Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Saturday. (North Penn/Souderton photos provided courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball.)
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 11, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8
Billy O’Neill had himself a night to remember at Arm and Hammer Stadium on Saturday night. The junior infielder was 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored, and if that wasn’t enough, O’Neill closed out the game on the mound with an inning of relief.
“Billy O’Neill has been absolutely incredible the past two days,” Rock South coach Greg Paprocki said. “He had two hits against Pennsbury with a save on the mound, and he went 4-for-4 tonight and closed the game out. That’s just incredible stuff. There aren’t many players that are doing what he’s doing now. He’s been unbelievable.”
While O’Neill had a big game, this night belonged to the entire team.
“It was just a total team win,” Paprocki said. “So many different guys played. Shane Myers came in and played third base. Greg Sajeski came off the bench and scored three times as a courtesy runner. Then he had to come in the game later and walked and scored.
“Zak Abt came off the bench and had a sacrifice fly. Jake Wilkinson was in, Jack Albright was in off the bench. Four or five guys came off the bench, and they did a good job. I’m so proud of this group for keeping their heads and coming up big in such a big atmosphere. There was over 300 people there. It was a huge atmosphere – they stayed composed, and they did what a mature baseball team would do in a rivalry game.”
The Golden Hawks broke a scoreless tie with an eight-run outburst in the fourth inning. Chase Ennis drew a leadoff walk, O’Neil followed with a double to right field, and the bases were loaded when Mason Curtier drew a walk. A bases-loaded walk to Sam Serpiello put the Hawks on the board.
Zak Abt lofted a sacrifice fly to left to make it a 2-0 game. The Golden Hawks capitalized on two more walks, a hit batter, a fielder’s choice and an RBI double by O’Neill – his second two-bagger of the inning – to go on top 8-0.
Chase Ennis, who threw three shutout innings for the Hawks, left the game in the top of a fourth inning after facing just one batter. The Indians responded with four runs of their own.
“We brought in somebody who hasn’t had any exposure,” Paprocki said. “When you put him out there with small warmup time on a cold night – that’s hard to do, so we had to take him out.
“Jack Albright, who hasn’t thrown an inning all year, came in and threw strikes and got the win. My hat’s off to him. He came up so big for the team in such a big moment. Curtier came in after him and did a good job, and Billy came in and closed it out.”
Leor Kedar lined a double to center to lead off the fourth. It was the only hit in an inning that included three walks, a hit batter, a fielder’s choice RBI and a sacrifice fly by Peyton Shaw that made it an 8-4 game.
The Indians added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The two-run sixth was highlighted by singles from Preston Martin, Jack Ploppert and Kyle Book (RBI) as well as an RBI groundout by Will Scibona that made it an 8-7 game.
Rock South answered with three runs in the top of the seventh. Sajeski drew a leadoff walk and stole second. He scored when O’Neill lined a single to center. Curtier followed with a single. O’Neill scored on a wild pitch, and Curtier crossed the plate on a passed ball to put the Golden Hawks on top 11-7.
“That’s a (credit) to our team, a team that’s been there before,” Paprocki said. “We played there on Senior Night two years ago. We were up seven runs in the last inning, and we put in the sophomores to give them the Trenton Thunder experience because it was a non-league game.
“Craziness happened, and North ended up winning. Mason Curtier was out there, Billy O’Neill was out there as a freshman. Tyler Harper was a sophomore, and he was out there. We were trying to give those guys the experience, and we ended up losing a heartbreaker.
“The last time they were at that stadium, they got their hearts broken, and for them to experience that same kind of situation that seemed like it was happening – for them to take a deep breath, compose themselves and go and win that game says so much about them, and that shows growth – not just physically but mentally.”
Two-out singles by Rock North’s Martin and Ploppert (RBI) made it an 11-8 game, and that’s how the game ended.
“It was crazy, but the guys endured the highs and lows of the game, and they stayed focused and came up big when they needed to,” Paprocki said.
O’Neill was the only Rock South player with a multi-hit game.
