Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Friday. Wissahickon/LC photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE for a gallery of photos.
SOL American Conference
CHELTENHAM 3, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1
The Panthers notched their second win in as many days, plating three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit. The story of the game was the shutdown performance of pitchers Kieran Versaw-Barnes, Adam Turk-Karen and Lukas Nakkula, who allowed just one hit and one run.
PW manufactured its only run of the game in the top of the sixth inning. The Panthers answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Versaw-Barnes drew a leadoff walk, and one out later, Garrett Schmidt singled. Francisco Lopez delivered a two-run single, and a third run crossed the plate on a PW miscue.
Schmidt accounted for two of the Panthers’ five hits.
Versaw Barnes threw 5.2 innings, allowing just one hit and one run while fanning 12 and walking five. Turk-Karen threw a third of an inning, and Nakkula closed it out with a scoreless seventh.
Cheltenham (2-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-3, 1-1) will host Springfield Township on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 001 0 1-1-1
Cheltenham 000 003 x 3-5-0
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 12, ABINGTON 11
The Bucks won a wild one on Friday, and coach Brian Weaver didn’t have much of a voice left when it was over.
“It’s the second straight game where we jumped all over them in the first inning and gave it right back as the game progressed,” the Bucks’ first-year coach said. “I tell the guys we do it for our sponsors – we want the ratings to stay high the whole time. We want to make sure people are watching the whole way through.”
In the top of the first, the Bucks opened the inning with three straight hits – back-to-back singles by Ryan Rudek and Rhys Nicholas as well as an RBI triple by Tyler Dalzell. They also benefitted from a pair of Ghost errors as well three walks and a hit batsman to plate five runs.
Any thoughts that the Bucks were in for a cakewalk were put to rest when the Ghosts scored seven in the bottom of the inning. Jamie Burkhart doubled to left to open the inning. Eight batters later, he singled to drive in the inning’s seventh run. In between, Joey DiMaria, Angelo Pearson and Jordan Grimaldi each contributed RBI singles. Stephen Vogl doubled home a pair of runs.
“They did a heck of a job on our pitching the first couple of innings,” Weaver said. “We were having trouble locating, and they were pretty disciplined. They weren’t biting on the close stuff.”
Abington added a pair of runs in the second to go on top 9-5 only to watch the Bucks score six in the fourth. Once again, the Bucks benefitted from a pair of Ghosts miscues. They also received RBI singles from Matt Cooper, Matt McCarthy and Julian Murray. Luke Nitschke had a double in the frame as the Bucks went on top 11-9.
The Ghosts pulled to within one with a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Bucks eked out an insurance run in the sixth, thanks to a hustle single by Nitschke that allowed Jack Fileppo – who had singled – to score from third.
“They pulled in their infield, and they had a miscommunication on a two-hopper to second,” Weaver said. “Their first baseman leaned toward second because it’s close to his territory, and nobody made a move to the bag, so it ended up being a foot race to the bag that our guy (Nitschke) won with the guy from third scoring. Anybody else can just give up on that play, and instead, he creates a situation where we can push one across. It ended up being the run we needed.
“That kind of hustle you can’t coach. We have a bunch of guys who are running the bases aggressively, who are selling out in the field tracking balls down. It’s been a long couple of years, but I think these guys are ready to win.”
Julian Murray threw five innings in long relief, allowing three hits and two runs (both unearned) while striking out five and walking two.
“I’d said to him, ‘Hey, we’ll probably get you in an inning or two today,’ and that became, ‘Hey, Julian, we’re down 9-5. I need you to pitch the rest of the game and not give up anything,’” Weaver said. “He gave up two runs the rest of the way. He was hitting all of his spots. Danny Miller bailed us out yesterday, and so now here comes Julian Murray today, and he’s the shutdown guy. For our guys to know that we can kick the ball and have pitchers get lit up, and somehow our guys still fight and pull one out.”
Leading the Bucks’ 12-hit attack was Nitschke, who was 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored. Cooper was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Dalzell tripled and scored twice.
For the Ghosts, DiMaria was 4-for-5 with a double, RBI and three runs scored. Burkhart was 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and run scored out of the leadoff spot.
Central Bucks West (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Perkiomen Valley in a non-league game Monday. Abington (1-2, 0-1) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 500 601 0 12-12-6
Abington 720 100 1 11-11-6
WILLIAM TENNENT 5, UPPER DUBLIN 3
The Panthers erupted for four runs in the third inning to take a lead they would not lose, notching their second win in as many days to open their season.
