today. I can’t give enough credit to those guys. I was just going out there doing my job, and they really put this game out of reach.”
Neshaminy (19-3, 14-2 SOL) will host North Penn in Thursday’s fifth place game.
Spring-Ford 001 00 1-2-0
Neshaminy 110 18 11-9-0
#14 North Penn 7, #1 Quakertown 4
There’s nothing quite like jumping out to an early lead in a must-win game.
That’s exactly what the visiting Knights did in Tuesday’s playback game at Quakertown, plating three runs in the first and two more in the second on their way to the win and a state berth.
“We definitely have made a point all year of trying to score first and take control of games – we just haven’t always been very good at it, but tonight we had a dynamite first inning,” NP coach Kevin Manero said. “Our guys in the middle of the order really came up big.
“Getting off to big start was important. Especially against a team like Quakertown because if you let them control the game, they have a lot of weapons. They have a lot of speed, they can do a lot of things on the bases, so you try to neutralize that by taking a lead, and we did a good job of that.”
AJ Briggs set the tone for a big first inning with a leadoff single, and he scored one out later when Chase Jones tripled to right field.
“We put AJ Briggs today in the leadoff spot for the first time, and he was a real spark for us,” Manero said. “He’s been great all year, but tonight he ignited the top of our order.”
Ben Farley’s two-run blast to center field spotted the Knights a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, Luke Chartrand led off with a single, and Ben Gratten followed with a double. For the second time in as many trips to the plate, Jones tripled to right field, this time scoring a pair of runs that gave the Knights a 5-0 lead.
The Knights added a run in the top of the fifth, and the Panthers began to claw their way back into the game in the bottom of the inning. Singles by Carver Perrone and Dan Qualteria set the stage for a clutch two-run triple by Cole Reich that made it a 6-2 game.
An RBI single by Farley upped the Knights’ lead to 7-2, and each run loomed large when the Panthers staged a seventh inning rally that began with four straight singles by Tanner Clancy, Perrone, Brady Martin (RBI) and Qualteria (RBI).
Nick Palovich, after allowing a single by Qualteria, struck out the next three batters he faced in an impressive relief stint.
“Nick Palovich came in in a really tough spot late in the game in the last inning with the tying run at the plate and their fans getting into it,” Manero said. “All of a sudden, their bats are heating up, and he just got in there and shut them down. The pitching was good tonight, and they battled.”
Trevor Lugara threw six innings and earned the win, allowing eight hits (five through six innings) and four runs while striking out four and walking one.
“A game like today is do or die,” Manero said. “You win, you punch your ticket to states. You lose, you go home and water your garden the rest of the summer, and in any situation like that, Trevor Lugara is the guy that you’re going to want on the mound.
“He stepped up big time today. The strike zone was a little challenging for him at times, but he battled. He just did what we would always want our number one to do, which is go out there and say, ‘All right guys, I got this. We’ll get into states tonight, and then we’ll go from there.’ He’s the guy we want – he battled.”
Briggs was 2-for-3 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Jones was 2-for-4 with two triples and three RBIs and Farley was 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored. Joshua Martinell (2-for-3, 2B, RBI) and Gratten (2-for-4, 2B, R) also had multi-hit games.
For the Panthers, Qualteria (2-for-4, RBI, R), Perrone (2-for-3, 2R) and Martin (2-for-3, RBI) each had two hits.
North Penn (16-7, 10-6 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for Thursday’s fifth place game. Quakertown closed out its successful season with a 16-7 record overall. The Panthers were 14-2 on their way to the SOL Liberty Division title.
North Penn 320 011 0 7-12-3
Quakertown 000 020 2 4-9-1
District 1 5A third place game
#3 Upper Dublin 8, #4 Strath Haven 0
The Cardinals found themselves in an unusual situation.
Win Tuesday’s game against Strath Haven and a state berth was theirs, lose and go home. Nothing unusual about that except that Upper Dublin was holding its end-of-season banquet later that night.
“Oh my gosh, it was either going to be a wedding or a funeral,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “I was scared to death.”
Wall needn’t have worried.
The Cardinals scored three runs in the first, and with Austin Dahl on the mound, that was more than enough to defeat the visiting Panthers.
“I feel like we keep backing up good games with some even better games,” Wall said. “I think we’re actually playing the best baseball of our season right now. Even our game against Radnor (a 5-1 loss in the district semifinals), everything went their way, and they did a great job, but we had zero strikeouts and only scored one run. I was really excited to see what would happen today. To see if those hits would now turn over in our favor, and boy, did it ever.
“The guys just trusted their plan, and they executed it today. It was a lot of fun to watch.”
In the bottom of the first, Eric Berman got things started with a leadoff single, and Nate Cairnes followed with a walk. One out later, Oliver Gill lined an RBI double to right field. Keck followed with an RBI single, and a third run crossed the plate on a fielder’s choice.
The Cardinals, according to Keck, had a positive mindset heading into Tuesday’s must-win game that featured Boston College commit Luke D’Ancona on the mound for the Panthers.
“I would definitely say we were upbeat,” Keck said. “This is our third year in a row playing Strath Haven, and facing the Boston College kid, I think we’re all looking to prove something – that we can hang with the top kids and make sure we’re just doing what we’re (supposed to be) doing.”
UD’s 3-0 lead stood until the bottom of the fourth when Cairnes hit a clutch two-out RBI single. Keck’s two-run double highlighted a four-run fifth that also included a double by Wes Gill as well as singles by Dahl and Conner Dynan (RBI).
“Our whole top of the order– Berman, Cairnes, Dahl, Gill and Keck – all had two hits,” Wall said. “All of them but Dahl had at least an RBI. Bobby Keck had three huge RBIs. Eddie Stoffel got in there with an RBI.
“Then we had Conner Dynan and Wes Gill with two really big hits. We especially really just got things cooking and allowed us to score middle to late in the game. Some of those middle innings seem to always be tough to score in. I was really happy to plate one run in the fourth and in the fifth inning get four more. Giving us a little bit more of a cushion was definitely beneficial against a team as good as Strath Haven.”
Dahl turned in another stellar outing on the mound, allowing five hits in six shutout innings while striking out eight and walking two. Jack Branigan threw a scoreless seventh.
“It was another really impressive outing by him,” Wall said of Dahl. “He gave up five hits, and that’s the most hits he’s given up in his career, and that’s dating back to his freshman year. He hasn’t given up more than three in any game until today.
“It was once again really fun to watch him go out and go to work.”
With the win, the Cardinals advance to next week’s state tournament as the district’s third seed.
“To go to states three times in a row is great, it feels great,” Keck said. “We just have to keep it going through the state games.
“We’re all loose and relaxed, and we’re ready to go. We’re looking forward to the next game.”
Tuesday’s win set the stage for a special year-end banquet.
“It was great – it was definitely a fun time,” Keck said.
Upper Dublin (16-7, 12-4 SOL) will face the District 12 champion in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA 5A Tournament.
Strath Haven 000 000 0 0-5-2
Upper Dublin 300 140 x 8-12-0
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