Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday. UD/Upper Moreland photos provided courtesy of Richard Vernick. Check out the gallery of game photos by clicking on the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p183195111
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
NORTH PENN 7, PENNSBURY 5
The Knights won their second crossover game in as many days to even their conference record at 3-3. Freshman Trevor Lugara stood tall on the mound, notching the complete game win over a Falcon squad that entered the game with an 8-1 record.
“Pennsbury is a very good team, and it is tough to go down there and get a win, especially the way they’re playing,” NP coach Kevin Manero said. “Our lineup is starting to become more productive. I think we’re starting to find ways to turn our one- and two-run losses into wins.
“But today, it all started with our freshman lefthanded pitcher who just absolutely went out there and did an incredible job. He threw an 82-pitch complete game, and we had four errors. To have four errors behind you and still only throw 82 pitches is pretty remarkable. That was just him throwing strikes – 79 percent strikes (65 of 82 pitchers were strikes). He’s only a little freshman, and in back-to-back games, he’s gone up against big Division 1 pitchers, and he’s unfazed by it. I think it’s a lift to all of us when we see him go out there like a bulldog.”
The Knights took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, benefitting from a pair of Falcon miscues and a clutch two-out double by Quinn Marett. The Falcons evened the score in the bottom of the inning. Ryan Zuckerman led off the inning with a single, and two outs later, Jackson Freeman doubled to plate Zuckerman. Freeman scored when Ryan Webber singled.
In the third inning, the Knights got those runs back when they scored a pair of unearned runs to go on top 4-2.
“That was really big – we did that yesterday too,” Manero said of his team’s 10-6 win over Neshaminy. “I think that’s a sign that our offense is starting to finally turn the corner. We’ve been missing big hits for a while, and now we’ve had back-to-back games where we’ve really responded well with some big innings, and it’s coming from all parts of the order, but especially a couple guys at the bottom of the order have really ignited things for us.
“I think we’re starting to find our way there a little bit, and I think we’re starting to get a little more confident and putting together some big at-bats, and it’s starting to translate into some runs.”
In the bottom of the fourth, a sacrifice fly by Freeman plated Justin Mitrovich, who singled, to make it a 4-3 game.
In the fifth, Jack Picozzi led off the inning with a single and Justin Egner doubled to left, putting a pair of Knights in scoring position. Picozzi scored on a wild pitch, and Egner crossed the plate when Ben Farley singled. The Knights led 7-3 when Pat Breen collected a two-out RBI single.
Harvard University-bound Callan Fang started and threw 4.2 innings for the Falcons He allowed eight hits and seven runs (three earned) while striking out seven and walking one. Gavin Hawkes closed out the game with 2.1 shutout innings in relief. He allowed one hit, struck out one and walked one.
“He was very good,” Manero said of Fang. “Both teams kicked the ball around a little bit too much today, and I think that probably made it tougher for Fang, but he’s a good pitcher, he’s a great kid. I’m jealous of him – he’s going to play baseball at one of the best universities in the country. What a great combination.
“He was tough, but I think our guys put together some tenacious at-bats to try and counteract that.”
For the Knights, Picozzi (2-for-4, run), Egner (2-for-3, 2B, 2 runs), Farley (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) and Pat Breen (2-for-4, run, RBI) all had multiple hits.
For the Falcons, Mitrovich (2-for-4, run, 2 RBIs) was the lone player with multiple hits.
North Penn (5-3, 3-3 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday, and Pennsbury (8-2, 5-2) will host Souderton on Friday.
North Penn 022 030 0 7-11-4
Pennsbury 020 120 0 5-9-5
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 16, HARRY S TRUMAN 5
The Titans notched their third win in as many outings after an 0-4 start, and they did it in convincing fashion over a Truman squad that brought a three-game winning streak into the contest.
“This was huge for our club,” CB South coach Kevin Bray said. “A lot of guys contributed today. Our pitching staff did a fantastic job with throwing strikes and keeping the ball down – just executing a really good game plan on the pitching side of things.
“Offensively, we just had outstanding at-bats up and down the lineup.”
The fun started early for the Titans. Logan Hinds led off the game with a single, his first of three hits on the day, and Jordan Chui followed with a single. Hinds was thrown out attempting to steal third, but the inning was far from over. Colin Mitchell drew a walk, and Chui scored on a sacrifice fly by JT Anderosky. Owen Wheeler was safe at first on a dropped third strike, and Jack Carver stepped to the plate and smashed a three-run home run to center field, putting the Titans on top 4-0.
