Scott Huff highlights Abington, Upper Dublin & CB East and recaps last week’s SOL action.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Abington Ghosts
Abington head coach Dave Torresani wasn’t sure exactly what type of team he was going to have at the beginning of the 2014 season, but after one week of SOL action, the veteran Ghost coach likes what he has seen so far.
“We have really played well in both games,” said Torresani after Abington lost a tough 4-3 contest to Council Rock South and followed with a 5-3 victory over conference favorite Council Rock North. “We have gotten good pitching and have played good defense. And when you do that – and you get enough offense – you will win games.
“(Senior) Matt McDonough pitched a great game against South and left with a 3-1 lead,” added Torresani. “And we had a couple of sophomore pitchers – Chris Clewell and Greg Troyer combine for a great win against North. It is no secret that you have to have good pitching in this league in order to win games.
“Nick Bein has been tremendous behind the plate and has been hitting the ball well,” continued Torresani. “He is a senior that provides this team with great leadership.”
Abington will face defending SOL National Conference champion Neshaminy Tuesday (4/8/14) at Neshaminy.
“This is going to be a great test for us,” said Torresani. “I love this team – they are extremely coach able and fun to be around. They enjoy the game and play hard – and you can’t ask for more than that.”
That Was The Week That Was in the SOL National Conference
Neshaminy was the only team to survive the week unbeaten with a pair of conference wins. The Skins opened the week with a 10-0 shutout of Truman as Cole Creighton threw a four-inning no-hitter and collected three hits and three RBI. Todd McDonald had a double and 3 RBI while Bill Ritchey also had a double and three RBI. Neshaminy closed the week with a 7-4 win over Bensalem. Jordan Angjelo was the winning pitcher while Sean Udris and Creighton each collected two RBI.
Abington split its pair of conference games as the Ghosts lost a 4-3 contest to Council Rock South and defeated Council Rock North 5-3. Nick Bein had a big week for Abington with a double and two RBI against South and followed with a two-hit effort against North. Greg Troyer won his first varsity game against CR North.
Pennsbury won two of three conference games as the Falcons soared to a 9-1 win over Bensalem, lost 4-3 to William Tennent and closed the week with a 4-3 victory over Council Rock North. Brody McFadden was the winning pitcher against the Owls while Justin Jacko had a big day at the plate with two hits and four RBI. Pennsbury could manage just four singles in its loss to Tennent. Logan Buell picked up the win in relief in the win over Rock North.
Truman split its pair of conference games last week as the Tigers lost to Neshaminy 10-0 and followed with a 1-0 win over Council Rock South. Matt Heibling drove home the game-winning run for HST in the win over the Golden Hawks.
Council Rock South split its conference games last week as the Golden Hawks defeated Abington 4-3 and closed the week with a 1-0 loss to Truman. In the win over Abington, Greg Paprocki was the winning pitcher with a six-inning 11-strikeout performance. Nathan Lewis delivered the game winning hit for the Hawks.
Council Rock North lost 2 of 3 games last week as the Indians defeated William Tennent 3-2, followed with a 5-3 loss to Abington and closed the week with a 4-3 loss to Pennsbury. Matt Hand threw five innings to register the win over Tennent, while Aden Tully collected 3 hits for the Indians.
William Tennent split its pair of conference games last week as the Panthers lost to CR North 3-2 and followed with a 4-3 win over Pennsbury. Ben Zeitz had two RBI in the loss to CR North and was 2-for-2 with an RBI in the win over Pennsbury. Stefan Hatala was the winning pitcher against the Falcons and also collected two hits.
Bensalem lost both of its conference games last week. The Owls opened the week with a 9-1 loss to Pennsbury and closed the week with a 7-4 loss to Neshaminy. Nick Mulvey had three hits and two RBI in the setback against the Redskins.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL National Conference
Tuesday – 4/8/14
Abington @ Neshaminy
William Tennent @ Bensalem
Thursday – 4/10/14
Abington @ Truman
William Tennent @ Neshaminy
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals
Upper Dublin head coach Ed Wall is thrilled with the flight of his conference unbeaten Flying Cardinals (2-0).
“Last year we got off to the bad start in the conference, and we had a long way back,” remembered Wall as Upper Dublin began the conference season 1-6 but finished 5-2 for an overall mark of 6-8. “This is a team that appears to have good chemistry, and I hope we can continue to stay on a roll after our layoff.”
The seniors on the Upper Dublin team are on a class trip to Disney World. The Cardinals will have to play back-to-back games on Thursday against Upper Moreland and Friday against Cheltenham in key conference games.
‘I told the players to take their gloves on the trip,” said Wall. “It can never hurt to play a little baseball in Florida.”
One senior that has gotten off to a terrific start has been pitcher Dan Jacobson.
“Dan has always had the tools, but this year he has added concentration and determination,” said Wall. “He knows what it takes to be a team leader, and he has accepted that role this year. He has been a varsity player for four years now, and he was a part of that team that went to states in 2012.
“Dan has worked very hard in the weight room getting ready for this year,” added Wall. “And with his new frame of mind, we expect him to have a great year for us.”
That Was The Week That Was in the SOL American Conference
Upper Dublin was the only team to survive the first week of the conference season with two conference wins. The Flying Cardinals opened the week with an 8-0 victory over Wissahickon and closed the week with a 12-2 rout of Norristown. In the win over the Trojans, Dan Jacobson threw six shutout innings and allowed just two hits while Harrison Gruber and Christian Huckfeldt each had two hits. In the win over the Eagles, Jason Gragg pitched five innings and had six strikeouts in gaining the victory. John Lee had three hits and two RBI, while Cole Swiger had two hits and two RBI.
