By Scott Huff
Fair or Foul?
That question is often asked during a baseball game when a ball is hit down either the left or right field line. However, Springfield head coach Dennis Primavera has a different slant on what is fair or foul.
Springfield – which beat Bristol 9-3 on Friday – will face New Hope-Solebury Tuesday in the PIAA Class AA District One semifinal game at Cairn University. New Hope defeated Valley Forge Military 10-0 last Wednesday – six days ago.
“We play the game on three days rest – and they play the game on five days rest,” said Primavera. “Their #1 starting pitcher (David Cherkowsky) will be fully rested – and our #1 pitcher (Julian Salzer) won’t be able to start on just three days rest. That isn’t a level playing field.
“We tried to get the game moved back to Wednesday, but the PIAA wouldn’t do it,” added Primavera. “Once New Hope moved the game up to Wednesday last week– we should have been given the option of playing either last Wednesday or Thursday – but that didn’t happen either.
“Pitching is such a big part of the game, and it would be nice for us to be at full strength,” continued Primavera. “All we can do is play the game when it is scheduled and do the best that we can.”
Fair or foul?
PIAA Class AA District One Semifinal Game
# 4 Springfield Spartans vs. # 1 New Hope-Solebury Lions
Tuesday (5/27/14) @ Cairn University
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the Class AA District 12 champion – either Neumann-Goretti or Philadelphia Academy Charter School. The winner of the District 1 – District 12 title game will advance to states.
Season Resume: Springfield finished the regular season tied for sixth place in the Suburban One League American Conference with a record of 3-11. New-Hope Solebury finished the regular season in second place in the Bicentennial League with a record of 13-3.
Last Game: Springfield opened the PIAA Class AA District One quarterfinal playoffs with a 9-3 victory over Bristol. Julian Salzer was the winning pitcher for the Spartans. The hitting attack was fueled by Marten Pauwells (3 hits), Jeff Hammons (3 RBI), Mike Johnston (2 hits), Billy Hetrick (2 hits), and Ed Bacino (2 hits). New Hope Solebury opened the PIAA Class AA District One quarterfinal playoffs with a 10-0 victory over Valley Forge Military. David Cherkowsky fired a complete game one-hitter for the Lions and had 11 strikeouts. New Hope scored runs in each of the first six innings, highlighted by a four-run fourth inning. Joe Stadler and Morgan Wyckoff sparked the Lion offense.
Springfield head coach Dennis Primavera says: “Playing in the Suburban One League has gotten us ready for the playoffs. We did not have a good record in the league, but we played excellent competition all year. There are some very tough teams in our league, and our players know what it is like to play good teams. New Hope played in the Bicentennial League and had a very good record. A 13-3 team is still a 13-3 team – but they don’t play the level of teams that we play during the course of the season.”
Suburban One League American Conference
Season In Review
Cheltenham(13-1) finished a spectacular season with a conference championship. The lone loss for the Panthers came against second place Upper Moreland (11-3). Cheltenham received a bye in the first round and won its second round PIAA Quad-A District One playoff game with a 2-0 victory over Great Valley. The Panther season came to a close with a quarterfinal round loss to Conestoga – 6-1.
The championship was the program’s first since 1997, and the foundation for this year’s success story was laid a long time ago.
“The kids that are on the team now were in my second grade class, and they were the first campers at our summer camp,” coach Frank Decembrino said. “It’s been a journey together. I’ve had their older brothers, and we’ve really seen the growth in the program. It’s been special for us.”
Fifteen seniors – Michael Mundy, Connor Barton, Jack McGlade, Mark Franchetti, Kevin Graham, Azaan Harris, Jon Winneg, Danny Fishbein, Nash Giddings, Jack O’Grady, Mark Heimann, Max Perilstein, Nick Erick, Calvin Salazar and West Traver – are on the roster. Seven of those seniors were starters and the remaining eight were pitchers.
“They worked so hard since they were little kids – we couldn’t get rid of any of them,” Decembrino said. “We have a really heavy roster, but every single one of them earned a spot. You can’t make cuts when the kids have been working together for 10 years.”
According to Perilstein, winning a championship has always been a goal.
“That’s what drove myself and the rest of my teammates to success,” he said. “This has not been a one-year process. As a group, we have worked towards a championship since seventh grade.”
It is their passion for baseball and the friendship they share that have been keys to that success.
