Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday. New Hope-Solebury/William Tennent photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f12122253
SOL Freedom Division
New Hope-Solebury 10, William Tennent 6
John Whalen and Saul Carmenini combined for the win on the mound, and at the plate New Hope-Solebury – after falling behind 4-0 early – scored 10 runs on eight hits, as the Lions rebounded from a slow start to get past visiting William Tennent on Thursday.
“John Whalen, our young lefty, learned to pitch with his ‘B’ game today in a tough back and forth game with Tennent,” said New Hope coach Tony
Vlahovic. “He was missing high, and Tennent made him pay in the first. We talked between innings and worked on starting all his pitches in a different area. I am proud of his mental approach and being more of a learner on the mound.
“Saul Carmenini came in for one out in the fourth and then his curveball was sharp and kept Tennent off balance.”
Julio Ybarra got Tennent started with a two-run triple in the top of the first and Evan Devor followed with a RBI single to make it 3-0. Another run scored on an error in the second and the lead was 4-0 heading into the third.
There, New Hope tied it up with four runs of its own and got its own offense started. Carmenini and Tyler Corino had back-to-back doubles to make it 4-2. A single by Whalen scored two runs and tied the game at 4.
The Lions scored three runs in the fourth on a two-run double by Brooks Saft and a bases loaded walk. In the sixth, after Tennent had trimmed it to 7-6, New Hope
put the game away with three more runs, including an RBI double by Nate Klossner.
“Our bats were hot from the third inning,” Vlahovic said. “The top of the order was hitting the ball hard in the gaps. Saul Carmenini had three hits and Brooks Saft had a triple and was excellent on the bases. Nate Klossner continued hitting the ball well with a double in the gap to scoring late innings runs.
“I loved our mental toughness today. Would have been real easy to fold up after the first, but the energy was good and few upperclassmen did a great job staying positive and setting an example for the younger players. Tennent is a tough team and well coached.”
Jordani Tiburcio (2-for-3, 1R) and Jackson Archibald (2-for-3) led the Panthers’ nine-hit attack.
New Hope (3-3, 2-2 SOL) plays at Upper Moreland on Monday.
Tennent (1-4, 1-3 SOL) hosts Lower Moreland on Monday.
William Tennent 310 101 0 – 6 9 4
New Hope 004 303 x – 10 8 2
Springfield Twp 11, Lower Moreland 5
Jack McKittrick, Jack Hartman and Ryan Marcino each had doubles as part of a nine-run sixth inning, as Springfield battled back from a 5-2 deficit to pull out the big home win over Lower Moreland.
“We waited until the sixth, but there were a lot of clutch hits,” said Springfield coach Dennis Primavera. “All three doubles were key. That’s what this team is capable of. We’re capable of putting that together at any time. If we stay close, we have a staff that can endure.
“In a 20-game schedule, it takes me, as a coach, usually 10 games to figure out what my players can do in what situations and what they can’t do. This is our fourth game of the season. We’re still learning to know each other. They’re learning how I coach, they’re learning what they still need to do. I have a very young team. The future might look well, but we’re dealing with the here and now. We’ll see what happens.”
In the critical sixth, Lower Moreland went up 5-2 with an RBI groundout by Andrew Dorval with the bases loaded.
A one-out single by Will Hastings scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 5-4 game. McKittrick followed with an RBI double to tie the game.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Marcino bashed a three-RBI double to left field. Hartman followed with his own RBI double. Three straight walks plated another run to make it an 11-5 game.
On the mound, Nolan Kidwell went three innings, Robert Hartman 2 2/3 and then Hastings finished it off with 1 1/3 shutout innings to pick up the win.
“For a change, Springfield has a number of pitchers that can throw strikes, so I have to use them,” Primavera said. “We’ll see what happens next week when I have three league games and a non-league game.”
“I put my second pitcher in (Robert Hartman). He gave up a few rows, but he kept it close. Eventually, I took him out and put Will Hastings in, and he didn’t give up any runs. That’s fine, but you have to have some offense.”