For the Indians, Kedar was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Martin was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, and Ploppert was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Council Rock South (4-1, 3-1 SOL) is off until Monday, April 15, when the Golden Hawks will travel to Central Bucks East. Council Rock North (4-3, 1-2) will play Pennsbury at Diamond Nation on Monday at 7:15 p.m.
Council Rock South 000 800 3 11-6-1
Council Rock North 000 412 1 8-8-1
SOL Colonial Division
NORTH PENN 6, SOUDERTON 4
The visiting Knights erased a 3-1 deficit with a five-run seventh and then fought off a Souderton comeback attempt in the bottom of the inning.
“After a week-and-a-half off because of weather, a road game, brutal playing conditions, and being down two in the seventh – I’d say finding a way to win shows a lot about the makeup of our team,” NP coach Kevin
Manero said.
The Knights’ seventh inning rally began with Chris Bennis drawing a walk. Pinch-hitter Joshua Martinell followed with a ground single to center, and the bases were loaded after Jeremiah Criger drew the inning’s second walk. Mason Coyne evened the score when he lined a two-run single to right, and the Knights weren’t finished yet.
With one out, Kevin Brace’s line single to center brought the go-ahead run home. After a strikeout for the inning’s second out, the Indians elected to give the red hot Ben Farley an intentional walk, loading the bases yet again.
Chase Jones made the Indians pay for their decision, collecting a hard ground single up the middle that plated a pair of runs to put the Knights on top 6-4.
“We had a bunch of different guys step up in that seventh inning – some who had some tough at-bats earlier in the game and some who were coming out of the ice box on the bench,” Manero said. “They showed some real tenacity in big spots.”
The Knights didn’t make things easy for themselves in the bottom of the inning. A pair of errors set the stage for a two-out single by Tyler Lutz that plated a run. Austin Kreyenhagen drew a walk to load the bases, but Henry Wetzel – who entered the game with two outs in the sixth – came up with a huge strikeout to close out the game.
Earlier, Farley’s solo home run gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Souderton starter Tyler Lutz fanned the first two batters he faced.
“We only had two seniors in the lineup, but the way Ben Farley hit the baseball and the way Henry Wetzel threw it really exemplified leadership in big moments from a couple guys who really do a lot of things right for us in a lot of ways,” Manero said.
The Indians knotted the score with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. They took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Connor Klock hit a sacrifice fly to center that plated, Zach Pollock, who doubled to open the inning.
Souderton tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth to go on top 3-1 when Tyler Deery – who lined a two-out double to left – scored on Jeremy Fallon’s single up the middle. The Knights made sure that lead wouldn’t stand with a five-run seventh.
Wetzel earned the win in relief, allowing one hit and one run (unearned) while walking one and striking out one. Lugara started and threw 5.2 strong innings, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out eight and walking none.
“The way the schedule has been – we’ve had nothing but matchups of number one pitchers, and in this conference, that means very tough arms,” Manero said. “Trevor gave us a chance today while we struggled with Lutz, and that’s what we need our starters to do. Another start with no walks – that’s the big key, stay away from those pesky free 90s.”
Lutz gave the Indians six strong innings, allowing three hits and three runs while fanning 12 and walking three. Grayson Norris absorbed the loss.
Lutz also led the Indians with a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Deery and Pollack both were 1-for-3 with a double, and Evan Divens was 1-for-3 with a triple.
For the Knights, Jones was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
North Penn (5-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Monday (6 pm), and Souderton (1-3, 0-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
North Penn 100 000 5 6-6-4
Souderton 010 011 1 4-5-0
SOL Freedom Division
UPPER MORELAND 7, SPRINGFIELD TWP 1
Nick Simons gave the Golden Bears six strong innings on the mound in Saturday’s SOL battle, scattering four hits and allowing just one run. His teammates supported him with runs in four straight innings to earn the important win.
“Tremendous performance by Nick Simons,” UM coach Jim Fasano said. “He’s gone from a kid with potential to an absolute force on the mound, pounding the zone with multiple pitches.
