Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday. Quakertown/CB East photos provided courtesy of Becca Compo.
SOL American Conference
Hatboro-Horsham 3, Cheltenham 1
Benny Wilson threw 6 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball, before turning the ball over to Jimmy Tooley for the final two outs, as Hatboro-Horsham recorded a no-hitter and edged Cheltenham 3-1 in an SOL American Conference game on Thursday.
Wilson allowed just one unearned run in the top of the fifth, but was otherwise close to perfect, walking three and striking out seven.
Tooley needed just seven pitches in the seventh to finish off the Panthers.
Ironically, Cheltenham held the first lead of the game in the fifth, Francisco Lopez scored from third on an error on a pickoff play at first, but the Hatters would answer right back with three critical runs in the bottom of the inning.
Jackson Treski and Ryley Robinson reached base with one-out singles, and both scored on a triple to right field by Tooley as H-H took its first lead of the game at 2-1. An RBI ground out by Jake Bianchini scored Tooley to make it 3-1.
And that would be all the run support that Wilson would need.
Lukas Nakkula was the hard-luck losing pitcher for Cheltenham, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing the three earned runs on four hits, while striking out six. Antonio Garcia pitched 1 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings of relief, striking out three.
Third baseman Alex Bugg made several outstanding defensive plays for the Panthers.
The Hatters (8-2, 4-1 SOL), now in a three-way tie for first atop the SOL American standings, host Abington on Monday. Cheltenham (3-3, 3-2 SOL) is back in action Monday at home against Springfield.
Cheltenham 000 010 0 – 1 0 2
Hatboro-Horsham 000 030 x – 3 4 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10, Upper Dublin 0 (5 innings)
Plymouth Whitemarsh created a bit of chaos at the top of the SOL American Conference and did so convincingly, blowing out previously unbeaten (in the league) Upper Dublin 10-0 in five innings via the mercy rule.
Kevin Reilly and Ben Mascio had three hits each for the Colonials, while Joe Jaconski and Daulton Carlisle had two hits each. Overall, eight different players contributed to a 14-hit attack.
On the mound, Brett Bottinger picked up the shutout win, allowing just three hits and one walk, while striking out five.
“Brett Bottinger had his first start on the mound in 13 days and just pounded the strike zone from the first inning on,” said PW coach Chris Manero. “We had a great day at the plate, but certainly don’t want that overshadow how good Brett was for us.
“He’s a senior and one of our captains, and today was the kind of performance we look for from guys like him.”
PW started it in the top of the first, as a double by Mascio scored Joe Jaconski. It then added two in the second on a Zach Radican RBI single and then an error, and five in the third, the big hit an RBI triple by Jaconski.
Freshman Jesse Jaconski hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the fifth, his first varsity hit, and a Reilly RBI single ended the game later in the inning.
“We had a nice balanced attack throughout the lineup today,” Manero said.
PW, Upper Dublin and Hatboro-Horsham are tied for first in the SOL American after Thursday.
PW (4-3, 4-1 SOL) plays at Upper Moreland on Monday.
Upper Dublin (5-3, 4-1 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Friday afternoon.
Upper Dublin 000 00 – 0 3 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 125 02 – 10 14 2
Wissahickon 11, Abington 3
Wissahickon scored five runs in the top of the first inning and left no room for doubt, running away with an 11-3 win over Abington in an SOL American Conference game on Thursday.
The Trojans were led by Eddie Fortescue, who went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Bobby McFarland was 2-for-2 with a double, a triple and three RBIs. Brian Menhardt had two triples. Overall as a team, they finished with 13 hits, including seven than went for extra bases.
“Offensively, Eddie Fortescue, Bobby McFarland, Brian Menhardt and Jackson Tappen had multiple hits and great at-bats,” said Wissahickon coach Andy Noga. “Bobby McFarland came up with a couple clutch hits for us to help extend the lead.”
In the critical first inning, all of Wissahickon’s damage came with two outs. A bases loaded walk to McFarland scored Brian Hynes to make it 1-0, followed by a two-run double by Joel Bjordammen and a two-run single by Tappen.
Trailing 6-0, host Abington did score a pair in the bottom of the third on a two-run single by Justin Cunnane, but the Galloping Ghosts would get no closer.
After tacking on a run in the fifth, Wissahickon put the game away with four in the sixth, including a two-run single by Sam Junker, and RBI doubles by Joe Hornig and Fortescue.