Matthew Caruso (2-for-4, RBI), Jack Hartman (2-for-4, 2B, RBI 2R) and Bashir Taufeeq (2-for-3, RBI, R) led the Spartans’ 12-hit attack.
“It was a good win,” Primavera said. “Tuesday’s loss against Upper Moreland was not a good showing, but today’s venture with Lower Moreland – they’re in our class in 4A.
“I think what happened today (is) they had a game Tuesday and so did we. I think they ran out of pitching, and I still had a couple left. It was a long game. There’s no speed-up rules in high school. It was a seven-inning game that was 3 1/2 hours.
“I tell these guys – they need to stay close in games. We have the offensive hitters to put together a good inning. In smatterings, we can do it, but our pitching staff has to keep everybody close. It was 5-2, and we didn’t give up any more runs. I went through three pitchers today, I went through a bunch on Tuesday.”
Springfield (3-1, 3-1 SOL) next plays at Cheltenham on Monday.
Lower Moreland (3-2, 2-2 SOL) plays at William Tennent on Monday.
Lower Moreland 102 101 0 – 5 6 0
Springfield 100 109 x – 11 12 2
Upper Moreland 8, Cheltenham 2
Four runs in the bottom of the first got Upper Moreland started in the right direction, and the Golden Bears had a big effort from freshman pitcher Luke Sword on the mound on the way to the win over visiting Cheltenham on Thursday.
Sword allowed just one earned run in four innings, before giving way to Alex Best, who went three innings, struck out five and didn’t allow an earned run in relief.
“We played pretty well, good enough to win and I’m excited for both Luke and Alex,” said UM coach Jim Fasano. “We asked Luke to come up and start for us because he’s been dealing on jayvee, and we got about what we expected. He threw 77 pitches, 48 of which were strikes. Luke is going to have a great career ahead of him.
“Alex has a ton of talent and can be a real difference maker for us.”
Offensively, Shawn Townsend, Pat Kilgus and Jackson Townsend had two hits each for the Bears.
Shawn Townsend led off the first with a single to left. He went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Kilgus RBI single. Colson Campbell later added a two-out RBI single, while two errors led to the other two runs.
Kilgus added an RBI single in the second to put UM up 5-0 and the home team was on its way to the win.
“Jackson Townsend is just a ball player,” Fasano said. “And so is his brother, Shawn. I’m just grateful to be able to coach kids like them.
“Pat Kilgus has the ability to be one of the best hitters in the area, and he’s starting to put it together. Remember, the kid is only a sophomore.”
Finn ‘Marsh’ Kopp’s two hits led the Panthers.
UM (4-3, 3-2 SOL) hosts New Hope-Solebury on Monday.
Cheltenham (1-3, 1-3 SOL) has a nonleague game Saturday at MaST Charter
Cheltenham 000 100 1 – 2 3 7
Upper Moreland 410 003 x – 8 9 2
SOL Liberty Division
Upper Dublin 9, Plymouth Whitemarsh 3
A six-run bottom of the third inning was the difference, as Upper Dublin moved into a first-place tie in the Liberty Division with a convincing win over previously unbeaten Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday afternoon.
“I’m really proud of our guys (with) today’s result,” said UD coach Ed Wall. “Their hard work is starting the show.
“We put the ball in play today. We put a priority on putting the ball in play and the boys did a great job of that.”
Starter Chase Sunday and relievers Jacob Cornbluth and Westley Gill combined on the mound for the Flying Cardinals. Sunday went three innings, giving way to Cornbuth, who allowed just one hit and one walk in three shutout innings to pick up the win. Gill closed out the game with a scoreless seventh inning.
“Chase, Jacob and Wes did a great job on the mound, holding back PW’s bats,” Wall said.
The visiting Colonials went up 3-1 in the top of the third, with an RBI groundout by Gavin Rocks and a two-run home run by Logan Sharpe.
