For the first time this season, all 22 SOL baseball teams were in action on Wednesday. Ed Morrone compiled comprehensive recaps with comments from the winning coaches of all 11 games.
SOL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, BENSALEM 0
Council Rock South got the monkey off its back, and in doing so ensured Bensalem is no longer undefeated.
Michael Rabayda and Shane Walter combined to throw a four-hit shutout, silencing an Owls’ offense that came into the contest averaging more than eight runs a game.
“As much as we have been struggling, we’ve been in a lot of close games that we should have won,” South head coach Ted Kirner said. “We’ve let some games get away from us, so we got the monkey off our backs for sure. We’re hoping this is the birth of a team who can contend. To beat a team like Bensalem, as well as they’ve been playing, it pumps a lot of confidence into our team.”
Bensalem’s first league loss was the first SOL National win for the Golden Hawks, who won with great pitching and by playing small ball, getting bunt singles for two of the team’s four hits. Rabayda issued seven walks but worked around trouble, allowing just two hits and striking out five in 4.1 innings, while Walter shut the door by allowing just two hits and punching out three over the final 2.2 frames.
“Michael is a tenth-grader and walks are the Achilles heel of any team, but he battled with runners on and got out of jams,” Kirner said. “He battled very hard to get his first varsity win in his young career. And Shane came in to get the final eight outs and allowed the defense to make routine plays behind him. If we limit free passes and make routine plays by eliminating errors, that puts pressure on the other team.”
On offense, South (2-5, 1-3 SOL) picked its spots wisely, pushing a run across in the second and fourth and then allowing the pitching and defense to do the rest. Nick Gallo had two of South’s four hits as well as an RBI, while Jared Ennis worked two crucial walks that turned into both of the team’s runs.
“We played unselfish in scoring our runs, and that breeds confidence,” Kirner said. “We got a few guys on and moved them around the bases, and the defense was able to hold up for us. We walked away with a much-needed win for this ball club.”
For Bensalem (6-1, 4-1 SOL), Brian Swentkowski had two of the team’s four hits, while Nick Dean went the first four innings, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) in addition to four strikeouts and two walks. Stephen Aldrich came on to pitch the final two innings, allowing just one hit while walking one and punching out one.
Bensalem 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-4-3
Council Rock South 0 1 0 1 0 0 x 2-4-1
PENNSBURY 6, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2
For five innings, Council Rock North’s Eric Hoefer hadn’t allowed a single hit, and it appeared the 1-0 lead his team had staked him to would be more than enough.
Then, finally, Pennsbury broke through. The Falcons posted three-run innings in the sixth and seventh to flip the game on its head, getting a hit and two RBI from both Gary Minnes and Josh Tesarck in the process. Hoefer dominated through much of the contest, but Pennsbury (6-3, 3-2 SOL) got the last laugh.
“We remember Hoefer from last year, and he’s vastly improved,” Pennsbury head coach Joe Pesci said. “He threw multiple pitches for strikes and really kept our guys off balance. Once we saw him enough times and his pitch count started to rise, our guys made the necessary adjustments. We got some hits, took advantage of some errors and put some other pieces together to score some runs.”
After tying the game at 1 on an error, Tesarck delivered the difference-making two-run double in the visiting sixth. Minnes and Sean Doherty followed with run-scoring singles in the seventh to put the game to bed.
“We’ve been in every game we’ve played and we’ve won games in different ways,” Pesci said. “Yesterday we pounded the ball, and today our pitching kept us in the game. It was huge to get that hit from Josh, and to get the momentum swing back to us proved to be enough.”
Speaking of Pennsbury pitching, Shane Ostrowsky matched Hoefer, going 6.1 innings and allowing seven hits on two runs while striking out seven and walking just one.
“Shane was incredible,” Pesci said. “He was on the losing end of two close games against Bensalem and Neshaminy, and he definitely deserved that win today. He battled and kept them off balance, and it’s great to know we can rely on him to keep us in games until our hitters are able to make the adjustments they needed to make late in the game today.”
