Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. CR North/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. NP/CB East courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for photo galleries.
SOL Colonial Division
North Penn 14, Central Bucks East 6
Back when North Penn had a 2-3 league record and then was forced to take a COVID-19-mandated week off, winning the SOL Colonial Division had to seem like a distant hope.
Tuesday in the league regular-season finale, the Knights turned that hope into reality, rallying from a 6-0 hole early and pound CB East at the plate to the tune of 14 runs on 14 hits.
“We did not start off great today,” said North Penn coach Kevin Manero. “We’ve been talking a lot about playing the best 9 (players), not the 9 best. Today, we received contributions from a lot of people in that group. We got a great performance out the bullpen, we stepped up defensively in ways that were almost super-human at times, and we received contributions offensively up and down the lineup.”
CB East, which ended up with 12 hits for the game, started quickly at home, with two runs in the first and four in the second. It certainly looked like the Patriots had a chance to win the game and earn a share of the division title with North Penn.
It didn’t, however, take the Knights long to get back into it, putting up seven runs in the top of the third and jump-starting the offense in a big way.
“We had to be tough in the box,” Manero said. “We wanted to take it one swing, one at-bat a time, put a lot of balls in play and force plays to be made. Down 6-0 in the third, it would be easy to kind of press and be less productive. We were thinking, let’s get a couple runs back, and using that approach were able to string offense together.
Steve Corrado’s three-run home run was the big blow in the inning for North Penn. Corrado finished 2-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs.
The Knights scored four more in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the second. Jeff Sabater went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, while Justin Egner had two RBIs, and Jack Picozzi and Ryan Sullivan had two hits each.
The other story was on the mound. Gavin Mikulski came on in the second inning, worked out of jam and ended up going 4 2/3 inning, not allowing a run and scattering five hits and two walks, while striking out three to pick up the win. Seth Walton pitched a scoreless seventh to close out the game.
Defensively, Manero mentioned center fielder Sabater, who had a running catch in the seventh inning that “you don’t see very many people make in high school baseball.”
The win capped a run that saw North Penn (13-5, 11-5 SOL) go 8-1 in its last nine games.
“We were 2-3 at one point, we were shut down a week and we had several guys miss more games,” Manero said. “In the throws of that adversity, we found guys on the bench who were ready to play. They took a advantage of that, and some of those guys are still in the lineup.”
The Knights, who play nonleague games Wednesday and Friday against Hatboro-Horsham and Spring-Ford, are unofficially No. 9 in the District One Class 6A power rankings after Tuesday’s win. The district playoffs have a 20-team field, with the top 12 teams earning first-round byes.
CB East (12-8, 9-7 SOL) was led Tuesday by Joey Wilga, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs. The Patriots are unofficially at No. 16 in the power rankings.
North Penn 007 412 0 – 14 14 1
CB East 240 000 0 – 6 12 4
Central Bucks South 11, Pennridge 0
The numbers going in pretty much told the whole story. If Central Bucks South wanted its season to continue into next week for the District One Class 6A playoffs, it had to beat Pennridge in the regular-season finale.
The Titans left no room for double, breaking open a close game in the middle innings on the way to an 11-0 shutout of the visiting Rams in a game that was shortened to six innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
“We tried to keep it as loose as much as possible yesterday at practice,” said CB South coach Kevin Bray. “The kids did a good job of doing that. In the end, we knew we needed to win to give us any shot of a possible playoff berth. I couldn’t be more proud of the way the guys responded.”
On the mound, the Titans’ pitchers didn’t give up much. Starter Alex Balint went five innings, scattered three hits and three walks, and struck out four. Noah Collier retired the side in order in the sixth.
“Alex has been one of our top guys all year,” Bray said. “They had some baserunners throughout the day. He got out of two bases-loaded jams, I believe in the third and fourth innings. He just controlled the strike zone, pitched to contact and got ahead of hitters. That was the key for us.”
Offensively, CB South scored 11 runs on 11 hits, including six extra base hits. It scored one in the first, three in the third and blew it open with fourth in the fourth. Josh Yang’s two-run home run to left ended the game in the bottom of the sixth.
