Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday.
SOL Freedom/Liberty crossover
Upper Moreland 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
Pitcher Jimmy Torpey slowed down one of the hottest offensive teams in the Suburban One League, and Upper Moreland cashed in in the bottom of the seventh to post its biggest win of the season under first-year coach Jim Fasano.
“I’m proud of and happy for the boys,” said Fasano, whose team snapped a four-game losing streak. “They competed and played their best game of the season. Now, we turn our attention to Abington on Monday.
“The season is all right in front of us, we have to take it one game at a time, but I believe in this group and am excited for what the future holds.”
PW, which scored 62 runs in its previous six games, was playing without infielder and top offensive threat Jesse Jaconski.
The Colonials scored a run in the first as Ray Tomassetti doubled and scored on a Luke Gartland RBI to take the early lead.
Upper Moreland managed just one hit against PW pitchers Matt Krawitz and Dylan Robinson, but the Golden Bears took advantage of seven walks and four errors.
Sean Townsend tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third, and then took the lead with an unearned run in the fifth.
PW’s Mike Miller led off the sixth with a double and scored the tying run on an error, setting the stage for the dramatic seventh inning.
Sean Dallahan drew a two-out walk, went to second on a balk and scored the game-winning run on an error.
Torpey went all seven innings on the mound for the Golden Bears, allowing just one earned run on five hits and no walks, while striking out five.
“Torpey mixed a fastball and breaking ball to keep hitters off balance,” Fasano said. “He got ahead early in counts and threw 65 of 91 pitches for strikes.”
Upper Moreland (3-5, 3-5 SOL) plays at Abington on Monday. PW (9-4, 6-4 SOL) looks to bounce back Monday at Lower Moreland.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 100 001 0 – 2 5 4
Upper Moreland 001 010 1 – 3 1 2
Hatboro-Horsham 16, Springfield Twp 1 (4 innings)
Trey Porter opened the game with a home run and that set off the offensive fireworks for first-place Hatboro-Horsham, which finished this game with 16 runs on 14 hits in a game shortened to four innings via the mercy rule.
“We talked a lot to our guys before the game today about being ready to play from the first pitch and they literally got after it from the first pitch of the game,” said Hatters coach Pete Moore.
“Trey Porter hit the first pitch of the game for the farthest home run I have ever seen hit at the high school level. He doubled later in the game. He is hitting .500 on the year with four home runs and is honestly playing at a completely different level in all phases of the game right now. It’s fun to watch.”
H-H scored three runs in the first and then added nine in the second to completely remove any doubt.
Porter was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and an RBI, Cole Fisher was 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs, and Ryan Toporowski was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Jack Elwell had a double, three runs scored and two RBIs.
In all, 10 different Hatters had hits.
“Ryan McCormick had his first varsity hit today with a hard hit ball to the opposite field,” Moore said. “He is a great example of a kid who worked his tail off on his own to get better.”
H-H (11-2, 10-0 SOL) returns Monday at home against William Tennent. Springfield (1-6, 1-5 SOL) plays Saturday against Abington in a game played at Arm & Hammer Stadium in Trenton, N.J.
Hatboro-Horsham 391 3 – 16 14 0
Springfield 001 0 – 1 3 1
Quakertown 12, Lower Moreland 2 (5 innings)
This one was close through three innings, but Quakertown took control with three runs in the bottom of the third and then blew it open with four in the fourth and four more in the fifth.
Daniel Schwalm hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first to stake the Panthers to the early lead. Lower Moreland responded with one in the second and another in the third to grab the 2-1 advantage.
“Daniel Schwalm started us off with a rocket, which was nice,” said Quakertown coach Jon Pallone. “The game was pretty tight.”
Brandon Pierce led off the bottom of the third with a double and scored on Peyton Kochel’s RBI single. Jake Dulis gave Quakertown the lead again with an RBI single and Ethan Beil stole home for a run and just like that it was a 4-2 game.
Kochel was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Ty Everitt, Pierce and Dullis had two hits each, while Thomas Kozlusky and Dulis had two RBIs each.
On the mound, Carter Kochel allowed one earned run over four innings to pick up the win. Matt Marsten pitched a scoreless fifth inning.
Quakertown (6-4, 6-2 SOL) concludes a four-game week Friday at Wissahickon. Lower Moreland (3-8, 2-7 SOL) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday.