Hoefer took the hard-luck loss for North (5-3, 3-2 SOL), allowing just two hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out six and walking two over six strong innings. Carson Shane hit a solo homer for the Indians.
Pennsbury 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 6-4-1
Council Rock North 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2-4-4
NESHAMINY 10, HARRY S. TRUMAN 0 — 5 innings
At any level of baseball, a team’s leadoff hitter is paramount to its success. Neshaminy was living proof of that on Wednesday.
Cory Joyce went 3-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored, an offensive outburst that included a three-run home run, an RBI single and a double. From there, the rest of the Redskins lineup followed suit, getting big days from Brian Nicolas (2-for-3, RBI, run), Joe Kaleck (2-for-2, RBI), Rodrigo Santa (two walks, two runs) and Chris Cavallaro (1-for-2, two runs), just to name a few.
“Cory is a huge part of our team,” Neshaminy coach Dan Toner said. “When he gets going, the rest of the team does too. He started the game with a double and went from there, ending with a single, double and three-run home run. He stepped up in a big situation in the fifth and helped us put the game away with his homer.”
Jake Fehrle got the start for Neshaminy (5-3, 3-2 SOL), pitching the first 2.2 innings, allowing just one hit to go along with one strikeout. Dan Errigo relieved him and went the final 2.1, surrendering just two hits to go along with two walks and two punchouts. As thunderous as the Redskins lineup was on Wednesday, the pitching was just as good.
“Jake is just coming back and getting into the swing of things as kind of our ‘1b’ starter,” Toner said. “It was his second outing, and we were able to get a good lead for him and he attacked the zone before we got him out of there at around 50 pitches. Dan cleaned up the rest of the game, just altogether a really good game for us.”
Toner has maintained all season that his team is incredibly young. The Redskins start three sophomores and four juniors, and have just two returning varsity players, so the growth of the young bucks has been encouraging to say the least.
“We still have some players feeling some things out, guys who don’t have much varsity experience,” he said. “They’re settling in now, and we’ve kept progressing.”
Truman fell to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in SOL play in defeat.
Truman 0 0 0 0 0 0-3-0
Neshaminy 2 4 0 0 4 10-11-1
SOL CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE
NORTH PENN 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2
North Penn kept its hot start rolling in walk-off fashion.
Leadoff hitter Tyler Siddal reached on a bunt single to start the home seventh and got to second base on a wild pitch. Then, Jake Drelick dropped a bunt of his own and Siddal came around to score the winning run on an error.
“Tyler got a base hit on a bunt and he did it on his own,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said. “We’ve talked to guys about being confident in making choices and taking risks on the field. Jake put one down in the perfect spot and made the defense make a play. You never know what’s going to happen when you put the ball in play. We were happy to grit it out and pick up a win.”
Danny Kirwin got the start for North Penn and went the first five, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out five and walking four. Mason Blankenburg came on to pitch the final two innings in relief, allowing just two hits to pick up the win.
“Danny was great today,” Manero said. “We really needed him. He struggled with his command a bit but it was very good to get him to pitch into the sixth inning. Mason came in with the bases loaded with nobody out and got a double play ball. The pitchers did a nice job getting outs today.”
The Knights improved to 5-0 in SOL play to go along with an 8-2 overall record, with Wednesday’s win being perhaps the most exciting one of the season.
“Last week we had a tough loss to Spring-Ford, and the best thing about baseball is you can come out and play again tomorrow,” Manero said. “We keep it even-keeled and try to never get too high or too low. When you get a nice win, you enjoy it for the night and you come back the next day ready to get better.
“It’s only going to get tougher as the season goes on, so we’ve got to refine and continue to execute different ways to score runs. The whole thing is a work in progress and you can’t ever get satisfied. We hope to be playing very late in the season, and every day on the field there’s things to work on for us to get better.”
For the Titans (3-4, 3-1 SOL), starter Brock Veit was effective through his six innings, giving up five hits and two runs to go along with three strikeouts and four walks.
