Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday.
SOL American
Cheltenham 1, Upper Dublin 0
Kieran Versaw-Barnes pitched a no-hitter as Cheltenham knocked off rival Upper Dublin in likely the season’s finest pitching performances thus far.
Versaw-Barnes threw 97 pitches over seven innings, walked one, hit two batters and struck out 12.
“This was an important win for us and needed to turn things around,” said Cheltenham coach Tory Wergelis. “And when we needed him most, Kieran Versaw-Barnes went out and carried this team.”
Defensively, the Panthers were solid all game, committing only one error behind their pitcher.
Offensively, Cheltenham couldn’t get much done with Upper Dublin pitcher Sean Curran either. Curran allowed just six hits and two walks, while striking out five.
But the Panthers did get the one run necessary to win this one and that came in the top of the first inning.
Ben Kaplan and Versaw-Barnes hit back-to-back singles to get the game started. Kaplan went to third after a double-play grounder, and then with two outs Lukas Nakkula drove in the run with an RBI single.
Kaplan and Versaw-Barnes both had two hits on the day.
“Our defense made some great plays to keep the door shut when we couldn't do much on the offensive side of the ball,” Wergelis said. “We faced a good team today and their pitcher was dealing as well. We let the game slip away in extras last time around against Upper Dublin, so I know the boys had a bit of extra motivation to win this one.
“They really rallied behind Kieran. He's a great team leader because of his incessant work ethic and dedication to be the best possible version of himself as a player.”
Cheltenham (4-5, 4-4 SOL) – 15th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – next plays at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday. Upper Dublin (7-6, 5-4 SOL) will look to bounce back Tuesday with a nonleague game at Collegium Charter. The Flying Cardinals are 11th in the District 1 5A power rankings.
Cheltenham 100 000 0- 1 6 1
Upper Dublin 000 000 0- 0 0 1
Upper Moreland 6, Abington 2
Colin Bates pitched a complete-game five-hitter, striking out 11 batters to lead Upper Moreland to the SOL American Conference win over Abington. It was the third straight conference win for the Golden Bears.
Bates, who is now 3-1 on the season, only allowed two earned runs and walked two batters.
“Colin Bates pitched an outstanding game,” said Upper Moreland coach Dan Heiland. “He did a great job working ahead in counts, hitting his spots and keeping batters off balance.”
Offensively, the Bears grabbed the early lead with a run in the first inning on an RBI single by Connor O’Donnell and then in the second, Connor English scored on a RBI groundout by Jack Dombrowski which made it 2-0. After adding another run in the fourth, three in the fifth broke the game wide open, the big hit a two-run double by Garrett Garafalo.
Thomas Longstreth went 2-for-2 with a triple for UM, while Garafalo, Ben Paul and Bates added doubles.
“Overall, it was a great team win,” Heiland said. “Defensively, Ryan Gibbs called a great game behind the plate and the defense played behind Bates was tremendous.
“Offensively, everybody contributed. We had solid at-bats from top to bottom, we worked counts and earned our hits and baserunners.”
For Abington, Jordan Grimaldi went 2-for-3, while Stephen Vogel drove in the two Galloping Ghost runs in the sixth inning.
Upper Moreland (5-4, 4-4 SOL) – 14th in the District 1 5A power rankings – plays at first-place Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.Abington (3-11, 2-8 SOL) has a nonleague game scheduled for Friday at Bensalem.
Abington 000 002 0- 2 5 2
Upper Moreland 110 130 x- 6 8 1
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Wissahickon 1
With a come-from-behind win on Thursday, Hatboro-Horsham – the top seed in the District 1 6A power rankings – maintained its one-game lead at the top of the SOL American Conference standings.
The Hatters trailed Wissahickon 1-0 going into the fifth inning, but that’s when they struck, scoring two runs to take the lead. A single by Ryley Robinson tied the game in the fifth, and one batter later Jimmy Tooley doubled home Robinson to put Hatboro-Horsham up 2-1.
In the sixth, the Hatters added two insurance runs, courtesy of a RBI single by Lucas Walker, and then Anthony Liott scored on a passed ball to make it 4-1.
For the game, Robinson, Walker and Bradan Mallon all had two hits for H-H, which pounded out nine hits as a team.