“Obviously, scoring four runs in the first inning was huge,” Bray said. “That set the tone early for us, and Logan (Hinds) at the top of the lineup and Jordan Chui and Colin Mitchell – those guys at the one, two, three spots – absolutely set the tone for us today. It was great.”
The Tigers got one of those runs back when Will Brennan hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first, but the Titans got that back with a run in the second. Hinds singled, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on Chui’s sacrifice fly. In the third inning, Wheeler, who doubled, scored on a single by Hunter Petrich to put the Titans on top 6-1. They added 10 runs over the final three innings to win going away.
Justin Marraccini notched the win, allowing six hits and four runs while striking out 10 and walking three in five strong innings. Scott Lavin threw two innings in relief, allowing one hit and one run (unearned). He struck out a pair.
“When we put up four runs in the first, that makes everybody breathe a little bit more, and Justin (Marraccini) can focus on throwing strikes, not try to do too much,” Bray said. “(The pitchers) can just worry about throwing strikes. That’s the most important part.
“Justin had a fantastic day. Everything was working for him. He was around the strike zone all day. His off-speed stuff looked fantastic. This probably was the best start of his career. He got in a little trouble in the fifth inning. We put in Scott Lavin to relieve, and he did a great job coming in after we gave up a little bit of the lead.”
Hinds (3-for-4, 2 runs, RBI, BB), Chui (2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI) and Colin Mitchell (1-for-2, 3 BB, 2 runs, RBI) were a combined 6-for-10 with four walks, six runs scored and three RBIs out of the top three spots in the lineup. Carver (1-for-4, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBIs) and Petrich (2-for-3, run, RBI) also had productive days. Matt Bryce had a 2-run triple in the fifth inning.
For the Tigers, Ethan Helbling was 2-for-3 with a run scored. James Baker was 1-for-3 with a double and RBI.
Central Bucks South (3-4, 2-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Friday, and Harry S Truman (4-5, 3-4) will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 411 033 4 16-13-2
Harry S Truman 100 031 0 5-7-4
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
QUAKERTOWN 9, WILLIAM TENNENT 5
DeSales University’s Weiland Park in Center Valley was the site of Thursday night’s battle of the Panthers. DeSales is the alma mater of Quakertown coach Jon Pallone, who played collegiate baseball there.
“We have been trying to get in at DeSales for the past couple of years, but with the schedules and the rainouts, we just weren’t able to,” Pallone said. “I was always trying to get our team back up there, get on a college campus and play a game.”
Quakertown took advantage of the opportunity and notched a win in Thursday’s SOL crossover game.
“It was definitely a team game,” Pallone said. “I was very proud of that. We ended up having to use a lot of players in many different spots.
“We had three pitchers pitch, and they did a great job out there. We had to use a pinch runner, we had to make some defensive changes. A lot of guys contributed. It wasn’t just one guy carrying the team. We had a lot of contributors to get up to those nine runs.”
The Panthers led 4-0 after four innings only to watch Tennent put five runs on the board in the top of the fifth.
“Other than that fifth inning, we did a pretty good job,” Pallone said. “We made a couple of mistakes and then made a couple more on top of that.”
Quakertown responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take a lead it would not lose. Cooper Natisin got the ball rolling with a one-out single, and he scored the tying run when Tommy Kozlusky lined a double to left field. Vincent Pelligrini followed with a single to left, and Kozlusky scored on a bunt fielder’s choice by Dan Qualteria. With two outs, Ty Everitt lined a double to center that plated a pair and put the Panthers on top 8-5.
“Tommy Koz had two strikes, and he hit a foul ball or two and then he hits a nice double and brings in the tying run,” Pallone said. “Ty’s double was with two outs. “
A trio of Quakertown hurlers limited the visiting Panthers to just five hits and one earned run. Natisin started and threw 4.1 innings, allowing two hits and five runs (one earned) while striking out two and walking two. Carter Kochel collected the final two outs in the fifth inning, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out two. Jack Gilman threw two shutout innings to close out the game, allowing two hits and walking one.
“We had some young guys on the mound,” Pallone said. “Carter Kochel is a junior, and he’s only pitched a couple of times at varsity, and Jack Gilman – this was his first outing in relief, throwing the last two innings. That was his first varsity baseball game.”
