Check out the results for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday.
National Conference
Truman 1, Council Rock South 0
According to his coach, Jeff Vitale, Tiger shortstop Matt Heibling is a “the type of kid you coach for” because he is “a kid that gets it.”
In the bottom of the eighth inning, with two outs, Heibling got it – with “it” being a pitch from Matt Walsh, who had come in relief of a masterful Jordan Silverman – and lined a triple that plated Matt Olsen, who singled a batter earlier, with the winning run for the previously winless Tigers.
The two-out rally could not have come at a batter time, as Vitale had already made up his mind that junior Aaron Wolf, who allowed two hits in eight innings, was coming out for the ninth inning.
“It’s a good thing we scored when we did, and it’s good for us that we got the win,” said Vitale. “We needed that one. We had struggled so far. We lost, 10-0, to Neshaminy Tuesday. This was, by far, our best game. It was against a good team, and we came up big and got the win.”
The Tigers evened their SOL mark at 1-1 (1-5 overall) while the Golden Hawks are also 1-1 (2-1 overall).
CR South 000 000 00 – 0
Truman 000 000 01 - 1
Abington 5, Council Rock North 3
A game after letting one slip away, the host Ghosts rallied from a 2-0 deficit with two runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth and then held on for their first win of the young season.
While the offense was led by a pair of juniors, catcher Nick Bein (2-for-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI) and rightfielder Brendan Gallagher (2-for-3, 1 run, 2 RBI), sophomore pitchers Chris Clewell (1 earned run in three innings and Greg Troyer (1 earned run in four innings) kept the lead safe.
Troyer earned the win, his first at the varsity level.
The win came after a 4-3 loss to Council Rock South in which the Ghosts took an early 3-0 lead but fell, 4-3.
“It was a great team win, after a real tough loss on Tuesday,” said assistant coach Ryan Sweeney. “We got a lead again, and were able to hold on.”
The Ghosts (1-3) and Indians (2-1) are both 1-1 in league play.
CR North 002 010 0 – 3
Abingon 000 230 - 5
Neshaminy 7, Bensalem 4
The Redskins scored three runs in both the second and fifth innings, building a 7-1 lead that was enough to keep a comeback-minded Owls’ team at bay in the bottom of the seventh.
Sean Udris keyed the second-inning surge with a two-run double. The scorching-hot Cole Creighton, who was 2-for-3, had a two-run double in the fifth frame.
Jordan Angjelo almost went the distance for the win, as Jake Joyce came on in relief for the final out, as the Redskins improved to 2-0.
“We have been lucky enough to have had two good games so far, but we have a long way to go,” said Neshaminy coach Chris Tenaglia, whose team posted a 10-0 win over Truman Tuesday, with Creighton and Angjelo combining for a no-hitter.
Nick Mulvey led the Owls, collecting three of his team’s seven hits. He also had a pair of RBIs.
The Redskins are the lone 2-0 team in the National Conference while Bensalem fell to 0-2 in the league (0-3 overall).
Neshaminy 030 031 0 – 7
Bensalem 100 000 3 – 4
William Tennent 4, Pennsbury 3
Stephen Hatala went 2-for-3 at the plate, driving in two runs, and also pitched the final three innings to earn the save for the host Panthers.
Ben Zeitz helped the winning cause, going 2-for-2 with a run scored and one RBI.
Ryan Lucas was the winning pitcher while Connor Ward, who did not allow any earned runs, took the loss.
The Falcons managed just four singles – one each from Brendan Campbell, DJ Endler, Jake Goldberg and Steve Sabatino.
The Panthers (1-2) and Falcons (1-3) are both 1-1 in league play.
Pennsbury 002 001 0 – 3
Tennent 004 000 X - 4
Continental Conference
Souderton 6, Hatboro-Horsham 5 (under official protest)
A disputed call in the top of the seventh inning Thursday puts the outcome in limbo. For now, score it a come-from-behind win for the Indians, who erased a 3-0 lead with a five-spot in the home fourth.
HH built its lead on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Barron in the first inning that scored John O'Malley. Justin Gregorio added a two-out single in the third.
Souderton then scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, helped by three walks and two HH errors. The big blow in the inning was a two-run double by Jason Smith. Smith then scored a run in the bottom of the sixth on a double by Brad Stoltzfus to make it 6-3.
