Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Friday. CB East/CB West photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko; photos of Wissahickon/Hatboro-Horsham provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. Neshaminy/Pennsbury photo provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games. (NP Photo courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball). All SOS BASEBALL galleries can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 4, Central Bucks West 3
Chase Harlan hit a two-run home run to finish it off in dramatic fashion Friday night, as CB East snapped a nine-game losing streak and knocked off rival CB West in a game played at Hanusey Park in Plumstead Township.
Harlan’s heroics capped a back-and-forth battle that saw both teams come up with timely hits, and solid pitching and defense as well. The teams combined for one error.
Nolan Behm’s one-out single set the stage for Harlan’s two-run blast.
“We had the right part of the lineup up in the bottom half of the seventh inning,” said Patriots coach Kyle Dennis. “If anyone is going to do damage in that part of the lineup, if anyone is up with the game on the line, you want it to be Chase Harlan. I can’t say enough positive things about him. He works so hard.”
Sam Bliss started on the mound for the Patriots and went 6 1/3 innings, before being removed in the top of the seven after throwing 97 pitches. Gabe Amendola recorded the final two outs to get out of the inning, and he earned the win after East came back and won it in the bottom half of the inning.
“I kind of feel bad for Sam Bliss,” Dennis said. “I don’t think he has a win all year, and he’s pitched so well for us all year. He just competes. He went 6 1/3 and had to come out because of pitch count. He just competed and battled. He induces weak contact, not a lot of hard hit balls, and not a lot back-to-back.
“Gabe Amendola came in top of seventh. He’s a very good pitcher, a senior. I’m glad we were able to get him involved. He had to catch for us most of season and hasn’t been able to pitch for us. We’re slowly getting him back on the mound.”
CB West’s Julio Ermigiotti allowed just two earned runs in the first, and worked in and out of trouble to blank East the next five innings, before leaving after six innings and 100 pitches.
One of East’s runs in the first came on a wild pitch and the other on a RBI groundout by Joey Wilga.
One at a time, the Bucks chipped away.
An Alex Valdes groundout scored Luke Birkhead in the second. A sac fly by Quinn Illig in the third tied the game at 3. And Max McGlone put CB West in front with a solo home run to left in the top of the five.
McGlone and Sam Greer had two hits each for the Bucks.
Harlan finished 3-for-4, while Matt Rowland was 2-for-3 for CB East.
“I think this is the most complete game that we’ve played all year, if you combine offense, defense and pitching,” Dennis said. “A lot of times this year, we’re hitting well, but not defending well or not pitching great. Today, we played like a complete team in all facets. We played very well defensively, had great pitching and timely hitting.
“It was an unbelievable setting. All the bleachers were full, people were lined across all fencing. There must have been a couple hundred people there. It was a really special moment to play in front of a big crowd like, and a lot of guys may not have that opportunity again.”
The Patriots (3-12) has a makeup game at home Monday against Bensalem.
CB West (11-4) next plays at first-place North Penn on Tuesday.
CB West 011 010 0 – 3 8 1
CB East 200 000 2 – 4 9 0
Central Bucks South 3, Souderton 1
Senior Logan Hinds pitched a complete-game, five-hitter, as CB South won a big game as it returned to Colonial Division play by edging visiting Souderton on Friday.
“Across the board, it was a well-played game,” said Titans coach Kevin Bray. “Not a ton of mistakes. Both pitchers were really good between Logan Hinds on our side and (Grayson) Norris on Souderton’s side. We knew it was going to be a tight game. It always is with Souderton. They’re so well-coached by Mike (Childs).”
Hinds went the distance, throwing just 88 pitches and didn’t walk a batter, as he allowed just the one run and struck out six.
“It was a big game finishing a long week and we turned to a senior who’s been in our program for a long time,” Bray said. “He knows the magnitude of a game like this. I couldn’t be happier with his performance. He’s a bulldog. He wants the ball in a game like this.”