Central Bucks South 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2-4-1
North Penn 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3-6-2
SOUDERTON 10, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3
Souderton kept its hot start to the 2018 season going on Wednesday, utilizing a seven-run fourth inning to make quick work of the Bucks.
Blaise Sclafani homered and knocked in three runs for Souderton, while Conlan Wall (2-for-3, 2 RBI, run) and Luke Shank (2-for-3, RBI, two runs) also had big days at the plate for the Indians.
“We always say we want to put the ball in play and see what happens,” Souderton coach Mike Childs said. “Blaise really stepped up and did that he had to do, and our first three guys of Wall, Shank and Luke Barnum have done a great job getting on base with either hits or walks. Everyone who played today got on base and contributed.”
Not to be overshadowed by the Souderton offense, starter Jordan Morales went the distance, giving up just two hits and three runs (one earned) while striking out nine and walking just one.
“Jordan is a competitor with a fire and energy about him,” Childs said. “He’s a very smart pitcher, and today he threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of 27 batters. He gets ahead with good control and does his thing. The energy he brings to the team sparks the bats, and when guys are comfortable at the plate, the pitchers are able to keep runs down, throw strikes and be more confident.”
It was a nice bounce-back win for the Indians, who were coming off a 13-1 thrashing at the hands of North Penn.
“That loss was an eye-opener for us,” Childs said. “There are going to be better teams out there, so we tell them that all 20 guys have to show up and compete and do what it takes to make the playoffs.
“We took a big lump yesterday, but we didn’t get upset about it. Losing games like that keeps you humble, and while it was good to get a win today, it’s also good to get a good butt-kicking once in a while to keep you humble so that you keep working hard. The guys have really bought in so far.”
For CB West (1-8, 1-5 SOL), Rhys Nicholas homered in the losing effort.
Souderton 1 1 0 7 0 1 0 10-10-2
Central Bucks West 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 3-2-2
WILLIAM TENNENT 10, PENNRIDGE 0 — 5 innings
The combination of Greg Delgado and Jason Schweizerhof proved too much to handle for Pennridge on Wednesday.
Delgado hit his sixth home run in eight games, and Schweizerhof tossed a complete game two-hitter with seven strikeouts for the victorious Panthers (5-3, 3-2 SOL).
“Greg is a big strong kid, and I’m not sure what more I can even say about him at this point,” Tennent coach Rick Penecale said. “He’s a team captain and great leader, a complete player. Every game he hits a home run or hits it hard, and he’s not hitting them when it’s 8-0; it’s usually 3-2 or 2-0 and he’s blowing games open for us delivering in big spots. The kid’s a joy to coach, just a coach’s dream.”
Schweizerhof put up zeroes until Tennent exploded for eight in the decisive fourth.
“Jason’s kind of young, not a lot of varsity experience but the times he’s thrown he’s thrown really well,” Penecale said. “Today it all came together for him. He was really sharp in pounding the strike zone and threw really well.”
Pennridge fell to 2-4 overall and 1-4 in SOL with the loss.
Tennent 0 0 0 8 2 10-8-0
Pennridge 0 0 0 0 0 0-2-3
SOL AMERICAN CONFERENCE
SPRINGFIELD TWP 9, QUAKERTOWN 7 — 8 innings
Springfield came into Quakertown determined to cool off a team that was 4-0 in SOL play.
Mission accomplished.
The Spartans pounded out 21 hits and pushed three across in the top of the eighth inning to score a huge road win against a Quakertown team playing great baseball of late.
“We’ve been playing well also, we just had one bad game against PW,” Springfield coach Dennis Primavera said. “Springfield is a notoriously slow starter, so today was a good sign. It was topsy-turvy with both teams coming back. Tim Dahme put us ahead with a two-run home run in the sixth, then they came back to tie it in the seventh. Our guys could have given up, but they didn’t. We have been playing well, we’ve just needed to find ways to win the ways other teams have been doing. Eventually we knew it would happen, and today it did.”
