North Penn captured the District 1 6A title with a 7-1 win over West Chester Henderson. Check out the recaps of all Thursday’s games featuring SOL schools. PW/WC Henderson photos courtesy of Michael Rice Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BASEBALL GALLERIES.
District 1 6A final
#8 NORTH PENN 7, #7 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 1
Chase Jones couldn’t have written a better script.
If ever there was a time for the North Penn senior to break out of his recent hitting slump, Thursday against WC Henderson – with the District 1 6A title on the line – was the day.
“I’ve been talking to my coaches all week – I needed to clear my head,” Jones said. “My swing has been good. It’s just more the mentality. Talking to my coaches, they were like – play free, have fun, and today that’s what I did. I had fun and let the game come to me.”
The fun started – and his confidence got a major boost – when Jones delivered the game-tying single in the top of the third, knotting the score 1-1, but the best was yet to come. With the Knights holding a tenuous 2-1 lead, Jones was due up with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the seventh.
But first, the Warriors made a pitching change.
“I called Chase down and said, ‘Look, this kid’s coming in with two outs, bases loaded, he’s just trying to get out of this inning,’” NP coach Kevin Manero said. “’He’s going to throw a fastball strike one. He has to. He’s got to come after you because he has to get ahead, so just be ready on the first pitch you see.’”
Jones was ready. Was he ever.
“I got my timing down when he was warming up,” Jones said. “I knew with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh with us having a one-run lead that the pressure was on the pitcher. He’s going to have to come at me and throw strikes.
“I was ready for that fastball, and I hit it, and it felt awesome. I blacked out as I was running the bases, but it was awesome.”
With only three outs to go, a district title – the program’s first in 17 years – was all but assured.
“It was one of the most majestic moments of my 23-year coaching career – that ball exploded off his bat, and you see it flying through the air,” Manero said. “In 2015, when Mike Christy hit a home run in the state semifinal in extra innings to put us up 3-1, that was huge, but we were only up 3-1. And so, you’re really excited, but you’re guarded because you’re thinking – we only have a two-run lead. Chase hit that ball, and it gave us a five-run lead. And you thought, ‘We just won the district title.’
“Chase is capable of that in any at-bat, but he has been in a slump. And that was just as big a clutch moment by a senior as you could ever hope for.”
The Knights were in a position to win the game in the seventh thanks in no small part to the glittering complete game effort of Jake Nunn, who struck out six and did not walk a batter. He allowed five hits – just two after a first inning that saw the Warriors collect three hits and plate their only run.
“Nunn’s been great all year with attacking low in the zone with his fast ball, and he did that today,” said Jones, his batterymate. “When he attacks low and away, he’s at his best, and that’s what we’ve seen from him all year.
“I’m so proud of him this year. He works so hard in the offseason, and now he’s letting it all out, and it’s showing. He’s been nothing but great this year and I love it.”
Nunn acknowledged there were some nerves when he took the mound in front of packed stands at Villanova Ballpark.
“This was the biggest game I’ve pitched in my whole life,” Nunn said. “The first inning was a little shaky, and I had to get my nerves out. I had to block out the crowd because I was a little overwhelmed by that in the beginning, but I remember it’s just me and Chase Jones having a catch, and it’s just another game for me. That’s when I was really able to lock in.
“The second inning I went 1-2-3, and from there on, I just got into a rhythm, and I was cruising. I was hitting my spots, mixing my pitches better. I was just trying to throw more strikes because in the first inning, my pitch count was definitely up.
“I knew if I threw strikes – whether they hit it or not, my fielders were going to make the plays behind me as they have all year. When I have the fielders behind me that I do, it makes it even easier for me to pitch.”
So what were Nunn’s emotions after throwing a 1-2-3 seventh, and the celebration began?
“It was honestly just a big sigh of relief,” the North Penn junior said. “It’s something we’ve been working for all year.
“I’ve been with a lot of these kids for three years now, and just to see it all finally come together – we’ve been looking at this year, 2025, since I was a freshman and since the seniors were sophomores. This was our year from day one, so to see it really all coming together this year is just awesome. We’re all over the moon happy, but we know there’s still more work to be done. Tonight we’re celebrating, but tomorrow we’re back to work for states.”
