Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. Quakertown/CB West photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for BASEBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 8, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1
Junior Kayden Faulcon took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, turning in a stellar outing on the mound for the Falcons.
“He was excellent on the mound today,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “His fastball was electric, and his breaking ball had great bite, giving him a great line of 10 strikeouts to one walk, one hit, and 0.00 ERA today.
“Kayden saw significant innings for us last year and is a major piece of our rotation this year with 25 strikeouts in 12.1 innings so far. Junior Derek Dilorenzo came in to close the door on the final two innings with two strikeouts of his own.”
The Falcons put a pair of runs on the board in the third inning with Ryan Zuckerman delivering the big blow – a two-run double. They upped their lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning, thanks to a two-run single by Joe Tiroly.
The Golden Hawks made it a 4-1 game when they plated an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, the Falcons added three runs. An RBI double by Charlie Evans highlighted the inning. They added a run in the top of the sixth for the 8-1 final.
Leading the Falcons – who collected 11 hits off a trio of Rock South hurlers – were Charlie Evans (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) and Brody Travagline (2-for-4, run, RBI).
In their six wins combined this season, the Falcons have put 49 runs on the board.
For the Falcons, Zuckerman doubled and had two RBIs, junior Jackson Freeman added two RBIs, and sophomore Jordan Czerniak recorded his first varsity hit.
“We return a lot of experience,” Pesci said. “(Charlie) Evans, (Justin) Mitrovich, (Callan) Fang, (Ryan) Zuckerman, (Reese) Hirsh, (Joe) Tiroly all saw a ton of at-bats last year. (Jackson) Freeman, (Brody) Travagline, (James) Schaffer have come on strong this year to bolster our experienced lineup.
“What’s great about this team right now is when one or two of our main guys aren’t having a great game, the other guys in our lineup step up and pick them up. We struggled last year to put together big innings. We would load the bases or get second and third with less than two outs and come away with nothing. This year the guys are really competing more and making adjustments. We challenge them all the time with different approaches.
“Our league is filled with excellent pitching, so we are happy we are getting the production right now. We expect to see one of the best (Wednesday) and hope to continue to compete at the bat the way we have the past two games.”
Pennsbury (6-1, 3-1 SOL) will play its third game in as many days when it hosts Council Rock North on Wednesday, and Council Rock South (1-4, 0-4) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Wednesday.
Pennsbury 002 203 1 8-11-1
Council Rock South 000 010 0 1-2-2
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 11, PENNRIDGE 4
It’s always a special night playing under the lights in the 10,000-seat FirstEnergy Stadium – home of the Reading Phillies. While it was the Panthers who celebrated Senior Night, it was the Bucks celebrating the big win, but there was no mistaking this was a memorable night for both squads.
“It was something they’ll never forget, and it was all Quakertown,” West coach Brian Weaver said of the experience. “They set it up and handled the logistics. Jon (Pallone) does some pretty special things for those guys. I’m glad we got the chance to be a part of it.”
Max Slaymaker threw five strong innings to earn the win, allowing five hits and one run (unearned) while striking out seven and walking one. Matt Carr closed it out for the Bucks.
“Max Slaymaker had another big day on the mound,” Weaver aid. “In 11 innings of work this year, he’s only given up one (unearned) run so far.
“When you’re on and off the field so efficiently, you give your teammates a chance to rally behind you. He’s turned out to be a huge asset both on the mound and in the dugout for our program.”
The Bucks broke a scoreless tie in the top of fourth inning, benefitting from a hit batter, an error and a two-run double by Sam Greer. Greer scored on a wild pitch, and the Bucks led 3-0.
Highlights of a five-run fifth included RBI doubles by Aidan Quinn and Damian Thomas as well as singles by Connor Dobos, Greer and Bill Zentmayer (2 RBIs). The Panthers put three runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth to make it an 8-4 game, but the Bucks responded with three of their own in the top of the seventh to seal the 
Panthers’ fate. Matt Carr’s two-run home run to left field was the big blow.
“I was most impressed with our guys in the seventh,” Weaver said. “Bottom of sixth, we have that high school inning: soft hit that falls beyond the infield, walks, throwing it around. We’re up 8-1 and cruising, and now suddenly we give up three, it’s 8-4, and any team Jon Pallone coaches is never down for the count.
