Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. PW/Upper Dublin photo provided courtesy of Cindy Manero.
SOL American
Hatboro-Horsham 8, Cheltenham 5
With five runs in the last two innings, Hatboro-Horsham shook off a slow start and snapped a two-game losing streak with an 8-5 win over Cheltenham.
The win moves the Hatters back into a first-place tie in the SOL American with Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Cheltenham seemingly took control of the game with three runs in the bottom of the first, as Lukas Nakkula scored one on an RBI single and two more scored on a two-out error. The Panthers then retook the lead in fifth, as a Nakkula double scored one and Brian Paik made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the sixth, however, the Hatters would rally to tie it again as a double by Bradan Mallon scored Ethan Ridgeway and then Lucas Walker scored Mallon with a squeeze bunt.
Jimmy Tooley’s two-run single in the top of the seventh broke the tie and put H-H in front for good, and Tooley would come around to score on an error.
“We moved Jimmy Tooley from the leadoff spot to the three hole,” said H-H coach Pete Moore. “Jimmy came up with the game-winning two-RBI single in the top seventh to give us the lead.”
Mallon went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI on the day.
Benny Wilson came on in the sixth for the Hatters and pitched two scoreless and hitless innings to pick up the win. He struck out three.
“He was tremendous,” Moore said. “He retired all five hitters he faced in the sixth and seventh.”
With PW’s loss to Upper Dublin, the two teams are tie at 9-3 in the SOL American standings with two games remaining, and they play at H-H on Tuesday. Before then, the Hatters (13-5 overall) have an important conference game at Abington
Cheltenham (5-9, 5-7 SOL) plays at Springfield on Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 110 102 3-8 5 1
Cheltenham 300 020 0-5 3 4
Upper Dublin 4, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
After falling behind early, Upper Dublin rallied with one in the fourth and three critical runs in the bottom of the fifth, as the Flying Cardinals upset first-place Plymouth Whitemarsh by a 4-2 final score on Tuesday.
In the top of the first, PW jumped ahead 2-0, as Joe Jaconski led off the game with a single and later came around to score on a passed ball. Anthony Tomassetti followed with a RBI single.
After scoring one on an error in the fourth, UD took control of the game in the fifth, as two scored on an Elijah Peck double and Kyle Rizzo followed with an RBI single of his own.
“It was great to see Peck square one up versus a tough lefty, (PW’s Ben) Mascio,” said Cardinals coach Ed Wall. “And then freshman Rizzo to follow with a knock and a RBI right after.”
After a rough first inning, UD starter Sean Curran settled down and allowed just the one earned run on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out four. Peck pitched a scoreless seventh to pick up the save.
“Sean pitched another great game today against a tough PW team,” Wall said.
Upper Dublin (9-8, 6-5 SOL) plays at Upper Moreland on Wednesday. PW (9-7, 9-3 SOL) is now tied with Hatboro-Horsham atop the conference standings with two games remaining. The Colonials host Upper Moreland on Thursday.
PW 200 000 0-2 6 3
UD 000 130 x-4 5 1
Springfield 3, Upper Moreland 0
Ethan Hamilton pitched a complete-game, two-hitter as Springfield won for the third game in a row, spoiling senior night at Upper Moreland.
Hamilton gave up a hit in the first and another in the sixth inning.
“My other pitcher, Jackson Campbell, was hurt in the middle of the season, but he’s coming around too, and he’s going to pitch on Thursday,” said Spartans coach Dennis Primavera. “Once again, the seniors are doing the job and we’re coming together at the right time. It was a good win.”
Springfield scored its two runs in the top of the first. Max Perry, who went 3-for-4, led off with a single and scored on an RBI double by Morgan D’Amico.
Kevin Keown had an RBI single for an insurance run in the seventh.
Springfield (6-9, 5-6 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Thursday.Upper Moreland (7-6, 6-5 SOL) is back at it Wednesday at home against Upper Dublin.