On the mound, the Hatters’ Benny Wilson (4-1) pitched a complete-game three-hitter, allowing just one earned run while striking out 11. He did not walk a batter.
“It was a total team effort for us,” said H-H coach Pete Moore. “Our 8- and 9-hole hitters, Lucas Walker and Ryley Robinson, were huge for us against one the top pitchers in the league today.
“Benny Wilson continued an incredible season and probably had his best stuff of the year today.”
Quinn Rovner was the hard-luck losing pitcher for the Trojans, as he struck out seven in six-plus innings on the mound. Also for Wissahickon, Joe Hornig had an RBI single in the first inning.
Hatboro-Horsham (12-3, 8-1 SOL) will look to maintain its lead in the SOL American when it hosts Upper Moreland on Tuesday. Wissahickon (4-8, 3-6 SOL) – 25th in the District 1 6A power rankings – plays at Springfield on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 000 020 2- 4 9 0
Wissahickon 100 000 0-1 3 2
Plymouth Whitemrsh 9, Springfield 7
With five runs in the top of the seventh, Plymouth Whitemarsh rallied to avoid an upset on the road Thursday as the Colonials squeaked out the 9-7 victory over Springfield.
PW trailed 6-4 going into the seventh inning. RBI singles by Ben Mascio and Jacob Nunez cut the deficit to one, and then a three-run homer run by Anthony Tomassetti put the Colonials back in front of what was a wild game right from the start.
“We scored five runs with two outs to tie the game and then take the lead in the top of the seventh,” said PW coach Chris Manero. “So many guys picked each other up today, and in that seventh inning, it was never more evident.”
Morgan D’Amico had an RBI single and two PW errors put Springfield in front 4-1 after one inning.
PW chipped away with runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to pull within 5-4 going into the sixth. But Springfield’s Brian Murphy hit a solo home run in the sixth to push the lead back to two with one inning to plate.
Offensively, the Colonials were led by Kevin Reilly, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Joe Jaconski, Tomassetti and Richie Werner had two hits each. Jaconski’s two hits were doubles.
“Our offense kept us in the game despite those mistakes, and we pounded out 15 hits to make sure we kept it in reach,” Manero said.
Steve Gallagher picked up the win in relief for PW, while Jaconski struck out the final batter of the game to record the save after Springfield rallied with a run in the bottom of the seventh.
PW (7-5, 7-2 SOL) – 11th in the District 1 6A power rankings – has a nonleague road game at Souderton on Friday.
Springfield (3-8, 2-6 SOL) next plays Saturday at Abington Friends in a nonleague game.
PW 101 110 5- 9 15 3
Springfield 401 001 1- 7 8 0
SOL National
Harry S Truman 6, Council Rock North 5
Dylan Jackson’s three-run double capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Harry S. Truman shocked Council Rock North in an SOL National game on Thursday. The win gave the Tigers a season sweep of the Indians.
Truman trailed 5-1 going into the seventh. CR North starter Ryan Stalker was dominant for six innings and the game appeared well in hand.
The Indians even had two outs in the seventh, with just one runner on when it fell apart. Two walks were followed by singles from Truman’s Evan Profy and Joey Wright. On a 1-1 pitch, Jackson’s shot to center field emptied the bases and gave the Tigers the walk-off victory.
Jackson finished 2-for-2 with four RBIs on the night for Truman. Profy and Wright each had two hits and an RBI.
Jackson also earned the win on the mound, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of starter Chris Taylor. Jackson struck out two and didn’t walk a batter.
Stalker allowed just three hits and one earned run over six innings. He walked three and struck out 10, before being pulled after six with his pitch count at 89.
Offensively, the Indians may have finished with only three hits themselves, but scored three runs in the third and one in the fourth and fifth innings to go up 5-1. Collin Manel and Alex Estrada each had RBIs.
Truman (4-7, 3-4 SOL) next plays at Neshaminy on Tuesday. CR North (3-7, 0-5 SOL) takes on CR South on the road on Monday.
CR North 003 110 0- 5 3 0
Truman 100 000 5- 6 7 2
Council Rock South 5, Neshaminy 3
With its third win of the week, Council Rock South officially re-entered the SOL National picture, capping a three-day stretch with a 5-3 upset of Neshaminy.
