Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Monday.
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock North 11, Bensalem 0 (5 innings)
The Indians blew open a close game with an eight-run fifth inning, an outburst that was capped when Nick DiGiacomo smashed a three-run home run to bring an early end to the contest.
Will Seiler threw five shutout innings to earn the win, scattering five hits, striking out seven and walking one.
“Will Seiler had a strong outing on the mound, and the game ended with Nick DiGiacomo’s game-ending walk off,” Rock North coach Matt Schram said. “It’s always good to get a win in our league and today was no different.”
It was DiGiacomo’s single that got the ball rolling in the fifth inning. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Peyton Shaw. Johnny Mulder followed with a single, and Preston Martin’s groundout plated Shaw. Joe Rizzo’s sacrifice fly scored Shaw, and then Seiler ripped an RBI triple to center field.
A Bensalem miscue kept the inning alive, and then it was Kyle Book singling home a run for an 8-0 lead. Leor Kedar was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for DiGiacomo’s blast.
Contributing multiple hits for the Indians were DiGiacomo (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs, 2R), Shaw (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, R) and Book (2-for-3, RBI, R). Kedar was 1-for-2 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored.
Council Rock North (10-5, 7-5 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South on Tuesday, and Bensalem (3-13, 1-11) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday.
Bensalem 000 00 0-5-3
Council Rock North 101 18 11-11-0
SOL Liberty Division
Upper Dublin 6, Abington 5
The Cardinals started the week with a hard-fought road win over the Ghosts, bringing a welcome end to last week’s three-game skid.
“Today was huge,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “The last three games have been one-run games, and we’ve been on the wrong side of the last two.
“Abington threw their best guy at us, and I loved how we continue to get better. I feel like our bats are starting to come around. When you add the Wissahickon start and how we started and finished this game. Bobby Keck had two huge hits for us. Eddie Stoffel had a hit that plated a run, Eric Berman as well, so it was up and down the lineup. Even the guys that did not record hits barreled the ball up – Ben Wilkins and Oliver Gill come to mind, so even our outs were good outs, and that’s a good sign for things to come.”
A run-scoring double by Bobby Keck with two outs in the top of the seventh gave the Cardinals a 6-4 lead. It turned out they needed that insurance run as the Ghosts made things interesting in the bottom of the inning.
Jack Campbell led off with a line drive double, and he scored on a single by Chase Goodson. An error on Gavin Grasso’s sacrifice put a pair on board with none out. Grasso was forced out at second for the inning’s first out, and the Ghosts still had runners on the corner.
Wall called on Austin Dahl in a rare bullpen appearance, and he delivered, striking out the first batter he faced and retiring the next batter on a popup to close out the game.
Dahl was credited with a save, and Gill earned the win, allowing two hits and one run in 1.2 innings of relief. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Leading the Ghosts’ eight-hit attack were Stoffel (2-for-4, RBI), Keck (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) and Gill (2-for-2, 2R).
For the Ghosts, Chase Wolf was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored, and Mason Kishpaugh was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Monday’s win was a welcome turnaround after the three-game span that included losses to Neshaminy (non-league), Wissahickon (3-2) and Quakertown 1-0 in eight innings after both starters threw seven shutout innings when the game was halted for lightening and resumed on Friday with one out in the eighth.
“We used the Neshaminy game to get a lot of guys in, which was nice,” UD coach Ed Wall said. “Neshaminy is really tough. I don’t think their pitcher walked anybody, and, of course, their defense is really solid along with their lineup. That was a tough one, but we hung in there, we didn’t get mercy-ruled, and everybody got in the game.
“Then we played two really tough teams in Quakertown, which is super hot, and Wissahickon. We faced a tough pitcher in (Cooper) Natisin. I was again impressed with Austin Dahl’s effort. He would have been eligible to pitch the eighth inning if we did get the lightening delay and suspended game Tuesday. Both pitchers were pitching a gem, but I was really excited about Austin and our defense.
“We hit the ball in both games. Wissahickon we came out like lightening, and we had really good contact in the first inning. Then their pitcher dealt, did a really good job. Our guys fought really hard, we competed. We made some really big defensive plays. Eric Berman made a Willie Mays type of catch, diving toward center field on a fly ball that saved runs early in the game. Nate Cairnes had a heck of a game offensively – hit the ball really well. We just couldn’t get that big hit. We had guys in scoring position. Even late in the game, Nate Cairnes gets on again, we had an opportunity to score him. We just couldn’t plate the run.”
Upper Dublin (11-5, 9-3 SOL) will host Abington in a rematch for its Senior Day on Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 210 002 1 6-8-1
Abington 102 010 1 5-8-0
SOL Freedom Division
Cheltenham 1, Upper Moreland 0
The Panthers won for the third time in as many games, and this one was a thriller with Corey Bradley delivering the game-winning hit for the walk-off win.
“It was definitely another big win and an emotional one as well,” Cheltenham coach Kevin Hite said.
On the mound, Finn Kopp turned in a two-hit masterpiece in a complete game shutout, fanning four and walking only one.
“It was a true pitching duel – Kopp and Sword didn’t disappoint, and I hated to see someone loss that game,” Hite said. “Finn ‘Chosen one’ Kopp was magnificent on the bump today with outstanding defense behind him all game.
“Junior catcher AJ Gordon called a beautiful game in place of my starting catcher, senior captain Colin Kelly, who’s out for the season with a broken wrist he suffered the last game against Lower Moreland.”
Despite Kopp’s standout effort, his counterpart Luke Sword took a shutout of his own into the seventh inning when the Panthers loaded the bases with none out. Emile Chanoine drew a leadoff walk, and Sam Batiancila singled to right field. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and the Golden Bears elected to walk Kopp intentionally to load the bases.
That brought Bradley to the plate, and the senior – who lost his mother earlier this season – created a memory he and his teammates will not soon forget, lining a single to right field for the game-winner.
“Corey ‘Stone Cold ‘ Bradley, our guy our leader, and with the bases loaded in the bottom in the seventh – we looked at each other, and I pointed to the heavens and he nodded and delivered,” Hite said. “It was very emotional for everyone, and we love CB. It was the perfect ending for this team.”
Bradley was 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Panthers.
Sword threw well enough to win most days, allowing just four hits – two through the first six innings – and one run while striking out eight and walk two.
Cheltenham (6-9, 5-8 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (7-9, 6-7) will travel to Harry S Truman for a non-league game on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 000 000 0 0-2-0
Cheltenham 000 000 1 1-4-0
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