On the mound, Trojans starter Tyler Friedman allowed two earned runs over five innings, scattering four hits and three walks, while striking out three. Gio D’Amore did not allow an earned run in two innings of relief, striking out four.
“We got out to an early lead and Tyler Friedman did a great job going out and challenging the Abington hitters and trusting our defense,” Noga said. “He pitched awesome. Really proud of him.”
Wissahickon (3-4, 2-3 SOL) is back in action Friday with another important conference game at Upper Dublin. Abington (2-6, 1-5 SOL) plays at Pennridge in a nonleague game on Friday.
Wissahickon 501 014 0 – 11 12 1
Abington 002 000 1 – 3 7 2
Upper Moreland 7, Springfield 0
Upper Moreland pounded out nine hits and snapped a three-game conference losing streak to defeat Springfield 7-0 on Thursday.
Leading the way for the Golden Bears was Jack Dombrowski, who went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Ryan Gibbs went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Connor O’Donnell went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Colin Bates picked up the win on the mound for UM with a complete-game six-hitter. He walked two and struck out eight.
Upper Moreland (2-3, 1-3 SOL) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday.Springfield (2-4, 1-4 SOL) has a nonleague game scheduled for Friday at home against Bensalem.
Upper Moreland 000 016 0 – 7 9 0
Springfield 000 000 0 – 0 6 2
SOL National Conference
Bensalem 3, Harry S Truman 2
Matt Silano’s RBI single scored David Barnett as Bensalem rallied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to edge Harry S. Truman in walk-off fashion 3-2 on Friday. It was Bensalem’s second SOL National win of the week.
Truman broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning. Bensalem answered with one in the home sixth, as a Damon Lavender grounder to second scored Silano.
It then came down to the seventh, which started with a Ryan Rooney single. With two outs, Barnett walked and Austin Shay tied the game with an RBI single to right field. Silano’s single to center plated Barnett from second to win the game.
Silano finished 2-for-4 for the game.
On the mound, Logan Young pitched five shutout innings, scattering three hits and five walks, while striking out two. Keith Rooney pitched the final two innings, and picked up the win.
With the win, Bensalem improved to 3-2 overall and in the conference. It will play at Springfield in a nonleague game on Friday. Truman (2-4, 1-2 SOL) has a nonleague game Saturday morning (10:30 a.m.) at Archbishop Wood.
Harry S. Truman 000 002 0 – 2 7 0
Bensalem 000 001 2-3 7 2
Pennsbury 15, Council Rock South 2
With 15 runs on 11 hits, Pennsbury finished off Council Rock South 15-2 in five innings with the mercy rule on Thursday. The Falcons were led by Justin Fogel, who went 2-for-2 with a triple and six RBIs, while R.J. Huth went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
“We came out against (William Tennent on Tuesday) and we had a bunch of hits, but we just weren’t able to string any together,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci. “Early today, we had some shots. Shane Marlin hit two nice line drives and Sean Doherty had one but they didn’t fall. Then, as they stayed on those at-bats, we took advantage of some walks and we were able to string some hits together.
“We actually had some kids come up who weren’t starters, who came up with some first-time varsity hits. It’s nice when we can win a tight game against Tennent, and then come out today and put up 15 runs.”
It started in the first inning for the Falcons, as they loaded the bases with one out. Fogel’s sacrifice fly to left scored one and then a second scored on an error.
In the third, Pennsbury up its lead to 5-0, thanks to a pair of walks, a two-run triple to right field by Fogel and then a two-run single by Huth.
“Fogel coming up with that triple to right field and then another (hit) later, that’s huge,” Pesci said. “Again, these guys are seniors that have played and gotten at-bats, but just didn’t get theirs yet. It’s finally starting to come together for us.”
Pennsbury scored four in the fourth and six in the fifth to put up the 15 runs and force the mercy rule. In that fifth, Evan Urglavitch, Jake Shilling and Alex Martin all had pinch-hit singles.
On the mound, Shane Ostrowsky pitched four shutout innings for the Falcons, allowing just three hits and not walking a battler, while striking out six.
Jared Ennis had a two-run single for CR South in the bottom of the fifth.
Pennsbury (7-2, 4-0 SOL) hosts Harry S. Truman on Monday. CR South (2-3, 0-3 SOL) is off to the Ripken Complex in Myrtle Beach, S.C. where it will play two scrimmages and two nonleague games over the weekend.
Pennsbury 203 46 – 15 11 1
CR South 000 02 – 2 4 3
Neshaminy 6, William Tennent 5
Joe Kaleck’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth scored Chris James from third and proved to be the winning run as Neshaminy survived a scare and remained undefeated with a 6-5 SOL National win over visiting William Tennent Thursday.