“In our games that we’ve been successful, our scoring has been early,” Bray said. “To get one in the first is big. We built on that momentum. That definitely led us the rest of the way. Our bats were alive today.”
JT Anderosky went 4-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBIs to lead the Titans. Yang, Matt Boyce and Jimmy Kelly had two hits each.
Although nothing is official as far as districts go until later in the week, the win puts CB South (11-8, 8-8 SOL) in pretty good shape at No. 19 for the 20-team Class 6A field, which opens on Monday. Pennridge closes its season at 4-15 overall and 2-14 in the SOL.
Pennridge 000 000 0 – 0 3 4
CB South 103 412 x – 11 11 2
Souderton 7, Central Bucks West 2
There won’t be a postseason for Souderton, but the Indians closed out the regular season with five wins in their last six games, and they played major playoff spoiler on Tuesday, likely knocking the host Bucks out of contention.
Jacob Horton has been Souderton’s best player all season at that continued in the finale.
On the mound, he allowed only one earned run on four hits and one walk over 100 pitches and 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight, before giving way to Will McCausland, who recorded the game’s final out.
At the plate, Horton went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBIs.
“Jacob Horton had a great day in the final high school game of his career,” said Souderton coach Mike Childs. “He pitched the win and hit a 3-run HR in the seventh to dead center for his last career at-bat.”
Luke Pollock went 2-for-3 with a double, while Shanley Wall and Ethan Warner also added doubles as eight players combined for 10 hits on the day.
Souderton finished its season at 10-10 overall and 7-9 in SOL play.
“As far as this season, we didn’t accomplish our goal of making playoffs,” Childs said. “We felt we could play with every team we faced, but didn’t end up on the right side of the scoreboard on more than one occasion.
“It was definitely a challenging year with injuries to some of our starters. The players we asked to fill those positions did a very nice job. We ended the season winning our last five out of six and that is a good way to end on a positive note while looking to start preparing for next season.”
CB West (8-10, 8-9 SOL) likely needed a win Tuesday to secure its spot in the 20-team District One Class 6A playoff field. Unofficially the loss puts the Bucks at No. 24.
Souderton 202 000 3 – 7 10 1
CB West 010 010 0 – 2 4 0
SOL Patriot Division
Neshaminy 2, Bensalem 1
One day after losing a pitcher’s duel to first-place Bensalem, Neshaminy return the favor on Tuesday.
Matt Mays pitched the final six innings for Neshaminy, and did not allow a hit, walking two and striking out seven, blanking the division-winning Owls.
“Pitching was fantastic over the past two days for both teams,” said Neshaminy coach Dan Toner. “Matt Mays was incredible today and was the difference maker in the game.”
Bensalem’s Ryan McLaughlin allowed just one earned run over five innings and struck out eight, but was the hard-luck losing pitcher.
Bensalem opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first, as Jalen Soberal led off with a single, Sean Nelson was hit by a pitch and Ryan Rooney singled to load the bases. One run did score on a Nick Nush RBI fielder’s choice grounder, but the Owls were completely shut down by Mays, who came on in relief in the second, over the final six innings.
Neshaminy tied it in the bottom of the first as Gaige Ryan led off with a single, went to second on a ground out, and then scored on a two-out error.
The score remained tied going into the fifth, when Ryan again led off with a single. Jake Kozlowski hit a one-out single to put runners on the corner, and a RBI single by Zach Bowman scored Ryan with what turned out to be the game-winner.
“Playing against a good team like Bensalem at the end of the year is a huge benefit right before the playoffs,” Toner said. “You get a feel for what a lot of the teams are going to be like moving forward and a feel for how on point you need to be to win a close game.
“One miscue got us yesterday and one got Bensalem today. That single mistake can end your season now.”
Expect both teams to draw first-round byes in the upcoming 20-team District One Class 6A Tournament. Neshaminy (12-6, 10-6 SOL) unofficially is at No. 11 at Tuesday’s win, while Bensalem (17-2, 14-2 SOL) is at No. 3.
Bensalem 100 000 0 – 1 2 1
Neshaminy 100 010 x – 2 7 0
Pennsbury 5, Council Rock North 4
Coming up on the short end of a lot of close losses probably ended Pennsbury’s season a tad shy of a spot in the upcoming District One Class 6A Tournament. Tuesday, the Falcons scored five runs in the final two innings and rallied from a 4-0 deficit to close out their season with a walk-off victory at home.
