Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Wednesday. PW/HH photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL American
Plymouth Whitemarsh 6, Hatboro-Horsham 0
Sophomore Joe Jaconski led off the game with a double, hit a home run in the third and ended up going 3-for-4 to propel Plymouth Whitemarsh to the convincing 6-0 win over Hatboro-Horsham in a game that clinched the regular season championship for PW in the SOL American Conference, the program’s first title in more than a decade.
On the mound, left-hander Ben Mascio was outstanding for the Colonials with a 78-pitch, complete-game shutout, allowing just six hits and walking just one.
“Ben has been so good this year,” said PW coach Chris Manero. “He’s grown up a lot too. He deserves a ton of credit for the kind of pitcher he’s turned into, but also the kind of competitor he’s turned into. He’s the kind of guy when he’s got the lead, he will get better as the game goes on. Today, you could just see it in his face, he was locked in.”
Jaconski was stranded at second after his leadoff double, as Hatboro-Horsham starter Benny Wilson was able to get out of the inning, but there was no question that it set the tone for the PW lineup the rest of the afternoon.
In the second, Jesse Jaconski started a two-out rally with a leadoff single and then he stole second. Mike Orensky followed with a RBI double.
Up 1-0, PW tacked on three runs in the second, starting with Joe Jaconski’s home run to left field, and followed by RBI singles by Jacob Nunez and Anthony Tomassetti.
“We’ve been playing a lot this year with trying to get the early lead, especially when you have a guy like Ben pitching,” Manero said. “I think Joe takes a lot of ownership, setting the table in the first inning. I can’t tell you the countless games this year when we’ve got a runner in scoring position in the first inning. And we didn’t (score) this time, but we jumped up and set the tone. That’s what we needed to do.”
The Colonials later tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh, which started with a Joe Jaconski single and included a Kevin Reilly RBI single.
H-H had six hits, led by Bradan Mallon, who went 2-for-3, but couldn’t put hits together against Mascio, who himself turned a key double play after a leadoff single by Anthony Bruno in the fourth inning.
PW ends the regular season 11-7 overall and 11-3 in the conference, while H-H finishes 14-7 and 10-4 in the SOL. Both teams will find out their District One Class 6A playoff fates on Thursday.
PW 013 000 2-6 9 1
H-H 000 000 0-0 6 1
Cheltenham 7, Abington 3
With four doubles on the day and a combined effort on the mound, Cheltenham closed out its regular season with a win, pulling ahead of Abington in the second inning on the way to a 7-3 win over its visitors on Wednesday.
The Galloping Ghosts actually led early in this one with two runs in the top of the first, including a RBI double by Griffin Wittenberg and then another run crossed the plate on a RBI ground out by Kevin Worek.
But that lead would be short-lived, as Cheltenham tied it with two in the first and then went up for good with three runs in the bottom of the second.
Alex Bugg had a RBI double in the bottom of the first for the Panthers, while Garrett Schmidt followed with a RBI sacrifice fly. In the second, a two-run double by Kieran Versaw-Barnes made it 4-2 and Lukas Nakkula had a RBI single later in the inning.
For the game, the 2-3-4 spots in the Cheltenham lineup went 6-for-9. Versaw-Barnes finished 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Nakkula also had two hits and two RBIs, while Bugg had two hits, two runs scored and one RBI.
Versaw-Barnes started the game on the mound for the Panthers, allowing two earned runs in two innings. Brennon Paik followed with two scores inning, Adam Turk-Karen allowed one run in two innings, and Ben Kaplan closed the game out with a scoreless seventh inning.
For Abington, Jordan Grimaldi led the way with three hits, including a double.
Cheltenham finished the season 6-8 in the SOL American and 6-10 overall.Abington went 4-15 and 3-11 in the conference.
Abington 200 010 0-3 5 2
Cheltenham 231 100 x-7 7 0
Upper Dublin 5, Springfield 4
Sean Curran pitched a complete game and recorded the final out with the tying run on third in the top of the seventh inning as Upper Dublin edged out Springfield 5-4 in a SOL American Conference nail-bitter on Wednesday.
