By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Springfield Spartans
Springfield was the envy of almost every team in the Suburban One League as the Spartans spent five days last week in the brilliant Florida sunshine at Fort Pierce along the Atlantic coast in the Sunshine State.
“The weather was perfect – 75-78 every day we were there,” said Springfield head coach Dennis Primavera. “The best part about going to Fort Pierce is that we were there just to play ball. No girls – no beach – and no Disney rides.
“When I coached at Chestnut Hill we used to take our team there all the time,” added Primavera. “The fields there are fabulous. The Pittsburgh Pirates used to go to spring training there, and we found a whole lot about the 22 kids we took there.
“We haven’t been outside here all year,” continued Primavera. “Now we will have four games this week – it’s crazy – but everyone has had to deal with it.”
Springfield will showcase the talents of four pitchers during this brutal part of the schedule. Senior Julian Salzer, junior Matt Gauss, and a pair of freshmen – Noel Francyk and Nick Pave.
“We have four decent pitchers, but we don’t really have the depth to play four games in a week,” said Primavera. “All four of those guys can throw – but we will have to wait and see how it all works out.”
If nothing else – the Springfield pitching staff should all have good tans.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Upper Dublin won its lone conference game of the week as the Cardinals soared to a 13-5 win over Norristown. Connor McFadden blasted a homerun and two doubles and drove home 5 runs to fuel the offense. Justin Horn collected three hits for UD. The Cardinals also lost a non-league game to Abington – 15-9.
Cheltenham won its lone conference game last week as the Panthers captured an 8-5 win over Upper Merion. Gilbert Owens sparked the offense with a triple and two RBI, while Gabe Hofferman collected two hits.
Upper Merion lost its conference opener as the Vikings were sunk by Cheltenham – 8-5. Andrew Del Guidice had three hits and two RBI in the loss, while Ray Scheier and Alex Del Guidice had two hits each. Upper Merion also lost a non-league game to Christopher Dock – 13-0.
Upper Moreland lost a 4-3 non-league game to Harry S Truman, while Norristown lost to both Upper Dublin (13-5) in a conference game – and lost 11-1 to Quakertown in a non-league game.
Plymouth Whitemarsh, Springfield, and Wissahickon did not play last week.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL American Conference
Monday (4/5/15)
Springfield Spartans @ Wissahickon Trojans
Tuesday (4/7/15)
Wissahickon Trojans @ Upper Moreland Golden Bears
Norristown Eagles @ Springfield Spartans
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials @ Upper Merion Vikings
Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals @ Cheltenham Panthers
Thursday (4/9/15)
Wissahickon Trojans @ Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
Upper Moreland Golden Bears @ Upper Dublin Cardinals
Upper Merion Vikings @ Norristown Eagles
Springfield Spartans @ Cheltenham Panthers
Friday (4/10/15)
Upper Moreland Golden Bears @ Springfield Spartans
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks South Titans
Central Bucks South won three of four games last week – but the lone loss came against SOL Continental Conference foe North Penn.
“Our conference is so competitive – and so well balanced,” said Central Bucks South head coach Mike Schaefer. “And since district at-large selections are based on conference games – each one is important. We had a let down in the North Penn game – and in our conference you can’t have let downs.
“We have had teams that finished 6-8 in the conference and then made a lot of noise in districts,” added Schaefer in reference to both CB South and North Penn in recent years. “You don’t have to look outside our conference to see great baseball.”
The Titans are blessed with quality pitching depth that is critical in a season that will feature multiple games within a short time period.
“I really feel good about our group of pitchers,” said Schaefer. “We don’t have a huge drop off with our top six pitchers.”
That list includes sophomore Danny Klepchick, senior Mike Kuypers, senior Zach Dennis, senior David Drea, sophomore Alex Bendzlowicz, and junior Dan McCartin.
“We have players to fill in on the field when some of these pitchers are on the mound,” said Schaefer. “We have not had a single practice or game on our field – that’s been tough – but we are still excited about the season.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
North Penn opened its conference schedule with a 6-2 victory over Central Bucks South. The offense was fueled by Zach Ziegler and Jered Melone – Ziegler had three hits and three RBI – Melone had three hits and two RBI. James Witner was the winning pitcher throwing the first four innings. The Knights also collected a 6-0 non-league win over Strath Haven. Paul Haynie was the winning pitcher while Ziegler had a hot bat with a homerun and three RBI.
Pennridge opened its conference schedule with a 9-0 victory over CB East. Joey Molettiere, Danny Long, and Dave Tatoian combined for the shutout – Joe Unangst sparked the offense with three hits. The Rams added a 14-6 non-league win over Southern Lehigh to close the week. Tyler Freed fueled the offense with a perfect 4-4 with 5 RBI.
Souderton opened its conference schedule with a 5-1 victory over Hatboro-Horsham. Nate Luscombe was the winning pitcher throwing six innings while Blake Gular sparked the offense with 3 RBI. The Indians closed the week with a tough 3-0 loss to Emmaus. Gular was 3-3 for the Big Red which collected 12 hits but failed to score a single run.
Central Bucks West opened the conference schedule with an 8-3 victory over Quakertown. Luke Irons earned the win throwing six innings and recording nine strikeouts. Irons and Thomas Philipps each collected two RBI for the Bucks.