Kaleck finished with three RBIs on the day for Neshaminy, as did shortstop Cory Joyce, who was 4-for-4 with a home run and two doubles. Gus Natelli was 2-for-3, as the top three hitters in the batting order ended up 7-for-10 on the game.
“Our offense struggled today with situational hitting,” said Neshaminy coach Dan Toner. “We left a lot of guys on base. Luckily, our team captains – Joyce, Natelli and Kaleck – came up big and won us this game on offense and defense.
“Cory dominated on offense, and Natelli, along with his offense, had a huge throw out at the plate to end the game. Kaleck has been on fire to start the season. These guys are doing a fantastic job of leading our team.”
But by no means was this an easy game for Neshaminy as it surrendered two runs in the top of the first, and after battling back to go up 3-2, saw Tennent scored three times in the top of the third to grab a 5-3 advantage.
Alex Tuburcio’s two-run double in the top of the first gave the Panthers the early advantage, but Neshaminy answered, as a double by Kaleck plated two in the bottom of the first. Joyce’s RBI double in the second scored Josh Martoccio to put the home team in front 3-2.
The Tennent top of the fifth, saw an Alex Wadsworth single score Kip Mooney to tie it at 3. Wadsworth would later score on an error, and then Sean Zolk scored on a sacrifice by D.J. Dickson to make it 5-3.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Neshaminy’s Joyce tied the game at 5 with a two-run homer to left field.
Jake Fehrle battled through 6 1/3 innings on the mound to pick up the win, allowing four earned runs and seven hits. Liam DelGuerico recorded the final two outs in a top of the seventh that saw Tennent load the bases.
“Fehrle had another nice out and got the win, with freshman DelGuerico closing it out,” Toner said.
Neshaminy (7-0, 5-0 SOL) is off until Wednesday when it hosts Pennsbury in a game that will likely be for first place in the SOL National. Tennent (3-3, 0-3 SOL) hosts Lower Moreland in a nonleague game on Friday.
William Tennent 200 300 0 – 5 8 3
Neshaminy 210 210 x – 6 10 3
SOL Continental Conference
Quakertown 5, Central Bucks East 2
Justin Butler went 3-for-4 and had a critical two-run double in the bottom of the sixth as Quakertown slipped past Central Bucks East by a 5-2 score on Thursday.
Quakertown pounded out 12 hits, including two each by Adam Ritter, Mason Hicks and Ben Eichorn, and received solid starting pitching from Matt Ciarrocchi to pick up the win. Ciarrocchi pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits and just one walk, while striking out six. Dennis Pierce picked up the save with a 12-pitch seventh inning, which included one strikeout.
“Our guys love the game and love a challenge,” said Panthers coach Jon Pallone. “Matt Ciarrocchi threw well and we made the plays behind him. Offensively, we found ways to get on base.”
This one was close and back-and-forth throughout.
A Mason Hicks double put Quakertown up in the first, only to see CB East answer with one in the top of the second as Colin Weber stole home. The Panthers went back in front with an RBI double by Nolan Byrnes in the bottom of the second. The Patriots countered again in the third, as a Weber ground out scored Nick Bitsko from third to make it a 2-2 game.
That’s where the score stood until the fifth, when Quakertown went back in front on a wild pitch that scored Griffin Kelley. Up 3-2, Butler’s two-out double to score Hicks and Kelley in the sixth provided the final margin of victory.
Quakertown (6-1, 3-1 SOL) remained one game out of first in the SOL Continental with the victory, tied with CB South and behind only unbeaten Souderton. The Panthers play at CB East on Monday.CB East (2-5, 1-4 SOL) has a nonleague game Saturday morning (10 a.m.) at Interboro.
CB East 011 000 0 – 2 3 2
Quakertown 110 012 x – 5 9 1
North Penn 10, Central Bucks West 2
Defending SOL Continental champ North Penn snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the first time in conference play with a 10-2 victory over visiting CB West on Thursday.
Senior catcher Jake Drelick went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs to lead a nine-hit offensive attack for the Knights. Jake Morello went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Connor Ertel was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
On the mound, Josh Lowe picked up his first varsity win, allowing just two earned runs, scattering six hits and three walks and striking out five. Jason Beideman came out of the bullpen and worked the final 1 1/3 innings, walking just one and striking out two.
