Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. CB South/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f899671345 (Neshaminy/NP photos courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball)
SOL Colonial/Patriot Crossovers
Central Bucks South 6, Council Rock North 5
CB South needed a win, and on the road at CR North, less than 24 hours after a home night-game loss to North Penn, wasn’t going to be an easy task. But the Titans responded with three runs in the top of the fifth to break open a tie game on the way to the 6-5 victory.
“Our approach has been the same,” said coach Kevin Bray. “Our guys have been extremely focused through all of this. All of the adversity we’ve handled in the first half, we’ve talked to our guys about maintaining the standard, continue to operate the way we operate. We’ve come up short a couple of times, and not played seven full innings of baseball. Today, our pitchers had great control, we did a good job at
the plate and we played solid defense too.”
After five straight league losses, the Titans started fast with one in the first and two in the second, and then after host CR North tied at 3, they answered with three in the fifth, before holding off the Indians the rest of the way.
Center fielder Owen Pinkerton went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Jacob Yang, Braeden Black and Blake Bell each had one RBI.
“Owen Pinkerton stayed hot,” Bray said. “He had two hits and two RBIs and has been setting the tone for us at the top of the order and playing a really nice CF as well.
“Jake Wang has been carrying us, even in losses, maintaining leadership qualities that have helped the whole group.”
On the mound, Brett Barrett went five innings to get the win. Sean Esler and sophomore Luke Hillegass each threw shutout innings to hold off CR North.
“It’s a testament to our guys,” Bray said. “They’ve been working really hard, they stayed focused and the approach and preparation has been great. That hasn’t been the problem whatsoever.
“This was a big one for all of us. The energy was there, and coming off tough one last night, the 3:45 start is a quick turnaround. I couldn’t be more proud of how they played today.”
Leor Kedar hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first for CR North.
CB South (2-5, 2-5 SOL) hosts CR South on Thursday night.
CR North (6-4, 3-3 SOL) looks to bounce back Thursday at North Penn
CB South 120 030 0 – 6 8 1
CR North 110 120 0 – 5 6 1
Central Bucks East 6, Bensalem 4
Records can be deceiving. On Tuesday, unbeaten SOL Colonial leader CB East took on winless Bensalem out of the SOL Patriot, and for five innings the host Owls were the ones holding the lead.
But in the top of the sixth, the Patriots showed why they’ve thus far run through the first half of the SOL schedule, responding with three runs to take control on the way to the crossover victory.
“In the sixth, we talked about our approach a bit at the plate,” said East coach Kyle Dennis. “Colin Lynch, hitting fourth for us, laced a triple into the gap. Jack Mislin hits a ball to second base, it gets past him. When you put the ball in play, good things will happen.
“That’s how we tied things up. The bottom of the order worked a walk, and Sean Hill, a sophomore, gets his first hit, a line-drive single to go ahead.”
The Patriots had 11 hits on the day, including six extra-base hits.
Lynch went 2-for-4 with two triples and two runs scored. Third baseman Chase Harlan was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Reece Moody was 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI.
Damien Frayne started on the mound for East, going five innings and picking up the win. Matt Scifaldi pitched an inning, and then sophomore Jason Abert finished it off with an impressive relief stint. He entered the game in the seventh with runners on second and third and none out, and the Owls just a base hit away from tying the game, but he slammed the door on that threat. Abert retired the first batter he faced on a groundout back to the mound, struck out the next batter he faced and closed out the game with a groundout.
“Sam (Bliss) is our bulldog,” Dennis said. “He was a very good pitcher last year, but we wouldn’t get him a win. He’s been pitching phenomenal. Today, Damien Frayne, in his second or third start, pitched really, really well. He’s a little different pitcher than Sammy, but our defense is really good. We can track it in the outfield and our infield is phenomenal. When our pitchers throw to contact, we’re okay.
“Free bases are a killer in high school baseball. We’ve done a nice job minimizing walks, and we’ve found a closer with Jason Abert, a sophomore. He does his job, which is awesome to see.”
CB East (7-2, 6-0 SOL) next plays Friday at Harry S. Truman
Bensalem (0-6, 0-4 SOL) is back in action Thursday against CB West.
CB East 101 003 1 – 6 11 0
Bensalem 300 000 1 – 4 5 1
Neshaminy 16, North Penn 2 (5 innings)
So far, Neshaminy has played well and earned some big early-season victories. Tuesday, on the road against North Penn, may have been the most impressive.
