Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Monday. Pennridge/CR North photos courtesy of John Gleeson, CB South/Wissahickon photos courtesy of Kim Supko, and Pennsbury/Roman Catholic photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for galleries: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f899671345
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 8, North Penn 6
The second time through the division has been a challenge for CB East which has pretty much led the SOL Colonial Division from start to finish this season, going 2-3 in a tough stretch that saw red-hot North Penn creep back into the division title picture.
Monday, the Patriots hosted the Knights and needed a win to clinch their first outright league title since 2013.
With a huge fourth inning and six extra base hits for the game, CB East wrapped it up in style with an 8-6 win against a North Penn team that entered on a six-game win streak .
“We’ve been a little up and down recently,” said coach Kyle Dennis. “We’re battling through some injuries. We were without our starting shortstop, Reece Moody. He’ll be healthy for the playoffs, but today was a next man up approach.
“This means a lot. These guys work year round and to have it pay off is fantastic for them. Today, we had guys who haven’t been in the lineup as much step up for us.
“It’s really great to see the guys come together. They want to win. They’ll do whatever they have to do to win. It’s just an amazing group of guys to be around. I love them.”
Facing one of the Colonial Division’s top pitchers in North Penn lefty Trevor Lugara, the Patriots came out fast, as Chase Harlan roped a two-out double in the bottom of the first, and one batter later Jack Mislan hit a two-run home run to right to make it 2-0.
North Penn took a 4-2 lead with four unearned runs in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of back-to-back two-out errors, a RBI double by Kyle Bonner and then a two-run home run by Josh Martinell.
But CB East countered with a five-spot in the bottom half of the inning, as Jack Thompson had an RBI double, Fulford an RBI sac fly, an RBI double by Harlan, and then a bases loaded walk and a passed ball.
“Trevor (Lugara) is very good,” Dennis said. “He’s been one of the top pitchers in this conference the last couple of years. Our guys had a pretty nice approach today. We hit a couple of home runs. The guys had some nice swings on him today.”
Harlan and Sean Hill had two hits each to lead an eight-hit offensive attack.
North Penn scored two in the fifth to make it a one-run game, but the Patriots bullpen of Sam Bliss and Jason Abert shut the door and preserved the win for starter Damian Frayne.
“Sam had a little soreness last week,” Dennis said. “We didn’t want to use him last week, but he’s a bulldog. He wants the ball even if his arm is falling off, but he had some soreness, and we tried to conserve him a little bit. He’s one of the top pitchers in the league.
“Damian has been phenomenal for us. I think this is the fourth time he’s gotten a win after we’ve had a loss. Then, Sam came in and gave us an inning or two, and Jason got the last out for us.”
CB East (13-6, 12-4 SOL) has one more regular season game Thursday against Holy Ghost Prep.
North Penn (12-6, 10-6 SOL) hosts Spring-Ford in a non-league game on Friday.
North Penn 000 420 0 – 6 4 2
CB East 200 501 x – 8 8 4
Souderton 5, CB West 2
Souderton capped off a perfect day and won for the seventh time in eight games, jumping out in front of CB West with three in the bottom of the second and never looking back in this divisional win.
Jeremy Fallon and Tyler Lutz did the job on the mound against the Bucks. Fallon went the first five, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks, while striking out seven. Lutz pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit, while striking out five of his six recorded outs.
“Our pitching was great today,” said coach Mike Childs. “Combined on the day, with all four pitchers – (Austin) Kreyenhagen, (Grayson) Norris, Fallon and Lutz – they had 27 Ks and three runs allowed.
“In my opinion, all four are No. 1 pitchers and they are rising at a great time, right before the playoffs. All of them want the ball, but are unselfish, fully support the others when they throw.”
Lutz led off the Souderton second with a double to center and scored on a Tyler Deery RBI single two batters later. Joey Nase later roped a two-run double and just like that the Indians were in front 3-0.
Austin Kreyenhagen made it 4-0 with a fielder’s choice grounder to score a run in the fourth.
Lutz added an RBI single in the fourth.
CB West scored on an unearned run in the fourth and then an RBI single by Hager in the fifth inning, but could get no closer than 5-2.
Overall, it was a long day, but a good one for the Indians.
“This time of year you have to do what it takes to get all of your games in,” Childs said. “We were excited to get the opportunity to play two games on a nice day, considering the weather for the rest of the week looks iffy.”
