Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Monday. Will McCausland photo courtesy of Kim Supko. (Charlie Manuel photos provided courtesy of North Penn baseball)
SOL Colonial/Patriot crossover
Souderton 4, Bensalem 0
Will McCausland joined the ranks of the great Souderton pitchers of all time on Monday, as he tossed a no-hitter, allowing just two baserunners, while striking out 12 as the red-hot Indians went on the road for the big cross-over win on Monday.
“It was the Will McCausland show today,” said Souderton coach Mike Childs. “After going 6 2/3 hitless innings against Neshaminy in his last start and not getting the no-hitter, I was glad he got it today.”
McCausland didn’t walk a batter either and ended up throwing just 87 pitches.
Bensalem’s Jalen Soberal led off the bottom of the first by reaching on an error. McCausland retired 20 in a row until two outs in the seventh when Evan Crowell was hit by a pitch. But that didn’t phase McCausland either, as he struck out the final batter of the game to wrap up the no-hitter.
“He looked calm, composed and in command,” Childs said. “Watching him develop over the last two years has been fun to watch. His hard work is showing every time he goes out on the mound. It looks like he’s having a lot of fun.”
Offensively, Souderton scored two runs in the top of the second and then added two insurance runs in the fifth.
Justin Decesare and Hunter Weitzel had back-to-back double to score the Indians’ first run, and Andrew Schatz followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.
In the fifth, after back-to-back walks and a sacrifice bunt, Luke Pollock singled to centerfield to pick up a pair of RBIs.
With the win, Souderton (11-3, 9-2 SOL) remained in command with a two-game lead in the loss column in the SOL Colonial standings. It hosts Central Bucks South on Wednesday.
Bensalem (5-8, 4-7 SOL) looks to bounce back and keep its postseason hopes alive when it hosts Council Rock South Wednesday.
Souderton 020 020 0 – 4 5 1
Bensalem 000 000 0 – 0 0 0
North Penn 3, Harry S Truman 1
Monday was an important game for North Penn, and although it was only a coincidence, it had a special guest on its bench for the game – former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.
“Brian Clayton, one of my assistant coaches, went to (Phillies) fantasy camp and met him there,” said Knights coach Kevin Manero. “They talked about coming out to a practice. Sure enough, he’s up here this week, and we didn’t have practice, but he came out and was at our game today.
“It was a great turn of events. I didn’t tell anybody until today. He showed up around 2:30, was there for batting practice and was in the dugout for the whole game. He was genuinely excited to be there. We were the ones who were excited that he was there. If you didn’t know it, you would have thought he was one of our coaches.
“If he would have come to a team dinner as a speaker, or even practice, it would have been cool. To have him in the dugout to see us play – talking to our guys after an at-bat – that’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Manuel was known as one of baseball’s best hitting coaches as well as managing the Phillies to their second World Series title in 2008. Monday, he was on hand for North Penn’s top pitching outing of the season.
Senior Dylan Brown pitched a complete game, three-hitter, striking out 11 and walking just one in a 95-pitch effort.
“Dylan Brown – today, was his best high school game,” Manero said. “Dylan has had games where he’s looked good, but today was a pitchers’ duel, and he was so tough. He was so locked in all game.
“His fastball was electric, his breaking ball was good, but mostly he was a real tough son of a gun out there. He threw very well. This time of year, we kind of need them all, and our ace stepped up. That’s called setting the tone, leading the team in every way.”
Normally, North Penn uses designated hitters, and its pitchers – including Brown – don’t get a chance to win. Monday, Manero had Brown in his lineup, and he delivered, going 2-for-3 with a key RBI single in the sixth inning that made it 3-1.
Jack Picozzi also drove in a run for the Knights, who plated a run without collecting a hit in the second, and after the Tigers tied the game in the fourth, they scored the go-ahead run in the fifth.
Truman starter Ryan Cavanaugh was tough on the mound himself, striking out nine over 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run.
“Their starting pitcher is very good,” Manero said. “We’ve faced a lot of Division I kids this year, day in and day out. That kid really knows how to pitch. He has a good repertoire of pitches and was very tough on us.”
North Penn (7-6, 5-5 SOL) hosts CB West on Wednesday.Truman (6-7, 4-6 SOL) plays Tuesday, at home against Neshaminy.
Truman 000 100 0 – 1 3 2
North Penn 010 011 x – 3 5 1
Pennridge 2, Council Rock North 1 (8 innings)
The margin of error was slim for Pennridge Monday, facing off against Council Rock North ace Colin Williams, who threw a no-hitter and lost in his last outing.
Williams came as advertised, striking out 17 Pennridge hitters.
But he ended up on the short end of some of the worst luck a starting pitcher could have, and the Rams found a way to win it in extra inning, scoring the winning run after Williams was removed after hitting 100 pitches.
“Williams is a dude,” said Pennridge coach Craig Whitten. “He’s legit. He would up having 17 strikeouts, and they were all competitive strikes. We were just swinging through them.
