Check out the results for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. CR North/CR South photos provided courtesy of Diana Leferovich. Check back for a gallery of action photos.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 10, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 (6 innings)
Eric Hoefer stole the spotlight in Tuesday’s battle between the neighboring rivals, tossing a two-hit shutout. He fanned five and did not walk a batter in six standout innings.
“We talk about that all the time – if we don’t give them any free bases, you’re feeling pretty confident that you’re going to win baseball games,” North coach Matt Schram said. “Eric threw against Neshaminy, and he lost 3-0, and even then, he didn’t walk many. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he’s throwing strikes.
“When that happens, everything falls into place. The defense is on its toes. I know he struck out some guys, but he’s inducing a lot of ground balls and allowing the defense to play, which is a great recipe for success if he’s throwing strikes.”
The Indians’ defense was flawless behind Hoefer, whose performance did not surprise Schram.
“Eric’s been having such great bullpens,” the Indians’ coach said. “He came into the season in great shape. He had a great winter conditioning program and workouts with us.
“He’s very confident. He was with the varsity last year. I always knew he had the potential to be the pitcher that he is right now, but he’s feeling really confident, and he’s competing incredibly. He’s a madman from a competition standpoint. The kid just loves to compete.”
For good measure, Hoefer also had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored.
“Eric will tell you that’s not a surprise – he hits a lot,” Schram said. “I try not to let these guys hit too much when they’re pitching, just because I want them to focus on their pitching, but we were kind of shorthanded today anyway, so he was going to hit either way. He did a great job.”
All told, the Indians pounded out 12 hits. They scored one run in the first and then sealed the Golden Hawks’ fate with four runs in the third and four more in the fourth.
“It’s one of the games that you’re waiting to happen,” Schram said. “I know the season is young, but we’ve been on the field enough now where you wait for something like this to happen against a real quality team like South.
“The kid that we faced – Zach Mayer – we faced him last year, and we went nine or 10 innings against them because he dominated us. We knew we had our work cut out for us.”
Joe Preciado led the Indians’ hit parade with a 3-for-4 effort that included a double, two RBIs and two runs. Kellen Pecuch was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. Lucas Feinstein and Cavan Tully each added an RBI. Cole Olshavsky was 1-for-2 with three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Tully and Preciado both scored a pair of runs.
“The approach at the plate was awesome,” Schram said. “We had quality, timely hits. RBIs after RBIs, a lot of two-out RBIs. It was really just a great win.
“I don’t think our guys are playing above our heads. We have a lot of names that people don’t know, but a lot of those kids were with us last year. They played roles and they contributed, but they didn’t play a lot because of who we had last year. They watched, they saw the speed, and they knew what they had to do to do well. It’s not really surprising any of us. Today was just one of those days where everything just fell into place for us.”
Council Rock North (3-2, 2-1 SOL) will be on the road at Spring-Ford for a non-league contest on Monday, and Council Rock South (4-1, 2-1) will travel to Archbishop Wood for a non-league game on Monday.
Council Rock South 000 000 0-2-4
Council Rock North 104 401 10-12-0
American Conference
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 5, CHELTENHAM 4 (13 innings)
Dennis Primavera was looking for an additional game to fill out this week’s schedule. It turns out he didn’t need to as his team played close to two full games in Tuesday’s marathon conference game against the visiting Panthers.
The winning run crossed the plate in the bottom of the 13th inning, close to four hours after the first pitch was thrown.
“We lost the game 10 times – that’s what happens in one of these games, and Cheltenham did the same thing,” Primavera said. “We must have had first and third with no outs in extra innings maybe three times, and the most bizarre, ridiculous things would happen.
“In the six extra innings, we actually put together some really nice setup innings –leadoff single, bunt to second, the next guy up hits another single. We had a couple guys in scoring position and couldn’t get them in. That happened throughout extra innings.”
Noel Franczyk drew a walk to lead off the 13th, and pinch hitter Nick Pave – the winner in yesterday’s game on the mound – singled, setting the stage for an errant throw that allowed the game winner to cross the plate.
Lost in the shuffle of the 13-inning contest was the glittering effort of junior Tim Dahme, who allowed just one hit over the final six innings in relief of Franczyk.
“He didn’t pitch badly,” Primavera said of Franczyk, who threw the first seven innings. “Of his four runs, three were earned. He scattered six hits, he had five Ks, and he only walked one guy.
“He had 100 pitches, and Dahme came in and basically pitched the shutout second game. He’s a spot starter, he shares time at first base with Franczyk, who went to first base and played an excellent first base. Dahme pitched well.”
The Spartans pounded out 12 hits. Franczyk had a big day at the plate with a double, triple and two RBIs, and Jackson Pauwels was 3-for-7 with a double.