“We had a choice at 0-3 in league play to roll over and feel bad for ourselves or to battle and make something out of this season,” said CR South coach Ted Kirner. “And our boys decided to battle.”
Starter Michael Rabayda was strong for the Golden Hawks on Thursday, allowing only one earned run over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five, while allowing just three hits and one walk.
“Great outing by Michael Rabayda, backed up by timely hits and terrific defensive plays,” Kirner said.
A Luke Gregory RBI single gave the Hawks the lead in the third inning and the lead stayed at 1-0 until the fifth. Trey Obarowski hit a three-run home run, scoring Drew LaPolice and Emilio Pallante to make it a 4-0 game. Jared Ennis homered to lead off the sixth.
Neshaminy, which started the week in first place and has now lost three straight games overall, rallied in the sixth, starting with a RBI single by Joe Kaleck. Tyler Jones walked with the bases loaded to make it 5-2, and a fielder’s choice groundout by Maguire Fein cut the deficit to two runs.
But CR South was able to get out of the inning, as reliever Dan Purcell struck out four in the final 1 2/3 innings.
Obarowski went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while LaPolice finished 2-for-3.
“Fundamentally, we need to continue to get better each day,” Kirner said. “We are on our way to becoming a good team but have to a lot of work to do.”
Gus Natelli had two hits for Neshaminy.
CR South (6-6, 3-3 SOL) – 19th in the District 1 6A power rankings – next has a game scheduled Monday when it hosts rival CR North. Neshaminy (9-3, 6-2 SOL) will look to right its ship at home Friday against CB South in a nonleague game. The Redskins are third in the power rankings.
CR South 001 031 0-5 8 2
Neshaminy 000 003 0- 3 6 1
Bensalem 11, William Tennent 0 (5 innings)
Dom Grady pitched a five-inning, one-hit shutout and at the plate was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, as Bensalem routed William Tennent on Thursday. The win was the seventh straight for the Owls, who scored 11 runs on 18 hits in just five innings.
Bensalem jumped out Tennent with two runs in the top of the first inning as Damon Lavender and Grady both had RBI singles. Lavender also had a big day at the plate for the Owls, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs.
They added runs in the second and third to make it 4-0 and then blew the game wide open with four in the fourth and three in the fifth to enforce the 10-run mercy rule.
Also for Bensalem, Matt Silano, Nick Dean, Rich Bordone and Ryan Rooney all had two hits each. Rooney added a double and two RBIs.
For Tennent, its only hit came from Evan Scally in the second inning.
Bensalem (8-2, 5-2 SOL) remains a half-game out of first place, behind only Pennsbury now in the conference standings. It has a nonleague game scheduled for Friday against Abington. The Owls are 10th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings.Tennent (3-7, 0-6 SOL) is at Quakertown in a nonleague game on Saturday.Bensalem 211 43- 11 18 0
Tennent 000 00- 0 1 1
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 9, Central Bucks East 4
CB South scored three runs in the second and six in the third, taking advantage of five CB East errors and hitting up and down the batting order in a SOL Continental Conference rout on Thursday.
“This was a big week for us,” said CB South coach Brian Klumpp. “I think we have six road games in a row, so I think this was number five of six. Our guys are doing a great job focusing every single at bat, every single pitch in every single inning from inning number one.
“So, I’m proud of them. It’s a very big week for us going into next.”
Jake Trachtenberg started the critical second inning with a walk, and Joe Martino and Connor McKeown followed with singles, and the big blow, a double by Mike Marino drove in two runs and put the Titans in control.
The third inning saw 11 batters come to the plate for the Titans, with four singles – by Connor McKeown, Trachtenberg, Jake McKeown and Owen Petrich.
Up 9-0, CB South cruised to the win from there. Jake McKeown went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Connor McKeown and Petrich had two hits each. Marino drove in three runs.
Brock Veit picked up the win, allowing just two earned runs over five innings. Petrich finished out the game with two innings of relief.
For CB East, the Patriots did score twice in the fifth and twice in the seventh. Jack Nugent, Erik Hiller and Blake Ravkin all had RBIs. They also received solid relief pitching from Jack Hamilton and Anthony Yermalov, neither of whom allowed a run over the final four-plus innings.