Lower Moreland 011 00 – 2 4 4
Quakertown 103 44 – 12 13 2
Wissahickon 10, New Hope-Solebury 4
Two runs in the bottom of the first started Wissahickon out and it never trailed in a 10-run, 13-hit performance to get past New Hope on Thursday.
“Offensively, we did a lot of damage with two outs and two strikes, starting with Kasey Weiss’s double in the first inning,” said Trojans coach Andy Noga. “We were able to get gritty, put the ball in play and good things happened.
“Jack O’Donnell continued to cash in with runners in scoring position. Blake McClintic had a great day at the plate too, putting the pressure on the defense every at bat with his speed. It was good to see him break out today.
“Overall, we played really well in all areas. It’s a busy week for us, and it seems like playing a lot of games in a row is helping our offense get in a good rhythm.”
McClintic finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Weiss had a double, two runs scored and three RBIs. O’Donnell was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, Morgan Wilson was 2-for-4, and Josh Palutis was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
On the mound. Danny Crump scattered nine hits and two walks, allowing two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings.
“Danny Crump went out and competed,” Noga said. “It was his first start of the season, and he gave us exactly what we needed and then some. In a four-game league week, Danny being able to pitch into the sixth inning was huge.
“Aside from a couple plays, our defense did a nice job of taking care of the baseball. We turned the ball over to freshman Adam Hajdak to finish out the game. It was good for him to get his first varsity innings under his belt in a situation like this because we know he will be helping us as the season goes on and definitely in the future. “
Brooks Saft went 3-for-3 with a double for New Hope. Justin Lehman was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Wissahickon (6-5, 6-3 SOL) hosts Quakertown on Friday. New Hope (4-4, 3-4 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin on Monday.
New Hope-Solebury 010 102 0 – 4 10 6
Wissahickon 231 040 x – 10 13 4
Abington 12, William Tennent 2
Abington jumped ahead in the second inning, never let up offensively and that was all the support its pitchers needed on the way to the cross-over win over host Tennent.
“Excellent pitching from LJ Wolff and Pat McCallister,” said Galloping Ghosts coach Bill Degan. “Colin Hamsher, (Anthony) Ehly and Chase Goodson all had great days at the plate.”
Wolff started for the Ghosts and went five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. McCallister closed it out with two shutout innings of relief.
At the plate, Matt Worek started off the second inning with a triple, and he ended up scoring on an error. The third inning saw the first five Abington batters reach base – three walks, an error and a hit-batter – and by the time it was over, the Ghosts had a 4-0 lead and were firmly in command.
Worek finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Ehly, Luke Sydlowski and Goodson drove in two runs each, and Hamsher was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Overall, the Ghosts scored 12 runs on nine hits and drew 12 walks.
Abington (7-4, 5-4 SOL), now winners of five in a row, play Springfield Township on Saturday at Arm & Hammer Stadium in Trenton, N.J. Tennent (2-8, 2-7 SOL) hosts New Foundations Charter on Friday in a nonleague game.
Abington 013 140 3 – 12 9 2
Tennent 000 110 0 – 2 5 3
Upper Dublin 16, Cheltenham 1 (4 innings)
It only took four innings, but Upper Dublin had a whole game’s worth of hitting packed into those innings, as it scored 16 runs on 13 in this mercy-rule shortened game.
“It was an amazing day at the plate,” said UD coach Ed Wall. “We hit a lot of balls in the air and with weather like it was, it certainly didn’t hurt what we were doing with the baseball.”
The Flying Cardinals started with two runs in the top of the first. Kyle Rizzo led off the inning with a double to right, and Nick Lombardo hit an inside-the-park home run to right field. They added five in a second inning highlighted by doubles from Rizzo and Nick Harley – Harley’s a 3-run double that emptied the bases. UD added five runs in the third and four in the fourth to finish it off.
First baseman Nick Harley went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs scored and five RBIs. Kyle Rizzo was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Nick Lombardo was 2-for-2 with a home run, four runs scored and one RBI.
David Sharp was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Justin Richman had two RBIs and David Buccafui had two hits.
“It was Senior Day, so it was a special day for the guys, who just came back from (their Senior Trip) Disney,” Wall said.
Upper Dublin (7-4, 7-2 SOL) hosts Esperanza Academy in a nonleague game Friday. Cheltenham (2-9, 0-8 SOL) hosts Quakertown on Monday.