Macleod Farley, Trevor McCaffery and Max Perry all had four hits apiece for Springfield, and 19 of the team’s 21 hits were singles. Dahme, McCaffery, Perry and Mitchell McCann all had two RBI, and Dahme, McCaffery and Nick Pave all crossed the plate multiple times.
“I’m really happy about the offensive showing today, but even more happy about the defense,” Primavera said. “What you can’t see in the box score is the diving catches our outfielders had. Max Perry laid out for one in right field with the bases loaded to end an inning. We put it together up and down the lineup against a good team. I’m not sure if we discovered some magic formula, but the kids all did their jobs.”
While the Springfield (2-4, 2-3 SOL) pitching staff gave up seven runs, the trio of Pave, Farley and Dahme had 13 strikeouts to just three walks.
For Quakertown (4-2, 4-1 SOL), Sean Brennan, Dennis Pierce, Mason Hicks and Bradley Bryan all had multi-hit games, with Pierce knocking in three. The pitching quartet of JJ Paul, Justin Guidos, Pierce and Nathaniel Barnes punched out 11 Springfield batters while walking only two.
Springfield 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 3 9-21-0
Quakertown 0 0 1 0 4 0 1 1 7-14-1
WISSAHICKON 3, UPPER MORELAND 2
For Wissahickon, it was the Quinn Rovner show again on Wednesday.
The team’s top starter needed just 75 pitches to go the distance, allowing six hits on two runs while striking out six and walking none. Rovner gave up a first-inning run to Upper Moreland, but once the Trojans gave him a 2-1 lead after three, Rovner shut the door.
“Quinn did a phenomenal job pounding the strike zone, which is exactly what we want as coaches,” Wissahickon coach Andy Noga said. “He challenged guys, and it was ideal for him to issue no free bases. After his first start at PW, he’s settled in. He’s not walking guys and we know he’s only going to get better as the season goes along.”
Steve Loden had an RBI triple for Wissahickon, while Joel Bjordammen and Brian Hynes also knocked in runs. Bobby McFarland had two hits and two runs scored for the Trojans (6-2, 4-1 SOL).
“Steve Loden has been on fire for us, and Bobby broke out in a big way today,” Noga said. “Joel had a quality at bat with a sacrifice fly that ended up being the winning run, and guys just took advantage of their opportunities. We didn’t hang our heads after a tough loss against Quakertown last week. That’s how baseball works, and we came back hungry ready for another week of baseball.”
Upper Moreland (1-4, 1-3 SOL) got five solid innings from Colin Bates, who allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out six and walking two. Jack Dombrowski had two hits and a run scored from the leadoff spot.
Upper Moreland 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2-6-2
Wissahickon 0 1 1 1 0 0 x 3-6-2
UPPER DUBLIN 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
Upper Dublin posted a four-spot in the second inning and then let starting pitcher Garrett Breslin take care of the rest.
Breslin tossed 6.1 sparkling innings for the Cardinals, allowing six hits and one run while striking out three and walking just one. Ryan Besachio relieved Breslin and threw one pitch to induce a game-ending double play and earned a save.
“Garrett and Ryan are our top two pitchers,” Upper Dublin coach Ed Wall said. “Garrett’s done a great job in every outing. We get a lot of strikes out of him and he kept guys off balance by mixing speeds and keeping the ball down low to get a ton of grounders. He really showed up and did a whale of a job against an always tough battle in Hatboro-Horsham.”
Upper Dublin manufactured runs in the second, scoring on a bases loaded walk and hit by pitch, and also plating two on an error. Jack Jamison had an RBI and run scored from the leadoff spot, and Riley Brink had a hit and RBI in the two-hole. Brian McPeak and Michael Zicchinolfi each had a hit and run scored at the bottom of the order, with everyone in the Cardinals (2-4, 2-3 SOL) lineup contributing in some capacity.