“It was obviously a much needed win,” said Knights coach Kevin Manero. “Josh Lowe came out today and threw a ton of strikes and it was good to see a bunch of guys get more confident in the box.”
At the plate, North Penn jumped up right from the start, with two runs in the first, and then blew the game wide open with five runs in the bottom of the third to make it 8-0.
“We’ve been putting together pretty tenacious at-bats all year and getting good starting pitching, so we know we’re close to getting it all to click,” Manero said. “It won’t get any easier next week, so we have to keep approaching at-bats the right way and carry over some of the confidence we saw our guys get back today.”
Rhys Nicholas went 2-for-4 with a triple to lead CB West.
North Penn (3-5, 1-3 SOL) is back in action Saturday morning (11 a.m.) when it hosts Parkland in a nonleague game. CB West (5-3, 2-2 SOL) hosts Quakertown in a conference game on Monday.
CB West 000 002 0-2 6 3
North Penn 215 101 x-10 9 1
Souderton 9, Pennridge 3
Souderton rallied from a two-run deficit to tie the game in the fourth and then scored six runs in the fifth to down Pennridge 9-3 at Second Street Playground on Thursday.
“We hit the ball well today, pounding out 12 hits,” said Indians coach Mike Childs. “Four guys – (Conlan) Wall, (Luke) Taylor, (Frank) Pollock and (Dylan) Kummery – had two hit games.”
Paul Croyle went 2-for-3 to lead the Pennridge offensive attack, while Jack Goddess drove in two runs.
After a Taylor single briefly put Souderton in front in the top of the first, the host Rams countered with three of their own courtesy of a two-out rally that saw a single by Goddess score both Anthony Helbling and Croyle, while Nick Christ crossed the plate on an error to make it a 3-1 game.
That’s where the score stood until the fourth, when Souderton tied it up, as Pollock scored Jacob Horton with an RBI single and then Pollock himself later scored on an error.
Singles by Hogan Despain, Wall and Taylor loaded the bases to start the fifth, and a Horton double scored all three and put the Indians in front for good. An error, an RBI single by Kummery and a sac fly by Norbeck blew the game wide open later in the inning.
Taylor picked up the win on the mound for Souderton, allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out 11 in five innings. Horton finished the game off with two shutout innings of relief.
“After settling in after the first inning, Luke Taylor pitched very well and went on to pitch five more innings,” Childs said.
Souderton (7-1, 5-0 SOL) remains in first in the SOL Continental and is next in action Monday against SOL National co-leader Neshaminy at Harleysville Community Center. Pennridge (1-5, 0-4 SOL) will look to snap a four-game losing streak Friday when it hosts Abington in a nonleague game.
Souderton 100 260 0 – 9 12 3
Pennridge 300 000 0 – 3 7 4
Non-conference
Council Rock North 3, Central Bucks South 2
An RBI single by Ryan Stalker with one out in the bottom of the seventh scored Andrew Mancini from second as Council Rock North rallied with two runs in the final inning to knock off Central Bucks South in a nonconference cross-over game which will count toward both team’s District One power points.
Pat Kusters went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for CR North, including an RBI single right before Stalker’s at bat, to tie the game at 2 in the seventh. Stalker finished 2-for-4.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Indians.
“It was a great come-from-behind win against a top tier team in the SOL,” said CR North coach Matt Schram. “CB South is a well-coached and disciplined team on all facets of the game.”
This was mostly a pitchers’ duel from the start between CR North’s Alex Estrada and CB South’s Ryan Rieber.
Estrada went 6 2/3 innings before being removed in the seventh inning as he reached the 100-pitch maximum, allowing just two earned runs on five hits, without walking a batter. He also struck out five. Pete Sodano recorded the final out in the top of the seventh and ended up with the win.
“Alex did a great job keeping (CB South’s) powerful lineup off balance,” Schram said.
On the other side, Rieber went five innings, threw 77 pitches, allowing just one earned run and scattering five hits and four walks. He struck out three.
A Kusters RBI single made it 1-0 CR North in the bottom of the first, but CB South answered right back as a Connor McKeown single scored Mike Marino. The Titans later took the lead in the fifth, as a two-out single by Jake McKeown scored Connor McKeown.
Neither team would score again until the Indians’ seventh inning rally against the CB South bullpen.
CB South (4-2, 3-1 SOL) is back in action Friday with a nonleague home game against Downingtown East. CR North (2-3, 0-3 SOL) returns to league play Monday when it hosts Bensalem.
CB South 010 010 0 – 2 5 3
CR North 100 000 2 – 3 7 1
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