“All of the kids on the baseball team are my friends, and we all just so happen to play baseball,” Perilstein said. “The kind of chemistry needed to be successful on the baseball field comes from years of friendship and knowing each other. Obviously, we have a lot of talent this year, but the quote that coach ‘D’ always says is ‘hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ We talk baseball and work at it year round, and we aren’t in the position we are in by accident.”
Upper Moreland (11-3) finished alone in second place after winning the conference last season. A core of seven seniors were abruptly shown the exit door in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs by Pope John Paul II by an 8-3 score.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-5) was a conference leader during the early part of the season. The Colonials earned a PIAA Quad-A playoff berth as the # 12 seed; however, the Colonials were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by Avon Grove with an 8-0 loss.
Upper Dublin (7-7) and Wissahickon (7-7) were .500 in conference and lost close games during the conference season that kept them out of the district playoffs.
Norristown (3-11), Springfield (3-11), and Upper Merion (3-11) struggled to compete this season.
Suburban One League Continental Conference
Season In Review
North Penn (10-4) was the defending PIAA Quad-A State Champion and collected a conference championship this season. The Knights, though, lost in the first round of the District One playoffs with a surprising 8-1 loss to Unionville.
Pennridge (9-5) finished the season in sole possession of second place. The Rams – who advanced to the state semifinal round last season – won their opening District One playoff game with a 3-0 win over West Chester East and followed with an 8-0 win over Strath Haven. Pennridge lost in the quarterfinal round to Boyertown 1-0 to see its season come to an end.
Central Bucks East (8-6) and Hatboro-Horsham (8-6) both finished in a tie for third place and both earned district playoff berths. And both lost in the opening round of the playoffs. The Patriots were jettisoned from the playoffs in a 4-0 loss to Radnor, while the Hatters were eliminated in a 5-3 loss to Downingtown West.
Souderton (7-7), Central Bucks South (6-8) and Central Bucks West (6-8) all hovered around the .500 mark and flirted with playoff berths. But the flirtation did not result in a playoff appearance.
Quakertown (2-12) did not show tremendous improvement record wise, but first year head coach Jon Pallone has the Panther program moving in the right direction.
Suburban One League National Conference
Season In Review
Council Rock South (11-3) may not have been a preseason pick for the title, but the Golden Hawks soared to a conference title. CR South received a first round bye and captured a second round win over Downingtown West 2-0.
Council Rock North (9-5) and Pennsbury (9-5) tied for second place in the conference standings and both received invitations to the district playoffs. Both, however, did not survive the first round of the playoffs. The Indians were beaten 4-2 by Great Valley, while the Falcons were gunned down by Coatesville – 4-1.
Neshaminy (8-6) concluded the conference season in sole possession of fourth place. The winning record, though, was not enough to get the Redskins into the post season.
Abington (6-8), William Tennent (6-8), and Bensalem allhad competitive seasons in conference play. The Ghosts, Panthers, and Owls – though -did not earn invites to the big dance.
Harry S Truman (2-12) struggled to compete with most of the teams in the conference.
Suburban One Sports.com
Final Rankings & Team Player of the Year
1. Cheltenham Panthers [Calvin Salazer]
2. Council Rock South Golden Hawks [Greg Paprocki]
3. Pennridge Rams [Tyler Schoultes]
4. North Penn Knights [Jared Malone]
5. Council Rock North Indians [Tyler Callender]
6. Pennsbury Falcons [Brenden Campbell]
7. Upper Moreland Golden Bears [Eddie Decker]
8. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials [Michael Whalon]
9. Central Bucks East Patriots [Brandon Birkhead]
10. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters [David Brown]
11. Neshaminy Redskins [Cole Creighton]
12. Souderton Indians [Blake Gular]
13. Wissahickon Trojans [Ryan Becker]
14. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals [Dan Jacobson]
15. Central Bucks South [Matt Radwanski]
16. William Tennent Panther [Vinnie Case]
17. Abington Ghosts [Nick Bein]
18. Central Bucks West Bucks [Rob Phillips]
19. Bensalem Owls [Chris Reyes]
20. Quakertown Panthers [Vinny LaCava]
21. Truman Tigers [Joey Schotis]
22. Springfield Spartans [Marten Pauwells]
23. Upper Merion Vikings [Troy Thomas]
24. Norristown Eagles [David Randolph]
- Log in to post comments