“We’ve really struggled lately,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci. “I was going through it. We have two wins in our last seven games. We lost by two runs against North Penn, one run against Bensalem, one run against Neshaminy, one run against CB East. It’s always an error here or there that costs us the game. Yesterday against North Penn, it was a 1-1 game, we had an error that cost us two runs and went lost by two runs.
“Today, we had an error in the second inning on a double play ball that cost us two runs. We were just dead for most of the game. But a new pitcher came in and we jumped right on him. It was great to see the life our guys played with.
“Unfortunately, we’re probably going to be out of the playoffs, but if we are, it’s nice to finish the season with a win.”
That second-inning error by Pennsbury enabled CR North to go up 2-0, and the Indians then added two more in the fourth as Brian Curry belted a two-out, two-run double.
North starter Collin Williams was dominant to start the game, as he went 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out seventh. He left the game with one out in the sixth after throwing 89 pitches.
Jake Schilling got the Falcons on the board with a one-out RBI double in the bottom of the sixth. Justin Mitrovich followed with a pinch-hit single to score Schilling and cut North’s lead to 4-2.
Ryan Zuckerman then tied the game with a pinch-hit, two-run home run.
The seventh inning started with a pair of ground ball out, but Reece Hirsh got the game-winning rally started with a single, followed by a walk to Schilling. A hard hit single to third base by Mitrovich drove home the winning run.
Pennsbury (10-10, 8-8 SOL) unofficially sits at No. 23 in the district power ranking after Tuesday’s win, and only 20 teams qualify for the postseason. The same is likely also true for CR North (9-10, 8-9 SOL), which is ranked No. 25.
CR North 020 200 0 – 4 5 0
Pennsbury 000 004 1 – 5 9 2
Council Rock South 6, Harry S Truman 0
Joey Purcell threw 102 pitches and went the distance, throwing a two-hit shutout as CR South wrapped up its season with a shutout win over Truman on Tuesday.
Purcell did not walk a batter and struck out 10.
“The key to the win was the dominant performance by Joey Purcell,” said Golden Hawks coach Greg Paprocki. “In his last start ever on the mound, he threw a gem. He’s been the leader of the team all year and I couldn’t be more happy for him.”
At the plate, Purcell went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
The Golden Hawks scored two runs in the top of the first, which started with a walk to Jack O’Neill and a Purcell single, thanks to a pair of Truman errors.
It was a 2-0 game into the sixth, when CR South exploded for three runs to blow the game open. Chris Nowmos reached on a one-out single, followed by a Blake Booth double, and then with two outs, Purcell singled home a run to make it 3-0. An error on a pickoff attempt and then a passed ball resulted in two more runs.
Trey Wallner had a RBI single an inning later for the sixth and final run for the Hawks.
With the win, CR South is now 7-10 overall (6-10 overall).
“The guys did a great job of stringing together runs and capitalizing on mistakes,” Paprocki said. “It’s been a tough season but I’m glad the seniors came out and won their last league game ever. We look to finish strong tomorrow against Holy Ghost.”
Truman was led Tuesday by pitcher Ryan Cavanaugh, who allowed just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings pitching, scattering three hits and three walks, while striking out five.
The Tigers finished the season 6-13 overall and 6-10 in the SOL.
CR South 200 003 1 – 6 6 0
Truman 000 000 0 – 0 2 6
SOL Liberty Division
Quakertown 3, Abington 2
Anthony Rostick had an RBI triple to tie the game, and then scored the eventual game-winner on a ground out by Peyton Kochel, and Quakertown rallied to edge Abington in the division finale for two district playoff-bound teams.
Unofficially, Quakertown (10-9, 9-6 SOL) is ranked No. 12 in the District One Class 6A power rankings after Tuesday’s win. Abington (11-7, 11-5 SOL) is sitting at No. 8 for what will be a 20-team playoff field.
For the Panthers, Tuesday was an opportunity to win a close game against a good team, after several near misses this season.
