Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Friday. PW/Abington photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice, and CB West/Upper Dublin photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f12122253 (PW celebration photo courtesy of Cindy Manero/PW baseball)
SOL Liberty Division
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, ABINGTON 2
The Colonials – 10 days removed from their last game action due to PW’s senior trip – managed just three hits but made the most of their scoring opportunities and rode the strong arm of Dylan Robinson to a win.
“It feels like it’s been a slow start to our season, having a ton of off-days and a choppy schedule, so we are definitely still trying to figure out a lot of things with how we will line up every day,” PW coach Chris Manero said. “We are hoping this will give a lot of guys some chances to get in the action early on.”
Robinson took a two-hit shutout into the top of the seventh when the Ghosts plated a pair of runs, and with two outs and the tying run on third, Matt Krawitz came in to collect the final out to earn the save.
“Dylan Robinson was really locked in on the mound again today and kept things moving with excellent command of the strike zone,” Manero said. “We got him an early run in the first inning, and he just took charge from there.”
The win was the 100th of Manero’s career, and his players gave him a celebratory dousing when it was over.
“This game is about our players, what they accomplish on the field every day and the memories they make,” Manero said. “But, I guess as coaches, we do get the chance once in a while to hit a benchmark in our own careers, and if nothing else, it is an opportune time for reflection.
“A moment like this makes me even more proud of the outstanding student athletes I’ve had the chance to work with over the last decade. And it makes me even more appreciative of the many assistant coaches who gave so much of their time and have had a huge part of every one of these wins.”
The Colonials put a run on the board in the bottom of the first. With one out, Luke Caucci drew a walk and Chase Olszyk followed with a single. An error on a fielder’s choice by Gavin Rocks allowed a run to cross the plate.
That was the extent of the scoring for both sides until the bottom of the sixth when Luke Gartland hit a one-out single to center and Caucci followed with a home run to left field that put the Colonials on top 3-0.
They needed every one of those runs as the Ghosts mounted a comeback. Alex Dardaris led off the seventh with a single, but he was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice. With two outs, LJ Wolff singled to center, and the Ghosts brought the tying run to the plate. Things got interesting when Michael Judge brought two runs home with a triple to right field.
Krawitz made sure he stayed there, retiring the first and only batter he faced on a groundout to third base.
Judge turned in a pitching gem of his own for the Ghosts, allowing just three hits – one each from the top
three batters in PW’s lineup – in 5.1 innings while striking out three and walking one. Jack Hoetzel collected the final two outs in relief, striking out the only two batters he faced.
“We definitely want to get harder contact and hit the ball with more authority than we did today. But when we needed it most late in the game, our two captains (Luke Gartland and Luke Caucci) came up with a big single and a bigger home run to give us a three-run cushion. Obviously, they proved even more valuable when Abington came back and put up two quick runs in the seventh.
“Despite a lot of quiet time at the plate, we put together all of the necessary elements to win today. Outstanding pitching, really solid defense, and some timely hitting.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Tuesday, and Abington (0-3, 0-2) will host Pennridge in a non-league game Monday.
Abington 000 000 2 2-5-2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 100 002 x 3-3-0
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 16, UPPER DUBLIN 13
Fans who think baseball is devoid of action would have undoubtedly enjoyed Friday’s wild non-league contest between the Bucks and Cardinals. The Bucks opened up an 11-6 lead after three innings, fell behind 13-12 heading into the bottom of the sixth and then scored four in the bottom of the inning to eke out the win.
“Honestly, this seemed like one of those football games where it came down to ‘who had the ball last,’” West coach Brian Weaver said. “Both teams put up runs in almost every frame, and any team that Ed (Wall) coaches is going to battle every inning, every at-bat.
“So there was no point in the game that we were leading and thought, ‘Well, this one’s over.’ They’re such a good team that anybody can hurt you. (Brendan) O’Brien hit a rocket that got them going early, and they can just string together hit after hit, so you don’t get to a point where you’re comfortable. We’re lucky that our offense kept answering the bell each inning.”
