This week’s notebook highlights Hatboro-Horsham, Bensalem and Springfield and recaps the week’s SOL action.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
Suburban One League Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Pete Moore found out that the PIAA does not permit protested games. The Hatters attempted to protest a game that they lost to Souderton when a runner failed to slide into second base 
and was called out – except there is no rule in the PIAA that states that a runner has to slide.
“We protested – and we found out the next day that PIAA doesn’t allow protests,” said Moore. “It was a tough way to lose that game, but we had a great week of pitching last week.
“We played 20 innings in two days and allowed only one run,” added Moore. “Our pitching staff that consists of Dave Brown (Kutztown), Eric Lane, Kevin Barron, Colin Kennedy, Bryan Johnson, and Ryan Murphy has been outstanding.
“Dave Brown is always very sharp and has command of all parts of the plate, and Eric Lane has three pitches that he can throw for strikes,” continued Moore. “And Kevin Barron also has multiple pitches he can throw for strikes. Colin Kennedy – for a freshman – has already pitched well in pressure situations.
“We have some good bats in Joe Simmons, Eric Thomas, Lane, and Barron,” added Moore. “We are going to have to score runs to win in this league.
“Right now we have the two losses, but this league has teams from top to bottom that can beat you up,” continued Moore. “You have to be ready to play each and every game.”
That Was The Week That Was in the SOL Continental Conference
Hatboro-Horsham (2-2) collected a pair of wins to move into conference contention. The Hatters defeated Pennridge 2-1 to open the week as Chris Crokham drove home the game winner, while Eric Lane collected a walk-off single as H-H defeated Central Bucks South 1-0.
North Penn (3-1) captured two wins in three games last week, as the Knights were involved in a trio of close games. North Penn opened the week with a 10-9 loss to Souderton, losing an early 9-2 lead. The Knights rebounded with a 5-4 win over Quakertown as Jared Melone had 2 hits and James Witner earned the win. NP closed the week with an 11-9 victory over first place Central Bucks East. Melone and three hits and three RBI in the win over the Patriots, while Brandon Heggen also had three hits and Mason Nadeau had two hits and two RBI.
Souderton (3-2) split its conference games last week with a 10-9 win over North Penn and a 7-2 loss to Central Bucks East. In the win over NP, Jason Smith went 3-for-3 and delivered the game winning single and Luke Caviston threw 3 2/3 innings of hitless relief, in the loss to CBE, Blake Gular drove home both runs and Aaron Gulibon collected a pair of hits.
Central Bucks East (3-1) also spilt its conference games with a win over Souderton and a loss to North Penn. In the victory over Souderton, Brandon Birkhead was the winning pitcher with 9 strikeouts over 6 innings – while Pat Reilly had three hits and three RBI to fuel the offense. In the loss to North Penn, David Yanni and Carter Usowski each hit a homerun and each collected three RBI.
Central Bucks West (2-2) was a 4-3 winner over Pennridge last week. Sean Hughes was the winning pitcher for the Bucks, while Nick Martino fueled the offense with two hits and two RBI.
Central Bucks South (1-2) was a 1-0 loser against Hatboro-Horsham in 11 innings. Matt Radwanski threw a terrific game with eight shutout innings, while Mike Anastasia and Alex Spector each collected three hits.
Quakertown (0-3) lost a close game against defending state champion North Penn. The Panthers dropped a 5-4 contest to the Knights as Vinny LaCava allowed just a single earned run and collected two hits.
Pennridge (1-3) lost both conference tilts with a pair of tough-luck one-run setbacks. The Rams lost 2-1 to Hatboro-Horsham and 4-3 to Central Bucks West. Brad Misialek had three hits in the loss to the Hatters, while Tommy Nuneviller had three hits in the loss to the Bucks.
‘On Deck’ SOL Continental Conference
Monday (4/14/14)
North Penn @ Hatboro-Horsham
Central Bucks South @ Central Bucks West
Quakertown @ Central Bucks East
Pennridge @ Souderton
Wednesday (4/16/14)
Hatboro-Horsham @ Quakertown
North Penn @ Central Bucks West
Central Bucks East @ Pennridge
Souderton @ Central Bucks South
Suburban One League National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Bensalem Owls
Bensalem head coach Harry Daut collected his first win at the varsity level as the Owls soared to a 7-4 victory over William Tennent. Daut is in his first year as head coach of Bensalem after the retirement of longtime Owl head coach Rick Lee.
“I played high school baseball for Rick and respect the way he coached the game,” said Daut – a 1982 graduate of Bensalem. “My son – Harry Jr. also played for Rick – and my son Jake plays for me now. He tells me he doesn’t get enough playing time.
“I was an assistant coach under Rick for a few years, and when he was going to step down, he gave me a call and asked me if I was interested,” added Daut. “I talked to our athletic director Geoff Per – and he was happy with the idea of me coming in and taking over.
“It was great to come away with that first conference win,” continued Daut. “The programs in this league – from Neshaminy to Pennsbury to the Rock Schools – Tennent – Truman – and Abington are all quality programs. I really believe that our league is the toughest one around.”
