Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Friday. Souderton/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for BASEBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Freedom Division
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 12, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 0 (5 innings)
While the Lions were scoring early often, Matt Jermyn was tossing a shutout on the mound, allowing six hits in five innings while striking out five and walking two.
“Matt didn’t have his ‘A’ game today, but we stress moving the ball around the strike zone and trusting your off-speed and your defense,” New Hope coach Tony Vlahovic said. “We are very happy with Matt’s poise on the hill. He took another step, learning how to pitch without his best stuff.
Brooks Saft got the ball rolling for the Lions with a solo home run to center in the top of the first. The Lions added three runs in the second. Justin Lehman lined a single to center to open the inning, and Matt Spadavecchia was safe on an error that allowed Lehman, who stole second, to score. With two outs, Nate Wiseman hit an RBI double, and he scored on Kyle Campbell’s line single to left, giving the Lions a 4-0 lead. In the third, the Lions received RBI singles from Lehman and Saul Carmenini to go on top 6-0.
The Lions assured themselves of an early end to the game with six runs in the fourth – all six with two outs. Jermyn helped his own cause with an RBI double to center field, and Carmenini hit a grand slam to center field that gave the Lions their final margin of victory.
Cermenini led the Lions with a 2-for-3 effort that included a home run and five RBIs.
Tim Saiber took the loss for Springfield Township.
New Hope-Solebury (7-6-1, 6-6-1 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township (1-12, 1-11) for a rematch on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Springfield Township 000 00 0-6-3
New Hope-Solebury 132 6x 12-9-2
UPPER MORELAND 15, CHELTENHAM 1 (5 innings)
Stefano Garofalo came oh-so-close to tossing a five-inning complete game shutout, losing his shutout bid with two outs in the fifth. The senior fanned six and walked one to notch his first varsity victory.
With the win, the Golden Bears moved one step closer to capturing the division crown.
“Stefano pitched great – I’m happy for him,” UM coach Jim Fasano said. “He’s worked hard to clean up his mechanics and the ball-strike ratio (64 of 88 pitches for strikes) speaks for itself.
“We took care of business today, which sets us up for a showdown with New Hope Solebury on Tuesday to clinch the league title.
The Golden Bears all but put the game out of reach with a nine-run first inning in the first. Highlights included singles by Sean Dallahan (RBI), Nate O’Connor (2 RBIs) and Kaleb Powell (RBI). Shawn Townsend delivered the inning’s big blow – a two-run triple to right field.
For the game, Dallahan was 2-for-2 with a run scored and RBI and raised his season average to a robust .325. O’Connor was 1-for-2 with two RBIs to stay red-hot and increased his average to .364. Townsend went 1-for-1 with a triple and two RBIs, and Paul Meyers was 2-for-2 from the 9 hole with an RBI.
Colson Campbell and Dylan Wood recorded their first varsity hits in the league game, as UM won its fifth game in a row.
“I think beating PW and playing Abington into the ninth showed us that we can compete with anybody, which really fueled the kids’ belief in themselves,” Fasano said. “I’m happy for the boys and proud of how far we’ve come after a 2-5 start.
“To be playing for the league title and a shot at playoffs is something special. I’m looking forward to honoring our seniors, who are truly a special group. But most importantly, there is work to be done.”
Upper Moreland (8-6 SOL) will travel to Lansdale Catholic for a non-league game Saturday at 11 a.m. Cheltenham (2-16, 0-15) will close out its season on the road at Springfield Township on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 902 13 15-10-0
Cheltenham 000 01 1-6-2
Non-league
SOUDERTON 10, UPPER DUBLIN 7
This was Wall v Wall 4.
The final in a series of games pitting father versus son – in this case – Upper Dublin coach Ed Wall versus a Souderton team that at least one of his two sons – Conlan or Shanley – have been part of for the past five years.
“It started with Conlan – Conlan wasn’t a pitcher and didn’t pitch hardly all, but he actually pitched the first inning or two when we played Upper Dublin, so that started Wall v Wall 1,” Souderton coach Mike Childs said.
That was followed up with Wall v Wall 2 in Conlan’s second year and, more recently, Wall v Wall 3 and 4 during Shanley’s stint on the team.
“This was the final Wall v Wall,” Childs said. “They’re a great family, a baseball family. His mom is the vice president of our booster club. It’s going to be sad to lose that family after six years having them. Having Ed as a head coach – it’s always fun playing against him.
