Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. Pennsbury/Bensalem photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Wissahickon/Quakertown photos courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f12122253 (NP/Souderton photos courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball)
SOL Patriot Division
Pennsbury 6, Bensalem 0
Kayden Faulcon and the Falcons bounced back from their first loss of the season with a shutout of Bensalem, in a game that saw Faulcon and Connor McCloskey combine for a rare no-hitter.
“Obviously, Kayden going six innings with 10 strikeouts is phenomenal,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci. “He did go deep into counts and walked a few guys, but six innings of no-hit ball and then McCloskey comes in and finishes it off, is amazing. That’s something that doesn’t happen too often in high school ball.”
Faulcon scattered five walks and was forced to leave the game after six innings and 103 pitches. McCloskey had a walk and a strikeout in a scoreless seventh.
Offensively, Pennsbury had its chances, and took advantage with two in the third and two more in the fifth and six innings. Ryan Zuckerman had a two-run double in the third, Joe Tiroly had a two-run double of his own in the fifth, and then the sixth saw LJ Nelson and Charlie Cordisco lead off with back-to-back doubles, with the final run later scoring on a bases loaded walk
.
“We had a slow start again,” Pesci said. “Against CR South, we got off to a slow start and lost. We started slow against Truman, but we came back to win. For Faulcon to keep us in it, and then we got a couple runs in the third inning, but it was huge for him to keep us in it.
“We had guys on base, but we weren’t having productive outs. We weren’t getting runs in and we had an opportunity to score a few more runs.”
Cordisco accounted for two of Pennsbury’s five hits, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored.
Pennsbury (6-1, 3-1 SOL) is off until Monday when it plays at Council Rock North.
Bensalem (0-5, 0-4 SOL) hosts Harry S. Truman on Thursday.
Bensalem 000 000 0 – 0 0 2
Pennsbury 002 022 x – 6 5 0
Harry S. Truman 6, Neshaminy 1
Close in its first two Patriot Division games this season, Truman had another chance to break through Tuesday and did so with a strong statement, a 6-1 win over visiting Neshaminy on the back a stellar effort from right-hander Ryan Cavanaugh.
“This is our third league game,” said first-year Tigers coach Brian Sinkiewicz. “We lost 1-0 to Council Rock North and were up 2-0 on Pennsbury before they came back and beat us 6-3. Our pitching has been unbelievable. They’ve kept us in every game. And our bats are starting to believe in themselves.
“It always helps to have Ryan Cavanaugh on the mound. He was absolutely locked in today.”
Cavanaugh went the distance, allowing one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out 10 in a 94-pitch effort.
Neshaminy’s only run was a Robert Harrison solo home run in the top of the seventh.
“He’s had a couple bad breaks here and there,” Sinkiewicz said about Cavanaugh. “Last year, he won at Pennridge, he pitched well against North Penn; he just competes out there. Pitching is his craft, and he works hard. Not just on game days, but he works hard in practice too.”
Jayden Gaines had the first big hit for the Tigers, a two-run single in the bottom of the third. He then stole second and a run scored from third on the throw.
Wyatt Spinks had a two-run triple to center field in the fourth and then scored on a Cavanaugh sac fly to make it 6-0.
“It’s something we’ve been stressing to our guys,” Sinkiewicz said. “Do you job, compete, do what you need to do, not being selfish. Just believe in each other. The moment is not too big for our guys.”
Truman (2-2,1-2 SOL) looks for two in a row Thursday when it plays at Bensalem.
Neshaminy (5-2, 3-2 SOL) also next plays against Bensalem, at home on Monday.
Neshaminy 000 000 1 – 1 5 3
Harry S. Truman 003 300 x – 6 4 0
SOL Colonial Division
CB East 4, Pennridge 1
Xavier Sjostedt struck out 11 batters in 4 ⅓ innings, before giving way to Mike Scafidi, who pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen, as CB East took care of business against Pennridge on Tuesday afternoon.
“Xavier did a nice job today,” said Patriots coach Kyle Dennis. “He had a great first inning, walked the leadoff hitter in second and (Pennridge was able to) string together and get one run. But he pitched competitively. It was a nice day for him, exactly what we like to get out of No. 2 starter.”