Souderton’s Norris allowed just two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.
CB South struck first with a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Hunter Petrich.
Souderton answered in the fourth as Austin Kreyenhagen roped a two-out RBI single to tie it up.
But the Titans took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning as a run scored on a two-out error. They then added a key insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Owen Wheeler scored on a sac fly by Tommy Donnelly.
It was a big win for the Titans, who are still very much in the hunt for a playoff berth with four games remaining.
“We control our own destiny,” Bray said. ”The message to our guys is if we continue to compete and play hard, we control it. If we play our brand of baseball, we’re confident how we’ll fare.”
For the Indians, Zach Pollock went 2-for-3.
CB South (7-6) next plays Tuesday night at home under the lights against CB East.
Souderton (6-8) has a nonleague game Monday at Dock Mennonite.
Souderton 000 100 0 – 1 5 1
CB South 001 101 x – 3 3 3
North Penn 9, Pennridge 1
The Knights increased their lead in the SOL Colonial Division to three games with their second win over Pennridge this season, behind a quick start offensively and an excellent outing on the mound from Nolan Walker.
“We scored runs first in the few innings and were able to get out to an early lead,” said North Penn coach Kevin Manero. “It was a good opportunity to get guys in the game late. We scored early and Nolan Walker was strong for us today as a starter. He threw zeros up there and kept us in control of the game.”
Walker pitched five shutout innings, allowing just two hits and walking one. Joey Mendez pitched the sixth and then Henry Wetzel came in and struck out the side in the top of the seventh to put the finishing touches on Friday’s Coaches for Cancer contest.
“Nolan had a real nice start today,” Manero said. “That’s the deepest he’s went into a game.
“Henry Wetzel had three hits and then came in and struck out the side. He’s been playing well for us. He does a lot of things. He pitches really well and barrels the baseball.
“But I thought we were pretty consistent hitting up and down the lineup today.”
It started with three runs in the bottom of the first. Justin Egner led off with a single, followed by a walk, a hit batter and then another walk to score the game’s first run. Ben Farley drove in a run with a fielder’s choice and Brady Dolger added a RBI single.”
North Penn added one in the second, three in the third and two more in the fifth. It finished with nine runs on 10 hits.
Jack Picozzi had a double and three RBIs, Farley had two RBIs, and Egner scored three runs.
North Penn (12-1, 10-1 SOL) plays at Harry S. Truman in a makeup crossover game on Monday.
Pennridge (1-14, 1-10 SOL) plays at Council Rock South on Monday.
Pennridge 000 001 0 – 1 2 1
North Penn 313 020 x – 9 10 1
SOL Patriot Division
Bensalem 4, Council Rock South 3
An RBI single by Preston Stracci scored Anthony Labate with the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth, as Bensalem upset Council Rock South in the return to Patriot Division play on Friday afternoon.
“Preston Stracci had a great at-bat in the sixth, leading to the game-winning RBI hit,” said Owls coach Kurt Sowa. “The team played well. It was a much-needed win for us, and it was great to see the guys compete hard from pitch one until the end.”
Dan McShane went the distance on the mound for the Owls, allowing three earned runs. He also had nine strikeouts.
“Dan McShane pitched very well today,” Sowa said. “He got out of a few jams, including a leadoff triple that didn’t score. That’s the best I’ve seen him pitch.”
Trailing 1-0, Bensalem took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, including a bases-loaded walk and a two-out, two-run single by McShane.
In the top of the fifth, CR South tied it. Trey Sajeski and Chase Ennis reached on singles, and Billy O’Neill followed with a two-run double to left field. McShane was able to get the final two batters out to escape further damage.
Zach Lentchner was 2-for-2 for Bensalem as well.
Ennis and O’Neill had two hits each for CR South.
Bensalem (5-10) has a makeup game Monday at CB East.
CR South (6-7) hosts Pennridge in a makeup game itself on Monday.