There were early indications that this could be a high-scoring affair. The Cardinals put two quick runs on the board when – after leadoff batter Jared Levis drew a walk – O’Brien ripped a two-run home run to left field.
The Bucks responded with four in the bottom of the inning. Kevin Bukowski drew a leadoff walk, and two outs later, he scored on Bill Zentmayer’s single to left. Matt Carr reached first on a walk, setting the stage for Quinn Illig, who smashed a three-run home run to left field that put the Bucks on top 4-2.
The Cardinals scored three runs in the second – only one earned, and the Bucks answered with four in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a Will Hogenauer grand slam that gave the Bucks an 8-5 lead. A pattern was developing that never really changed.
UD took its first lead since the first inning with a four-run sixth inning, but West scored four runs of its own in the bottom of an inning that was highlighted by a base-clearing triple by Hogenauer, who finished a 3-for-5 day at the plate with a triple, home run, nine RBIs and three runs scored.
“Will Hogenauer has had a great start to the season,” Weaver said. “Today is just the culmination of years of hard work coming together. He wants to be the guy in the clutch, and today it seemed like every time he came up the situation called for a player like that. I’m not sure if nine RBIs is a school record, but I’d be willing to bet that it is.”
Zentmayer was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored, and Ilgg was 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and a run scored.
“Bill Zentmayer had a solid day at the plate today, and Quinn Illig had a big home run to help us start the engine early on,” Weaver said.
Bukowski was 2-for-4 with a double and four runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Max McGlone was 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored. Michael Koldhoff had a double and scored a run.
For the Cardinals, O’Brien was 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored, Chase Timm was 2-for-2 with two doubles and a run scored, and Aiden McCarthy was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Central Bucks West (1-1, 0-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Monday, and Upper Dublin (2-1, 2-0) will travel to Upper Moreland on Monday.
Upper Dublin 231 214 0 13-10-1
Central Bucks West 443 104 x 16-14-3
WILLIAM PENN CHARTER 5, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 4
Penn Charter won in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh, rallying from an early 4-0 deficit to eke out the win, but South coach Kevin Bray saw a lot of things he liked in Friday’s non-league road game.
“We were coming off a really emotional game against (Central Bucks) East the day before, so I knew the guys were up for that, and I wasn’t sure how we would respond in a non-league contest,” Bray said of his team’s 4-3 loss to East one day earlier. “We came out hot right out of the gate – the first inning we scored two runs.”
Hunter Petrich roped a triple to center to lead off the first and scored when Jordan Chui followed with a single. Chiu was erased on Owen Wheeler’s fielder’s choice. Wheeler stole second and scored on a single by Colin Flynn, spotting the Titans a 2-0 lead before Penn Charter came to bat.
“Hunter Petrich had a really great at-bat to lead off the game with a triple,” Bray said. “We scored him shortly thereafter. We pretty much controlled the first half of the game.”
The Titans stretched their lead to 4-0 in the third. With one out, Walker McElrath singled and scored when Flynn followed with a double to right. Jake Yang delivered a clutch two-out RBI single to give the Titans the four-goal advantage.
Penn Charter scored one in the bottom of the inning and three in the fifth, winning it with a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.
“Offensively, we did some really nice things,” Bray said. “Colin Flynn was 3-for-3 with two RBIs with a double. Hunter (Petrich) had a triple, and (Owen) Wheeler stayed hot with another double as well. We saw some really good things.”
Chui also had a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Blake Bell started and allowed one hit and one run in four strong innings, striking out three and walking one.
“I saw some really good things out of Blake Bell, one of our sophomores, who pitched four really good innings for us, so that was a really big positive to see in his first varsity start on the mound,” Bray said.
Central Bucks South (1-2, 1-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 202 000 0 4-9-1
Penn Charter 001 030 1 5-5-0
About the Author