The Panthers were led by Jordan Rorer, who was 3-for-6. Kieran Versaw-Barnes was 2-for-4 with a double.
The one-run loss was the third in six games and second extra-inning contest for Cheltenham.
“I feel bad for Cheltenham,” Primavera said. “They had shots to win too. The kids made great plays to stop each other from scoring runs.
“It was a long game. I was trying to get some other games in at the end of the week because I don’t play until next week. I didn’t count on this game having basically 14 innings. I got my doubleheader in today.”
Springfield (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will host Upper Moreland next Tuesday, and Cheltenham (0-6, 0-4) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Springfield 001 120 000 000 1 5-12-3
Cheltenham 003 000 100 000 0 4-7-5
UPPER MORELAND 2, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
UM’s Tommy Jacob and HH’s Brian Edgington found themselves locked in a classic pitcher’s dual. Jacob, who had a no-hitter through four innings, earned the impressive win, allowing just three hits in a stellar outing on the mound. He walked two and struck out five.
“He did a great job of working ahead in the count,” UM coach Dan Heiland said. “He did a nice job of keeping their batters off balance – his off-speed and fastball were not predictable out there.
“Our guys made a lot of great plays behind him and really helped him out, and that’s how it works. He makes great pitches, and when guys make contact, he relies on the guys behind him to make the plays. So far this year, that’s really what’s propelled us forward in most of our games – our defense and our pitching.”
The neighboring squads have always had an intense rivalry, and the stakes are even higher now that the Hatters have moved into the American Conference.
“You know Hatboro is going to get a bunch of wins this season, so to get one on them early is definitely good for us,” Heiland said. “The fact that it’s a rival just makes it that much better.”
The Golden Bears scored the game’s only two runs in the top of the first. Randy Meehl worked a leadoff walk, and Ryan Lowry was safe on an error. Cole Kitchen replaced Lowry on the base paths, and both runner moved up a base on a groundout to second. Meehl raced home from third on another Hatter miscue.
“I told Randy if he felt he could make it to go,” Heiland said. “He got a great jump off the bat, he read it perfectly. We were fortunate enough that the third baseman felt rushed.
“He bobbled the ball, and Brandon Kohn beat the throw to first, and our pinch runner – Cole Kitchen – made a great heads up play, recognizing the throw and getting over to third base.”
Kevin Walder’s RBI groundout plated Kitchen, giving the Hatters a 2-0 lead that stood the rest of the way.
The Hatters threatened in the bottom of the fifth. Alex Crim led off with a single, and Jake Bianchini followed with a single of his own. Eddie Schultz then loaded the bases with a bunt single, but Jacob turned a grounder back to the mound into a home-to-first double play.
“I looked at Ryan Lowry, one of our senior captains, and I told him – ‘We’re all right. Just calm them down. Tommy’s got this,’” Heiland said of his message to his catcher after the Hatters loaded the bases. “One or two pitches later, their batter hit a ground ball back to Tommy. He made a great play throwing home, and Ryan threw a strike down to first.”
A groundout to second baseman Shawn Casey for the inning’s final out killed the Hatters’ threat. Casey was solid in the field all day, accounting for seven assists.
“We got out of the inning, and just like that, we had all the momentum,” Heiland said.
Crim tried to ignite a seventh inning rally when he was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning. Jake Bianchini hit a line drive to Meehl in centerfield that he fielded on one hop and threw out Crim at second base. The third and final out was recorded on a fly out.
“It was a great team win,” Heiland said. “Tommy Jacob pitched phenomenally, working ahead in the count and just keeping the batters off balance, and when they put the ball in play, our defense was very solid behind him.”
The Hatters wasted a glittering performance by Edgington, who allowed just three hits and no earned runs while striking out nine and walking one.
For the Golden Bears, the win was their third in four days as they improved to 4-0 and came on the heels of a walk-off win against Plymouth Whitemarsh on Saturday and a 10-1 win over Cheltenham on Monday.
“The top of our order has been our strength so far this season,” Heiland said. “Randy Meehl, Ryan Lowry, John Searles and Brandon Kohn have been doing a great job of getting on base by walks, by hits, and moving the guys in front of them ahead for RBIs.
“They really struggled against Cheltenham. Their pitcher did a great job against those guys, but our middle and back end of our lineup really stepped up yesterday, came up with big hits in crucial moments. A lot of them were with two outs, and we were able to get runs. We were able to take advantage of guys in scoring position and guys coming up in key spots getting big hits. We were just fortunate to get runs out of them.”
Upper Moreland (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Lower Merion in a non-league contest on Wednesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (2-2, 2-2) will be back in action Wednesday at home against Neshaminy at 11 a.m.