CB South (8-3, 6-2 SOL) – the 14th seed in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – has a nonleague game scheduled for Friday at Neshaminy.CB East (7-7, 3-5 SOL) next plays Tuesday at North Penn.
CB South 036 000 0-9 12 1
CB East 000 020 2-4 8 5
Souderton 5, Central Bucks West 1
Andrew Curran struck out 10 in six-plus innings as Souderton maintained its two-game lead in the SOL Continental with a solid win over CB West on Thursday.
Curran (2-0) allowed just two hits and one run (unearned), with three walks before hitting 99 pitches in the seventh inning. Sophomore Eric Richie recorded the final out to finish off the game.
Offensively, Souderton had just five hits as a team. Jordan Morales and Bill Norbeck had two RBIs each.
Dylan Kummery scored on a Norbeck fielder’s choice groundout in the first, while in the second, Morales’ two-run single plated Jake Horton and Moses Clemens. The Indians took advantage of errors in the sixth and seventh innings to tack on key insurance runs late.
CB West had earlier cut the lead to 3-1 as Rhys Nicholas, who had tripled earlier in the inning, scored on an error, but as a team the Bucks managed just two hits total.
Souderton (10-2, 8-0 SOL) – fifth in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – is scheduled to host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a nonleague game on Friday.CB West (5-8, 2-6) next plays at Pennridge on Tuesday.
Souderton 012 001 1- 5 5 1
CB West 000 100 0- 1 2 4
Quakertown 9, Pennridge 3
Dennis Pierce went 3-for-3 with two doubles, as Quakertown pounded rival Pennridge with 12 hits in a night game played at Quakertown Memorial Park on Thursday.
Sean Brennan and Justin Butler added two hits each for the Panthers, while Butler also picked up two RBIs.
Trailing 1-0, Quakertown took control of the game with four runs in the bottom of the third. A double by Pierce put runners on second and third with one out in the inning. Mason Hicks added an RBI single and two more runners scored by stealing home later in the inning.
On the mound, Matt Ciarrocchi struck out six in fifth innings to pick up the win. He allowed just three runs (unearned), six hits and walked two. Sam Rice pitched two scoreless innings of relief to close out the game.
Pennridge was led by Ray Knight and Kyle Moran, who had two hits each.
Quakertown (8-3, 4-3 SOL) – 20th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will host William Tennent on Saturday at 10 a.m., and Pennridge (4-7, 0-6) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
Pennridge 001 020 0- 3 7 0
Quakertown 004 131 x- 9 12 1
Non-League
Pennsbury 5, North Penn 1
Shayne Ostrowski allowed just two hits and one run (unearned) in a dominant complete-game effort as Pennsbury claimed a second win over North Penn this season. Because the game is a cross-over, it counts toward the District One power rankings for both teams.
Ostrowski (4-1) turned in his best outing of the season, walking two and striking out five.
“Shayne Ostrowsky was really on today,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci. “He looked like he was throwing harder as the game went on, and he was able to throw his off-speed and cutter effectively. He gave up a hit to lead off the game and then didn’t give up another until the top of the seventh.”
The Falcons led this one from the outset, as two-run single by Justin Fogel put them in front in the bottom of the first inning.
After North Penn crept to within 2-1 as a Kyle Schulze grounder plated a run in the third, Pennsbury came back with one in the fourth and two in the sixth to put the game away.
Devin Sweeney had an RBI single in the fourth, while a two-out error scored two in the sixth.
Fogel finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Pennsbury hitting attack, while Sam Ruta also had two hits.
“We keep putting together some really great at-bats,” Pesci said. “Ten hits today doesn’t show every one, as we had four or five more nice balls barreled up that were line/fly outs.”
For North Penn, Jake Drelick and Connor Ertel managed the team’s only two hits on the day.
Pennsbury (10-3, 7-1 SOL) which is now in sole possession of first place in the SOL National with Neshaminy’s loss on Thursday, is back in action Saturday with a nonleague game at Hopewell Valley Central (N.J.) at 10 a.m.The Falcons are sixth in the latest District 1 6A power rankings. North Penn (5-7, 3-5 SOL) looks to get back on track Tuesday at home against CB East. The Knights are 24th in the power rankings.
North Penn 001 000 0- 1 2 2
Pennsbury 200 102 x- 5 10 1
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