The Hatters mounted a rally in the top of the seventh inning. Brad Humski led off with a double and scored on an Eric Lane triple. Joe Simmons then reached first on another hit by pitch, and Charlie Obrecht pinch ran for him. With Eric Thomas up with one out, Obrecht stole second base standing up. The ball went into the outfield and Lane scored on the play. On the same play, when the ball went into the outfield, a Souderton player and Obrecht collided.
After much deliberation, Obrecht was ruled out for "not sliding into second base." At that point, HH placed the game under protest because Rule 8, Section 4, Article 2, Section B, Article 2 states “Runners are never required to slide…”
After placing the game under protest, Souderton relief pitcher, Nate Luscombe, got a strikeout to end the game.
“This is the first time in 13 years that I’ve had to appeal something,” said H-H coach Pete Moore. “I don’t know how it’s going to work from here.
“All I want is for the kids to decide the game on the field.”
Hatboro-Horsham 102 000 2 – 5
Souderton 000 501 X – 6
Pennridge 10, Quakertown 9
Controversy was not limited to the Hatboro-Horsham/Souderton clash. The Rams were able complete a rally against a Panther team much improved from a 1-17 season in 2013 by way of a disputed bases-loaded balk against losing pitcher Sage Fuhrmeister who was a strike away from ending the inning.
Trailing, 9-4, after five innings, the Rams scored five times in the bottom of the sixth to chase starter Vinny LaCava and forge a tie.
Danny Shane pitched the final three innings in relief to take the win. Jeff Roedell (3-for-4, a double) and Sam Suder each drove in a pair of runs for the Rams, while Tyler Shoultes and Joe Unangst each had a pair of hits. Shoultes scored a run and Unangst crossed the plate twice.
For Quakertown, Adam Besch had a home run and three RBI. Pat San Angelo was 2-for-3 with two RBI while LaCava was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
The Rams evened their league record at 1-1 (2-1 overall) while the Panthers are 0-1 in league play (1-1 overall).
Quakertown 200 340 0 -9
Pennridge 001 305 1 - 10
Central Bucks East 5, Central Bucks West 0
The host Patriots scored all five of their runs in the fourth inning while Dan Morrin (5 innings, 6 strikeouts) and Dalton Smoot (2 innings, 2 stirkeouts) combined for the shutout.
A balanced attack that saw hits from seven players was paced by Pat Reilly’s two-run double. Brandon Birkhead also doubled.
The Patriots (3-0) are the lone 2-0 team in the Continental Conference while the Bucks are 0-1 in league play (1-1 overall).
CB West 000 000 0 – 0
CB East 000 5 000 X – 5
North Penn 5, Central Bucks South 4
The Titans put a scare into the defending state champs, with game ending with runners on first and third.
“We were 90 feet away,” said CB South coach Mike Schaefer. “Anything can happen – a passed ball, anything – and we tie it up.”
All told, the Titans left 11 runners on base, showing spunk after falling behind, 4-0, early.
“Listen, we had a chance at the end,” said Schaefer. “We had a slow start, but we didn’t quit. I feel good about it. We had a baserunner in every inning. It didn’t happen, but we had our chances.”
Jared Melone paced the Knights, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bobby Scott added a home run and Anthony Cameron brought in a run with a double.
Colin Healey went 4 2/3 innings for the win while James Witner earned the save.
Turning in two-hit games for the Titans were Matt Radwanski (2 runs), Mike Anastasia (a triple, 1 run, 1 RBI) and Tenner Pfender (1 RBI).
“I was a good game, all-around,” said Schaefer. “Neither team gave anything away.”
The Knights are 1-0 in league play (2-1 overall) while the Titans are 1-1 in the league (2-1 overall).
North Penn 010 301 0-5
CB South 000 021 1-4
American Conference
Wissahickon 12, Springfield 2
The Trojans got their first win of the young season after surging back from an early, 2-0, deficit.
The Spartans went ahead on back-to-back first-inning doubles by Eddie Bacino and Martin Pauwells, but the Trojans scored four times in the third inning and added seven in the fourth.
Leading the way were Matt Oruch (2 doubles, 2 runs, 1 RBI), Jacob Segal (2 hits, 2 runs, 1 RBI) and Alexander Tappen (RBI double).
“Hopefully, this will be a springboard for us and we can start turning things around,” said Wissahickon coach Shannon Gunby. “It was nice for us to get two games in this week, and today was actually the first time we were on our own field.”