UD came right back with six in the bottom half of the inning. Joe Levis led off with a single and six of the first seven batters that came to the plate in the inning reached base. One run scored on a passed ball, Aidan McCarthy tied it with an RBI single, Sunday had a two-run single and then Chase Trimm had a RBI single of his own to make it 6-3.
Trimm was 2-for-3 on the day, while Levis and Sunday had two RBIs each.
“It was good to see Joe Levis and Chase drive in two (runs) each,” Wall said. “It helped everyone else relax a little and just go work their plan.”
For the Colonials, Luke Gartland, who bats leadoff, was 3-for-4.
Upper Dublin (4-3, 4-1 SOL) plays at Hatboro-Horsham on Monday.
PW (4-2, 3-1 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Monday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 003 000 0 – 3 8 2
Upper Dublin 106 101 x – 9 8 0
Abington 12, Wissahickon 6
The Galloping Ghosts broke out offensively in a big way, scoring 10 runs in the first three innings and collecting 12 runs on 14 hits for the game, knocking off Wissahickon and creating a logjam in the SOL Liberty Division standings.
“The win was due to our success in all three phases of the game – offense, defense and pitching,” said assistant coach Trey Guaglionona, who filled in for coach Bill Degan. “We had a stellar start, but also backed it up with our bats.”
Catcher Alex Dardaris led the way, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Logan Moss was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Matt Worek, Jake Kaplan and Chase Wolf also had two hits each.
Abington led 10-2 after three innings and were comfortably in front 12-3 going into the sixth. Wissahickon scored three times in the top of the sixth but could get no closer.
Calvin Judge went 4 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out five to pick up the win. Pat Barrett closed out the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
“Games against Wissahickon are always competitive,” Guaglionona said. “It came down to us executing with runners on base.”
Josh Palutis, Blake McClintic and Tyler Shilling had two hits each for Wissahickon.
Abington (2-4, 1-3 SOL) plays a nonleague game against Archbishop Wood on Saturday morning.
Wissahickon (5-2, 3-2 SOL) returns to Liberty Division play Monday at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Wissahickon 011 013 0 – 6 9 4
Abington 253 110 x – 12 14 3
Hatboro-Horsham 1, Quakertown 0
Coming off of a tough loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, Hatboro-Horsham needed a big effort on Thursday and got that from Jamie O’Neil.
O’Neil, a sophomore, pitched a complete-game, one-hitter, with four strikeouts and no walks, throwing just 85 pitches on the day.
“(O’Neil) was absolutely outstanding today,” said H-H coach Pete Moore. “My favorite thing about him today was his mound presence.
“We made a couple mistakes behind him, and you would not have been able to tell by looking at him, whether he had just struck a kid out or an error had been made.
“He was a great teammate and led by example. I also saw a lot of growth in him mentally, and a desire to get better. He came in the inning after he gave up a hit and wanted to talk to me about what I saw in the hitter that led to the pitch selection we had on that pitch. During that conversation, he also owned the fact that he didn’t hit the location that he wanted to with the pitch. I was very proud of everything he did on the field today.”
The Hatters, who also had just four hits on the day, scored the game’s only run in the second, after Aidan Eckley and Chase Canney reached on two-out walks. Eckley stole third base and then scored the run as they executed the double steal.
“Our catcher, Aidan Eckley, continues to give us productive at bats and run the bases very well,” Moore said. “Today, he and freshman Chase Canney executed a double steal that accounted for our only run of the game.
“It was nice to see some of the younger guys on our squad contribute in a big way to a conference win.”
Quakertown received a pitching performance that would win on most days. Cooper Natisin started and allowed just two hits and one run in four solid innings, striking out three and walking three. Vinny Pellegrini allowed one hit in two shutout innings in relief, striking out a pair and walking none.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-2, 2-2 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin in a big SOL Liberty game on Monday.
Quakertown (1-6, 0-4 SOL) hosts Abington on Monday.