Nunn, according to his coach, got better as the game went on.
“I talk about it a lot with our guys – if you get good pitching and you play good defense, you’re going to stay in every game you play at the high school level,” Manero said. “And then you just have to find a time for your offense to take over. But your pitching and defense will give you a chance. And that’s what our guys did today.”
To put the Knights’ accomplishment in perspective, the seniors on this year’s team were one year old when North Penn baseball last won a district title.
“It feels awesome,” Clark said. “This group of seniors – we’ve been playing with each other forever now.
“We’re all best friends. We hang out outside of baseball almost every day. It feels awesome playing with these guys. We still have one more (title) we want to win. So we’re hoping we can do that.”
By the numbers: North Penn: Jake Nunn (W) (7.0 IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 6K)
Chase Jones (2-for-4, HHR, 5RBI), 1R), Ben Grattan (3-for-4, 1RBI, 1R), Christian Barnes (2-for-4, 3B), Logan Waynick (1-for-2, 2B, 1R)
Key inning: Top of seventh: With the score deadlocked at 1-1, the Knights erupted for six runs. Grattan lined a single to center to lead off the inning. Luke Chartrand laid down a bunt and was safe when it was misplayed. Jeremiah Criger legged out a bunt single, and the bases were loaded. With one out, Kevin Brace hit a sac fly to right field, plating Grattan with the go-ahead run. A walk to pinch hitter Matt Pownall loaded the bases, setting the stage for a grand slam to left field by Chase Jones. Mason Coyne was hit by a pitch, Barnes singled, and Grattan – in his second at-bat of the inning – singled home a run, and the Knights led 7-1.
North Penn coach Kevin Manero:
–Nunn outstanding again: “He just filled up the strike zone. He threw 21 pitches in the first inning, so there was some concern that, hey, this might be a rare game here that we haven’t had for a while where we’re going to the bullpen early, but he really started to just execute his pitches better. He was hitting his spots, he was living in the zone like he really has most of the games he’s pitched this year.
“He just got a lot more efficient, and they weren’t getting as good of swings because he was pitching ahead of the count a lot more, and he was putting guys away. So he just really executed his pitches a lot better as the game went on. It cut his pitch count down as he went, and there was plenty in the tank for him.”
–Two bunts crucial in seventh: “Grattan singled to lead off the seventh, and Chartrand came up, and I had him bunt for a hit. The pitcher bobbled it, recovered it, threw first and Chartrand beat it by a step. First and second nobody out. Then Jeremiah Criger comes up, and I had him sacrifice bunting. He falls behind 0-2, but for the second game in a row, I give a guy the bunt sign with two strikes. He puts it down right in front of the plate. Pitcher and the catcher start to both go for it. The pitcher sort of stops. Then the catcher has to come out and make the play, and it’s just too late, and Criger beats it out, so the bases are loaded with nobody out.”
–On winning the district title: “It’s a really big deal. I think in some years in the past it’s not a stretch to say that, based on your matchups, it could be more difficult to win a district title than a state title. I don’t know that that’s so much the case this year. It is a very challenging field. I mean, the Suburban One League alone – I would put my money on it being one of the best high school baseball leagues in the Northeast region. You’re talking about not only that, but the PAC has strong teams every year. And then you get very good teams every year coming out of the Ches-Mont and the Central League. It is a very tough district. So, to get through all those teams, it is no small feat. And there’s a reason why it’s been 17 years since we won one, and I believe, if my facts are correct, this is only the fourth time in school history that we’ve won it.
“A lot of these guys that have been on our team for three years. We looked to see – what can we do each year to get better with these guys? We made it to states twice. Last year was a little disappointing, but this is a big step forward for this team. No doubt about it. Obviously, when the sun comes up tomorrow, we’re starting on the third season. You have your regular season, your districts, and your states. Make no bones about it – our goal is to win a state title, but the field is very tough at 6A this year. So you have to win what’s in front of you because you never know what tomorrow’s going to bring. And that’s what our guys did today.”