Trailing 1-0, CB East took the lead for good with two in the bottom of the third, starting with a leadoff home run by sophomore shortstop Chase Fulford.
“That kind of got us going a little bit,” Dennis said. “We were popping out a little too much, and then he hit a missile to center field that got out in a hurry. Reese Moody then had a hard-hit ball, stole second and came around to score (on a Nolan Behm single).
“If you make hard contact, good things will happen. We have a lot of guys that can really swing the bat, and a lot of guys that can put a ball over the fence. But we’re going to face good pitching day in and day out. You have to make good contact to win games.”
A Colin Lynch RBI single scored a run in the fourth, and then Thomas Cano-Piszel wrapped up the scoring with an RBI single in the sixth.
Fulford, Behm and Lynch all had two hits on the day for East.
The Patriots (2-3, 2-1 SOL) next play at Souderton on Thursday.
Pennridge (0-7, 0-3 SOL) plays at CB West on Thursday.
Pennridge 010 000 0 – 1 2 1
CB East 002 101 x – 4 8 0
Central Bucks West 9, Central Bucks South 5
CB West jumped ahead in the second inning and led the rest of the way, holding off CB South in a game held under the lights at South.
Senior Julio Ermigiotti worked around trouble all game, scattering one walk and five hits, while striking out seven, before giving way to Cayden Wertz in the seventh.
“Our win starts with Julio Ermigiotti,” said West coach Brian Weaver. “After three years, we’re running out of adjectives to describe what he brings to the team. He gives us a chance in every game, and the last two games he’s gone out against our rival schools and worked great games with Max McGlone.
“He kept his pitch count low through the early part of the game, and he controlled all of his pitches. Regardless of what we did at the plate, he put us in a spot to win.”
Trailing 1-0 in the second, the Bucks took the lead on a two-out, two run single by Michael Koldhoff.
Alex Valdes had a two-run home run for West in the fourth to make it 4-1.
After South cut it to 4-2 on a Hunter Petrich RBI single in the fifth, West scored three times in the sixth, thanks to a Luke Birkhead double, a McGlone RBI single, a pair of errors and a dropped third strike.
Quinn Illig hit a two-run home run to round out West’s scoring in the seventh.
Petrich hit a two-run double as South pulled within four runs in the bottom of the seventh, but Wertz came in and was able to get out of the inning by recording the final two outs of the game.
“The most critical element for our lineup tonight was balance,” Weaver said. “Every hitter reached base tonight, six different guys swiped bags, they took advantage of walks and errors, and they produced late runs all across the lineup in the sixth and seventh that ended up being the difference.”
With the win, CB West improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SOL. It is back home Thursday against Pennridge.
CB South (1-3, 1-2 SOL) plays at North Penn Thursday.
CB West 020 203 2 – 9 6 2
CB South 100 010 3 – 5 6 2
Souderton 8, North Penn 7 (8 innings)
Giving up six runs to an undefeated North Penn team, on the road and in the bottom of the first inning, wasn’t the ideal start for Souderton.
But there was a lot of baseball left for the Indians, who chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the game in the sixth, forcing extra innings
with a run in the seventh and then winning the game with a run in the top of the eighth.
“It was a wild one,” said Souderton coach Mike Childs. “It seems it is always a battle at their place.
“Today was definitely a team win. Our pitching struggled early going down by six in the first, but Austin Kreyenhagen and Tyler Lutz did a great job coming in and holding (North Penn) to one run the rest of the game. It allowed us to chip away at their lead as the game went on.”
An error and two walks loaded the bases for North Penn in the bottom of the first. Chase Jones scored a run with an RBI single, Ben Farley followed with a two-RBI single and later three bases loaded walks scored to make it a 6-0 game early.
Souderton scored a run in the second and then another in the fifth, and then in the top of the sixth, put four runs across to tie the game at 6.
Tyler Lutz scored one with a sac fly, Kaden Pasternak drove in another on a ground out and then a Zach Pollock RBI single and an error ended up tying the game.
North Penn came right back with a run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Hunter Wetzel.
