Pennridge and Council Rock North are the lone SOL baseball teams still alive. Both will be in action in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament.
By Scott Huff
The good news for the Suburban One League is that the SOL competed for PIAA championships in Class AAAA, Class AAA, and Class AA.
The not-so-good news was that only Pennridge (Continental Conference) would earn a championship trophy as the Rams defeated Council Rock North (National Conference) by a 3-1 score in the Quad-A title game played at Methacton High School.
Upper Moreland (American Conference) advanced to the Class AAA finals but lost to Radnor by a 3-0 score in a game played at Glen Mills High School. And Springfield (American Conference) advanced to the Class AA finals but dropped a 4-2 contest to Devon Prep in a game played at West Chester Henderson.
The SOL will send two of its 24 teams into the state tournament, as Pennridge and Council Rock North will be two of the five Class AAAA teams to represent District One. Even though both Upper Moreland and Springfield reached the finals – only the District One champions advance to the state tournament.
And the beat goes on…
PIAA Quad-A State Playoffs
First Round
Monday – June 6, 2016
[1-1] Pennridge Rams vs. [3-3] Cumberland Valley Eagles
@ Immaculata University – 4 pm
Season Resume:
Pennridge finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference.
Cumberland Valley finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Conference.
Playoff Resume:
Pennridge, despite entering the tournament as the 17th seed, captured the District One title with a 3-1 victory over Council Rock North. Andrew Mayhew and Dan Long combined for a three hitter and did not allow an earned run. Jason Souder, Luke Nuneviller, and Andrew Fantaskey each drove home runs for the winners. The Rams opened the districts with a 3-2 victory over Garnet Valley; followed with a 3-0 victory over Interboro; and advanced to the district title game with an 11-9 victory over Marple-Newtown.
Cumberland Valley – the seventh-seeded team out of District Three -advanced to the state tournament with a 9-0 victory over Cedar Cliff in the District Three third place game. Joey Cuomo fired a two-hit shutout and struck out six hitters in the win. Adam Overeach had three RBI for the winners, while Ryan Carney and Taylor Zampelli each had two RBI. The Eagles lost in the district semifinals to eventual district champion Ephrata 1-0. Cumberland Valley opened the D-3 playoffs with a 14-6 win over Waynesboro and followed with a 2-1 win over Exeter.
Pennridge Head Coach Tom Nuneviller says: “I have been around a lot of these kids since they were eight years old. They are friends of my son Luke, and winning this championship might make this even more special. I know these kids – I’ve coached these kids in other sports. I know their families. You get to know what kind of kids they are – and they’re all really good kids. It’s very special. This is a team that bonded right from the beginning of the season. We spent time together before the season at a camp, and you could tell then that this was going to be a special year. To be able to win a district championship is something that can never can be taken away from them.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between [11-1] Easton vs. [1-3] Downingtown West on Thursday (6/9/16) at a time and site to be determined.
[1-2] Council Rock North Indians vs. [2-2] Father Judge Crusaders
@ Neumann University – 1:30 pm
Season Resume:
Council Rock North finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League National Conference.
Father Judge finished the regular season as the champion of the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Playoff Resume:
Council Rock North, the sixth seeded team ending the District One Tournament,lost a 3-1 contest in the championship game against Pennridge. The Indians managed just three hits against Ram pitching. CR North had opened district play with a 4-3 victory over Springfield (Delco) and followed with a 10-0 victory over Upper Dublin. Rock North advanced to the title game against Pennridge with a 2-1 victory over Downingtown West.
Father Judge was defeated in the District 12 title game by Olney Charter – 5-4.
Council Rock North Head Coach Matt Schram says: “Last year we were the team that was celebrating on the field after winning a district championship against North Penn. And two weeks later North Penn was on the field at Penn State celebrating a state championship. I reminded the players that even though we lost, the season isn’t over. The only good thing about losing to Pennridge in the district championship game is that we still have a game to play in the state tournament. Father Judge is going to be a huge challenge – (Dan) Hammer (with the 90-plus miles per hour fast ball) looks like he should pitch and we have our work cut out for us. The district tournament is behind us – and it is both tiring and humbling.”
Winner Gets: The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between [3-1] Ephrata vs. [1-5] Marple Newtown on Thursday (6/9/16) at a time and site to be determined.
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Pennridge Rams
2. Council Rock North Indians
3. Upper Dublin Cardinals
4. Central Bucks South Titans
5. Pennsbury Falcons
6. Wissahickon Trojans
7. Neshaminy Redskins
8. North Penn Knights
9. Upper Moreland Golden Bears
10. Souderton Indians
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