Curran threw 100 pitches exactly, allowing three earned runs and scattering nine hits and one walk over seven innings. He also struck out eight.
“Sean’s pitching has been really impressive down the stretch with big wins versus PW and Springfield at home,” said UD coach Ed Wall. “Great thing to know is he hasn’t pitched his best game yet.”
Upper Dublin jumped up 3-1 in the second and led the rest of the way, including 5-2 going into the critical seventh inning. Jacob Womelsdorf had a RBI single for the Flying Cardinals in the first, and then Brian McPeak put his team in front with a two-run single in the second.
Elijah Peck and Kyle Rizzo led a 10-hit attack for Upper Dublin with three and two hits, respectively. Womelsdorf ended up with two RBIs.
“We talked about getting guys on and getting them in and Jacob Womelsdorf and Brian McPeak did just that,” Wall said. “Brian has been that guy for us, but seeing Jake getting the job done today was awesome.”
Springfield was led by Max Perry and Morgan D’Amico with two hits each, and both would be a part of the Spartans’ seventh-inning rally.
After Curran recorded two outs to start the inning, McLaughlin walked, Perry singled and Kevin Keown drove in a run with a single. D’Amico followed with a RBI double, scoring Perry and putting runners on second and third.
But Curran was able to get out of the inning with a line out to center fielder Peck.
Upper Dublin finishes the regular season 11-9 overall and 8-6 in the SOL American. It will find out its first-round opponent for the upcoming District One Class 5A Tournament on Thursday night.
Springfield ended up 7-11 overall and 6-8 in the conference. It will be the No. 2 seed in the four-team District One Class 4A tourney.
Springfield 100 001 2-4 9 1
Upper Dublin 120 011 x-5 10 2
SOL National
Pennsbury 6, Neshaminy 5
The two teams combined for 11 runs through the first three innings, but from that point pitching took over, and Pennsbury used three scoreless innings out of the bullpen from Sean Hochhausler to secure the 6-5 win, which avenged the Falcons’ only conference loss this season.
“We have consistently been able to get two-out RBIs this season and we came up with five huge two-out RBIs in the first two innings today,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci.
Hochhausler allowed just one hit and did not walk a batter in recording the save for starter Christian Buchler, who pitched the first four innings and won for the fourth time this season.
This game had offensive fireworks back-and-forth early.
Pennsbury scored three in the first, as Justin Fogel drove in two with a triple and R.J. Huth followed with a RBI single.
Neshaminy countered with two in the second, scoring one on an error and another on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Mays, only to watch Pennsbury go up 5-2 with a two-run double by Justin Massielo in the bottom of the second.
Neshaminy tied the game at 5 in the third, as Tyler Jones hit a bases clearing double with the bases loaded.
Pennsbury came right back and broke the tie in the bottom of the third, as pinch-hitter Tyler Babel hit an RBI single to score Huth from second.
Neshaminy had a great chance to tie it in the top of the seventh, starting with a leadoff double by Tommy Pease. Gus Natelli bunted Pease to third, but on a squeeze bunt attempt catcher Shane Marlin was able to tag the potential tying run at the plate.
For the game, the Falcons were led by Huth’s two hits, while Massielo and Fogel had two RBIs each.
“Massielo has been ‘Mr. Consistency’ and Fogel is just on a tear,” Pesci said. “It was also great to see junior Tyler Babel step up with his first varsity hit and RBI when he pinch-hit in the third inning. His RBI was the eventual game-winner. That is a big situation for a kid who has mostly pitched this year and has only had three plate appearances all year.”
With the win, Pennsbury finishes the regular season at 11-1 in the SOL National, winning the conference title by two games and 16-4 overall. It is the presumptive No. 1 seed for the upcoming District One Class 6A Tournament.