Souderton was down to its last out in the seventh, when Lutz delivered with an RBI single to tie it against and force extra innings.
Lutz then came on to pitch with a runner on in the bottom of the seventh and ended the threat with a strikeout to end the inning.
A sac fly by Chris McKenna in the top of the eighth gave the Indians their first lead of the game, and Lutz set the Knights down in order in the bottom of the eighth.
“I was very impressed with Tyler Lutz today at the plate and coming in to close out the last two innings on the mound,” Childs said. “This was his first varsity experience with pressure on him in a big game and he stepped up like an experienced varsity player. I am happy for him and the team with this comeback league win.”
Connor Klock (2-for-4, 2b, RBI, R) and K Pasternak (2-for-4, RBI, 2R) led the Indians’ nine-hit attack
For the Knights, Farley was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, Brady Dolder was 2-for-5 with a run, and Mario Sgro was 2-for-4.
Souderton (3-2, 2-1 SOL) hosts CB East on Thursday.
North Penn (4-1, 2-1 SOL) hosts CB South on Thursday.
Souderton 010 014 11 – 8 9 2
North Penn 600 001 00 – 7 8 2
SOL Liberty Division
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7, Hatboro-Horsham 3
Dylan Robinson worked around baserunners on day and did so effectively as he went the distance and threw just 87 pitches in Plymouth Whitemarsh’s quality SOL Liberty Division win over Hatboro-Horsham.
“We got another really strong outing from Robinson today,” said PW coach Chris Manero. “The adage in baseball is that much of what happens for a team starts on the mound, and I think Dylan has proven that in his starts so far. He’s a competitor and doesn’t take any pitches off.
“I thought our defense today was a big factor. We made big plays that open your eyes, and also did a lot of little things right that might have been off the radar but had a significant impact.”
Robinson scattered 13 hits and one walk, while striking out three. After Hatboro-Horsham scored two in the top of the first on an RBI single by Jaxson Bumpus and later a sacrifice by Kyle Dittus, Robinson allowed just one earned run the rest of the way.
Offensively, PW got one back in the second, as Colin Brady had a one-out triple and scored on Tyler Gartland’s two-out double.
One inning later, Johnny Giordano hit a three-run home run to give the Colonials the lead for good.
“At the plate, we executed with small ball and the long ball,” Manero said. “Tyler Gartland’s two-out RBI double that got us our first run and Giordano’s home run to take the lead were big hits, but equally as important were two crucial bunts executed by (Luke) Caucci and (Chase) Olszyk to help us add on some runs later on.”
Gartland’s 2-for-4 effort with a double and run scored led the Colonials.
For the Hatters, Trey Porter (2-for-4, R), Noah Schlosser (2-for-3), Stephen Plefka (2-for-4), Adriel Tiburcio o(2-for-2) and Aidan Eckley (2-for-3, HR, RBI, R) had multi-hit games.
PW (4-1, 3-0 SOL) plays at Upper Dublin on Thursday.
H-H (4-2, 1-2 SOL) looks to bounce back Thursday at home against Quakertown.
Hatboro-Horsham 200 000 1 – 3 13 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 013 030 x – 7 7 0
Wissahickon 11, Quakertown 0 (5 innings)
Four runs in the bottom of the first inning set the tone in this one, as Wissahickon jumped out early and put away Quakertown 11-0 in a five-inning, mercy rule shortened game on Tuesday afternoon.
“Just a complete team win,” said coach Andy Noga. “We really were firing on all cylinders.”
The first three hitters in the Trojans’ lineup reached base in the first, as Josh Palutis led off with a single, Jack O’Donnell was hit by a pitch and Justin Miller walked. A one-out single by Kasey Weiss scored two runs and then Finn Olszewski scored two more with a trip to right.
Miller had a RBI double in the second, and four straight singles – by Blake McClintic, Mark Severian, Luke Frank and Palutis – led to four more runs in the bottom of the third.
Wissahickon closed out the scoring with two more in the fourth, on an RBI single by Frank and a run-scoring ground out by Palutis, who finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Frank’s 3-for-3 day with two RBIs led the Trojans.
