This week’s notebook features Upper Moreland, CB South and Pennsbury and highlights some of the top performances of week one.
By Scott Huff
The opening games of the 2016 Suburban One League baseball season are in the books – and the second full week of conference games this week will go a long way in deciding who will be the contenders and pretenders in the SOL American, Continental, and National Conferences.
And the beat goes on…
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Upper Moreland Golden Bears
Upper Moreland head coach Ken Irwin and his Golden Bears remember last season when the Purple & Gold began the conference season 0-3.
“We started the season 0-3 losing to some pretty good teams like Plymouth Whitemarsh, Wissahickon, and Upper Dublin,” said Irwin. “We talked about what it would be like to be 3-0 this season and not worry about climbing out of a huge hole. At 3-0 you are in a very good spot – and at 0-3 you are in a very bad spot.”
Upper Moreland opened the conference season with a 10-3 victory over PW – and the Bears have both Wissahickon and Upper Dublin on deck this week.
“Every year in this league is a challenge,” said Irwin. “You can not disrespect any team. In fact – teams like Upper Merion, Norristown, and Springfield can beat anyone with their number one pitcher. The contending teams that have to face those number one pitchers are going to have a tough time.
“I love my team this year – it’s a little crazy but they compete at everything,” added Irwin. “Ground balls, batting practice, anything that we do is a competition. This might not be the best team ever at Upper Moreland – but it is one of the deepest teams.”
And that depth can be seen on the pitching staff. Senior Joe Bates, junior Brandon Kohn, junior Tom Jacobs, sophomore Dawson Ruggles, junior Jon Searles, and junior Nick Pagano provide a young, but experienced, staff.
“We didn’t get involved in fall ball last year – we just wanted to focus on practice and weight training,” said Irwin. “I felt that what we needed most was to get stronger.
“This group really roots hard for each other, but will also push another player for a job,” added Irwin. “The kids can’t wait to play both Wissahickon and Upper Dublin this week.”
After all, 3-0 is a pretty good spot to be in this time of year.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Jarrett Quinn of Upper Merion fired a no-hitter as the Vikings sailed to a 3-0 victory over Cheltenham. Quinn was masterful with seven scoreless innings to go along with nine strikeouts.
Jason Greene of Upper Dublin came up with a huge two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning to present the Cardinals with a 3-2 walk-off victory over Norristown.
Blake Rapoport and Alex Tappen of Wissahickon each played important roles in a 5-3 victory over Springfield. Rapoport stole four of nine bases for the Trojans, while Tappen fired four shutout innings to secure the win.
Tommy Jacobs of Upper Moreland collected two hits – two runs batted in – and scored three runs as the Golden Bears defeated Plymouth Whitemarsh 10-3.
Terrel Dale of Norristown collected two hits – scored two runs – and stole two bases, as the Eagles were defeated 3-2 by Upper Dublin.
This Week in the SOL American Conference
Tuesday – April 5, 2016
Upper Dublin Cardinals (2-0) @ Cheltenham Panthers (0-1)
Upper Merion Vikings (1-0) @ Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (0-1)
Upper Moreland Golden Bears (1-0) @ Wissahickon Trojans (1-1)
Springfield Spartans (0-1) @ Norristown Eagles (0-1)
Thursday – April 7, 2016
Cheltenham Panthers @ Springfield Spartans
Upper Dublin Cardinals @ Upper Moreland Golden Bears
Norristown Eagles @ Upper Merion Vikings
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials @ Wissahickon Trojans
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks South Titans
Central Bucks South head coach Brian Klumpp coached his very first conference baseball game with the Titans against none other than the defending PIAA Quad-A state baseball champion – North Penn. And CB South captured a huge 4-2 victory over the highly regarded Knights.
“The one thing about our conference is that you can’t really celebrate for too long,” said Klumpp. “We beat North Penn – but if we go 0-2 this week against Hatboro-Horsham and Pennridge, that win against North Penn doesn’t mean anything.
“The win generated a lot of excitement around the school,” added Klumpp. “Coming from (Archbishop) Wood, I know what a great winning baseball atmosphere we have in the area. Now we have to keep it going.”
The Titans boast one of the most prolific pitchers in the area in junior Dan Klepchick.
“Dan has some really nasty stuff,” said Klumpp. “He pounds the mitt and throws strikes. He has to be one of the best pitchers in the league.
“We were able to use him against North Penn, and he seems to line up with some of the best teams we play,” added Klumpp. “It will be great to use him against Pennridge this week.”
Klumpp also has a terrific No. 2 pitcher in senior Dan McCartin. McCartin – a West Chester University recruit – will take the ball when the Titans face Hatboro-Horsham in a key conference game on Tuesday.
“We preach throwing strikes – and Dan throws strikes,” said Klumpp. “He has a great splitter and with him and Dan Klepchick we have the makings of a really good pitching staff.