For the Indians, Lutz was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI, and Chris McKenna was 2-for-4. Connor Klock was 1-for-3 with a double, and Nase was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Souderton (10-9, 9-7 SOL) finishes the SOL portion of its schedule in third place in the Colonial Division. It will have its annual non-league game with area rival Dock Mennonite on the road Tuesday to close out the regular season.
CB West (8-10, 6-9 SOL) has one league game left – Tuesday at Pennridge – and definitely needs a win and hope for help as it sits at No. 26 and on the outside looking in at the District One playoff field.
CB West 000 110 0 – 2 3 1
Souderton 031 100 x – 5 8 1
SOL Colonial/Patriot Crossovers
Souderton 3, Bensalem 1
In the first of two Monday for Souderton, Austin Kreyenhagen and Grayson Norris teamed up for a gem, limiting Bensalem to just one run (unearned) on two hits in this makeup crossover game in Harleysville.
Kreyenhagen started and was dominant, allowing just one hit – a one-out single by Kaden Lavender in the fourth – did not walk a batter and struck out 11 in just five innings and 65 pitches.
Norris pitched the final two innings, allowing one unearned run, while striking out four.
Offensively, the Indians did most of their damage early.
Kreyenghagen helped his own cause with a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second.
One inning later, Joey Nase led off the third with a home run, and Connor Klock later drove in a run with a single to make it a 3-0 game. Nase ended up 2-for-2 on the day.
“It’s great to see our bats come alive today and some guys who struggled a bit got hot,” said Souderton coach Mike Childs. “Joey Nase led the charge with two hits, while showing his power with a home run and a double.
“We are going to need to hit 1 through 9 to make a run. (Chris) McKenna and Lutz are continuing to be the rock of our offense with two hits each. We are getting contributions from our whole lineup, which I am happy to see.”
Bensalem (3-16, 1-14 SOL) has its league finale Tuesday at Neshaminy.
Bensalem 000 000 1 – 1 2 0
Souderton 012 000 x – 3 9 2
Pennridge 2, Council Rock North 1
One of the hottest teams as the playoffs approach has to be Pennridge, which won for the fourth time in five games, and Monday
did so in dramatic fashion with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to knock off CR North on the road.
“This group has done an incredible job of just continuing to play hard regardless of the score,” said coach Danny Long. “We were able to piece a few base runners together in the seventh, which ultimately led to two runs.
“This our second win in a row overcoming a seventh-inning deficit. That speaks to the guys on this team and their relentlessness.”
CR North starter Peyton Shaw was dominant for the first six innings, allowing just a Kyle Watson single in the third, while striking out eight.
In the seventh, however, three straight one-out walks loaded the bases for Pennridge. Connor Murray was hit by a pitch to drive in the tying run, and then an error on a Joey Gregoire ground ball gave Pennridge the 2-1 lead.
Murray pitched the bottom of the seventh for the Rams, too, working around a single and finishing the game off with back-to-back strikeouts.
Ryder Olson pitched five shutout innings to start the game. Jason Embert pitched the sixth, before giving way to Murray. In all, they held a good-hitting CR North team to just one run.
“Our trio of pitchers did a great job of pitching through some traffic and executing with some big pitches with runners on,” Long said.
Rock North held a 7-1 advantage in hits. The Indians were led by the two-hit efforts of Jude Hamilton (2-for-3 RBI) and Shaw (2-for-2).
Pennridge (11-7, 7-7 SOL), now up to No. 18 in the district power rankings, have a home double header Tuesday, against CB West (3 p.m.) and CB South (6:30 p.m.).
CR North (11-8, 8-7 SOL), No. 20 in the power rankings, hosts Pennsbury Tuesday.
Pennridge 000 000 2 – 2 1 0
CR North 000 001 0 – 1 7 1
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock South 11, Harry S. Truman 0
Fighting for its playoff life, CR South needed a win Monday in a bad way.
On the road, at Truman in a makeup game, the Golden Hawks delivered with a huge effort, on the mound and at the plate in a five-inning, mercy rule win over the Tigers.
“Great team win for our guys,” said CR South coach Greg Paprocki, whose team sits at No. 24 in the District One Class 6A power rankings. “Our bats really came alive today with a season-high 13 hits. Reed Curtier was great on the mound and the defense played well behind him.