On the mound, Adam Hajdak went the distance with five shutout innings, scattering six hits and a walk, while striking out four.
“Hajdak did a great job pounding the zone and working quickly,” Noga said. “He induced a lot of routine plays that we made defensively.
“Offensively, we just did a great job of being hitterish, and in attack mode the moment we stepped in the box, all the way 1-9.
“Josh Palutis paces our offense in the leadoff spot. We feel like whenever we can get him on base we put ourselves in a great spot to have a big inning. Luke Frank did a great job at the plate today, drove the ball the other way and gave us a spark down in the lineup.”
Wissahickon (5-1, 3-1 SOL) plays at Abington on Thursday. Quakertown (1-5, 0-3 SOL) plays at Hatboro-Horsham
Quakertown 000 00 – 0 6 0
Wissahickon 414 2x – 11 11 0
Upper Dublin 5, Abington 3
Four runs in the bottom of the fifth and then clutch pitching in tough spots late lifted Upper Dublin to the 5-3 win over Abington Tuesday.
After starter Aidan McCarthy went 5 1/3 strong innings, Austin Dahl came in to record the final five outs, striking out three and shutting the door on Abington to pick up the save.
“Aidan McCarthy dominated for five innings,” said UD coach Ed Wall. “He only faced one past the minimum in those five innings. Best outing of the season. He keeps getting better.
“We played a stingy defense behind him today, with Joe Levis help catching some (base stealers).”
The game was a scoreless tie heading into the fifth.
Jared Levis and Eric Berman had back-to-back singles to lead off the inning, and then after a walk, a Dahl single drove in the first two runs of the game. Later, a two-out double by Bobby Keck scored a pair and just like that the Cardinals led 4-0.
Abington battled back in the sixth, starting with a leadoff double by Chase Wolff and then an RBI single by Gavin Grasso. A two-out single by Logan Moss cut the lead to 4-3, but that is as close as it would get.
With the tying run on base when he entered, Dahl recorded a strikeout and then an offensive interference call ended the inning. He then set the Galloping Ghosts down in order in the seventh.
An RBI bunt single by Berman gave UD an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.
“Offensively, it was nice to see the top of our order final come to life with Jared and Eric getting back-to-back singles and then Austin with his best hit of the season, driving in Berman, who was 3-for-3 for the day,” Wall said. “That set it up for Bobby Keck’s two-out, two-RBI shot over the left fielder’s head in the fifth.
“Austin came in and slammed the door in the sixth and seventh. We’re getting better (but) lots to improve on.”
UD (3-3, 3-1 SOL) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday.
Abington (1-4, 0-3 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Thursday.
Abington 000 003 0 – 3 6 0
Upper Dublin 000 041 x – 5 8 0
SOL Freedom Division
Upper Moreland 13, Springfield Twp 3
Sophomore left fielder Colson Campbell went 5-for-5 with two doubles, one run scored and four RBIs, leading an 11-hit effort for Upper Moreland in its huge win at Springfield on Tuesday afternoon.
“In all my years in baseball, I have seen a player have five hits, maybe twice, and I’m so happy for Colson to do something that special today,” said Golden Bears coach Jim Fasano. “Three of his hits were with two strikes, which shows how important it is to put the ball in play. Colson is a great kid and deserves all the success in the world.”
Pitcher Jimmy Torpey went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs, while Jackson Townsend was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Pat Kilgus had three RBIs for the Bears.
Torpey went the distance on the mound too, allowing only one earned run on five hits and no walks, while striking out nine in a 92-pitch outing.
“Jimmy Torpey continues his (Upper Moreland Hall of Fame) path, with another outstanding outing,” Fasano said. “Credit Springfield for stringing hits together to scratch out a few runs against the tough lefty. But as usual, Jimmy was awesome, and I don’t take his dominance for granted. He is also swinging the bat well and a big factor in our successes.
“The Townsend brothers were on base four times combined. Those guys are the engine that drives our offense and are pretty unstoppable on the bases. I’d like to have a race between (senior) Shawn and (freshman) Jackson to see who’s fastest.”
“Shawn Herbert is a great kid who works hard and is one of my favorites. He competes and has no fear.”