Upper Moreland 200 000 0 2-3-0
Hatboro-Horsham 000 000 0 0-3-2
Non-league
BENSALEM 6, UPPER MERION 0
Keith Rooney tossed a three-hit gem, striking out eight and walking just one in the complete game non-league win.
The Owls benefitted from an Upper Merion miscue to plate the only run Rooney would need in the first. They added a single run in the third and then all but put the game out of reach with a three-run outburst in the fifth. The inning was highlighted by doubles from Nicholas Dean and Trevor McGee.
Dean finished a productive afternoon with a team-high four RBIs while McGee had one. Both players were 2-for-3 with a run scored. Brian Swentkowski and Keith Parrish both had a hit and scored two runs out of the one and two holes for the Owls. Nick Bagnarelli also added a single to the Owls’ seven-hit attack.
UM senior Ray Scheier accounted for two of the Vikings’ three hits on the day. Sophomore Matthew Choi absorbed the loss on the mound.
Bensalem (2-1, 1-1 SOL) will host Norristown in a non-league game on Monday.
Bensalem 101 031 0 6-7-0
Upper Merion 000 000 0 0-3-5
WILLIAM TENNENT 2, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Chris Sliwka was in command on the mound for the Panthers, allowing just three hits wile striking out five and walking three in the complete game shutout.
The Panthers managed just five hits, but they made the most of them, plating all the runs Sliwka would need in a two-run fifth.
Cole Brown, the lone player to collect more than one hit, was 2-for-3 with one RBI. Xavier Delgado doubled and scored a run. His was the lone extra-base hit of the game. Danny Goodz singled and scored a run, David Scott accounted for the Panthers’ fifth hit.
Truman was led by the 2-for-3 effort of TJ Brasier. Dylan VanHorn was 1-for-1 off the bench for the Tigers.
Brian Aicher, who absorbed the loss, allowed three hits and two runs (both unearned) while walking three and striking out five in four innings. Cameron Culver threw two shutout innings in relief, allowing two hits and no walks while fanning three.
William Tennent (2-2, 1-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks South next Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (0-4, 0-3) will host Bensalem on Tuesday.
Harry S Truman 000 000 0 0-3-3
William Tennent 000 020 x 2-5-0
NORTH PENN 4, SPRING-FORD 3
In a non-league battle pitting two perennial powers, it was the Knights edging a Rams’ squad that is atop the PAC Liberty Division standings.
“Spring-Ford is a very good team,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said. “They are as advertised.
“They hit the ball hard all night, and they have a lot of good pitching. They’re obviously going to be there at the end of the year somewhere.”
The Knights scored three runs in the third inning only to watch the Rams plate two of their own in the bottom of the inning. North Penn added an insurance run in the sixth, and they needed it as the Rams scored a run in the seventh.
John Udzinski earned the win, allowing six hits and three runs (all unearned) while fanning six and walking one in 6.1 innings. Howie Spofford earned the save, slamming the door on a potential seventh inning rally.
“John Udzinski gave us a quality start,” Manero said. “Howie Spofford came in with the tying run on first base with one out in the seventh inning, and he came in and struck out two guys to get his first varsity save.”
Offensively, the Knights were led by Ryan Bealer (2-for-3, RBI) and Billy Collins (2-for-3, 2 RBIs). Dan Drop was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Nate O’Donnell singled and scored a run.
“We did a nice job,” Manero said. “Spring-Ford is a good quality opponent. They’re the kind of team that we know if we’re fortunate enough to put together a good regular season that we’re definitely going to see in May or June.”
North Penn (5-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday.
North Penn 003 001 0 4-6-2
Spring-Ford 002 000 1 3-6-2
PENNRIDGE 6, UPPER PERK 5
Mike Simpson had himself a day on Tuesday. The Rams’ junior pitcher not only picked up the win in relief, he also had a walk-off single with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to send Tyler Wright home with the winning run.
Simpson entered the game to start the seventh with the score tied 5-5 and faced nine batters in two scoreless innings of relief to close out the game.
The visiting Indians scored four runs in the second, but the Rams answered with three in the third. Upper Perk added a run in the sixth to go on top 5-3, but the Rams rallied to knot the score in the bottom of the inning, setting the stage for extra innings.
In a contest that saw both teams pound out 10 hits, Evan Freed (2-for-3) and Brendan Knouse (2-for-3) led the Rams. Wright had the Rams’ only extra base hit – a double. Knouse and Wright both had a pair of RBIs for the Rams while Simpson and Kolby Rush had one each.
Pennridge (4-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Wednesday for the second in a stretch of three games in three days.
Upper Perk 040 001 00 5-10-1
Pennridge 003 002 01 6-10-2
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