North Penn junior pitcher Jake Nunn on:
–The key to his strong outing: “My curveball was really good today, for sure. They couldn’t really touch that. Every time I threw it, they would either pop it up or just take it for a strike, so that was definitely my dagger pitch on certain hitters. My fastball is always (key) when I hit my spots.”
Up next: North Penn (19-5, 10-3 SOL) will host Ephrata, the fourth place team out of District 3, in the opening round of the PIAA 6A State Tournament on Monday (4 pm).
North Penn 001 000 6 7-10-0
WC Henderson 100 000 0 1-5-1
District 1 6A fifth place game
#5 PENNSBURY 6, #3 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 1
Mason Keith notched the complete game win with a standout effort. He allowed just three hits and one run – unearned – while striking out three and walking none.
The Falcons scored one run in each of the first three innings and then scored a pair in the fourth to go on top 5-0. The two teams exchanged runs in the seventh.
Carlton Crane and Nolan Kolanko both had two hits to lead the Falcons.
By the numbers: Pennsbury: Mason Keith (W) (7.0 IP, 3H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K)
Carlton Crane (2-for-3, 1RBI, 2R), Nolan Kolanko (2-for-3, 1R), Michael Sogness (2 RBIs), Dylan Hirsh (3B), Brendan Zuckerman (2B)
Key inning: Top of fourth: Zuckerman led off the inning with a double to right field, and with one out, Kolanko singled. A run scored on a fielder’s choice, and Crane drove in a second run with a sac fly to left field to give the Falcons a 5-0 lead.
Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci:
–Keith in command: “Senior Mason Keith was great for us today. He had 66 pitches going into the seventh inning, so an average of 11 per inning was pretty awesome. He had given up a hit to the second batter, but then we threw him out stealing. So, when I was looking at the details, with the exception of a bloop pop-up that fell, he had faced only three batters an inning in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth.
“He faced four in the sixth, so, he had only given up one hit. In 6 2/3, he gave up two singles and an error scored the run. He’s not a massive strikeout guy. He had three looking strikeouts today. His typical line is, like, three or four Ks, no walks.
“We had a great scouting report. He pitched exactly to the scouting report today. He came in and got the last strikeout against Haverford, and we felt really good about him today going in because we really wanted to win this game for seeding purposes. And he gave us an absolute gem today.
“And it was nice because we gave him run support. We scored one in the first, we scored in the second, we scored in the third, we scored in the fourth. So, you kind of feel good that you could make mistakes, but he really didn’t make any mistakes today.”
–A team effort: “Everybody in the lineup did something effective today. Carlton Crane and Nolan Kolanko are both juniors that had two hits. Dylan Hirsh tripled. (Ryan) Webber and (Brendan) Zuckerman both doubled.
“We were productive today. Evan Hawkes didn’t have a hit, but he had an RBI. Michael Sogness was 0-for-2, but he had two RBIs. We bunted today, we hit sac flies today, we had extra base hits today. This is one of those games like when we played Lower Merion. We felt like we played a pretty complete game today, so that feels good going on this little run here. And hopefully we have four more, one at a time.”
Up next: Pennsbury (19-6, 11-4 SOL) will travel District 3 runner-up Cedar Cliff in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A state tournament.
Pennsbury 111 200 1 6-8-2
Perkiomen Valley 000 000 1 1-3-0
District 1 6A third place game
#4 COATESVILLE 4, #6 NESHAMINY 3
The Redskins took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh when the Red Raiders staged a two-out rally, collecting three hits and benefitting from an intentional walk to earn the walk-off win.
Coatesville scored a run in the bottom of the first inning when Danny Nocito delivered a two-out RBI single that plated Noah Wallace, who singled to lead off the inning.
The Redskins took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth without collecting a hit. Coatesville tied it in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the seventh, Mike Sassano singled home a run to put the ‘Skins on top 3-2.
Neshaminy managed just four singles in the loss.
Up next: Neshaminy (15-8, 11-4 SOL) will travel to District 11 champion Parkland for an opening round PIAA 6A contest Monday.
Neshaminy 010 001 1 3-4-0
Coatesville 100 001 2 4-9-1
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