Neshaminy never stopped hitting, scoring three runs in the top of the first and then putting the game away with two in the third, five in the fourth and six in the fifth. It ended up with 16 runs on 17 hits, three walks and took advantage of four North Penn errors in a five-inning rout.
“Today was an important game for a lot of reasons,” said coach Dan Toner. “First, you can get a gauge on where your team stands depending on how you do against North Penn. They always compete and are ready to play. If you think you have a decent team, you better be able to hang with them. That being said, I was very pleased with everyone’s performance today. Second, we haven’t beaten them recently and it was important to get a ‘W’ for the program.
“I was very impressed with how everyone in the lineup was able to battle at the plate. Every player in the lineup had a hit and six players had multiple hits. And the multiple hits were spread throughout the batting order. “
Stone Powell was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, four RBIs and a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
Danny Nocito and Chase Bonner each had three hits, a double and four RBIs. Anthony Trommer was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Joel Bonner had two hits and three runs scored, and Noah Wallace also had two hits.
“Stone Powell had a huge moment late in the game,” Toner said. “We were up 10-2, with runners on first and third. We wanted to move them over to hopefully get to the 10-run rule, but we made some mistakes and were left with a runner on first with two outs. 
“I thought we were going to have to play more and extend our pitching, but Stone decided to take matters into his own hands and hit an absolute mammoth two-run home-run.
“Stone has had big moments for us all season.”
After Neshaminy’s three-run top of the first, North Penn battled back with a run in the second and another in the third with Chase Jones and Briggs picking up RBIs, but the game wouldn’t get any closer from that point.
Neshaminy’s Ryan Fox pitched all five innings, scattered five hits and three walks, while striking out six.
“Our goal for today was to limit the amount of pitchers we had to use and try to keep all our pitch counts low,” Toner said. “Luckily, Fox pitched great, and we were able to score a ton of runs.”
Neshaminy (8-0, 7-0 SOL) is back home Thursday against Pennridge.
North Penn (6-3, 4-3 SOL) looks to bounce back with a home game against CR North on Thursday.
Neshaminy 302 56 – 16 17 1
North Penn 110 00 – 2 5 4
Central Bucks West 9, Council Rock South 4
One day after losing to Council Rock North by a 9-4 score, CB West turned the table, pulling away late for the 9-4 win over Council Rock South on Tuesday.
“Every game is big, but it felt like this one had a little more gravity to it,” said Bucks coach Brian Weaver. “Our last two were heartbreaking in different ways, so it would have been easy for our guys to come out flat.
“Our staff was really impressed with how they responded today.”
Tied at 2 after three innings, CB West took the lead for good with a big, three-run fourth.
Blake Hager led off with a double and scored on a Jack Hogenauer sacrifice fly. Duke Psoras and Michael Grabhan followed with RBI singles to make it 5-2.
CR South battled, scoring runs in the fourth in the fourth and fifth to cut the deficit to 5-4, but four runs in the top of the seventh blew the game wide open for the visiting Bucks.
Graben finished with three hits and two RBIs. Psoras and Hager had two hits each, while Hogenauer finished with three RBIs.
“We juggled the lineup a bit today, and the boys responded in a big way,” Weaver said. “Duke Psoras moved to the leadoff spot and did a great job. Blake Hager continued to be a great contributor, as well.
“A couple of guys made the most of their first opportunities today. Michael Graban catalyzed the offense every time he came to the plate. (Harrison) Yim and (Noah) Gerstein both worked great at-bats and made an impact in important innings.
“On the bases, Connor Bannon has made great reads as our top courtesy runner. He epitomizes the kind of work ethic you need – always among the first to set up practice, first to cheer on his teammates, and as a courtesy guy he has a chance several times each game to help break it open. The scorebook won’t fully capture what he means to a team.”
On the mound, Jacob Greer started and picked up the win with four solid innings. Hogenauer pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings of relief to pick up the save.
“Jacob Greer gutted his way out of the fourth to keep us ahead,” Weaver said. “Jack Hogenauer gave us 2.2 on the back end to finish it up. Both of them are sophomores that have had to shoulder a big role this year, and in a game we really needed, they both found ways to keep us in the game and give us a chance.”
CB West (3-4, 2-4 SOL) has a nonleague game Wednesday against Holy Ghost Prep.
CR South (4-3, 3-3 SOL) plays at CB South Thursday night.