Winning pitcher Connor Freeston went six innings, fanning five.
“He’s a sophomore, and he did a good job once he settled down,” said Gunby.
The Trojans are 1-1 in league play (1-2 overall) while the Spartans fell to 0-2 in the league.
Springfield 200 000 0 – 2
Wissahickon 004 701 X – 12
Upper Moreland 8, Upper Merion 5
Only a double separated Charlie Hooker from hitting for the cycle on Thursday. The senior standout had a home run, triple and single as well as three RBI to lead the Golden Bears past the visiting Vikings.
The Golden Bears led 2-0 after two innings, but the Vikings cut that lead in half with a run in the third. The Bears got that one back in the bottom of the inning. A four-run fifth inning put the bears on top 7-1 before the Vikings staged a late rally.
While Eddie Decker earned the win on the mound, Tommy Robinson added a key RBI-double in the sixth inning to provide a cushion.
The win evened the Golden Bears league record at 1-1 (2-1 overall) while the Vikings are 0-1 (1-1 overall).
Upper Merion 001 002 2 – 5
Upper Moreland 021 041 X -8
Upper Dublin 12, Norristown 2
The visiting Cardinals continued to dominate their league competition in the early going, scoring four times in the third inning and rolling to victory.
Pacing the offense were John Lee (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI), Cole Swiger (2-for-4, 1 run, 2 RBI) and Harrison Guber (2 runs).
Winning pitcher Josh Gragg allowed four hits in five innings of work, fanning six.
The Cardinals are atop the conference standings with a 2-0 mark (3-1 overall). The Eagles are 0-1 in the league (0-3 overall).
Upper Dublin 004 053 0 -12
Norristown 000 110 X – 2
Central Bucks West 9, Cheltenham 3 (Wednesday, April 2)
By Antonio Pelullo, Intern, Cheltenham H.S.
Opening Day - the greatest day in sports.
It's the time of year to show off the new cleats, a new bat, and the same glove from freshman year. It was nice start for the Panthers as Jack McGlade pitched four strong innings.
In the bottom of the first, West pitcher Pat Kelley got into a jam on the mound. After two walks and falling behind in the count, Kelley was able to get Max Perilstein to ground into a double play and then came up with a big strikeout to end the inning, allowing the Bucks to escape unscathed.
Unfortunately for C.B. West, the top of the second started the same as the bottom of the first - with two walks, but the difference was when Gilbert Owens was walked to load the bases with no outs. Kelley would strikeout the next three batters to end a troublesome second.
Trouble would leave C.B. West for Cheltenham as McGlade got into a bases-loaded jam in the third inning. One run crossed the plate on Brennan Snyder’s deep fly ball. Then an overthrow on a steal attempt allowed one more runner to score, giving the Bucks a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Cheltenham cut that lead in half with a RBI by Gilbert Owens, but C.B. West would add a run in the top of the fourth.
The bottom of the fourth inning began with Cheltenham trailing 3-1. A walk to Calvin Salazar was followed by a Max Perilstein single, and a balk call put the Panthers in a position to tie the game with one swing of the bat. A clutch single by Mark Heimann knotted the score 3-3.
After an eventless fifth, both teams looked to break the tie.
After five strong innings of three-run ball, Cheltenham coach Frank Decembrino pulled McGlade for Danny Fishbein with runners on first and third in the sixth. A walk by Fishbein loaded the bases with no outs, and Thomas Spratt was able to line an RBI single up the middle.
With the bases loaded and still none out, Drew Sypawka singled to drive in another run. Decembrino went to James Heaven to cool the heat on the mound, but by the time the Bucks were retired, they led 9-3.
Was it too late?
It was as no more runs were scored for the rest of the game. Cheltenham would present some trouble in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and two outs, but nothing would come out of it.
“I know Frank didn’t use his top pitchers, but I wish he had,” CB West coach Jim Ertel said. “Even if we [would have] lost, we would of seen his top pitcher.
“I’m pleased with our effort today . . .a lot of the balls just found holes.”
Decembrino was pleased with the performance of his starting pitcher.
“Jack McGlade gave us a good effort and chance to win - his pitch count was limited at 75, and we weren't going to go above that,” the Panthers’ coach said. “We just didn’t hit again, and that has been our problem. Collectively, we have been a tough team.”
The Bucks held an 11-4 advantage in hits.
Central Bucks West 002 1006 0-9
Cheltenham 001 200 0-3
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