“We are hoping to keep it rolling into tomorrow with another big game against Truman.”
Curtier pitched the five-inning no hitter for the Hawks, allowing just two walks, while striking out 11 over 73 pitches.
Offensively, CR South scored two times in the first and put the game away with two in the third, three in the fourth and four in the fifth.
Curtier was 2-for-2 with a home run and a RBI, while Chase Ennis was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Sam Serpiello went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. In all, nine different players had hits.
In the second game of a back-and-back, CR South (8-11, 7-8 SOL) hosts Truman (3-14, 3-12 SOL) on Tuesday in what is likely a must-win game if it hopes to secure one of the 24 bids into districts.
CR South 202 34 – 11 13 1
Truman 000 00 – 0 0 0
SOL Freedom/Liberty Crossovers
Lower Moreland 5, Abington 4
One dramatic RBI single was followed by another, as James Cronin and Drew Dorval had back-to-back run-scoring hits in the bottom half of the seventh inning, as Lower Moreland rallied to edge Abington in a makeup crossover game on Monday.
“The team continues to show heart at the end of the season,” said LM coach Mike Guido. “I’m really proud of them. We are having some really good at bats that are paying off now with timely hitting. It’s a shame our last game is (Tuesday). We are finally finding our offense.”
The Lions started the game with two runs in the bottom of the first with a bases loaded hit by pitch and an RBI single by Bradley Horsnall.
Ethan Jarosiewicz shut Abington down for three innings, and worked into the fifth, before leaving with his team down just one run heading into the final two innings.
“It was sad to pitch for the last time with my teammates around me,” Jarosiewicz said. “However, the closure that this school and team has given me is very heartwarming. I look forward to seeing my teammates grow on and off the field.”
Mason Tammaro pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
“Congrats to Ethan, who had a wonderful career as a pitcher for us,” Guido said. “He’s going to continue that journey at Mercer County Community College, a really strong baseball program. Looking forward to watching him pitch there.”
The seventh inning couldn’t have been more dramatic for Lower Moreland.
Ethan Stine reached on a hit by pitch to lead off the inning, pinch-hitter Tim Donahue walked to put runners on first and second, and that brought up Cronin who singled home the run to tie the game at 4.
Donahue stole third and then on a 2-0 pitch, Dorval hit an RBI single to left to score the game-winning run.
“It felt pretty special to help the team win our last home game and my last home game ever in a big spot in the bottom of the seventh and score the game-winning run,” Donahue said. “I wanted to go up there and hit a walk-off home run, but the pitcher didn’t really throw strikes, so I took my walk.”
“Coach Stu (Drossner) asked me if I wanted to sacrifice squeeze the winning run in or get an actual walk-off hit, so I told him to let me hit the walk-off,” Dorval said. “I’ve had a fun season, so getting a walk-off on my last home game was really nice.”
LM (8-10, 5-10 SOL) closes its season at William Tennent Tuesday.
Abington (5-11, 5-10 SOL) plays at Quakertown in its SOL final on Tuesday night.
Abington 000 310 0 – 4 7 1
Lower Moreland 300 000 2 – 5 6 3
Upper Dublin 11, William Tennent 5
With four runs in the first inning, Upper Dublin jumped out to a quick start and never let up in pounding out a six-run win over Tennent in a makeup crossover game on Monday afternoon.
“Nate Cairnes, Oliver Gill and Bobby Keck got it going for us with some big hits in the top of the first,” said Flying Cardinals coach Ed Wall. “Austin Dahl and Eric Berman each had multiple hits and RBIs for us.
“We continue to work hard on our offensive game, and this was a step up from previous efforts.”
UD scored four runs in the first, two in the second and four more in the third. They had nine hits, drew seven walks and stole eight bases.
Oliver Gill finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Dahl was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Berman was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.
On the mound, Wes Gill pitched the first five innings and didn’t allow an earned run – Tennent scored four unearned runs in the second – before giving way to Brady Fogle in the sixth and Billy Hart in the seventh.
“Wes Gil pitched a great game, only giving up three hits over his five innings,” Wall said. “He threw a ton of strikes and had some good swing and miss stuff going. Seniors Brady Fogle and Billy Hart closed down the game nicely for us.”
UD (13-6, 11-4 SOL), now No. 3 in the Class 5A power rankings, plays at Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Tennent (3-14, 2-13 SOL) finishes its season at home against Lower Moreland.
