Neshaminy & North Penn were winners and advanced to Monday’s PIAA 6A semifinals, and Upper Dublin also won and earned a spot in the PIAA 5A semifinals. Upper Dublin/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Kim Supko. (North Penn/Hazleton photos courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball). CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BASEBALL GALLERIES.
PIAA 6A quarterfinals
#1-1 NORTH PENN 9, #2-1 HAZLETON 6
The Knights erupted for six runs in the top of the first inning, opening up what appeared to be a commanding lead before fans had settled in their seats.
Josh Martinell’s two-run single highlighted the early outburst.
“He was one of our best hitters in the postseason last year,” NP coach Kevin Manero said. “We’ve always said, he has the best pure, repeatable swing on the team.
“He had a really big end of the season last year. For some reason, this year he has really struggled. He hasn’t had the big game, he hasn’t been able to string hits together, but we kept going to him, and today he had a big single and a couple RBIs. I think he’s pivotal in a game like today because we had length in our lineup, top to bottom.”
For Martinell, it was a welcome timely hit.
“It was really big to have this game today – to get that clutch hit to score two runs,” the senior designated hitter said. “Our coaches really tell us to look for the pitch we’re going to get, not for what we want, and that really helps me work to hit the pitches I’m going to get, which is not what I’m looking for ideally. I’m looking for that real good pitch that once-in-at-bat pitch, but that usually doesn’t come.”
Hazleton plated a run in the bottom of the first, but the Knights – sparked by the two-run double by Christian Barnes – added three more in the second to go on top 9-1. But what looked like a cakewalk turned into a battle when the Cougars pulled to within three in the fifth inning, but they would get no closer.
Thursday’s win vaulted the Knights into the state semifinals.
“It feels amazing to be one step closer,” Martinell said. “When I was a sophomore, we got to the (state) semis. When I was a junior, we got knocked out early.”
A key to the team’s successful season, according to Martinell, is its chemistry.
“I think we had it from when we were young,” he said. “Most of the guys who are starters now were on the same little league team. We all played together, so we just grew up together, knowing each other, working together.”
Jake Nunn got the win, but he was relieved by Trey Brennan after three innings, and Brennan closed it out, earning the save.
“It was a tough day for Jake Nunn because he had long innings on the bench because those first two innings – we had long offensive innings,” Manero said. “You’re out there in the heat, you’re languishing on the bench. It’s tough to get in a rhythm.
“After that, truthfully, he did pitch into some bad luck. There were a couple things that happened behind him that shouldn’t have probably gone the way they did, and he gutted it out as much as he could, but it was a hot, tough day to pitch.
“Trey came in and Trey battled. He wasn’t 100 percent spit and polish, but he really, really dug deep when he had to. That’s what you need. We haven’t used the bullpen very much lately, and Trey hasn’t pitched since the second to last game of the regular season, but we keep telling guys – you never know when your name’s going to be called. His was today, and you know what – he did the job for us. He got us those zeros at the end of game that we needed.”
By the numbers: North Penn: Logan Waynick (2-or-4, 2B, 1RBI, 1R), Christian Barnes (2B, 2 RBIs), Luke Chartrand (1-for-3, 2RBI, 1R), Josh Martinell (2 RBIs)
Jake Nunn (W) 3.0 IP, 6H, 4R, 2ER, 1BB, 0K), Trey Brennan (S) (4.0 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K)
Key inning: Top of first: Kevin Brace led off and was safe on an error, and he scored when Waynick doubled to left field. Chase Jones drew a walk, and Mason Coyne followed with an RBI single. With one out, Ben Grattan drew a walk to load the bases. Luke Chartrand also walked, plating the game’s third run, and Coyne scored on wild pitch. Martinell lined a single to center, driving in two more runs to put the Knights on top 6-0.
North Penn coach Kevin Manero: “It was not an easy win. Some come easier than others, but this was a battle. We were playing a strong program, very well coached, and at this time of year, we tell the guys that a big part of winning is – it’s a battle of mental and physical attrition, especially on a day like today.