Nick Meltzer and DJ Dickson opened the third with back-to-back singles. Xavier Delgado’s RBI double plated Meltzer, and Armando Delgado followed with an RBI single. Xavier Delgado crossed the plate on the throw, and the Panthers led 3-0. Alex Tuburcio’s RBI single put the Panthers on top by four.
The Cardinals answered with three runs in the fourth to make it a 4-3 game. That score stood until the Panthers added an insurance run in the sixth when Chris Collelo, who doubled to open the inning, scored on a wild pitch.
The Panthers, who held a 10-6 advantage in hits, were led by the two-hit efforts of Xavier Delgado (2-for-4, double, RBI, run) and Dickson (2-for-3, run). Xavier Delgado is off to a torrid start at the plate. In two games he is 5-for-7 with three doubles, a triple and four RBIs.
Keith Pawley and Matt Monaghan both saw time on the mound, combining to allow six hits while striking out nine and walking three.
William Tennent (2-0) will travel to Bensalem for its league opener on Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (2-1, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Cheltenham on Tuesday.
William Tennent 004 001 0 5-10-2
Upper Dublin 000 300 0 3-6-0
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 5, ARCHBISHOP WOOD 3
The Golden Hawks rallied from an early 2-0 hole to outscore the Vikings 5-1 over the final four innings to earn the non-league win.
“It was a high energy game for all 21 outs and a great team effort,” South coach Ted Kirner said. “We received contributions from everyone today. I love these guys. Everyone competes, and they will do anything to win.”
Wood put a pair of runs on the board in the third inning. The Golden Hawks plated an unearned run in the fourth and knotted the score in the fifth when Emilio Pallante tripled and scored on a passed ball. They added three runs in the sixth with Luke Gregory’s leadoff single the only hit in the inning. With the bases loaded, the Hawks benefitted from a hit batter and back-to-back walks.
Pallante (2-for-4, triple, run) and Gregory (2-for-3, run) accounted for the Golden Hawks’ four hits in the contest.
Five pitchers saw time on the mound. Jon Pinciotti notched the win.
Council Rock South (1-1, 0-1 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Monday.
Archbishop Wood 002 000 1 3-9-3
Council Rock South 000 113 x 5-4-1
WISSAHICKON 9, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 2
The Trojans broke open a close game with five runs in the fourth inning, turning a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 lead. The Crusaders never threatened.
Brian Menhardt led off the fourth with a single, and Eddie Fortescue followed with a single. A walk to JT Culp loaded the bases. With one out, Joe Liotta delivered a two-run single. Sam Junker drew a walk, and a pair of runs scored when Andrew Buck lofted a sacrifice fly to center field.
Tyler Friedman earned the win on the mound, allowing five hits and one run while striking out eight and walking two in 4.1 innings. Gio D’Amore struck out four and did not allow a hit in 1.2 innings of relief.
Coach Andy Noga lauded the standout efforts of Friedman, D’Amore as well as Liotta, whose 2-for-2 effort with three RBIs and a run led the Trojans’ nine-hit attack. Bobby McFarland was 1-for-1 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Joe Hornig was 1-for-2 with a double and run out of the leadoff spot.
Wissahickon (1-1, 0-1 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Lansdale Catholic 000 100 1 2-7-1
Wissahickon 100 521 x 9-9-0
UPPER MORELAND 1, LOWER MERION 0
Jake O’Connor and Connor O’Donnell combined for a two-hit shutout, leading the Golden Bears to the non-league win.
“Both guys did an awesome job,” UM coach Dan Heiland said. “They’re not overpowering guys, but they hit their spots and they throw to contact.
“They made the other team try to beat us, and our defense showed up today. In tight games like this where there’s not a lot of hitting, it comes down to that. It’s always good to be on the winning side of things.”
The Golden Bears scored the only run they would need in the bottom of the sixth. Jack Dombrowski singled to left, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout to the right side by Ben Paul. A sacrifice fly to deep right center off the bat of Ryan Gibbs scored Dombrowski with the game’s only run.
O’Connor got the start and threw five shutout innings.
“He did a great job of just keeping the batters off balance with a change-up, curveball throughout the lineup and throughout the count,” Heiland said.
O’Donnell got the win, closing out the game with two shutout innings.
“It was a lot of good pitching on display,” said Heiland.
Upper Moreland (1-1, 0-1 SOL) will host Abington on Tuesday.
Lower Merion 000 000 0 0
Upper Moreland 000 001 x 1
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