Plymouth Whitemarsh won its only conference game last week as the Colonials edged Upper Moreland 2-1. Zach Metz was the winning pitcher for PW in relief of Johnny Fisher, and Matt Cooper delivered the game-winning single for the Colonials.
Cheltenham won its only conference game last week as the Panthers defeated Springfield 6-1. Calvin Salazar threw a complete game gem for Cheltenham allowing just three hits and striking out 10. Max Perstein fueled the offense with 2 hits and 3 RBI.
Upper Moreland split its pair of conference games last week as the Golden Bears lost to Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-1 and rebounded with an 8-5 win over Upper Merion. Charlie Hooker – who suffered a tough loss against the Colonials – had three hits, including a triple and homerun, to pace the offense in the win over the Vikings. Eddie Decker was the winning pitcher against Upper Merion.
Wissahickon split its pair of games last week as the Trojans fell 8-0 to Upper Dublin and rebounded with a 12-2 victory over Springfield. Connor Freeston was the winning pitcher against the Spartans throwing six innings and registering five strikeouts. Matt Oruch fueled the offense with a pair of hits, including a double.
Upper Merion dropped its lone conference game of the week as the Vikings were defeated by defending SOL American Conference champion Upper Moreland 8-5.
Norristown dropped its only conference game last week. The Eagles – under first year head coach Rich Campbell – lost to first place Upper Dublin 12-2.
Springfield dropped both of its conference game last week. The Spartans opened the week with a 6-1 loss to Cheltenham and followed with a 12-2 loss to Wissahickon. Eddie Bacino and Martin Pauwells each had RBI doubles in the loss to the Trojans.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL American Conference
Tuesday – 4/8/14
Springfield @ Upper Merion
Wednesday – 4/9/14
Norristown @ Upper Moreland
Wissahickon @ Plymouth Whitemarsh
Thursday – 4/10/14
Norristown @ Springfield
Cheltenham @ Wissahickon
Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Upper Merion
Upper Moreland @ Upper Dublin
Friday – 4/11/14
Cheltenham @ Upper Dublin
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks East Patriots
Central Bucks East head coach Kyle Dennis has his 2014 team exactly where his 2013 squad finished – alone on top of the SOL Continental Conference standings.
“We play such great baseball in our league, and if anyone has a bad day, it will bite you,” said Dennis. “Really, anyone can beat anyone. North Penn, Pennridge, Central Bucks South, Central Bucks West, Hatboro-Horsham, Souderton and Quakertown all have the talent to beat you.”
Central Bucks East graduated a ton of pitching talent last year as Robbie Welhaf and Blair Killough earned diplomas. However, the Patriots feature a sensational 1-2 punch in Dan Morrin and Brandon Birkhead this season.
“We knew coming into the season that both Dan and Brandon were really varsity pitchers last year but just didn’t get the opportunity with both Robbie and Blair on the staff,” said Dennis. “Both are very tall pitchers at 6-5 (Birkhead) and 6-4 (Morrin), both are great competitors, and both throw strikes. And both of them trust our infielders to make plays behind them.
“We have won both our conference games, and we have scored 14 runs in those two games,” added Dennis. “But we really only scored in three of the 14 innings. We’ve had big innings, but we need to be more consistent and have more quality at bats.”
That Was the Week That Was in the SOL Continental Conference
Central Bucks East was the lone conference team to win two conference games last week. The Patriots opened the week with a 9-2 victory over Hatboro-Horsham and closed the week with a 5-0 win over Central Bucks West. Brandon Birkhead threw five innings and did not allow an earned run and helped his cause with a homerun and two RBI in the win over the Hatters. Dan Morrin threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts in the win over West. Pat Reilly hit a double and had two RBI to spark the offense.
North Penn won the only conference game it played last week. The defending state champion Knights defeated Central Bucks South 5-4. Jared Melone had two hits while Bobby Scott blasted a homerun for the winners. Collin Healey was the winning pitcher for North Penn.
Souderton won its only conference game of the week when the Indians defeated Hatboro-Horsham 6-5. The Big Red offense was fueled by Jason Smith, who had a double and two RBI for the winners.
Central Bucks South split its pair of conference games last week with a 9-1 victory over Pennridge and a 5-4 loss to North Penn. In the Titan win over Pennridge, Mike Kuypers had a double and two RBI, Mike Anastasia had two hits and two RBI, and Mike Radwanski was the winning pitcher.
Pennridge split its pair of conference games last week. The Rams were routed by Central Bucks South 9-1 and rebounded with a 10-9 victory over Quakertown. Pennridge scored the winning run on a bases loaded balk. Danny Shane was the winning pitcher, while catcher Jeff Roedell had three hits that included a double.
Central Bucks West dropped its only game of the week. The Bucks were shut out by rival Central Bucks East 5-0.
Quakertown dropped its only game of the week. The Panthers were outscored 10-9 by rival Pennridge. Adam Besch hit a homerun and had three RBI for the Black Cats while Pat SanAngelo had two hits and two RBI.
Hatboro-Horsham had a tough week as the Hatters lost both conference games. Hatboro-Horsham opened the week with a 9-2 loss to Central Bucks East and closed the week with a 6-5 loss to Souderton. Joe Simmons led the Hatter attack in the loss against East with a hit and RBI, while Eric Lane had a triple and RBI in the loss to Souderton.
‘On Deck’ in the SOL Continental Conference
Tuesday – 4/8/14
Central Bucks East @ North Penn
Central Bucks South @ Quakertown
Hatboro-Horsham @ Pennridge
Thursday – 4/10/14
Central Bucks East @ Souderton
Quakertown @ North Penn
Central Bucks West @ Pennridge
Central Bucks South @ Hatboro-Horsham
-30-
- Log in to post comments