“That Hazleton team is just as hungry and ravenous to win as we were, and so it was every bit of a knock-em-down, drag-em-out kind of fight. I have to give our guys credit for the way they came out swinging in the first couple of innings. You get a big lead like that – you put another team in a position where eventually they’re going to just run out of outs as long as you mostly make the plays you have to make and throw strikes. I know we kicked the ball around a little bit and gave them some chances.”
–Brennan to the rescue: “I thought the most important thing was the sixth inning. Trey Brennan comes out in relief, and he puts up a zero in the sixth, and that brought the bottom of their order up down by three in the seventh. If he didn’t get the 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, it could be a whole different situation in the seventh. Of if he lets up a run or two in the sixth, yeah, we have a lead, but now they’re going to have the good part of their order up in a close game. It was a huge moment.
“I thought our runs in the first two innings and that zero in the sixth were the biggest difference makers.”
–Props: “Even though we didn’t score runs after the first two innings, we had good at-bats, we hit the ball hard, and when we were scoring those runs, we were getting contributions one through nine. Josh (Martinell) has been a guy that has struggled to be a real part of it, and today he had a really great game. He’s a senior, he’s one of the guys that’s been playing with all these guys since they were 11-12 years old. He had an opportunity to contribute today, and he did.”
Up next: North Penn (21-5, 10-5 SOL) will face #1-3 Neshaminy in an All-SOL PIAA 6A state semifinal on Monday.
North Penn 630 000 0 9-9-4
Hazleton 110 220 0 6-11-3
#1-4 NESHAMINY 3, #1-3 COATESVILLE 1
They couldn’t have seen this coming. Not with such a young and unproven team, but the Redskins find themselves one of just four Class 6A teams in the state still playing.
“Not at the start of the year,” Neshaminy’s Jake Plebani said. “To say that we went farther than we did last year is impressive. I wouldn’t have expected that.”
“I would have found it a little hard to believe,” added Danny Nocito, who along with Plebani is a senior captain. “I knew how skilled we were, but there’s still a lot of competition, but throughout the year, we just built chemistry, and it helps so much and also just having young guys that are stepping up.”
Also key, according to Plebani, is the strong pitching the ‘Skins have been receiving.
“It’s really been just been pitching – our pitching has been phenomenal,” the Redskins’ catcher said.
In Thursday’s win, it was Matt Gryn scattering seven hits in the complete game masterpiece. He struck out seven and walked two.
“Catching him, he was just hitting all of his spots,” Plebani said. “Whatever I put down, he made the great pitch. His changeup was working really well today – it was moving, breaking a lot. It was great.”
Neshaminy found itself on the short end of a 1-0 score heading into the seventh after Coatesville put up the game’s first run in the bottom of the sixth.
“Our backs were against the wall, and none of the seniors wanted it to end,” Nocito said. “All three seniors (Nocito, Plebani and designated hitter Anthony Kurley) came through.”
Singles by Noah Wallace, Kurley and Nocito loaded the bases for Nick Sassano, whose line single to center plated the tying run.
Plebani delivered the fifth of five straight hits, this one a two-run single to center field that turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 Redskin lead.
“I was happy to be in that situation with the chance to deliver for my team,” Plebani said. “I was super excited, and I was just saying to myself that it’s my turn now.
“My mindset was just to get a fastball and hit it hard, which I achieved.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Coatesville had a pair of two-out base runners, but Gryn coaxed a fly ball to Nocito in center field for the game’s final out.
“I think this give us a lot of confidence because it shows we had each other’s backs and that hits are contagious,” Nocito said. “The past couple of games have been rough, but today we were more confident. Everyone went in with confidence after our past two practices, and everyone was getting a lot of barrels, so it felt good.
“It’s just a good feeling going into Monday knowing we came back and won in the seventh inning.”
Added Plebani, “We should be able to carry over our seventh inning to the next game because we were pretty cold for a couple of games. But the seventh inning burst – that offense gave us some confidence.”
By the numbers: Neshaminy: Matt Gryn (W) (7.0 IP, 7H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 7K)
Nick Sassano (2-for-2, 1RBI)
Key inning: Top of seventh: Trailing 1-0, Neshaminy’s first batter struck out, but Wallace, Kurley and Nocito hit back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases. Nick Sassano’s line drive to center plated the first run, and Plebani’s hard grounder to center brought home a pair for the 3-1 final.