“(Senior) Kyle Rossi has been hitting – but we were pretty sure he was going to hit,” added Klumpp of his shortstop. “And (junior) Casey Sloan has also hit well.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
Dan Klepchik of Central Bucks Southhurled a masterful game as the Titans opened the conference schedule with a 4-2 victory over defending state champion North Penn. Klepchick fired a complete seven-inning game – allowed just a single earned run – and struck out nine Knight hitters.
Brian Eddington of Hatboro-Horsham tossed a complete game and allowed just five hits as the Hatters topped Souderton 2-1. Jarrett Prendergast scored the winning run for H-H on a wild pitch.
Jake Reed and Matt Bukavich of Quakertown each played fine games as the Panthers edged Central Bucks West 4-3. Reed had three hits and crushed a three-run double, while Bukavich had three hits and two stolen bases.
Kyle Yoder of Pennridge had two hits and an RBI as the Rams edged Central Bucks East by a 6-5 score in a nine inning game. Yoder also was at the plate and ‘drove home’ the winning run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Mason Nadeau of North Penn collected two of the six Knight hits in a 4-2 setback against Central Bucks South.
Aaron Gulibon of Souderton was a tough luck loser as the Indians were edged by Hatboro-Horsham, 2-1. Gulibon threw 6.1 innings and allowed just one earned run against the Hatters.
Frank Amsler and Drew Sypawka of Central Bucks West each had two hits as the Bucks were defeated 4-3 by Quakertown.
Tyler Quinlan and Kyle Feasby of Central Bucks East were effective in relief as they allowed just a single earned run over 5.1 innings in the Patriots 6-5 nine-inning loss to Pennridge.
This Week in the SOL Continental Conference
Tuesday – April 5, 2016
Quakertown Panthers (1-0) @ Souderton Indians (0-1)
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (1-0) @ Central Bucks South Titans (1-0)
Pennridge Rams (1-0) @ Central Bucks West Bucks (0-1)
North Penn Knights (0-1) @ Central Bucks East Patriots (0-1)
Wednesday – April 6, 2016
Central Bucks West Bucks @ Souderton Indians
Thursday – April 7, 2016
North Penn Knights @ Quakertown Panthers
Central Bucks East Patriots @ Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Central Bucks South Titans @ Pennridge Rams
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Pennsbury Falcons
Pennsbury head coach Joe Pesci and his Falcons have a huge conference date with Council Rock North on Tuesday in a potential showdown for conference supremacy.
“We expect to play for a league title – and Council Rock North also expects to compete for a league title,” said Pesci. “We had a lot of success last year (20-6) – and the players on this team want to keep it up.
“We lost a lot of players from last year, and we are unproven,” added Pesci as the Falcons graduated 13 seniors. “But we are going to find our identity. If we play solid defense and have solid pitching, we should be competitive with the teams in our conference.
“The conference has always been a very competitive conference every year,” continued Pesci. “And there were teams that won games in the conference opener that maybe people didn’t think would win.”
The biggest question mark coming into the season for the Falcons concerned their pitching. Other than ace senior Zach Conley – the Black & Orange does not have a pitcher on the roster that has thrown an inning of varsity baseball.
“Jon Deiss threw a great game in our win over Abington,” said Pesci. “And we have other good arms in (junior) Nick Price, (junior) Vaughn Ward, and (junior) Alec Wilson.
“Zach hurt his hamstring but should be ready to throw against Council Rock North,” added Pesci. “We have some key players back like (junior) Billy Bechtel and (junior) Tyrone Hodges – and we should be able to score some runs.
“We talk about the fact that the most important game is the game we play next,” continued Pesci. “And that is Council Rock North. If we win, we can build some momentum, and if we lose we recover and move on.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Matt Hand of Council Rock North struck out nine hitters in just four innings as the Indians captured a 13-0 victory over William Tennent. Juliano Kovalcik led the 12-hit CR North hitting attack with a homerun.
Jon Deiss of Pennsbury threw six strong innings as the Falcons mercy-ruled Abington 11-1. Dave McCarty and Justin Massielo fueled the offense as McCarty had two RBI and Massielo had three hits.
Justin Kerner and John Matthews of Harry S Truman combined for a five hitter as the Tigers collected a 5-2 victory over Council Rock South.
Joey Benedetti and Rich Massott of Bensalem each had two RBI as the Owls soared to an 8-7 victory over Neshaminy.
Mike Burns and Corey Joyce of Neshaminy each had two hits as the Redskins lost an 8-7 contest to Bensalem
This Week in the SOL National Conference
Tuesday – April 5, 2016
William Tennent Panthers (0-1) @ Harry S Truman Tigers (1-0)
Pennsbury Falcons (1-0) @ Council Rock North Indians (1-0)
Council Rock South Golden Hawks (0-1) @ Bensalem Owls (1-0)
Neshaminy Redskins (0-1) @ Abington Ghosts (0-1)
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Council Rock North Indians @ Harry S Truman Tigers
Thursday – April 7, 2016
Bensalem Owls @ Pennsbury Falcons
Abington Ghosts @ Council Rock South Golden Hawks
Neshaminy Redskins @ William Tennent Panthers
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