Central Bucks South opened its conference schedule with a 6-2 loss to North Penn. Steve Trachtgenberg collected both RBI for the Titans in the setback. CBS closed the week with an impressive 10-0 non-league victory over Council Rock South. Zach Dennis earned the win for the Titans – while Tyler Watson, Eric Gross, and Mike Kuypers led the offense with two hits each.
Quakertown opened its conference schedule with an 8-3 loss to Central Bucks West. Alec Vera and Tyler Guidos each had an RBI for the Panthers. Q-town routed Norristown 11-1 in a non-league game as Jake Perrine and Chris Curry each drove home 3 RBI for the winners.
Hatboro-Horsham opened its conference schedule with a 5-1 loss to Souderton. Ryan Murphy drove home the lone run for the Hatters. Hatboro-Horsham also lost a non-league game to Pennsbury – 10-1. Justin Gregorio drove home the lone run for the Hatters.
Central Bucks East opened its conference schedule with a 9-0 loss to Pennridge. The highlight of the day was a shutout pitching stint in relief by Michael Broderick.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL Continental Conference
Tuesday (4/6/15)
Central Bucks West Bucks @ Pennridge Rams
Central Bucks South Titans @ Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Souderton Indians @ Quakertown Panthers
Wednesday (4/8/15)
Central Bucks East Patriots @ North Penn
Thursday (4/9/15)
Pennridge Rams @ Central Bucks South Titans
Souderton Indians @ Central Bucks West Bucks
North Penn Knights @ Quakertown Panthers
Friday (4/10/15)
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters @ Central Bucks East Patriots
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Bensalem Owls
Bensalem was the envy of almost every team in the Suburban One League as the Owls spent five days in the brilliant Florida sunshine at Fort Pierce along the Atlantic coast in the Sunshine State.
Sound familiar?
“We actually saw Springfield down there,” said Bensalem head coach Harry Daut. “We didn’t get to play them – though.
“It was a great experience for the kids,” added Daut. “They were with each other 24 hours a day and came back with a strong team bond. It was all baseball – all of the time.
“We got to practice twice a day every day we were there,” continued Daut. “We should be okay once the season starts.”
Bensalem has not played a game to date – has not practiced outside to date – and will have to rely on its Florida experience to prepare them for a rugged conference schedule.
“We are going to have to play a lot of games in a week to make up games,” said Daut. “But I feel that we have guys that can throw strikes.”
Included in that list are senior Brandon Wermuth, senior Chris Reyes, junior Joe Benedetti, junior Bill Kohler, and senior Nick Mulvey.
Mulvey – an all-conference third baseman last year – will also be the # 3 hitter in the lineup and will play shortstop this season.
“Nick is our most experienced player on the team,” said Daut. “We are going to count on him a lot this season.”
When that season finally starts for the Owls.
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Harry S Truman opened its conference schedule with an 8-3 victory over Council Rock South. Matt Olsen had a double and two RBI to spark the offense, while Chris Mangold and Romeo Sturkey each had two hits. The Tigers edged Upper Moreland 4-3 in a non-league game. Brian Aicher was the winning pitcher allowing just two hits in his six innings of pitching.
Council Rock South opened its conference schedule with a 3-1 victory over Pennsbury. Jordan Silverman was the winning pitcher and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Connor Macauley hit a two-run homerun for the Golden Hawks. CR South lost an 8-3 conference game to Truman. Macauley sparked the offense with 3 hits.
Council Rock North opened its conference schedule with a 3-2 victory over William Tennent. Noah Hartwell doubled and scored the game winner in the seventh inning for the Indians. Brandon McIlwain was the winning pitcher throwing two shutout innings of relief.
Pennsbury split a pair of conference games last week. The Falcons opened the week with a 3-1 loss to Council Rock South and rebounded later in the week with a 9-4 win over Abington. In the loss to Golden Hawks, Pat Lawrence broke up a no-hitter in the seventh inning. In the win over the Ghosts, Lawrence fueled the offense with 3 hits, while Jack Hurlbert and Tyrone Hodges each had two RBI. The Falcons also collected a 10-1 non-league win over Hatboro-Horsham. In the win over the Hatters, Tom Augustin had a double and 4 RBI.
William Tennent opened its conference schedule with a 3-2 loss to Council Rock North. The Panther offense was sparked by Paul McElroy who had a triple – and Tim Brodhag who had two hits.
Abington opened the conference schedule with a 9-4 loss to Pennsbury. The Ghosts closed the week with a 15-9 non-league victory over Upper Dublin. In the win over the Cardinals, Nick Bein led the offense with 3 hits – while Aiden Coyle, Brendan Gallagher, and Dave Kretscham each had two hits.
Bensalem and Neshaminy were idle last week.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL National Conference
Monday (4/6/15)
Neshaminy Redskins @ Bensalem Owls
Tuesday (4/7/15)
Bensalem Owls @ Council Rock South Golden Hawks
Council Rock North Indians @ Pennsbury Falcons
Truman Tigers @ William Tennent Panthers
Abington Ghosts @ Neshaminy Redskins
Thursday (4/9/15)
Pennsbury Falcons @ Bensalem Owls
Neshaminy Redskins @ William Tennent Panthers
Truman Tigers @ Council Rock North Indians
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