Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Wednesday. (PW/Souderton photos provided courtesy of Cindy Manero/PW baseball.)
SOL Liberty/Freedom Crossover
UPPER DUBLIN 13, LOWER MORELAND 3 (6 innings)
Chase Sunday was impressive in his first varsity start for the Flying Cardinals, tossing four shutout innings and earning the win.
“Being his first start in a varsity game was maybe a little nerveracking, and he had a little bit of a difficult time finding the strike zone, but overall, he did a fantastic job,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “Primarily worked with a fast ball the whole game.”
Justin Richman closed out the game, allowing four hits and three runs in the fifth but closing it out with a one-two-three sixth.
“Justin throws a little bit harder, and for whatever reason, they just seemed to find the barrel, and the second inning he came out and just shut them down,” Wall said. “He settled in and did a good job.”
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, thanks to Ethan Madnick’s RBI single. They added a pair in the third inning and two more in the fourth A four-run outburst in the fifth gave the Cardinals a commanding 10-0 lead on their way to the win in a contest that was halted after six innings.
“Nick Lombardo had two RBIs on a base knock that he had,” Wall said. “A lot of guys put the ball in play hard. We had a bunch of singles scattered all around. I was happy to see that we scored in every inning, and we scored throughout our lineup. We were putting some decent at-bats together. We saw a lot of pitches and made them work hard.”
The Cardinals collected eight hits off a trio of Lion hurlers but benefitted from seven walks and some costly miscues.
Landon Kratchman reached base on all four trips to the plate, drawing three walks and collecting a single.
“Landon Kratchman got his first start of the season,” Wall said. “In the past, he’s been a role player for us, and we gave him a start, and he really stepped up and showed up.
“He did a great job for us offensively and defensively. Offensively, he got on base every time. He drew three walks, he scored three times and he had a base hit and two steals.
“During Justin Richman’s portion of the game at the end, he was fearless and made a major league catch, literally going full steam but under control. He hit the fence hard and still made the catch in foul territory. It was a pop foul ball down the third base line after we moved him to left, and he made a really great catch for the second out of the inning. He had a fantastic game.”
The Lions collected five hits in the loss.
“Lower Moreland, to their credit, have a couple of guys that can put the ball in play,” Wall said. “Their number three hitter (Donato Incollingo) put one over our center fielder’s head. They played hard, their coaches coached hard. They were very competitive in those regards.”
Upper Dublin (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Abington on Friday, and Lower Moreland (1-1, 0-1) will host Upper Moreland on Friday in a rivalry game.
Upper Dublin 202 243 13-8-2
Lower Moreland 000 030 3-5-5
Non-league
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, SOUDERTON 2 (8 innings)
Lincoln Sharpe’s line drive double to left field with a pair of runners on board in the bottom of the eighth inning brought Wednesday’s tightly contested non-league game to a dramatic end. Chase
Olszyk, who was hit by a pitch, scored the game-winner.
“Lincoln was having a rough day at the plate, but he did a nice job of brushing that off in his final at bat to come up with the biggest hit of the game,” PW coach Chris Manero said.
The walk-off win came on the first day of the school’s annual senior class trip.
“It’s a real rite of passage for PW seniors, and normally, we don’t play any games during the trip,” Manero said. “But we just couldn’t move this game anywhere else in our schedule, so we took it as an opportunity for some guys who aren’t always in the lineup to step up.
“We were missing some big bats from the middle of the order but got to see what a few other guys could do.”
Runs were hard to come by for both sides in a contest dominated by the pitchers as the two teams combined for just six hits with the Colonials collecting four of those.
The Indians got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning without collecting a hit. Luke Pollock drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt. He scored on Carter Jagiela’s sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the inning, the Colonials answered with a pair of runs to go on top 2-1. Luke Caucci led off the frame with a triple to left field and scored on Colin Brady’s single to center. A bases-loaded walk to Gavin Rocks gave PW a one-run advantage.
Souderton knotted the score with an unearned run in the top of the sixth, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Ray Tomassetti started and gave the Colonials six strong innings, allowing two hits and two runs – both unearned. He struck out four and walked three. Matt Krawitz did not allow a hit in two scoreless innings in relief, striking out one and walking none.
“Ray threw really well for us again, and he just continues to pitch with a ton of confidence,” Manero said. “We then had a chance to get Matt Krawitz a few innings out of the bullpen, and he did a great job of getting ahead of the hitters.
“Strong pitching has been important for us in the early going.”
Three pitchers saw action for the Indians. Jackson Morrisette started and did not allow a hit in three scoreless innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter. Grayson Norris followed with two innings in relief, allowing two hits and two runs while striking out four and walking two. Jeremy Fallon absorbed the loss, allowing two hits and one run (unearned) while striking out three and walking one in 2.1 innings.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-0) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday, and Souderton (0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks South for Friday’s SOL opener.
Souderton 000 101 00 2-2-1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 200 01 3-4-2
HARRY S TRUMAN 6, ARCHBISHOP WOOD 4
The Tigers spent the better part of Wednesday’s non-league game playing catchup They didn’t so much as manage a base hit until the fifth inning, but they displayed their resiliency, erupting for five runs in the top of the sixth to earn the come-from-behind win.
“Today’s win showed the growth of our guys, our seniors, and I think today is the typical kind of game that maybe last year we would have lost,” Truman coach Tim Monaghan said. “Wood is always so well coached. They run a really good program, we get along with those guys so well. To play well against them – we had a good Florida trip and I hope that rolls into a good positive start in our league games.”
The Vikings put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first, and after the Tigers scored a run in the top of the fifth, Wood got that run back in the bottom of the inning when Patrick McKinney hit a solo home run.
“We got down early, our pitcher settled in, kind of kept us in the game at three runs,” Monaghan said. “We chipped one, and then they got a home run to extend it back to three runs.
“I think last year we would have kind of given up at that point. The good thing was the kids kept fighting, they kept grinding it out, and we found a way to take advantage of an opportunity to get a win over a team that’s always very good.”
Down to their final four outs, the Tigers staged a two-out rally it the top of the sixth that saw team captains Mike Burns and Wil Brennen deliver in a big way.
George Cairns opened the inning with a single, and then Gabe Marrero reached base on a fielder’s choice. Jayden Gaines drew a free pass, and Ethan Helbling grounded out, and it was second and third with two outs. Makai Jackson walked to load the bases, and Burns lined a double that plated a pair. Andrew Armstrong drew a walk to load the bases yet again, and Brennan hit a clutch two-strike double over the leftfielder’s head to clear the bases and put the Tigers on top 6-3.
“Wil’s our team captain, so for him to come through in that spot, it’s exponentially meaningful for our team going forward,” Monaghan said. “To come back after we gave up the home run, for them to get that run back when we could have been saying – well, it’s not going to be today, and for them to overcome that is huge for our guys.”
Burns finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and three RBIs in a contest that saw both teams manage just five hits.
Luke Olivero earned the start for the Tigers and threw five innings, allowing five hits and four runs while walking three and striking out two. Andrew Armstrong and James Baker each threw a scoreless inning in relief. Both struck out a pair and neither allowed a hit.
Harry S Truman (1-0) will host Council Rock North in its SOL opener on Friday.
Harry S Truman 000 015 0 6-5-2
Archbishop Wood 300 010 0 4-5-3
LA SALLE 13, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 0
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