CB West 002 300 4 – 9 10 2
CR South 002 110 0 – 4 5 2
Souderton 3, Harry S Truman 0
Austin Kreyenhagen pitched a no-hitter last week against CB West. Back on the mound Tuesday, he was nearly as good, throwing six shutout innings, allowing just two hits in Souderton’s shutout win over visiting Truman.
Kreyenhagen didn’t walk a batter and struck out 11, before giving way to reliever Greyson Norris, who pitched a scoreless seventh.
“Our pitchers are starting to settle in and look very comfortable,” said Indians coach Mike Childs. “Austin had another great outing, followed by Greyson closing the door. Combined they had a two-hit shutout with 14 Ks. You can’t ask for much more out of your staff than that.”
Offensively, Kreyenhagen did the job at the plate too, with an RBI single in the third for the game’s first run. The Indians added two key insurance runs, with Cody Ricko picking up an RBI.
For the game, Jeremy Fallon, Chris McKenna and Kreyenhagen had two hits each.
“Even though we only scored three runs, the first seven batters had a hit or two,” Childs said. “We have been struggling a bit at the plate lately not scoring a ton of runs, but we pounded out 11 hits and executed two that turned out to be bunt singles.
“Pete Myers, our bunting guru, was very pleased with that. Good pitching, putting the ball in play, and execution offensively and defensively, is all we are trying to do. Keep it simple and not overthink is our goal to succeed.”
Souderton (3-5, 2-4 SOL) plays at Pennsbury on Thursday.
Truman (1-5, 1-4 SOL) hosts CB East on Friday
Truman 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Souderton 001 002 x – 3 11 0
Pennsbury 2, Pennridge 0
In its fifth low-scoring game in a row, Pennsbury played another game decided by three runs or less, and on the road against Pennridge, the Falcons’ Connor McCloskey threw a gem for the 2-0 victory.
“I was joking with the kids,” said coach Joe Pesci.”We lose to CR South 3-0, beat Bensalem 2-1, lose to North 2-1 and beat North Penn 3-0. We’re playing pretty well.
“Today, we hit way better than we got credit for. We hit three or four line drives to the outfield that got caught. Charlie Cordisco leads off the game and hits a line drive off of the pitcher and is thrown out. But the guys keep competing, minimizing strikeouts and manufacturing a run here and there. If we can scratch out these games, we’ll put ourselves in good spots moving forward.”
McCloskey pitched the first 5 2/3 innings, scattering five hits and a walk, while striking out nine. At 100 pitches, he was relieved by Aidan Kenney, who struck out three in 1 1/3 to get the save.
Pennridge’s Ryder Olson went the distance, allowing just the two runs on six hits and one walk.
“The kid Olson really did a great job with his pitch count and keeping us off balance,” Pesci said. “McCluskey was great for us today.”
Pennsbury scored one run in the first as Jordan Czerniak had a two-out single to score Evan Hawkes. Its other run came in the fourth, as three singles and a two-out hit batter scored one to make it 2-0.
Noah Keating and Andrew Rendler had two hits each for Pennridge.
“Ryder Olson threw a terrific game,” said Rams coach Danny Long. “Ninety-two pitches in seven innings is a very efficient outing.
“We had some real chances to score in both the second and fourth innings. Today’s game was won by a couple of big pitches and credit to both Pennsbury pitchers for keeping us at bay.”
Pennsbury (6-4, 4-3 SOL) is back home Thursday against Souderton.
Pennridge (3-3, 2-3 SOL) plays at Neshaminy Thursday.
Pennsbury 100 100 0 – 2 6 1
Pennridge 000 000 0 – 0 5 0
SOL Liberty/Freedom Crossovers
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14, New Hope-Solebury 0 (5 innings)
Another quality pitching performance, this time by Colin Brady, and a huge 11-run fourth inning was the difference for first-place Plymouth Whitemarsh, which finished off visiting New Hope-Solebury in five innings.
In seven league games, the Colonials now have four shutouts, outsourcing their opponents 52-9.
Brady pitched all five innings Tuesday, allowing just two hits, no walks, while striking out nine.
“Colin continued an outstanding strike of performances by our starting pitchers,” said PW coach Chris Manero. “His command today was exceptional – 51 pitches and 41 strikes in five innings. He was methodical and impressive.”
Offensively, this one was close for a while, PW scoring three times in the second, as Gabe Caucci had an RBI single and later stole home.
Then in the fourth, the wheels came off as the Colonials scored 11 runs on 10 hits and five walks, starting with a Chase Fisher triple, and then singles by Max Eagland, Caucci, and Johnny Giordano.