Quakertown 000 000 0 – 0 1 1
Hatboro-Horsham 010 000 x – 1 4 3
SOL Patriot Division
Bensalem 10, Harry S Truman 7
Winless going in, Bensalem was looking to get its losing streak out of the way but was going against a Truman team coming off of a huge win over Neshaminy on Tuesday.
A six-run third inning was the catalyst for the Owls, who pounded out 11 hits and held off a late charge to post the 10-7 win at home on Thursday.
“It was a great overall team win,” said coach Kurt Sowa. “We got down early, but we battled back.”
Nate Rubin had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and four RBIs.
Hitting just in front of him in the No. 2 spot, Kyle Rubin went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Kyle Lentchner was 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first two innings, Bensalem rallied to go up 10-4 after five innings.
In the bottom of the third, a three-run double by Nate Rubin tied the game at 4. Lentcher drove him home with a two-out single to put the Owls in front. A dropped third strike then led to the sixth run of the inning.
Kyle Rubin doubled with two outs in the fourth, and one batter later, Nate Rubin tripled to make it 6-4 and then scored himself on an error.
“It was great to see the offense finally break out,” Sowa said. “
Truman rallied with two runs in the seventh to get as close as 10-7, as Luke Olivero and Alex Matlack had RBI singles with the bases loaded.
But Bensalem reliever Preston Stracci was able to get out of the jam as a runner was caught stealing and a pop out and grounded ended the game.
For the Tigers, Ryan Cavanaugh (2-for-4), Andrew Armstrong (2-for-3, RBI, 1R), Olivero (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, 1R) and Aqual Chapman (2-for-4, RBI 1R) had multi-hit games.
Bensalem (1-5, 1-4 SOL) has a scheduled nonleague game at Lansdale Catholic on Friday.
Truman (2-3, 1-3 SOL) is back in league play Monday at Council Rock South.
Truman 211 001 2 – 7 11 3
Bensalem 016 210 x – 10 11 3
SOL Colonial Division
Souderton 8, Central Bucks East 6
With its fourth straight win, Souderton won its second Colonial Division game of the week, pounding out eight runs on 11 hits, including two in the bottom of the sixth that pulled out the victory.
“We had a good week,” said coach Mike Childs. “I think we learned a lot about ourselves this week and are getting better every day. Two good battles in our league and we settled in and walked away with the wins.
“Our bats came alive today, having 11 hits, with eight of nine starters collecting a hit. I keep preaching about just putting the ball in play and putting pressure on the defense to make the plays. We did that and capitalized on their mistakes.”
The Indians took advantage of three CB East errors to plate the two runs and break the tie in the sixth inning. The Patriots ended up with six errors for the game.
Reliever Jeremy Fallon pitched around a leadoff walk to close out the game in the top of the seventh.
Shortstop Chris McKenna had a big day at the plate out of the leadoff spot. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored.
Catcher Connor Klock, hitting right behind McKenna in the No. 2 spot, was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. In all, eight different players had hits for the Indians.
“Chris McKenna was our spark at the plate today, leading off with a double,” Childs said. “Anytime your leadoff hitter starts off with a hard hit ball, it gives confidence to the whole team and today it did. It was good to see sophomore Connor Klock stepping up big today, making his first start catching and making the move to batting second.”
Reliever Liam O’Leary picked up the win on the mound, now allowing an earned run in 2 1/3 innings and working around an error. Fallon allowed one run to get the save over the last two innings.
Thomas Cano-Piszel was 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBIs to lead CB East. Chase Harlan was 2-for-2 with a double.
Souderton (4-2, 3-1 SOL) hosts CB West on Monday.
CB East (2-4, 2-2 SOL) has a nonleague game Saturday morning at Haverford School.
CB East 002 031 0 – 6 8 6
Souderton 120 212 0 – 8 11 1
North Penn 5, Central Bucks South 4 (9 innings)
After letting a 6-0 lead slip away on Tuesday for its first loss of the season, North Penn found itself down 3-0 after four innings against visiting CB South on Thursday.