“Our team had a decision to make after the loss to Neshaminy on April 17 – fold over or overcome,” Pesci said. “These guys stepped up and showed what it means to be a league championship team. Going 6-1 and then 7-0 in the league after that loss just proves the type of team we have here.
“These kids accept coaching, are always making adjustments and have the confidence that at any point in the game we can make things happen.”
Neshaminy is 12-6 overall and 7-5 in the conference. It too will find out its district playoff seed when they are announced on Thursday night.
Neshaminy 023 000 0-5 4 1
Pennsbury 321 000 x-6 7 1
Harry S. Truman 7, William Tennent 2
Dylan Jackson led the way on the mound, and an offensive Harry S. Truman squad pounded out 13 hits to take out William Tennent in both team’s season finales.
Jackson went five innings before giving way to relievers Chris Taylor and Mike Finsel, who each pitched scoreless innings to close the game out. Jackson allowed just one earned run on three hits and did not walk a batter, while striking out four.
Jackson also had a double and one RBI at the plate.
Overall, Truman had 13 hits, led by Timmy Foley, who went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Evan Profy was 2-for-2 with a triple and two runs scored.
Trailing 2-1, the Tigers scored three times in the bottom of the fourth. Profy and Dane Carpenter singled, Jackson had an RBI double to tie it and then they went in front on a two-RBI single from Foley.
In a three-run sixth, Christian Culver had an RBI single, Tyler Chew a RBI double and Brandon Wolf a RBI single to wrap up the scoring.
Truman finished the season 4-8 in the SOL National and 6-12 overall.Tennent went 1-11 in the SOL and 5-12 overall.
William Tennent 100 100 0-2 6 0
Harry S. Truman 100 303 x-7 13 3
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 8, Central Bucks West 4
CB South secured its spot in the District One Class 6A Tournament with a convincing win over rival CB West 8-4, under the lights on Wednesday evening.
Brock Veit, Connor McKeown and KJ Halgren had two hits each to lead an 11-hit attack for the Titans.
On the mound, Ryan Rieber and Joe Martino combined to hold off the visiting Bucks. Rieber (now 4-2), went four innings, allowed two earned runs on nine hits and struck out two. Martino allowed just one hit and struck out four in three scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Offensively, CB South took command with three runs in the first and three more in the second. Jake Trachtenberg had an RBI single in the first, and Bryan Rossi and Connor McKeown followed with back-to-back RBI doubles. In the second, Joey Loynd scored three with a bases-loaded double to make it 6-0.
West scored four runs in the top of the fifth to get back into it and cut its deficit to 7-4. Tyler Dalzell had a two-run single in the inning, while Matt Cooper also had a RBI single.
Cooper and Luke Nitschke had two-hit games for the Bucks.
CB West wraps up its season with a 4-8 SOL Continental Conference record and 7-11 overall.
CB South (12-6, 7-5 overall) finished in a tie for second in the conference, and will next play in Monday’s first round of the district playoffs, likely on the road, against an opponent to be determined on Thursday.
CB West 000 040 0-4 10 3
CB South 331 010 x-8 11 3
North Penn 4, Pennridge 3
Junior Colby Chan went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs, and North Penn held off Pennridge in the seventh inning to close the season with a 4-3 victory.
“Colby Chan has been very productive for us lately,” said North Penn coach Kevin Manero. “I think it’s real important that he went out on a strong note for today. He has a chance to be a very good player as a senior and at the next level.”
On the mound, the Knights were again led by senior left-hander Joe Valenti, who allowed just one earned run through 5 2/3 innings, scattering four hits and one walk, while striking out six. He finished the season with a 3-3 record and a 1.27 ERA.
Connor Ertel, Josh Lowe and Michael Jones pitched out of the bullpen and were able to finish the game off after a Pennridge rally in the seventh.
“Joe Valenti was in command as always today, and it’s been an honor to watch him pitch in a North Penn uniform,” Manero said.
Kolby Barrow also had two hits for the Knights, while Connor Ertel and Kyle Schulze had RBIs.