The Panthers pounded out 10 hits off a pair of Tennent hurlers. Ethan Beil was 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored. He ripped a leadoff home run in a three-run fourth inning. Pellegrini was 2-for-4 with a double. Qualteria was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Everitt was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Kozlusky was 1-for-1 with a double two runs and two RBIs. Adding one RBI each were Kochel and Brandon Pierce.
Tennent was led by Julio Ybarra’s 2-for-2 effort with a run scored. Evan Devor, Corey Kravcak and Tim Lawson each contributed RBIs.
Quakertown (4-3-1, 4-1-1 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday, and William Tennent (2-5, 2-4) will travel to Lower Moreland on Monday.
William Tennent 000 050 0 5-5-0
Quakertown 100 341 x 9-10-2
UPPER DUBLIN 7, UPPER MORELAND 3
The Flying Cardinals celebrated their return to their home field for the first time this season with a big win in crossover play.
“This was actually our first home at home game this year, which was fun,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “We were playing on our freshman field, and it was nice to be within eyeshot of the school. I think
we’ll be back there again next Thursday (when UD returns to action). It was a good win.”
Three UD pitchers combined to allow just four hits and no earned runs. Tristan Ciarnes was the starter, and in four innings, he allowed three hits and three runs (zero earned) while striking out five and walking three. Aidan McCarthy did not allow a hit in two shutout innings. He struck out one and walked one. Brodie Wedholm threw a scores seventh, allowing one hit while striking out one.
“Aidan McCarthy came in and did a fantastic job,” Wall said. “And Brodie Wedholm – it’s reassuring to know we have guys that are going to come in and take care of business beyond our starters.”
The Cardinals broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Cairnes and Ethan Madnick collected back-to-back singles to open the inning. Brendan O’Brien, the courtesy runner for Cairnes, scored on a wild pitch, and Nick Lombardo’s single pushed a pair of runs across and gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the third, the visiting Golden Bears got on the board when Patrick Kilgus lined a double to left that plated a pair and made it a 3-2 game.
Jared Levis and Nick Harley opened the third inning with back-to-back singles. Levis scored on a balk, and Harley raced home on Madnick’s sacrifice fly to right field, putting the Cardinals on top 5-2.
An RBI single by UM’s Bo Meakim made it a 5-3 game in the top of the fourth. That score stood until the bottom of the fifth inning when Harley lined a leadoff triple to left field, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Cairnes that put UD on top 6-3. A Levis single in the sixth plated O’Brien and gave the Cardinals their final margin of victory.
Levis (2-for-4, run scored, RBI), Harley (2-for-3 3B, run) and Madnick (2-for-2 2B, run, RBI) had multiple hits for the Cardinals.
“(Jared) Levis and (Nick) Harley did a great job,” Wall said. “Harley hit an absolute nuke into left center field.
“Madnick is just such a sparkplug. He just ignites everybody and really gets the lineup cooking. All the way at the bottom we had Lombardo with a really nice base hit, driving in two runs. David Sharpe had one of his best hits of the season. Unfortunately, it got hung up in the wind and was caught, but it was good to see him get a good swing off.”
No UM player had more than one hit. Kilgus was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Upper Dublin (6-4, 6-2 SOL) is off until next Thursday when the Flying Cardinals will host Cheltenham. Upper Moreland (2-4) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 002 100 0 3-4-0
Upper Dublin 032 011 x 7-9-1
Non-league
HOLY GHOST PREP 10, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 6
The Bucks took a 2-1 lead into the fourth inning of Thursday’s non-league game only to watch the visiting Firebirds scored nine runs over the next two innings to seize control of the contest.
After the Firebirds took a 1-0 lead in the second, the Bucks answered with two runs in the third inning. Matt Carr, who had walked, scored on a wild pitch, and Jackson Cunnane had an RBI single that put the Bucks on top 2-1.
The Firebirds erased that lead with a four-run fifth inning only to see the Bucks pull to within one (5-4) after scoring a pair in the bottom of the fifth. Cunnane’s RBI double was the big hit in the inning.
Holy Ghost scored five runs in the top of the sixth to go on top 10-4 before the Bucks scored a pair in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run home run by Aidan Quinn.
The Bucks managed just six hits off a trio of Holy Ghost Prep hurlers. Cunnane accounted for half of those, finishing the day 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Aidan Quinn was 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs.
Central Bucks West (3-4, 2-3 SOL) will host Bensalem on Friday.
Holy Ghost 010 045 0 10-10-0
Central Bucks West 002 020 2 6-6-5
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