“It was a great match-up, a great pitchers’ duel. Conor (Flynn) pitched great too. It’s right up my alley, being a pitcher myself.
“One through nine, (Williams) knew how to handle our batters. We had to capitalize when we had the chance. We started playing small ball, taking extra 90s.”
It looked like Williams might just flirt with another no-hitter, as he struck out five of the first six batters he faced. But in the top of the third, Ashton McCloskey led off with a single to right field to end the no-hit bid.
Flynn later plated the game’s first run with a one-out single to left, scoring McCloskey.
The Indians, who were the home team despite playing on Pennridge’s home field because of field conditions, tied the game on a two-out error in the bottom of the fifth.
That’s where the game stood until the eighth.
Ryan DeHaven led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. He then moved up a base on a passed ball and scored what would be the game-winning run on a balk.
Flynn started the bottom of the eighth with 89 pitches, but proceeded to retire the Indians 1-2-3 to finish off the complete-game victory.
He ended up allowing just five hits and three walks, and the one unearned run, while striking out four.
Pennridge (6-6, 4-6 SOL) hosts Central Bucks East on Wednesday. CR North (9-4, 7-4 SOL) is back home Wednesday against Harry S. Truman.
Pennridge 001 000 01 – 2 5 4
CR North 000 010 00 – 1 5 0
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
Abington 6, Upper Moreland 5 (9 innings)
After giving up a 5-0 lead in the sixth and seventh inning, Abington had a chance to win Monday’s crossover game against visiting Upper Moreland in the bottom of the ninth. And, the Galloping Ghost made the most of their second chance.
“With two out in the bottom of the ninth, Colin Hamsher singled,” said Ghosts coach Bill Degen. “(He) advanced to third on an error. After a Matt Worek walk loaded the bases, Alex Dardaris drove the ball into the left-center gap for the winner.”
Through the first five innings, Abington got plenty of offense and starting pitcher Luke Sydlowski was lights out.
Dardaris hit a two-out RBI double to score Anthony Ehly in the bottom of the first, and then Dardaris scored on an RBI single by Sydlowski.
In the third, the Ghosts upped the lead to 3-0, as Ehly led off with a walk, went to second a wild pitch, third on a balk and then scored on a groundout by Worek.
Dardaris and Sydlowski struck again in the fifth, as Dardaris picked up an RBI on a bunt single, and Sydlowski added a RBI single to center field to make it 5-0.
Sydlowski pitched five shutout innings, scattering two hits and seven walks, while striking out four. But with a high-pitch count (97), he was removed from the game, and that’s when Upper Moreland made its move.
Bo Meakim got things started with a one-out RBI double to center field to score Kaleb Powell and Jimmy Torpey in the top of the sixth, cutting the lead to 5-2.
The seventh inning started with a walk to Jared McClellan and a double by Pat Kilgus to put runners on second and third. With one out, Powell singled to score both base runners and make it 5-4.
Meakim tied it up with a single to right field with two outs, scoring Nate Kelly.
Abington reliever Pat McCalister threw 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four and working around two singles in the top of the ninth, to pick up the win.
Dardaris had a huge game for Abington going 4-for-5 with three RBIs, including the game-winner. Sydlowski was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Ehly was 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
Abington (9-4, 7-4 SOL) has another home game Wednesday against Upper Dublin. UM (3-6, 3-6 SOL) hosts Lower Moreland.
Upper Moreland 000 002 300 – 5 8 0
Abington 201 020 001 – 6 12 0
Quakertown 11, Cheltenham 2
Three pitchers combined on a two-hitter, and offensively, Quakertown exploded for 11 runs on 13 hits and eventually blew out Cheltenham in a crossover game on Monday.
“We have another four-game week again this week, so we challenged our guys to go out and keep their pitch counts down,” said Panthers coach Jon Pallone. “Everyone that threw today is eligible for Wednesday.”
Matt Marsten pitched three scoreless and hitless innings, striking out two, before being removed after 34 pitches. Chris Parrillo pitched 2 1/3 innings and Jackson Gillman finished off the game with 1 2/3 innings.
At the plate, Quakertown scored a run in six of seven innings, jumping ahead 3-0 after two innings and never looking back.
Brandon Pierce had a one-out double in the first and scored on a Peyton Kochel groundout. Ethan Beil led off the second with a home run to center field. Thomas Kozlusky followed with a double and came around to score on an error.
Beil finished 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple, two runs scored and one RBI. Kozlusky was 2-for-2 with the double, two runs scored and one RBI.
“Ethan Beil had another home run and a triple,” Pallone said. “It was nice to see us continue to score runs each inning. This year we’ve sort of relied on the big inning.
“Thomas Kozlusky had a couple nice hits today to help out with that as did Braxton Rahn and Danny Qualteria.”
Quakertown (8-4, 8-2 SOL) plays at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday. Cheltenham (2-10 0-9 SOL) is back at it Tuesday at Lower Moreland.