Cheltenham 001 0 – 1 5 3
Upper Dublin 255 4 – 16 13 0
SOL Colonial/Patriot crossover
Pennridge 4, Bensalem 1
It was a cold, windy day, and that didn’t seem to bother Aidan Fretz one bit – on the mound or at the plate.
The Pennridge right-hander allowed just one run over five innings on the mound and also had a couple hits with his bat, leading the Rams to an important cross-over victory on Thursday.
“He’s just a gamer,” said Rams coach Craig Whitten. “He’s such a competitor. He gets so amped up, but he’s so quiet, so calm and cool. He gets upset if he misses an 0-2 spo but is able to turn the page and go to the next pitch.
“He had two hits today and just finds ways to get on base. He’s such a quiet leader. His teammates know, when Aidan gets the ball, he’s going to get the job done. When Aidan is at-bat, he’s going to get the job done.”
Facing tough Bensalem righty Dan McShane, Pennridge broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to an RBI single by Ryan Hass and a costly two-out error that plated another.
In the top of the sixth, the first two batters walked, and Whitten brought in Robbie Pliszka in relief. Nate Rice singled in a run, but the threat ended there with the Rams still in front 2-1.
Then in the bottom half of the inning, Hass and Aidan McCloskey hit back-to-back RBI singles to quickly up the lead to 4-1.
Joey Calabretti finished Bensalem off in the top of the seventh to earn the save.
Pennridge (5-5, 3-5 SOL) won for the second time this week to revive its hopes for a late run for the playoffs. It plays at CB East in a division game on Saturday.
“I told the kids last week – we had a really bad week – I told the guys, we’ve got to find the fun,” the Rams’ coach said. “Find the reason you loved to get into your parents’ car at 8 years old to go to the baseball field. After the game, I told them, ‘You found the fun. Look at what happens.’”
Bensalem (6-7, 4-6 SOL) is off until Monday when it hosts Souderton.
Bensalem 000 001 0 – 1 4 1
Pennridge 000 202 x – 4 6 1
Pennsbury 15, Central Bucks East 5 (5 innings)
At home, against another quality opponent, Pennsbury brought its bats on Thursday.
The Falcons scored four runs in the first inning and the rout was on, as they scored 15 runs on 12 hits – seven extra base hits – and took advantage of seven walks and four errors, finishing off the visiting Patriots in five innings.
“For the past three games, we’ve been slow starters,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci. “Today, we came out crushing the ball.
“We didn’t know who we were going to face. They have (Max) McGrady, Xavier Sojstedt and (Brett) Young. They ended up starting Young and then they brought in the lefty, and we jumped on him too. We just kept going.”
In the four-run first, the Falcons drew a pair of walks, and with one out, Ryan Zuckerman lined a double to center field that plated a pair. Justin Mitrovich followed with a single, and Joe Tiroly lined a double to left that plated Zuckerman. Reese Hirsch followed with a sacrifice fly, and the Falcons, who led 4-0, were off and running.
Charlie Evans was 2-for-4 with a home run, triple and six RBIs. Zuckerman was 2-for-3 with a home run, double, three runs scored and three RBIs. Tiroly was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Hirsh was also 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Jackson Freeman had a double and two RBIs, and leadoff hitter James Schaffer reached base four times and scored four runs.
On the mound, Mitrovich started and picked up the win, going 4 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
For CB East, McGrady went 2-for-4 with a home run with four RBIs. Nick Carter was 2-for-3 with two doubles and Joey Wilga was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
Pennsbury (11-3, 7-3 SOL) next plays Monday when it hosts CB West. CB East (7-4, 4-4 SOL) hosts Pennridge Saturday morning (11 a.m.).
CB East 011 03 – 5 8 4
Pennsbury 441 42 – 15 12 0
Neshaminy 5, Central Bucks South 0
If Neshaminy hoped to make a run for a playoff spot, it had to start soon and on Thursday, right-hander Matt Mays delivered with a four-hit shutout as the team bounced back from a tough 11-inning, one-run loss to Souderton on Tuesday.
“Matt Mays was fantastic in his return to the mound today, and we played very good defense behind him,” said Neshaminy coach Dan Toner. “Today we played a complete game, and we are hoping to continue that trend.”
Mays allowed just four hits and walked one, while striking out six in an 89-pitch effort. He didn’t allow more than one baserunner in an inning until the sixth but ended that inning with a strikeout to keep his shutout in check. He worked around a two-out single in the seventh to finish it off.