CR South 100 020 0 – 3 8 3
Bensalem 000 301 x – 4 5 1
SOL Freedom Division
Lower Moreland 1, Upper Moreland 0
This was one the Lower Moreland players had circled on their schedule, especially after losing to Upper Moreland earlier in the season.
And the Lions picked a good time for their biggest win of the season.
Mason Tammaro pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout and out-dueled Upper Moreland standout Jimmy Torpey for the 1-0 win.
“The whole team has been looking forward to this rematch against UM since they beat us back in March,” said LM coach Mike Guido. “We knew we would see Torpey again. He’s had our number since last year.
“All the boys have been working to get a win today. A game like this speaks for itself. You don’t have to say much to get them excited. Everyone was locked in all day at school, just waiting to get to game time.”
It started with Tammaro, who walked just one batter and threw 80 pitches over seven innings.
“There’s a lot to say about Mason’s performance on the mound,” Guido said. “He told me a week ago that he wanted this game. There was never a doubt in his mind about this game. He kept his composure through multiple jams, including the last inning when he walked the leadoff batter (and) then let up a single.
“He struck out eight today, which took a lot of pressure off the defense. The kid is a gamer. Never quits and always finds a way to have a quality outing.”
He ended that threat in the seventh, and the game, with a fielder’s choice ground out and back-to-back strikeouts.
“First two runners got on, but I stayed calm and collected,” Tammaro said. “I was too locked in to let them phase me. I have complete confidence that (catcher Matt Dymowski) will call good pitches and we’ll get the last three guys out. And we executed.”
Both Tammaro and Guido credited Dymowski behind the plate.
“His curve was on, and he was hitting his spots,” Dymowski said about Tammaro.
The one run scored in the game came in the bottom of the third. Dymowski reached with a two-out single, moved up on an error and scored on Donato Incollingo’s RBI single.
With four league games remaining, the Lions know they need wins as they seek a playoff spot. And they played liked it.
“First, I have to mention the seniors,” Guido said. “They all played a huge role. Tolan Stahl and Sean Maloney hadn’t played baseball since they were in middle school. They play football together and decided to come out for the team as seniors. Today, they anchored the corner outfield spots and gave us the flexibility and confidence to put Mason on the mound and not miss a beat in the OF.
“Matt Stolarski picked himself up after two, back-to-back, errors in the inning. Then comes right back and makes the third play to help us get out of a huge jam in the fifth. After that inning, he gave Mason a huge hug.
“Pat Kennedy has been our emotional leader all year. I asked him to give our pep talk before we hit the field. The boys respond well to him. He’s improved so much at first base. His OBP (on base percentage) is through the roof. Today, he went 0-for-0 with two sac bunts and a HBP (hit-by-pitch). No matter where I put him in the lineup he shows up and gets on base.
“Matt Dymowski is our catcher and one of the best in the SOL. Today, that showed. UM didn’t attempt one stolen base. He also scored our only run because of his hustle. He hit a shallow fly ball to right. I put my head down to write ‘F9’ on my card and all of a sudden, he’s flying into third base … The ball was misplayed, and he didn’t hesitate for one second out of the box, turning a shallow fly ball into three bags.
“Next batter, Donny Incollingo, our other senior captain, scores him on an infield single. Those are the things that win games. Hustle, sacrificing your at-bats for the team, and grinding at the plate. I can’t say enough about our seniors today. I’m so glad we got this win for them.”
LM (5-9, 3-8 SOL) is back in action Tuesday at Cheltenham.
UM (6-7, 5-6 SOL) hosts William Tennent on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 000 000 0 – 0 4 1
Lower Moreland 001 000 x – 1 5 2
Cheltenham 5, New Hope-Solebury 1
Finn Ivory pitched a complete-game, three-hitter, allowing just one run, while striking out six, as Cheltenham overcame an early deficit and got past New Hope-Solebury in a Freedom Division game on Friday.