“Getting Jack and Riley on at the top of the order is something we’ve worked on because it usually means runs for us,” Wall said. “We put the ball in play and forced them to get us out, so it was a lot of fun watching our guys swing the bats today. We had a ton of strikeouts early in the season, so for us it’s all about making contact. I’m proud of the boys for showing up today.”
Alex Crim pitched a strong six innings in the losing effort for the Hatters (2-6, 2-3 SOL), giving up six hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out three and walking two.
Hatboro-Horsham 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1-6-3
Upper Dublin 0 4 0 0 0 0 x 4-6-0
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 9, CHELTENHAM 2
Brett Bottinger gave up two early runs to Cheltenham, but the PW starter buckled down thereafter and shut the Panthers down after the Colonials handed him a 6-2 lead in the fourth.
Bottinger threw a complete game for PW, allowing two hits and two runs (none earned) while striking out eight and walking two.
“Brett had great command today,” PW coach Chris Manero said. “He set the pace and kept his pitch count low. He only gave up two hits, and even at the beginning when things weren’t going well he didn’t cave to the pressure. He’s tough, and the kid pitches his best with his back against the wall. He put it into another gear today after a long layoff, so I was very pleased with his outing.”
Stephen Longo had a double and two RBI for the Colonials, while the bottom two hitters in the order – Blake Rosen (2-for-4, run) and Mike Orensky (2-for-3, three RBI) – had strong performances for PW (6-2, 4-1 SOL).
“We spread it out in the lineup and we want other teams to know there’s no auto outs in our order,” Manero said. “Mike Orensky had a rough start the first couple innings in making a base running mistake and misplaying a fly ball in centerfield, but he turned his day around and did a nice job bouncing back. And Longo has been a big hit guy all year for us.”
Cheltenham fell to 3-6 overall and 0-4 in SOL place with the loss.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 0 0 6 1 0 2 9-8-2
Cheltenham 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2-2-6
NON-CONFERENCE
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 16, ABINGTON 15
The wildest game of Wednesday’s slate turned out to be the lone non-conference match-up.
CB East built a 12-3 lead after three innings and had to hold on for dear life as Abington mounted a furiously rally. The score was 13-8 after four, 16-10 after five and 16-14 heading into the final inning of play. The Ghosts scored one in the final inning, but the Patriots hung on for the win.
Freshman Nick Bitsko went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, three RBI and five runs out of the leadoff spot for the Patriots (6-5), who also got big offensive games from Sean E’Nama (1-for-3, RBI, two runs), Grant Meiers (1-for-2, two RBI, two runs), Colin Weber (2-for-3, RBI, run), James Pello (1-for-4, two RBI, run) and Tommy Webb (1-for-2, two RBI, run). Essentially, everyone in the lineup contributed, and East needed every bit of it.
“You’re happy to get any win, a win is still a win and we’ve been struggling a bit,” CB East coach Kyle Dennis said. “Nick is a very talented player, a freshman playing his first year of varsity and he’s getting comfortable with himself as we can see what he can do. We want to get him as many at bats as possible and he had a tremendous day. Nick works hard and has a great approach, and we hope he can keep helping us out as we continue on.”
The two teams combined for 31 runs, 23 hits, eight errors and used 10 pitchers between them.
“Things always get interesting when you get to the bullpen in high school baseball, and both teams experienced that today,” Dennis said. “We’ll learn from this one. We came in averaging seven runs and had a team ERA under four, so we know what we have to do to get better. It starts with better defense and throwing more strikes, but we can control those things. We know we can do better, and fortunately we were able to get out of there with a win.”
Abington (2-6) got multi-hit games from Nick McClay (2-for-3, three RBI, two runs), George Jacob (2-for-5, two runs, two RBI) and Stephen Vogl (2-for-5, RBI), while Joey DiMaria had two runs and two RBI out of the leadoff spot and Angelo Pearson scored three runs and had two RBI.
Abington 0 2 1 5 2 4 1 15-13-4
Central Bucks East 3 3 6 1 3 0 x 16-10-4
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