In the bottom of the first, Bobby Hansen, Anthony Trommer and Joel Bonner all had singles for Neshaminy. Trommer ended up scoring on an error to make it a 1-0 game.
They struck again in the fourth, as Brendan Raven and Gaige Ryan had RBI singles, and Hansen made it a 5-0 game with an RBI double.
Hansen, Bonner and Ryan finished the game with two hits each.
“We know we are in a situation where we can’t afford to lose many more games and we can’t keep waiting on everything to come together,” Toner said. “Knowing that, we have worked extremely hard at practice on our approach at the plate and today it paid off. We put a lot of balls in play and kept the ball out of the air.”
Neshaminy (4-5, 4-4 SOL) plays at Harry S. Truman on Tuesday. CB South (5-7, 4-6 SOL) has a nonleague game against Great Valley on Friday.
CB South 000 000 0 – 0 4 1
Neshaminy 100 400 x – 5 10 1
Council Rock North 9, North Penn 3
Council Rock North returned from its Senior Trip and proceeded to lose its first two games of the week to Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West.
Thursday, on the road, the Indians put an end to that losing streak with a convincing 9-3 win at North Penn.
“Today was a huge win against an incredibly well-coached, talented team,” said CR North coach Matt Schram. “It’s always important to stop losing streaks as fast as possible. Especially in our league, because everybody you face is well-coached and can beat you at any time.
“Losing on Monday and Tuesday forced us to get creative in our practice yesterday, which allowed our guys to see how important it is to get back to the fundamentals of the game.”
Austin Stalker got things going for the Indians in the top of the first with a one-out double, and he came around to score on an error.
North Penn answered with one in the second, as Ben Farley led off with a single and later scored on a passed ball.
CR North broke the tie with two runs in the top of the third. Nolan Reisenberger led off the inning with a ground single to left. Will Scibona and Stalker followed with back-to-back singles. One out later, Shane Anhalt single, plating a run. Jadon Tang was hit by a pitch, pushing another run across and giving the Indians a 3-1 lead. They never looked back, scoring two runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Stalker finished 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. Brian Curry was 3-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Anhalt and Riesenberger had two hits each.
Tang started on the mound and picked up the win, allowing just one earned run on six hits, striking out eight in five innings. Patrick Dougherty and Nick Focella each pitched an inning of relief to finish the game off.
For North Penn, Mario Sgro was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Jack Picozzi, Brian Neal and Farley had two hits each.
CR North (9-3, 7-3 SOL) hosts Pennridge on Monday. North Penn (5-5, 3-5 SOL) next plays Saturday in a nonleague game at Spring-Ford.
Council Rock North 102 222 2 – 9 13 0
North Penn 010 101 0 – 3 9 3
Souderton 15, Council Rock South 5 (5 innings)
Once again, Souderton brought its bats to pick up its fifth straight win to remain in first place in the SOL Colonial Division.
In four of those five games, the Indians have scored nine or more runs. Thursday, they scored 15 runs on 18 hits in just five innings as the game was shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule.
Tuesday, Souderton scored just two runs in a 2-1, 11-inning win over Neshaminy.
“After only scoring two runs on Tuesday, I was glad to see our bats come alive with 18 hits today,” said coach Mike Childs. “Our hitting coach, Casey Clauss, gave a hitting talk at practice yesterday and with four guys having multiple hits – led by our 9-hole hitter with four – I think it worked. It was good to see our shortstop, Kaden Pasternak, relax and do what we know he can do at the plate. He had four hits and three RBIs.”
After giving up a run in the top of the first, Souderton responded with three in the bottom half of the inning. Chris McKenna had an RBI single, Carter Jagiela scored one with an RBI triple, and Ethan Warner drove in one with an RBI groundout.
Seven runs in the bottom of the third blew the game wide open. The Indians had seven straight hits in the inning, including doubles by Luke Pollock and Justin Dicesare.
Jagiela went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Pollock and Shanley Wall had two hits each, while Pollock, McKenna, Warner and Hunter Weitzel had two RBIs each.
Liam O’Leary started and earned the win on the mound for Souderton, throwing 4 2/3 innings. Jack Wright recorded the final out in the top of the fifth.
Souderton (10-3, 8-2 SOL) plays at Bensalem on Monday. CR South (1-8, 0-8 SOL) plays at CB South on Monday.
Council Rock South 100 13 – 5 7 1
Souderton 307 23 – 15 18 0
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