Neshaminy coach Dan Toner on advancing to the final four: “My whole team is juniors and sophomores. We have three seniors (in the lineup) – my catcher, my center fielder and my DH, so we were just trying to make the playoffs – we never missed that, and we were just trying to make a run in playoffs. Anything that happened this year was kind of a bonus because we were so young and unproven. We had no clue what was going to happen.
“Then we put it together, and we’re like ‘Hey, we’re here.’ We keep winning, and it’s really just our pitching and defense has just been fantastic.”
–Winning by the same score as Monday’s state opener: “Last game, we won with just walks. This game, our bats came back to what they were. In the top of the seventh, we had five singles in a row, and every one of my seniors stepped up in that situation to win the game.”
–Gryn delivers on mound: “Matt has been doing that all year long. He was fantastic. He can throw three pitches for strikes at any time in the count. Other teams have trouble putting back-to-back-to-back hits against him. Some of the hits they had were swinging bunts. In the last inning when they scored the run, that’s how the game kind of went. It was a swinging bunt and ground ball that got a little bit too deep in the hole, and he couldn’t throw the guy out. It wasn’t rockets – it was just unfortunate.”
–The seniors: “For the five seniors to be the minority in the group and the rest juniors, it’s hard to lead, and you usually see teams that win are senior heavy, but our senior captains and our senior leaders have turned it around for us in the playoffs. Whenever it’s a do-or-die situation, they’ve come through every single time.
“A lot of guys think this is what happens every year. If you were a sophomore like Chase Bonner and them that started for us – they went to states last year. We’ve been to the state tournament five times in the eight years I’ve been here. I don’t know if they really can understand how difficult it is to get here.”
Up next: Neshaminy (17-8, 11-4 SOL) will face North Penn in Monday’s PIAA 6A semifinal.
Neshaminy 000 000 3 3-8-0
Coatesville 000 001 0 1-7-0
PIAA 5A quarterfinals
#1-2 UPPER DUBLIN 4, #1-3 HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
Luke Caron and Austin Dahl shared the spotlight in Thursday’s PIAA 5A quarterfinal pitting a pair of SOL Liberty Division schools. In the complete game win, Caron allowed just two hits and one run while striking out six and walking one.
Dahl, meanwhile, starred at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and two RBIs. His two-run triple highlighted the UD first inning, and Caron already had all the run support he would need.
“Luke Caron continues to impress,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “Great news is he’s just getting started!
“Austin Dahl had himself a day at the plate. He’s starting to displayi some consistency in his at-bats which is exactly what our offense needed.”
That 2-0 lead stood until the top of the sixth when the Cardinals added a run on a sacrifice fly by Conor Dynan. In the top of the seventh, UD upped its lead to 4-0 when Gavin Litten hit an RBI single.
The Hatters scored their only run of the game in the top of the seventh when Jamie O’Neill, who doubled to lead off the inning, scored on a steal of home.
By the numbers: Upper Dublin: Luke Caron (W) (7.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 6K)
Austin Dahl (3-for-4, 2 2B, 3B, 2RBI), Eric Berman (2B)
Key inning: Top of first: Berman opened the inning with a leadoff double to center, and Eddie Stoffel was safe on an error. Both runners scored when Dahl ripped a triple to center field, spotting UD an early 2-0 lead.
Upper Dublin coach Ed Wall:
“This is a program and team win. To beat a team four times is no easy task, and to do it at this point in the season is a testament to all the hard work our players and coaches have been putting in since October.
“We are playing some of our best baseball but still need to sharpen up some execution on a few pieces.
“This team is fun to watch.”
–Props: “We’re getting guys on and moving guys over – Dave Morris did a great job of that. We need to execute better at-bats to get them in though. Connor Dynan did a good job of that today coming off the bench with a big RBI late. We need more of that. We can do it. I’m excited to see our hard work continue to pay off.”
Up next: Upper Dublin (18-7, 11-4 SOL) will meet #3-3 Elizabethtown in Monday’s PIAA 5A semifinal. Elizabethtown defeated District 3 runner-up Palmyra 3-2 in nine innings.
Upper Dublin 200 001 1 4-6-0
Hatboro-Horsham 000 000 1 1-2-2
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