CR South and Souderton were winners in SOL baseball action Monday.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 6, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
The Golden Hawks upped their winning streak to four games, this time riding the strong pitching performance of Drew LaPolice. LaPolice allowed just three hits in six shutout innings, striking out four and walking one. Michael Rabayda pitched a scoreless seventh to close it out.
“Drew LaPolice did a very, very good job,” coach Ted Kirner said. “Heading into the sixth, he only had given up one hit.
“He did a great job with composure. He did a really good job of getting ahead of batters and commanding the zone and had some stellar defense behind him. We were lucky enough to be the first to strike, and we were able to tack some runs on behind him to give a little more security to pitch with the lead while we were trying to collect the outs.”
The Golden Hawks scored the only run they would need in the third. Jake Barder collected a leadoff single. He moved up to second on a groundout, stole third and scored on a passed ball.
The Golden Hawks all but put the game away with a five-run fourth. Jared Ennis hit a one-out double, and Jon Pinciotti followed with a single. When Gianni Gilch was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded, setting the stage for back-to-back bunts. One run scored on Barder’s bunt, and two scored on Pat Gannon’s. Jack O’Neill’s two-run single put the Golden Hawks on top 6-0. That was more than enough for LaPolice.
“I bunted a number of guys in a row – they attempted to make the play at the plate, and (Barder) was safe, and we did it again,” Kirner said. “Then Jack O’Neill came up, and we bunted him and he bunted it foul. They put a shift on – they brought a shortstop way up in his throat, and we flashed, and he had a two-RBI single.
“It was a really good game with really good energy against our sister school. A lot of history, and even though North is having a down year – if the tide turns in a couple of games for us, we have that 0-5 mark next to us.
“They were doing anything they could to get a win they desperately needed. Not only that, if they beat us, that makes their year, and that’s worth something to them. They were hungry, and it was a good matchup despite what the final score shows.”
Jared Ennis was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored to lead a Golden Hawks’ squad that appears to be finding its stride.
“Sometimes when you’re building a team, you’ve got to play a number of games together until guys start understanding their roles,” Kirner said. “I think the big thing our team is learning how to do is they’re learning how to win, and they’re starting to buy in.
“It all starts with the performances that we’ve had on the mound and followed by some beautiful, timely hitting behind it. Every guy on our roster knows what their role is. We feel like we’re in a good spot, but we still understand we haven’t done anything yet.
“The scoreboard and box scores are just momentum, but that means nothing moving forward. We work on that, we talk about that. Tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win tomorrow, and we’ll worry about the rest of the way down the road.”
Seven days ago, the Golden Hawks were 2-3 overall. Monday’s win was their sixth.
“Our team had a choice as early as last Tuesday before this little run started,” Kirner said. “They could have packed it in, they could have felt sorry for themselves, but they got together and they said – everything that we want is still attainable.
“What I’m most impressed with is – nobody cares in the beginning of the year how you do. It’s how you’re playing towards the end. It really comes down to – can you do enough to get into the dance? We’re hoping that we can continue to play well to give us that opportunity.”
Council Rock South (6-3, 4-3 SOL) will host Quakertown on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (3-8, 0-6) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Council Rock North 000 000 0 0-3-1
Council Rock South 001 500 x 6-5-0
Non-league
SOUDERTON 6, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 5
The Indians displayed a flare for the dramatic, rallying for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to earn the walk-off win. Making the non-league win especially impressive was the fact that the three-run seventh came after the Colonials broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the top of the inning.
Jordan Morales singled to lead off the seventh and Conlan Wall drew a free pass. A miscue on a bunt was followed by an error on a fly ball to the outfield, allowing one run to cross the plate.
Andrew Curran followed with a single to right that plated a pair and propelled the Indians to the dramatic win.
“Curran stepped up big at the plate today,” coach Mike Childs said. “He had two big hits, both scoring runs – especially his last at-bat, the bases-loaded single to win it.
“It’s good to see new guys step up when needed to get the win.”
The Colonials appeared to be in good stead after plating two in the top of the inning. After Jacob Nunez drew a leadoff walk, Mike Orensky and Dylan Strunk (RBI) followed with back-to-back singles. Richie Werner’s sacrifice fly to left plated a second run, and the Colonials led 5-3.
Curran was the lone player with more than one hit, finishing the game 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs.
Souderton (11-2, 8-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-6, 7-2) will host Cheltenham.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 100 200 2 5-4-4
Souderton 100 110 3 6-7-6
About the Author