“We’ve been in a lot of close games, losing to (Plymouth Whitemarsh and Hatboro-Horsham) in extras,” said Quakertown coach Jon Pallone. “We know we are right there and our game against Abington was close last time.
“Getting this win is great for mojo, but it also gives us a chance at moving up in the standings and possibly get a bye into (Wednesday’s second-round of districts).”
Both teams received solid pitching. Quakertown starter Trevor Hurst allowed just two earned runs and struck out five in five innings. Daniel Schwalm and Rostick both pitched one inning in relief, with Rostick retiring the Ghosts in the seventh to earn the save.
Abington starter Anthony Ehly allowed one earned run in three innings, before giving way to Ryan Van Buren for the final three innings.
“We knew we were going to see great pitching today with excellent (velocity),” Pallone said. “So, (Monday in practice), we took BP at a certain distance, at a certain speed, and then again in pregame today to make sure we were ready.”
Offensively, Quakertown jumped up in the first inning with a solo home run by Brandon Pierce.
Abington answered with one in the the second on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch, and then went up 2-1 in the fifth, as Van Buren led off with a triple and scored on a Jordan Giannattasio sacrifice fly.
For the game, Pierce went 2-for-3 for Quakertown. Cody Frazier went 2-for-4 for Abington.
Abington 010 010 0 – 2 5 1
Quakertown 100 020 x – 3 6 0
Hatboro-Horsham 9, Upper Dublin 0
Upper Dublin came into Tuesday riding the wave of a 12-game win streak that saw it go from 0-7 to a SOL Liberty and District One Class 5A contender.
But Hatboro-Horsham has played pretty good baseball itself of late, to the tune of eight wins in its last nine games heading into Tuesday’s division finale for both teams.
The Hatters left no room for doubt in this one, posting a big number early – five runs in the top of the first – and followed that up with dominant pitching by starter Cole Fisher to snap the Flying Cardinals’ win streak and send a big statement heading into next week’s District One Class 6A playoffs.
“This win was huge for our program,” said H-H coach Pete Moore. “We started the year 1-3 in the league and have gone 10-2 over our last 12 league games. We had zero off season, so the slow start wasn’t a reason to panic, but rather was a way for us to learn and grow.
“It adds to our confidence to be able to beat such a well-coached team who was so hot.
“I am extremely proud of the work we have done to get to this point. Now the real fun starts with a chance to celebrate our seniors tomorrow with our Senior Day game against North Penn and then the playoffs next week. I am excited for what is still ahead of us.”
The first inning started with singles by Trey Porter and Jack Elwell. Fisher was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. One run scored on a bases-loaded walk, Nick Katherine and Will Bruner both picked up RBIs on fielder’s choice groundouts. An error plated another run and Logan Fischer made it 5-0 with a RBI double.
H-H scored two more in second on a bases loaded walk and a RBI sac fly by Katherine.\
“The key to today’s win was taking advantage of scoring opportunities created by our top two guys in the order,” Moore said. “Trey and Jack were on base all day and scored five of our nine runs.”
Porter was 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Elwell was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Ryan Toporowski was 2-for-2 and Logan Fischer was 2-for-4.
On the mound, Cole Fisher allowed just two hits and didn’t walk a batter over the first five innings to pick up the win. Jimmy Tooley threw two shutout innings in relief, striking out three.
With the win, H-H improved to 12-7 overall and ended 11-5 and tied for second in the Liberty Division. Unofficially, it is No. 7 in the district power rankings after Tuesday’s win.
Upper Dublin (12-8, 10-6 SOL) is No. 6 in the District One Class 5A rankings.
Hatboro-Horsham 520 011 0 – 9 14 0
Upper Dublin 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4, Wissahickon 3
Mike Miller’s RBI single to left field scored Jesse Jaconski from third with the game-winning run, breaking a 3-3 tie and ending the SOL Liberty schedules for both teams in a thriller.
With the win, PW (17-2 overall) finished its league schedule at 14-2 in the SOL, and sits at No. 2 in the District One Class 6A power rankings.
Wissahickon (9-11, 8-8 SOL) unofficially is No. 11 in the Class 5A rankings in what will be a 12-team district playoff field.