“Nick’s success is a direct result of his desire to be great and an absolutely tremendous work ethic. There’s nobody I’m happier for in my years of coaching.”
UM took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Nate Kelly, who led off the inning with a single, scored on a Spartan miscue, and the Golden Bears got their second run when Jimmy Murray lined a double to center.
“Jimmy Murray works hard, has the right mindset and is a great kid to be around,” Fasano said. “He’s a competitor and has improved significantly over the last year. He’s a three-sport star and could go down as a UM legend.”
The Golden Bears added a run in the third without collecting a hit and then added two runs in the fourth. Murray, who singled, scored on the throw on Max Abbosh’s single, and Jackson Townsend’s RBI double to right field gave UM a 5-0 advantage.
After adding a pair in the fifth to go on top 7-0, the Golden Bears lost their shutout bid in the top of the sixth when Matthew Caruso, who walked, scored on Brett Smith’s line drive double to center.
Upper Moreland’s nine-hit attack was led by Townsend (2-for-4, 2B, RBI), Nate Kelly (2-for-4, 2R) and Murray (2-for-2, 2B, RBI, R).
“We talked all week about two-strike approaches, and watching our boys compete and put balls in play while down in the count was inspiring,” Fasano said.
In six innings, Simons struck out nine and walked two. Kelly closed it out with one shutout inning, allowing one hit and striking out three.
For the Spartans, Smith’s 2-for-3 effort with a double and RBI led the way. Nolan Kidwell and Owen Hastings each added a double.
Upper Moreland (2-3, 2-1 SOL) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday, and Springfield Twp (2-1) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Springfield Twp 000 001 0 1-5-4
Upper Moreland 021 220 x 7-9-0
Non-league
NESHAMINY 11, HOLY GHOST PREP 1 (6 innings)
The trio of Luke Schweiker, Jared Kligerman and Ryan Jacobson combined for a two-hitter on the mound while their teammates pounded out 11 hits and brought an early end to the contest with a six-run sixth.
“Today was a very good program win,” coach Dan Toner said. “We were able to get everyone on the varsity roster in the game and get some pitchers on the mound that haven’t had their opportunity yet. Luke Schweiker started the game and had a solid performance. Jared Kligerman and Ryan Jacobson came in to lock down the back end of the game.”
The Firebirds took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. It was pretty much their last hurrah as the Redskins reeled off 11 straight runs, taking a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. With one out, Brandon Lall singled to plate Adam Hunter, who was hit by a pitch to open the inning. A two-out single by Stone Powell was followed by a walk to Ryan Fox that loaded the bases. A single by Chase Bonner plated the go-ahead run.
Neshaminy added three runs in a fifth inning that included singles by Fox, Bonner, Adam Hunter (RBI) and Anthony Trommer (RBI) as well as a walk and catcher’s interference.
The six-run sixth brought an early end to the game and was highlighted by back-to-back solo home runs by Powell and Fox. The Redskins loaded the bases on three straight walks, and a costly miscue allowed two runs to cross the plate. That was followed by Trommer’s two-run double to center that gave the Redskins their final margin of victory.
“Our guys that have been hitting all season continued to hit,” Toner said. “Some that have started off a little slower than usual, were able to get into a groove.”
Trommer’s 3-for-5 day out of the leadoff spot included two doubles, one RBI and one run scored.
“Anthony Trommer had a real good day at the plate today,” Toner said. “He’s been hitting the ball hard the last couple of games but hasn’t been able to find any openings in the defense. Today that was not an issue for him.”
Powell (2-for-4, HR, RBI, R), Fox (2-for-3, HR, RBI, 2R) and Bonner (2-for-3, RBI, 2R) also contributed to the 11-hit attack.
“Stone Powell, Ryan Fox and Chase Bonner continued to do what they have been doing all season at the plate with Powell and Fox hitting back-to-back home runs to highlight the sixth inning,” Toner said.
Neshaminy (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Neshaminy 002 036 11-11-1
Holy Ghost Prep 100 000 1-2-3
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