Also for UM, Jackson Townsend was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
UM (4-3, 3-2 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Thursday.
Springfield (2-1, 2-1 SOL) looks to bounce back at home against Lower Moreland.
Upper Moreland 321 212 2 – 13 11 1
Springfield 002 000 1 – 3 8 1
Cheltenham 2, William Tennent 1 (8 innings)
In a classic pitchers’ duel, Cheltenham’s Sam Batiancila and Finn Ivory combined on a one-hitter and the team picked up its first win of the season in extra innings by a 2-1 final score against William Tennent on Tuesday.
“My pitching just dominated today,” said Cheltenham coach Kevin Hite. “Sam’s a junior, and he was phenomenal today. We call him Sam ’Smooth’ Batiancila because he is smooth. He’s my ace, and he had a week-and-a-half off, so he was refreshed.
“When I saw him right before lunch at school, I asked him, ‘Are you ready?’ And he said he was ready. I knew once he came out in the first inning – he was throwing strikes. He was dealing today. He neutralized the top of their lineup.
“Our defense was phenomenal today. Defensively, I’m proud of them.”
Batiancila pitched seven innings, allowing just one run on one hit, with two walks and 11 strikeouts. He threw 99 pitches.
Ivory, a senior, struck out the side for a 1-2-3 eighth inning to pick up the win in relief.
Offensively, Cheltenham struck first with one run in the second, as Xavi Chanoine led off the inning with a single and later came around to score on an error.
Cheltenham’s Batiancila dominated and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, when Tennent’s Jordani Tiburcio tied it up with a solo home run to left.
Tennent starter Lucas Kimbrough pitched five innings, allowing just one run and giving his team a chance.
But in the bottom of the eighth, Cheltenham pulled out the victory, as Jade Fulmor led off with an infield single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly to center field by Chanoine.
“We didn’t hit the ball tremendously well today, but we got timely hits,” Hite said. “We needed this win. It was long overdue for the program, long overdue. We have a lot of young guys, with some of my seniors. Throughout the practices, me and my coaches, we stress that it’s time to get the monkey off our back. It was time. Once the weather changed, and it got warmer, it was time for our bats to wake up and start hitting the ball.
“As a unit, we really pieced this one together. I’m an aggressive coach. if I get runners on base, I’m moving them. I like to run, so that’s what we did today.”
Cheltenham (1-2, 1-2 SOL) looks to make it two in a row Thursday at Upper Moreland.
Tennent (1-3, 1-2 SOL) plays at New Hope on Thursday.
William Tennent 000 001 00 – 1 1 1
Cheltenham 010 000 01 – 2 4 1
Lower Moreland 7, New Hope-Solebury 1
Mason Tammaro pitched a complete-game four-hitter, allowing just four hits and two walks, while striking out nine to lift Lower Moreland to the win over visiting New Hope in Freedom Division action on Tuesday.
“It was another gutsy performance by Mason,” said LM coach Mike Guido. “It’s becoming his thing to step up for us when we need a win. He did it last year and is doing it again now as a junior. He’s an amazing student-athlete. He’s a leader on our team and role model to other students in the building.”
Offensively, LM started quickly with four runs in the bottom of the first, starting with a two-run triple by Matt Stolarski. Kevin Cronin added an RBI sac fly and then Kennedy drove in the fourth run with an RBI single.
That was plenty of support for Tammaro. LM added one run in the fifth on a wild pitch and two more in the sixth on a two-run home run by Xavier Gonzales to make it a 7-0 game.
The home team also had a big defensive effort from catcher Matt Dymowski.
“Matt Dymowski showed the league why he’s the best there is behind the dish,” Guido said. “He threw out three runners and is the brains behind the pitching game, calling the whole game. We have a great pitching coach, Keegan Smith, who is in Matt’s ear in between innings, giving him feedback. Matt translates that into the pitching game on the field.
“It was an early season win we needed to have. Looking forward to Thursday when we play Springfield.”
Lower Moreland improved to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the SOL.
New Hope (2-3, 1-2 SOL) hosts William Tennent on Thursday.
New Hope 000 001 0 – 1 4 0
Lower Moreland 400 012 x – 7 9 2
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