Tuesday’s game saw the Colonials jump out with two in the top of the first on a Luke Gartlandt RBI single and then a steal of home by Jesse Jaconski.
Wissahickon, however, answered with three runs in its half of the first. Jake Tappen had an RBI double, Seth Floyd drove in one with a sacrifice fly and Michael Fath put the Trojans in front with an RBI single.
PW tied it with one in the third on a RBI single by Miller and finally took the lead for good with a run in the fifth on Miller’s second RBI single of the game.
Joe Jaconski, Miller and Gartland paced the PW offense with two hits each.
Joe Rauscher went the distance to pick up the win on the mound, allowing three runs (all unearned) on seven hits and one walk, while striking out six.
Ben Junker went 3-for-4 and was also the hard-luck losing pitcher on the mound. Fath went 2-for-3.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 201 010 0 – 4 7 2
Wissahickon 300 000 0 – 3 7 0
SOL Freedom Division
Springfield Twp 9, Cheltenham 2
Nathan Dennis went 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs, as Springfield wrapped up a division-championship regular season with a convincing win on the road.
Springfield scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back. It ended up with nine runs on nine hits.
On the mound, Tyler Whatley struck out seven and earned the win with five solid innings for the
Spartans.
Springfield (9-10, 9-7 SOL) unofficially is the No. 2 ranked Class 4A team in District One behind Holy Ghost Prep. Should that spot become official, the Spartans would play No. 3 Collegium Charter in the four-team district playoffs, which are scheduled to start on May 25.
Springfield 301 032 0 – 9 9 2
Cheltenham 000 020 0 – 2 6 2
Lower Moreland 6, William Tennent 5
Freshman Mason Tammaro hit a single to left field to score Mike Pennisi with the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth, as Lower Moreland won a back-and-forth game over the Panthers on Tuesday.
Tammaro was also the winning pitcher, shaking off the slow start in a complete-game, 102-pitch effort. He scattered 12 hits and one walk, struck out four and shook off the slow start hold visiting Tennent at bay for most of the game.
Both teams scored three runs in the first, one in the third and one in the fourth before bringing the 5-5 tie to the bottom of the sixth.
Matt Dymowksi went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Lions, while Donato Incollingo went 2-for-3. Matt Haggerty also drove in a run.
“Mason Tammaro gave us another great effort on the mound,” said LM coach Tony Martino. He threw another complete game and pitched very well against a talented lineup. Matt Dymowski and Donato Incollingo also added two hits each. Mason had a big hit in the bottom of the 6th to put us up 6-5.”
Chris Colella went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead Tennent. Aidan Larsen, Josh Nydick and Carter Crawford had two hits each. Nydick had two doubles and two RBIs.
Lower Moreland (7-10, 6-10 SOL) will likely qualify for the four-team District One Class 4A playoffs, and should wind up playing Holy Ghost Prep in the semifinals on May 25.
“Right now, looks like we will play Ghost in the first round and we look forward to the challenge,” Martino said. “They are a good team and we will have to be ready to play.”
Tennent ends its season at 5-12 overall and 5-10 SOL.
William Tennent 301 100 0 – 5 12 3
Lower Moreland 301 101 x – 6 9 1
Upper Moreland 7, New Hope-Solebury 4
A Kaleb Powell RBI single and two critical errors were the difference for the Golden Bears, who pulled away from a close one on the way to the three-run win on the road in the final SOL Freedom game for both teams.
UM began the fifth up 4-3.
Kevin Davis led the Upper Moreland offensive attack, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI. Greg Wiley, Powell, Charles Jones and Shawn Townsend each picked up RBIs. Sean McAfee belted a triple.
Jimmy Torpey picked up the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs over five innings, scattering five hits and four walks, while striking out seven. Ryan Lennox pitched the final two innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks.
New Hope was led by Jason Kloss, who went 3-for-4 with a double, and Brooks Saft who had a single and two RBIs.
Upper Moreland (7-11, 7-9 SOL) likely sees its season come to an end, as it is No. 15 in the 12-team District One Class 5A playoff field.
New Hope finished its season at 8-12 and 5-11 in the SOL.
Upper Moreland 022 030 0 – 7 8 2
New Hope-Solebury 002 100 1 – 4 7 3
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