“Actually, Ed and I have been planning this for a year-and-a-half – for him to be here on our Senior Day. We play them every year. Last year we played them at their place. We wanted to make sure on Shanley’s senior year we’d play Upper Dublin for our senior game at home so Ed could be there. It was special. What’s neat for Ed is he’s actually coached some of these kids on his 12U team because he lives up here.”
The Indians – who earlier this week clinched the SOL Colonial crown – notched the come-from-behind win in Friday’s three-hour non-league marathon that included recognizing Souderton’s seniors. All 10 seniors – Wall, Justin Dicesare, Luke Pollock, Will McCausland, Hunter Weitzel, Carter Jagiela, Dante Bruno, Andrew Schatz, Andrew Trumbore and Christian Knaus – were in the Indians’ starting lineup that included a designated hitter.
“The seniors had that sophomore year sitting out, and we had a rough year last year trying to get back into it,” Childs said. “I talked with other coaches – it was like that across the board.
“These guys this year persevered and have played some really, really good baseball. This group is definitely a special group. They’re very cohesive, they get along with the underclassmen. I have to give credit to the captains – Shanley (Wall), Hunter (Weitzel) and Will (McCausland) for doing their part to run the team and make it fun and energetic but business as usual when we’re on the field.
“What’s cool is – we have a good majority starting, but even the ones that aren’t starting on an everyday basis are actually contributing whether it be on the bench or whatever else. Even today, we had some guys starting that usually don’t start. They were cheering just as much for them as they were for starters on a normal day. I think it’s really neat to see.”
Both coaches used Friday’s non-league game as an opportunity to give playing time to players up and down their roster. Souderton used six pitchers with Wall getting not only a rare stint on the mound but the starting nod. Weitzel also saw rare time on the mound.
The Cardinals benefitted from nine early walks to open up a 7-2 lead.
A two-run home run to left field by Dicesare in the third made it a 7-4 game, and the Indians took a lead they would not lose in a four-run fourth that included four walks and two hit batters. In the fifth, Jagiela lined an RBI double to left, and Dicesare drove home a run on a hard single to left field.
Andrew Schatz (3-for-4, RBI) and Decesare (2-for-2, HR, R, 3 RBIs) led the Indians. Wall contributed a double and scored a pair of runs out of the leadoff spot. Luke Pollock, Dante Bruno, Andrew Trumbore and Christian Knaus each had one RBI.
For the Cardinals, Ethan Mednick was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Joe Levis was 2-for-4 with one RBI. Contributing one RBI each were Kyle Rizzo, Nick Lombardo, Nick Harley and Landon Kratchman.
For the Indians, Jeremy Fallon and Greyson Norris each threw two scoreless innings in relief, and Kaden Pasternak struck out the side in a scoreless seventh.
Souderton (15-3, 12-2 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Monday, and Upper Dublin (11-6, 11-3) will host Quakertown on Monday.
Upper Dublin 025 000 0 7-7-0
Souderton 202 420 x 10-10-2
PENNRIDGE 9, ABINGTON 8
The Rams needed some late-game heroics to escape with a Senior Night win.
Trailing 8-7 after the Ghosts put up a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, the Rams knotted the score when Conor Flynn lined an RBI single to center. Two batters later, Robbie Pliszka stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded and grounded a hard single to right field that plated Flynn and gave the Rams the walk-off win.
“Robby Pliszka, our shortstop, is an everyday guy,” Pennridge coach Craig Whitten said. “He gets the job done defensively. We know what he’s capable of doing at the plate. He was able to poke the ball over second base and score an easy game-winning run.
“It’s always nice to win close games. It’s going to age me a little quicker than I want, but I’ve come to grips with that. I’m okay with that.”
For the Rams, Friday’s game – honoring the team’s nine seniors – was their fifth in as many days. This one came on the heels of a disappointing 4-2 loss to Souderton 24 hours earlier
“We knew our playoff chances were still in our hands yesterday, and we couldn’t get the job done,” Whitten said of the Souderton setback. “For us to end the week like we did after going into extras earlier this week against CB West – we jumped on Abington early. It was 6-0, but we left the door open for them to come in.”
The Rams took that early lead, thanks to three runs in the second and three more in the third. A two-run home run by Morgan highlighted the three-run third. The Ghosts evened the score with a six-run fifth inning that featured Johnny Dzielawa’s two-run double to right field and an RBI single by Jared Biletz.