Upper Dublin 424 001 0 – 11 9 3
Tennent 040 000 1 – 5 4 0
Non-league
Central Bucks South 9, Wissahickon 0
Seven runs in the first inning, hitting up and down the lineup, and quality pitching were enough for CB South in this non-league road victory that put a bit of a damper on Wissahickon’s Senior Day celebration.
The Titans had eight hits on the night, drew five walks and had one hit batter. And that big top of the first set the tone early.
All of the damage came with two outs, starting with a Jake Yang single, followed by three straight walks, a hit batter, and a three-run double by Connor Thompson. After an error plated another run, Brett Barrett had an RBI single to make it 7-0.
Braeden Black had an RBI single in the second and Luke Hillegas an RBI single in the top of the sixth for the final run of the game.
The combination of Jake Friedman and Landen Hinds did the job on the mound. Friedman allowed two hits and walked three in the first three innings. Hinds struck out eight, didn’t walk a batter and gave up one hit over 4 2/3 innings.
CB South (6-10, 5-10 SOL) wraps up its SOL schedule Tuesday night at Pennridge.
Wissahickon (13-6, 10-5 SOL), No. 10 in the district power rankings, looks to close the regular season strong at Liberty Division champ Plymouth Whitemarsh Tuesday.
CB South 710 001 0 – 9 8 0
Wissahickon 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
Cheltenham 6, Upper Merion 4
A four-run third inning erased an early deficit and sent Cheltenham on its way to a 6-4 non-league win over visiting Upper Merion on Monday afternoon.
“Today’s win was literally a total team win,” said Panthers coach Kevin Hite. “We were able to play everyone and get guys like Elijah Ross, Freedy Kelman, Alex Rebitz Jr. and Stephen Kerrin Jr. some action.
“Sean Trainor started for us on the bump, followed by Joel Martin, and Finn Kopp closed out the game. Sam Batiancila continued to rack up hits and RBIs, while AJ Gordon and Jack Haugen delivered as well.”
An RBI single by Gordon, followed by a two-run double by Haugen gave Cheltenham that 4-2 lead in the third.
Batiancila singled home a run in the fourth and Kopp made it 6-3 with an RBI single in the fifth.
Batiancila (2-for-2, RBI, R) and Gordon (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) led the Panthers’ eight-hit attack.
Hite had nothing but praise for his squad.
“Emile Chanoine, while only a freshman, should be considered as one of the best outfielders in SOL – (his)17 stolen bases isn’t too shabby as well,” Hite said. “I just love coaching this team. They give me and my coaches everything we ask for and more.
“I’m going to miss my seniors – Sam Batiancila, Corey Bradley, Kaedon Carrera, Colin Kelly, Pablo Diaz Jr., Alex Rebitz and Elijah Ross. This season is for them.”
Cheltenham (8-10, 6-9 SOL) has a chance to play spoiler Tuesday, as it hosts division-leading Springfield in the regular season finale.
Upper Merion 200 010 1 – 4 4 2
Cheltenham 004 110 x – 6 8 2
Pennsbury 6, Roman Catholic 2
As far as late in the season non-league games go, Pennsbury’s win over Roman Catholic Monday pretty much went as well as expected, as not only did it take the 6-2 victory, but 24 players got into the game and
contributed.
“I started most of my regular group,” said coach Joe Pesci. “I started another senior, Ryan Forester, behind the plate and let (regular catcher) Tyler Boraski DH. I worked all of those guys in for two at-bats and then played everybody else. We got 24 kids in the game today. We threw seven different pitchers, 17 different position players, and 17 kids got at bats today.
“That’s part of what this is all about. Our non-league games are tricky. We go to Myrtle (Beach in March), so most of our non-leagues are in the beginning of the year, so it’s hard to get more games in. But it was great to give kids a chance to play and also, as we go into the plays, we need to see who will be able to help us in a pinch.”
Ryan Webber had two hits for Pennsbury. Nate Ray had a double.
Freshman Owen Hawkes picked up the win on the mound, striking out two in his inning.
Pennsbury (14-5, 10-5 SOL), No. 11 in the district power rankings, closes its regular season at CR North Tuesday.
Roman Catholic 000 101 0 – 2 4 3
Pennsbury 110 400 0 – 6 7 1
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