Bensalem and North Penn were winners in SOL baseball action Monday.
SOL Patriot Division
Bensalem 1, Neshaminy 0
This was a game neither team deserved to lose.
Matt McShane and Justus Agosto found themselves locked in a classic pitcher’s duel. Both threw complete games with McShane allowing just two hits while striking out eight and walking one. Agosto allowed four hits and one run (unearned) while fanning 10 and walking a pair.
In the end, it came down to a miscue as the Owls scored the game’s only run in the third inning. Logan Young was safe on an error to lead off the inning, and Tyler Fisher followed with a single. Young was thrown out at third on a fielder’s choice bunt, and when Agosto came up with a huge strikeout for the inning’s second out, it looked as though the Redskins would see their way out of the inning, but Sean Nelson’s two-out single plated Fisher, who had advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Neshaminy stranded four base runners while the Owls left six men on base.
Bensalem (17-1, 14-1 SOL) – second in the District One 6A rankings – will travel to Neshaminy for a rematch on Tuesday. The Redskins (11-6, 9-6) are 13th in the latest rankings.
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SOL Crossover
North Penn 4, Pennsbury 2
The Knights moved one step closer to clinching the SOL Colonial Division crown with a hard fought win over the visiting Falcons in a crossover game.
“It was a very important win,” NP coach Kevin Manero said. “They’re all important this time of year, but I thought it was a tough, gut-it-out team win. We made a couple of real good plays in the field in the last inning.”
The Falcons broke a scoreless tie with a run in the top of the third when Dan Ciotti, who tripled to center to lead off the frame, scored on Callan Fang’s sacrifice fly. The Knights got that run back in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Sullivan, who singled to open the inning, scored on Evin Sullivan’s sacrifice fly.
The Knights took a 3-1 lead in the fourth, benefitting from a two-out error to score a pair of runs.
In the fifth inning, Fang singled with one out, and with two outs, Justin Mitrovich and Reese Hirsh delivered back-to-back singles with Hirsh’s driving in a run that made it a 3-2 game.
North Penn tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. With one out, Sam Cohen and Jack Picozzi collected back-to-back singles. Cohen scored when Ryan Sullivan singled to center.
Ryan Sullivan’s 2-for-3 effort with one RBI and a run out of the nine hole scored led the Knights.
For the Falcons, who held a 10-6 advantage in hits, Charlie Evans (2-for-4) and Hirsh (2-for-3, RBI) led the way.
Mike Lennon, who threw 4 2/3 innings, notched win, allowing 10 hits and two runs while striking out five and walking none. Eric Hamilton earned the save. He did not allow a hit in 2 1/3 shutout inning to close it out, striking out one and walking none.
“Mike Lennon – who’s been very good for us – only went 4 2/3, but Eric Hamilton came in and got the rest of the outs on 20 pitches,” Manero said. “Neither of our pitchers walked anybody.
“We had contributions from the bottom of the order, we had a quality pitching performance. It was just a full team win, and it was a big one. We have one left, and we want to finish the job that we started.”
North Penn (12-5, 10-5 SOL) – ninth in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday. If the Knights win, they will clinch the division title outright. If the Patriots win, both teams will have identical records atop the standings. Pennsbury (9-10, 7-8) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday. Pennsbury is 25th in the district power rankings while Council Rock North is 24th. Only 20 teams advance to the district tournament.
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