Pennridge scored a run in the bottom of the inning to go on top 7-6, but the Ghosts – benefitting from five walks – regained the lead with two runs in the seventh, setting the stage for another Rams’ comeback.
“It’s a win,” Whitten said. “I would like to have maintained that 6-0 lead, but for the amount of innings we played – we went 10 against CB West this week, and we knew what we were getting into game-wise. At this point, we would need an act of God to get us in the playoffs, but right now I’m just focused on getting to a .500 record. We have games Monday and Tuesday of next week, and we’re perfectly capable of taking care of business against CB West and CB South. I’m hoping that the kids are playing some inspired baseball.”
Pliszka finished the game 2-for-5 with three RBIs, and Morgan was 2-for-4 with a home run, four runs scored and two RBIs. Fretz was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. The Ghosts managed just three hits but benefitted from 13 walks and a hit batter.
While the Ghosts used six pitchers, the Rams used five.
“Our starter, senior Quinn Keller, came in and he didn’t give up a single hit,” Whitten said. “He just got up in pitch count, and he came out with the bases loaded, and they capitalized.
“Every single senior started the game. Harry Haeflein has arm problems, so I couldn’t really find a defensive spot for him, so he was the DH today. Harry was an everyday first baseman earlier in the year. He had some troubles at the plate. He got his first hit of the year today. He was 1-for-1 with a run scored and an RBI. I love Harry to death. I was glad I was able to get the bat in his hands today, and he was able to get at least one hit his senior year, so he can look back on it – especially on Senior Night having an RBI.”
For a while, it didn’t look as though the Rams – who saw last Friday’s scheduled Senior Night game against Quakertown postponed because of rain – might not get this one in either.
“I pulled in at four o’clock, players started warming up for BP, and it just poured for a good 20 minutes,” Whitten said. “We went through a whole pallet of field conditioner. All the kids raked it in. We ran out, and Joe Santora, who’s the commissioner of the Pennridge Little League, went over to the minors complex and brought up a truckful of stuff for the kids to spread out. Our pitching coach worked on the mound for an hour it seemed just to get the game going.
“We were able to get the field playable. There was a half hour field delay just to dress it up. There were senior parents with rakes in their hands. They’re about to take pictures in 20 minutes with their kids. It was awesome to see that type of support from all the parents.
“Abington has a great staff, a great bunch of guys, and they were cool with it. We took no IO, we just went right into the game. It was pretty weird how the night started and how it ended with a walk-off win. It was kind of nice.
Pennridge (8-9, 5-9 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Monday, and Abington (9-9, 7-8) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Abington 000 060 2 8-3-0
Pennridge 033 010 2 9-8-1
NESHAMINY 4, ARCHBISHOP RYAN 3
With a pair of runners in scoring position after an 0-2 wild pitch and Neshaminy trailing by one with two outs in the seventh, it was pretty much all or nothing for Stone Powell. Get a hit, and it’s a tie at the very least and more than likely a win. Make an out, and the Redskins lose 3-2.
Powell got a hit, lining a 2-1 pitch into left field to plate a pair and give the Redskins the dramatic walk-off non-league win.
“We did a very good job in the last inning getting guys on, and sophomore Stone Powell stepped up and delivered the game-winning hit,” Neshaminy coach Dan Toner said. “Today was a very good team win where we were able to get a lot of players in.”
The seventh inning began with both Mike Morrow and Luke Harnock drawing walks. It looked like visiting Raiders might escape with the win when they recorded two outs with Morrow and Harnock still on first and second base. Then came a wild pitch that allowed both runners to advance and Stone’s single to turn a potential loss into a dramatic win.
Early on, the Redskins plated an unearned run in the first and added a run in the second, once again benefitting from a Raiders’ miscue and scoring on Gaige Ryan’s sacrifice fly. The Raiders erased that 2-0 lead with a three-run fourth, and that 3-2 score stood until the bottom of the seventh.
Powell’s game winner was one of just three hits on the night for the Redskins with Hardnock and Jimmy Seedes each collecting a single.
A trio of pitchers saw action for the Redskins. Evan Hughes started and threw three innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out four and walking three. Ryan Jacobson allowed a run (unearned) in 1.1 innings. Bobby Hansen did not allow a hit in 2.2 innings to close it out. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Neshaminy (9-6, 7-6 SOL) will host Central Bucks West in a crossover game on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Archbishop Ryan 000 300 0 3-3-2
Neshaminy 110 000 2 4-3-1
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