That Was The Week That Was in the SOL National Conference
Neshaminy (4-0) remained unbeaten in the conference with a pair of wins. The Skins opened the week with an 8-6 victory over Abington and closed the week with a 3-0 win over William Tennent. Cole Creighton had five strikeouts and collected the win against the Ghosts, while Jordan Angjelo was masterful with a complete game one-hitter that included seven strikeouts.
Pennsbury (3-1) captured a 9-2 victory over Truman as Brody McFadden fired a complete game four-hitter that included eight strikeouts. Ethan McKensie had three hits and two RBI, while Jake Goldberg had a double and two RBI.
Abington (2-2) split its pair of games as the Ghosts defeated Truman and dropped a contest to Neshaminy. Abington scored five runs in the eighth inning to capture the win against the Tigers as Nick Bein and Matt McDonough each collected key hits. The Ghosts opened the week with an 8-6 loss to the Skins.
Bensalem (1-2) won its first conference game of the season as the Owls flew to a 7-4 win over William Tennent. Jason Mulvey keyed the Bensalem offense with two hits that included a triple, while Ben Anderson delivered the key blow with a two-run single.
William Tennent (1-3) dropped both of its games last week. The Panthers opened the week with a 3-0 loss to Neshaminy and closed the week with a 7-4 setback against Bensalem. Jeremy Hefele and Ben Zeitz each had a good week at the plate for William Tennent.
Truman (1-3) dropped both of its conference games last week as the Tigers were caged by Abington and Pennsbury. In the loss to Abington – Matt Olsen, Aaron Wolf, and Evan Miller each had single RBI. In the loss to Pennsbury, Joey Shiotis had two hits and an RBI.
‘On Deck’ SOL National Conference
Monday (4/14/14)
William Tennent @ Abington
Council Rock North @ Bensalem
Neshaminy @ Council Rock South
Tuesday (4/15/14)
Truman @ Council Rock North
Wednesday (4/16/14)
Abington @ Pennsbury
Truman @ Bensalem
Neshaminy @ Council Rock North
Suburban One League American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Springfield Spartans
Springfield head coach Dennis Primavera celebrated his Spartans first conference win last week when Springfield outgunned Norristown 11-10.
“We have a challenge being a smaller school in a league where most of the teams are twice as big as us,” said Primavera in reference to enrollment. “Last year we were .500 (7-7) in the league and we proved that we can compete with the teams in our league.
“This is my second year coaching at Springfield, but I have been coaching high school baseball for 20 years,” added Primavera. “I have two solid pitchers in Julian Salzar and Jeff Hammons, and we are going to go as far as our pitching takes us. Right now, it is pretty much pitching by committee.
“Our goal is to improve each and every game, and that will happen the more time we get on the practice field,” continued Primavera. “We need to be respectful in this league in terms of wins and losses if we want to move on at the end of the season in states.”
That Was The Week That Was in the SOL American Conference
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-0) remained unbeaten in conference play with a pair of wins. The Colonials opened the week with a 4-3 win over Wissahickon and closed the week with a 2-0 victory over Upper Merion. In the win over the Trojans, Jon Fisher collected the win throwing six strong innings while Gavin Brody led the offense with two RBI. In the win over the Vikings, Mike Whalon fired a masterful game with a complete game shutout that included just two hits and four strikeouts.
Cheltenham (3-0) also remained unbeaten in conference play with a pair of victories. The Panthers opened the week with a 5-1 win over Wissahickon and closed the week with a 10-1 rout of Upper Dublin. Calvin Salazar was the winning pitcher against the Trojans to gain the win, while Gabe Hofferman fueled the offense with three RBI. In the win over the Cardinals, Max Perilstein led the offense with two RBI.
Upper Dublin (3-1) split its pair of conference games. The Cardinals defeated Upper Moreland 3-2 was Dan Jacobson fired a complete game three hitter with 11 strikeouts. Upper Dublin was then defeated by Cheltenham 10-1 as Christian Huckfeldt had two hits and the lone Upper Dublin RBI.
Upper Moreland (2-2) split its pair of conference games last week. The Golden Bears opened the week with a 12-2 victory over Norristown with Tommy Robinson earning the win. Upper Moreland lost its showdown game against Upper Dublin 3-2 as Charlie Hooker was the tough luck loser with nine strikeouts in just five innings.
Springfield (1-2) collected its first conference win of the season as the Spartans out slugged Norristown 11-10. Matt Gauss was the winning pitcher while Ian Quigg, Martin Pauells, Chris Binet, and DeAndre Johnson each collected key hits.
Upper Merion (0-2) played well in its only conference game of the week but lost to Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-0.
Wissahickon (1-3) lost its pair of games last week as the Trojans fell to Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-3 and also lost to Cheltenham 5-1. Lee Dugger had a good week hitting the baseball for Wissahickon.
Norristown (0-3) lost both of its conference games last week. The Eagles were gunned down in the opening game of the week in a 12-2 loss to Upper Moreland and closed the week with an 11-10 loss to Springfield.
‘On Deck’ SOL American Conference
Monday (4/14/14)
Upper Dublin @ Springfield
Upper Merion @ Wissahickon
Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Norristown
Upper Moreland @ Cheltenham
Tuesday (4/15/14)
Springfield @ Upper Merion
Wednesday (4/16/14)
Upper Dublin @ Plymouth Whitemarsh
Cheltenham @ Upper Merion
Wissahickon @ Norristown
Springfield @ Upper Moreland
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