“But we came up in the bottom of the seventh, got a run across, and then Matt Carr homers, and we finish with three of our own to break it open again. That kind of resolve sort of defines these guys. They’ve done a really nice job responding to adversity on the field. And they’ve done it throughout the lineup.”
Carr was 3-for-5 with a double, home run, one run scored and two RBIs. Greer was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and three RBIs.
“Matt Carr and Sam Greer had huge nights at the plate,” Weaver said. “Both of them are hitting the ball hard right now and adjusting well to what they’re seeing. But more importantly, both of them have waited their turn and answered the bell when we’ve needed them to. With so many rainouts, the innings haven’t been there for everybody yet. Sam and Matt have both bided their time without complaint, and when their number is called, they answer in a huge way.”
Also for the Bucks, Quinn was 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Thomas was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and one RBI. Zentmayer was 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBIs. Max Grill was 2-for-3. Jackson Cunnane doubled, drove in a run and scored twice.
“Quinn has a big night as usual, but so does Damian Thomas,” Weaver said. “Max Grill quietly goes 2 for 3. Our big innings have sprung up from everywhere.”
For the Panthers, Brandon Pierce was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, and Peyton Kochel was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Central Bucks West (3-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Souderton on Wednesday, and Quakertown (1-3, 1-1) will host Abington on Wednesday.
Central Bucks West 000 350 3 11-13-2
Quakertown 000 103 0 4-8-4
SOL Liberty Division
HATBORO-HORSHAM 11, ABINGTON 1 (6 innings)
Timely hitting, solid defense and standout pitching.
It’s a winning combination every day of the week, and the Hatters got all three in Tuesday’s convincing win.
“We turned a couple of key double plays,” HH coach Pete Moore said. “Our starter, Steve Plefka, has thrown two games for us now. He was tremendous last week against PW, and today he didn’t have the exact same stuff he had last week, but he just competed and battled and got us through four-plus innings only allowing one run, and it’s unearned, and that really was big for Logan Fischer who came in and threw in relief. It was the best he’s thrown all year, which was huge because we have another league game tomorrow – three in three days. It allowed us to save pitching. Logan got through his two innings in less than 25 pitches, so he’s available again, and we have a couple of other pitchers that are still available. It was a big effort by Plefka getting us as deep into the game as he did.”
Plefka scattered six hits in four-plus innings, allowing one run (unearned) while striking out five and walking four. Fischer closed out the game, allowing one hit in two shutout innings while striking out one and walking one.
Trey Porter led off the top of the first with a single and stole second. Two outs later, Will Bruner lined an RBI single to right, spotting the Hatters a 1-0 lead. They added three unearned runs in the third inning without the benefit of a hit.
In the bottom of the third, the Ghosts got on the scoreboard when Anthony Ehly, who collected a two out single, scored on a single by Matt Worek.
A three-run fourth inning by the Hatters was highlighted by RBI doubles by both Fischer and Zach Greenberg as well as singles by Porter and J Elwell (RBI). The Hatters led 7-1, and they weren’t finished yet. They added two runs in both the fifth and sixth, bringing an early end to the contest.
“Anything you can do to shorten up the week with the number of pitches guys are going to throw is great,” Moore said. “Abington is coming off a big win yesterday over PW. That was a big win for us today.”
Bruner’s 3-for-4 effort with a double, run scored and two RBIs led the Hatters.
“Everything he hit was just hard,” Moore said.
Fischer was 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run scored and two RBIs.
“It’s funny how those things lead into each other,” Moore said. “Two big hits at the plate and then he comes out on the mound and throws extremely well. They kind of go hand in hand. It gives you a little bit of confidence.”
Porter was a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair or walks, two runs scored and three stolen bases out of the leadoff spot.
“Trey Porter continues to do what Trey Porter does,” Moore said. “He’s exceptional. In my opinion, he’s the best player in the league. He was 2-for-2 again today, two walks at the top of the order. He’s getting on base all the time. He’s a special player.”
For the Ghosts, Ehly was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-2, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Wednesday, and Abington (2-3, 1-3) will be on the road at Quakertown on Wednesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 103 332 x 11-10-1
Abington 001 000 x 1-7-5
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