After allowing a run in the fourth, Ivory shut the Lions down the final three innings and gave his team a chance to rally. The Panthers scored two runs in the fifth and three more in the seventh to seal the win.
Finn Kopp started the fifth with a double, and a single by Sean Trainor put runners on first and third with nobody out. Kopp scored on a squeeze bunt by Joel Martin, tying the game at 1.
Colin Kelly followed with a triple to give Cheltenham the lead.
The top of the seventh started with a single by Trainor. An error and then an intentional walk to Kelly loaded the bases with nobody out. Jack Haugen scored one with a sac fly, and Xavi Chanoine drove in two more with a two-RBI single to center field.
Ivory then set New Hope down in order in the seventh to close out the game.
With the win, Cheltenham improved to 3-9 overall and 2-9 in SOL play. It hosts Lower Moreland on Tuesday.
New Hope (3-11, 2-10 SOL) has a scheduled nonleague game Saturday against Cumberland Regional (N.J.).
Cheltenham 000 020 3 – 5 7 1
New Hope 000 100 0 – 1 3 2
Springfield Twp 10, William Tennent 5
Four runs in the bottom of the first allowed Springfield to overcome an early deficit and also set the tone for a huge offensive performance as the Spartans scored 10 runs on 11 hits in a big win at home on Friday.
Brett Smith was the hitting star of the game, as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, two runs scored and three RBIs.
Matthew Caruso was 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Colby Sabin was 2-for-2 with three RBIs, Jack Hartman 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Will Hastins also added two hits.
Nolan Kidwell was the winning pitcher, as he allowed three runs (all unearned), while scattering two hits and five walks over five innings. He struck out seven. Robert Hartman finished off the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Springfield (5-9, 5-7 SOL) next plays at New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday.
Tennent (3-11, 2-9 SOL) has a nonleague game Saturday at MaST Charter.
Tennent 200 012 0 – 5 3 1
Springfield 410 032 x – 10 11 2
SOL Liberty Division
Upper Dublin 4, Quakertown 3
With two runs in the top of the fifth, Upper Dublin was able to dig itself out of an early hole and then held off a late Quakertown rally in the seventh to remain in first place with a 4-3 Liberty Division win on the road Friday.
“Today came down to pitching and defense and ours was good enough to win,” said Flying Cardinals coach Ed Wall. “Aidan (McCarthy) and Wes (Gill) did a great job on the mound, Wes working his way out of a big bases loaded jam and at the end, (and) the boys behind them got the job done.
“We have a tough road ahead in this Liberty Conference.”
It was Quakertown that started quickly, scoring two runs in the first and one in the second to go up 3-0. Nate Scheetz and Vinny Pellegrini had RBI singles for the Panthers in the first, while Danny Qualteria singled home a run in the third.
Upper Dublin answered with two runs in the top of the third to cut into that deficit. Eric Berman drove in one with a RBI single and Joe Levis scored another with a sac fly.
A two-out error in the fifth opened the door for the Cardinals, who tied it on the error and took the lead on Bobby Keck’s squeeze bunt to score Austin Dahl.
But the game was far from over. Reliever Gill worked out of trouble in the fifth after Quakertown loaded the bases with one out. Then in the seventh, with two outs, back-to-back singles by Pellegrini and Caleb Everitt gave the Panthers life. The runners advanced into scoring position with stolen bases, but Gill was able to end the game with a groundout.
McCarthy went the first 4 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs and working out of several jams. Gill pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the victory.
Upper Dublin (11-3, 11-1 SOL) next plays Abington in Trenton on Sunday night.
Quakertown (5-8, 4-6 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Monday.
Upper Dublin 002 020 0 – 4 6 1
Quakertown 210 000 0 – 3 6 3
Wissahickon 9, Hatboro-Horsham 1
Ryan Kim and Jack Garrity were an impressive 1-2 punch on the mound, and offensively they got plenty of run support with nine runs on 10 hits – all nine runs came in the third and fourth innings – in a dominant win over Hatboro-Horsham.