Caucci was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Eagland was 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs. Giordano and Fisher had two hits and two RBIs each.
“It was good to see the top of our lineup get us going with a lot of production,” Manero said. “Our top two hitters in the order (Caucci and Giordano) were 5-for-7, and our bottom two hitters (Fisher and Eagland) were 5-for-5.
“We did a real nice job on the bases early in the game, and that helped us to open the lead early.
“Today was the official halfway point of the season, and it’s been a good first half. Our message to the team is to just keep finding ways to get better with every rep.”
PW (8-2, 7-0 SOL) next goes on the road at Lower Moreland on Thursday
New Hope (2-5, 0-5 SOL) plays at Abington on Thursday.
New Hope 000 00 – 0 2 1
PW 030 (11)x – 14 12 0
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Lower Moreland 0
Senior Stephen Plefka pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out 12 to out-duel Lower Moreland’s Mason Tammaro in a low-scoring crossover win for the Hatters on Tuesday.
Plefka threw 104 pitches and scattered three walks in the complete game effort.
Tammaro went all six innings for LM, allowing just the two runs on six hits and a pair of walks.
All of the runs came in the bottom of the third for H-H. A Jamie O’Neill groundout scored Seamus Hellings, and one batter later Kenny Lutz singled to score Jaxson Bumpas.
“Stephen was locating his fastball well, getting ahead in counts and throwing 3 pitches for consistent strikes,” said Hatters coach Bill DeBoer. “He was locked in. He got the little help he needed from Kenny Lutz and Jamie O’Neill, who had the two RBIs.”
H-H (3-4, 3-4 SOL) has a nonleague game Wednesday at Cardinal O’Hara.
Lower Moreland (5-4, 3-4 SOL) next play Plymouth Whitemarsh at home Thursday.
Lower Moreland 000 000 0 – 0 2 1
H-H 002 000 x – 2 6 2
Abington 7, Cheltenham 1
Abington’s offense got untracked in the fourth inning, as the Galloping Ghosts turned it on late and pulled past Cheltenham for its first win of the 2024 season.
Up 2-1, Abington pulled away with a five-run sixth inning.
Four straight singles – by Chase Wolf, Finn Murray, Jack Hoetzel and Calvin Judge – started off the inning and made it 3-1. A bases-loaded walk to Mike Biddle plated another one, and then a Brian Murtha single scored two more.
Wolf led the Abington offense with two hits and a double.
Hoetzel pitched six innings and didn’t allow an earned run, scattering two hits and four walks, while striking out nine. Loughney threw a scoreless seventh to finish the game off.
Abington (1-5, 1-5 SOL) looks to make it two straight Thursday when it hosts New Hope-Solebury.
Cheltenham (1-5, 1-4 SOL) plays at Wissahickon Thursday.
Cheltenham 000 001 0 – 1 3 2
Abington 000 115 x – 7 7 1
Quakertown 11, Springfield Twp 2
Four runs in the top of the fourth blew this one wide open as Quakertown, playing its third game in four days – including a 13-inning game on Saturday against first-place Plymouth Whitemarsh – pulled away for the nine-run win on the road against Springfield.
Quakertown had six doubles on the day and pounded out 14 hits, led by Gunner Rahn, who went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Danny Qualteria, Cole Reich, Logan Niewoehner, and Brady Martin had two hits each.
“Danny Qualteria was a triple threat today, having a great day at the plate, on the bases and in the field,” said coach Jon Pallone. “He had a few exceptional plays at shortstop today.
“Gunner Rahn has continued to heat up at the plate, as well.”
The Panthers went up 2-0, with an unearned run in the first and then a Cooper Natisin sac fly in the third. In the four-run fourth, Matt Marsten led off with a double, Rahn singled, Carver Perrone hit a two-run double and Martin and RBI single to up the lead to 5-0. Natisin later added another RBI with a single.
They then added three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth.
On the mound, Andrew Klitsch went 3 2/3 innings to pick up the win. Carl Weiss and Anthony Pellegrini came out of the bullpen and didn’t allow a run over the final three plus innings to secure the win.
Quakertown (6-3, 5-2 SOL) takes on William Tennent at home Thursday night.
Springfield (3-3, 3-3 SOL) hosts Hatboro-Horsham Thursday.
Quakertown 101 432 0 – 11 14 0
Springfield 000 200 0 – 2 4 2
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