But the Knights rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth, gave up the lead in the top of the seventh, but then won the game with one in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the victory.
“It was really a wild week for us,” said North Penn coach Kevn Manero. “Considering we only played two games, it was pretty wild. We had a tough one Tuesday and let one get away from us. Today, we were scuffling to get base runners. It just wasn’t our day, but our guys finally stepped up and had a big offensive inning.”
After a leadoff walk, Ben Farley and Brady Dolder singled to load the bases. Henry Wetzel scored one with a sacrifice fly and James Mangine followed with a three-run home run to left field.
“James Mangine, a senior, came up with a big three-run home run,” Manero said. “For us, as a young team, we’re going to have moments where our seniors needed to step up and shoulder some of the offensive burden. That happened for us today.”
In the CB South seventh, Hunter Petrich led off with a single to center field, and later, a hit by pitch and a walk loaded the bases with one out. A single by Braeden Black scored the run and tied the game at 4.
North Penn reliever Wetzel was able to escape further damage with a double play.
Then, in the ninth, Mario Sgro drew a one-out walk and stole second base. Justin Egner then singled to right, scoring Sgro with the game-winning run.
“Mario Sgro had a big game today,” Manero said. “Nothing flashy. He got on base with a bunt single earlier in the game, drew a walk, stole second and scored the winning run. Egner came up and smoked one to right that got past the right fielder. But we weren’t going to stop Mario. He was going home anyway.”
Nolan Walker picked up the win for North Penn with two shutout innings of relief with four extra inning strikeouts.
For the Titans, Petrich, Logan Hinds, Jack Carver, Jack DiCesare and Walker McElrath each had two hits. Colin Flynn contributed a triple and Owen Wheeler had a double.
North Penn (5-1, 3-1 SOL) plays at CB East on Monday.
CB South (1-4, 1-3 SOL) has a nonleague game Friday at Downingtown West.
CB South 000 300 100 – 4 11 2
North Penn 000 040 001 – 5 8 2
Central Bucks West 10, Pennridge 2
Sam Greer pitched six innings to pick up the win on the mound and also did the job in the middle of the CB West order, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs as the Bucks picked up their second Colonial Division win of the week, at home against Pennridge Thursday.
“Sam Greer is the total package, and he showed it today,” said West coach Brian Weaver. “On the mound, he was incredibly efficient. He had 11 strikeouts and worked ahead almost the entire game. At the plate, he was 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run homer that finally broke open a tense game in the fourth.”
After Pennridge scored in the top of the first, CB West answered with three in the bottom half of the inning, as Quinn Illig singled home a run, Zentmayer scored on a wild pitch and then an error plated the third run.
It was a 4-2 game after three, when Greer made it 7-2 with his home run in the fourth.
West added two more in the fifth and one in the sixth to pull away for the victory.
Max McGlone, Will Hogenauer, and Julio Ermigiotti had two hits each for the Bucks, who had 11 as a team.
“Julio Ermigiotti had another great day at the plate,” Weaver said. “He worked incredibly hard this offseason to get his offense to match his pitching and defense, both of which are excellent. It’s great for our younger guys to watch him on a daily basis and see the benefit of hard work, of not taking any shortcuts.
“One of the unsung heroes of the season so far has been Luke Birkhead. He doesn’t have the flashiest stats, but he’s barreling the ball and putting pressure on the defense in almost every at-bat. Today, he forced two errors that got us rolling early.
“In the field he’s been covering both corner infield spots for us and making key plays, including digging out a big throw at first to shut down a rally today. He’s another guy that’s been out front in every workout this year, and he’s turned himself into a key part of the team.”
Matt Atchley was 2-for-3 for Pennridge.
CB West (5-1, 3-1 SOL) plays at Souderton in another division game on Monday.
Pennridge (0-8, 0-4 SOL) hosts CB South on Monday.
Pennridge 110 000 0 – 2 6 3
CB West 301 321 x – 10 11 0
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