North Penn ended its season 9-10 overall and 6-6 in the SOL Continental.
“It’s tough to end the season this early, but this is a tremendous group of human beings leaving our program today,” Manero said. “I hope they find ways to keep baseball in their lives for a long time, because the game will be much better for it.”
Pennridge was led by Ray Knight, who hit a solo home run. It finished the season at 5-12 overall and 1-11 in the SOL Continental.
Pennridge 100 000 2-3 6 1
North Penn 103 000 x-4 8 4
Non-League
Quakertown 8, Council Rock South 7
Needing a win to assure itself of a spot in the District One Class 6A playoffs, Quakertown out-slugged Council Rock South 8-7 in a cross-over game played at the MSI Sports Complex in Delaware County on Wednesday.
Two runs in the bottom of the fifth put the Panthers in front in what had been a back-and-forth battle from the start, and then Dennis Pierce moved over to the mound for the final three innings and pitched three scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win. Pierce allowed just one hit and didn’t walk a batter, while striking out three.
“Another team effort all the way through,” said Quakertown coach Jon Pallone. “Dennis did a great job closing it out.”
The Panthers started quickly with five runs in the bottom of the first against CR South ace Mike Rabayda. Pierce had a one-out double to put runners on second and third, and Mason Hicks and Justin Butler followed with RBI singles. With two outs and the bases loaded, Ben Eichorn doubled to clear the bases and make it 5-0.
But that lead would be short-lived as CR South answered with five of its own in the top of the second. Bennett Bobrin had a RBI double, and two batters later Emilio Pallante made it 5-3 with a two-run double. The next batter, Trey Obarowski followed with a two-run double of his own to tie the game.
After an RBI single by Hicks put the Panthers back in front in the bottom of the second, CR South would take its first lead of the game in the fourth. Aydan Flint and Pat Gannon had RBI singles.
Not to be outdone, Quakertown took command again with two in the bottom of the fifth, the big blow a RBI triple off the bat of Griffin Kelley. Kelley would score the go-ahead run on a RBI bunt single by Brad Bryan.
“We had a lot of nice, timely hits,” Pallone said.
Quakertown finishes its regular season with a 12-6 overall record and 7-5 in the SOL Continental.
CR South closed up at 11-5 overall and 7-5 in the SOL National.
Both teams are expected to qualify for districts and will find out their respective first-round opponents on Thursday night.
CR South 050 200 0-7 10 1
Quakertown 510 020 x-8 11 1
Bensalem 10, Central Bucks East 5
Bensalem and red-hot Nick Dean closed out the regular season with a solid 10-5 cross-over win at Central Bucks East on Wednesday.
Second baseman Dean, who is hitting .500 on the season, went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and four RBIs, leading a Bensalem attack that ended up with 15 hits on the day. Austin Shay and Keith Rooney also had three hits for the Owls.
The big inning was the top of the third, which started with the score tied at 1.
Singles by Dean and Ryan Rooney, and a walk to Dom Grady loaded the bases with one out for Bensalem. Four consecutive batters – Rich Bordone, Keith Rooney, David Barnett and Shay – followed with RBI singles. Later with two outs, Dean emptied the bases and drove in three runs with a bases-loaded triple to put his team in front 8-1.
CB East chipped away but would never get within four runs the rest of the way.
Dom Grady went three innings on the mound for Bensalem, giving way to eventual winning pitcher Logan Young, who pitched four innings out the bullpen, allowing two earned runs, scattering three hits and two walks.
Jack Nugent had a solo home run for CB East, while Colin Weber went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Nick Bitsko and Tommy Webb had doubles.
Bensalem finishes its regular season at 14-3 overall and 9-3 in the SOL National. It will find out its District One playoff fate on Thursday, and is expected to receive a first-round bye.
CB East ends its season 10-10 overall and 5-7 in the SOL Continental.
Bensalem 107 001 1-10 15 2
CB East 011 012 0-5 6 3
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