Quakertown 120 211 4 – 11 13 2
Cheltenham 000 002 0 – 2 2 1
Hatboro-Horsham 6, William Tennent 1
Several regulars had the day off, but the first-place Hatters showed off their depth, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first and relying on quality pitching the rest of the day to post its 10th straight win.
“We have played a lot lately and we decided to give a rest to Cole Fisher, who is our ace (pitcher) and our 3-hole hitter,” said Hatboro-Horsham coach Pete Moore. “Our 4-hole hitter, Will Bruner, had an AP exam that ran late so he didn’t play until the sixth inning.
“We moved Noah Schlosser up to the 3-hole and he responded with a two-hit day. We had a pitcher, Stephen Plefka, who started in left field and hit in the 4-hole.
“Today, we believed we were going to be fine using the depth of our roster and we were right.”
Trey Porter started the game on the mound, going the first five innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and two walks, while striking out seven.
Ryan Toporowski moved in from shortstop to throw the final two innings, and he struck out three and didn’t allow a run.
“We wanted to rest guys and save bullets as we move back into our division later this week and the way we played the game today allowed us to do that,” Moore said.
Offensively, H-H started quickly, as leadoff hitter Porter started the bottom of the first with a single. Jack Elwell followed with a double to put runners on second and third, and Schlosser and Plefka each drove in runs with RBI singles. Another run scored on a Toporowski RBI groundout and then Nick Katherine hit an RBI triple to make it 4-0.
Schlosser finished 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBIs, while Katherine had two RBIs.
H-H (12-2, 11-0 SOL) remains in command in the SOL Liberty standings, and it returns to divisional play Wednesday at home against Wissahickon. Tennent (2-10, 2-8 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Wednesday.
William Tennent 000 010 0 – 1 6 4
Hatboro-Horsham 402 000 x – 6 9 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9, Lower Moreland 2
The Colonials saw their red-hot bats cooled considerably and a six-game winning streak come to an end the last time out against Upper Moreland on Thursday. With a host of critical Liberty Division games on deck over the next two-plus weeks, they needed to bounce back with a convincing effort against Lower Moreland.
They did just that as Mike Miller went 2-for-2 with a home run and five RBIs to lead a balanced attack. PW blew open a 2-2 game with four runs in the top of the fourth and went on to the seven-run win.
Luke Caucci opened the fourth inning with a double to left, and two outs later, Colin Brady brought him home with a single to left. Luke Gartland followed with a single, and both players scored when Miller delivered a three-run home run to right field.
“After a difficult loss last week, we did feel that it was important to bounce back quickly and I think we took that focus into today,” said coach Chris Manero.
“Ray (Tomasetti) has really been a rock in our rotation this year, and he came out today with a purpose.
“At the plate, Mike (Miller) had another huge day, and his five RBIs were definitely a difference maker. Having five players pick up multiple hits helped us balance the threats throughout the lineup today.”
Gartland, Lincoln Sharpe, Caucci and Brady finished with two hits each for PW with Sharpe contributing a double.
Tomassetti went 6 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing just one earned run on two hits and three walks, while striking out nine. He was removed with two outs in the seventh after hitting 102 pitches, and reliever Dylan Robinson needed just one pitch to finish off the Lions.
PW (10-4, 7-4 SOL) is back home Wednesday when it hosts Quakertown. Lower Moreland (3-9, 2-8 SOL) looks to bounce back Tuesday at home against Cheltenham.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 002 410 2 – 9 10 1
Lower Moreland 002 000 0 – 2 2 0
Wissahickon 13, Springfield Twp 3
Three runs in the top of the first got Wissahickon started, and the Trojans bounced back after back-to-back losses for the 13-3 win on the road at Springfield.
“We got a great performance on the mound from Joey Carr,” said Wissahickon coach Andy Noga. “He was able to command three pitches for strikes and pitched well with a lead.
“We were able to grind out some quality at bats offensively and continued putting pressure on the defense.”
Carr threw 83 pitches in a six-inning outing, allowing just one earned run on two walks and eight hits, while striking out three.
Gavin Malloy finished the game off with a scoreless seventh inning, ending it with a double play groundout.
At the plate, the Trojans scored 13 runs on 13 hits, including seven extra base hits. They put three runs on the board in a first inning that was highlighted by a two-run double from Nate DeVincent and an RBI double by Shane Henrick. They added a run in the second inning and led the rest of the way, blowing open a close game with a seven-run fifth. Highlights of the five-run uprising included RBI doubles by DeVincent and Justin Miller and a two-run double by Luke Frank
DeVincent went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and four RBIs. Miller was 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and one RBI. Henrick and LFrank had two RBIs each.
Wissahickon (7-7, 7-4 SOL) plays at first-place Hatboro-Horsham Wednesday. Springfield (1-8, 1-7 SOL) hosts Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 310 170 1 – 13 13 2
Springfield 000 120 0 – 3 8 3
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