“That was the most complete game that we’ve played all year,” said Trojans coach Andy Noga.”I was extremely proud of our guys and how prepared they were from the jump today.
“We had four high-academic guys today taking AP exams – three starting lineup guys and Jack Garrity, our pitcher slated to start today. They had to show and go, and go they did.”
Kim pitched four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks, while striking out two.
“We brought up a freshman, Ryan Kim, to be our ‘opener’ today until Garrity was ready and I was incredibly proud of his composure and poise on the mound. He ended up staying in for four innings and really set the tone for us.”
Finn Olszewski started the third off with a double and Luke Frank then singled to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Josh Palutis scored one with a sac fly to center, and a double by Shane Henrick later in the inning scored two and made it a 3-0 game.
An inning later, the Trojans scored six more times. Kasey Weiss and Olszewski had back-to-back doubles, three straight walks led to another run, Justin Miller had a two-run single, and Blake McClintock scored two more with a single later in the inning, and just like that, Wissahickon had a commanding 9-0 lead.
Garrity pitched the final three innings, allowing just an unearned run, while striking out five.
“Offensively, we were ready from jump, which was great,” Noga said. “Finn Olszewski keeps swinging it really well for us, having tough, competitive at bats in big spots.
“Luke Frank continues to be a revelation for us, having really productive at-bats in massive spots, and defensively he has been incredible. He gives our pitchers confidence that they can throw breaking balls in the dirt, and he will keep it in front of him. He has worked tirelessly to be a difference maker for us, and he has been just that.
“Jack Garrity came in and did a great job for us in what turned into a long relief outing. That’s a tough thing, to go from an AP exam, scrambling to get ready for a relief appearance instead of a start, and then to end up going in three innings later than he anticipated, but nevertheless, he came in and mixed pitches well in the zone and was as competitive pitch to pitch as he has been for us.
“This was such a big win for us starting the second half of conference play, and a big confidence boost leading up to the crosstown battle with (Upper Dublin) next Tuesday.”
Wissahickon (10-3, 8-3 SOL) is at first-place Upper Dublin Tuesday
Hatboro-Horsham (10-4) will look to bounce back Tuesday with a home game against Abington.
Hatboro-Horsham 000 000 1 – 1 5 3
Wissahickon 003 600 x – 9 9 2
Abington 6, Plymouth Whitemarsh 4
LJ Wolf was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Logan Moss was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, as Abington jumped all over visiting Plymouth Whitemarsh with two in the second and then three more in the third inning, and then held off the visiting Colonials late for the huge Liberty Division upset.
The win, Abington’s seventh in a row, knocked PW out of a first-place tie that it held with Upper Dublin.
“That’s a big win for us,” said Galloping Ghosts coach Bill Degan. “Coach (Chris) Manero always has his team at the top of our division. It was a total team victory today.”
Trailing 1-0, Abington plated two in the second as one run scored on a LJ Wolf sacrifice fly. Mason Kishpaugh made it 2-1 with a two-out double.
In the third, the Ghosts added three more. A one-out double by Moss put runners on second and third. Chase Goodson scored one with an RBI fielder’s choice, Wolf had an RBI single and the third run came across on a bases loaded walk.
Abington starter Jake Hoetzel was cruising into the fourth, but PW got back into the game, with two in the fourth and another in the fifth to make it 5-4.
Wolf had another RBI single for an insurance run. He also did the job on the mound, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings, retiring the final five batters and not allowing an earned run to pick up the save.
Tyler Gartland was 2-for-3 with an RBI for PW, while Gavin Rocks drove in the other run. Chase Olszyk and Luke Caucci had doubles.
Abington (10-5, 8-3 SOL) hosts first-place Upper Dublin in a special Sunday night game in Trenton.
PW (11-3, 10-2 SOL) looks to bounce back Tuesday against Quakertown at home.
PW 010 210 0 – 4 8 1
Abington 023 001 x – 6 9 1
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