Springfield 110 000 1-3 6 2
Upper Moreland 000 000 0-0 2 1
Abington 3, Wissahickon 1
Joey DiMaria’s two-run double in the top of the seventh capped a late-inning comeback and gave Abington the 3-1 SOL American win on Tuesday.
It was also a day for outstanding pitching performances, led by Abington starter Kevin Worek, who pitched six innings, and allowed just one earned run on three hits and one error. He struck out two. Henry Tyler came on in the seventh after a leadoff walk, and worked around an error to record the final three outs and pick up the save.
Meanwhile, Wissahickon’s Tyler Freidman was strong throughout as well, including five shutout innings to start the game. He ended allowing just two earned runs on three hits and four walks in six innings, while striking out seven.
Wissahickon scored first in the bottom of the fourth. Brian Menhardt led the inning off with a single, went to second on a groundout and scored on an error.
That 1-0 lead stood until the sixth, which started with a DiMaria walk. After Freidman recorded a pair of outs, an error kept the inning alive and put runners on first and third. A Griffin Wittenberg single tied the game for the Galloping Ghosts.
In the seventh, Ryan Daniels and Angelo Pearson were each hit by pitches to start the inning, and then with one-out, DiMaria’s double to center scored both runners.
Abington (4-13, 3-9 SOL) hosts first-place Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday.Wissahickon (5-11, 4-8 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Thursday.
Abington 000 001 2-3 5 3
Wissahickon 000 100 0-1 4 2
SOL National
Pennsbury 4, Council Rock South 3
With three runs in the bottom of the seventh, Pennsbury capped off a late rally and clinched at least a share of the SOL National championship with the 4-3 win on Tuesday.
Trailing 3-1 going into the seventh, Shane Marlin was hit by a pitch and Sam Ruta walked with one out. Justin Massielo followed with a two-run double off the left field fence
R.J. Huth’s two-out single into the right field scored Massielo with the game-winner. Huth also drove in a Pennsbury run in the fourth inning.
“I always tell these guys, you erase the bad at bats when you come up clutch,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci. “Both (Massielo) and R.J., and even Sam Ruta with that walk. He could have went up there swinging, but he walked. That was big.
CR South grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second on a home run by Jared Ennis, and in the third an infield hit by Luke Gregory made it 2-0. The Golden Hawks then went up 3-1 with a Trey Obarowski RBI ground out in the top of the seventh.
CR South starter Mike Rabayda pitched 5 1/3 strong innings, allowing just four hits and one earned run, while striking out five.
Christian Buchler went five for Pennsbury, scattering six hits and one walk, but allowing just two earned runs. He struck out six, before giving way to Sean Hochhausler, who allowed a run in two innings, but picked up the victory.
Pennsbury (14-4, 9-1 SOL) can clinch the conference title outright with a win over Harry S. Truman at home on Thursday.CR South (8-5, 4-5 SOL) will look to bounce back Thursday against William Tennent at home.
Council Rock South 011 000 1-3 8 0
Pennsbury 000 100 3-4 6 0
William Tennent 7, Neshaminy 6
After Neshaminy scored four runs in the sixth to erase a two-run deficit, William Tennent answered with three of its own in the bottom of the sixth, and the Panthers pulled off a huge SOL National Conference upset by a 7-6 final score.
A single by Colin Collela started the bottom of the sixth for Tennent, and after an error and a one-out walk, an RBI groundout by Nick Meltzer cut the Neshaminy lead to 6-5.
A walk to D.J. Dickson loaded the bases, and Xavier Delgado followed with a two-run single to put the Panthers back in front to stay.
After a lead-off single by Neshaminy’s Joe Kaleck in the top of the seventh, and then a sacrifice bunt to move him to scoring position, Tennent reliever Mike Sheller retired the final two batters to finish the game off.
Delgado went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs for the Panthers, while Alex Tiburcio also had a solo home run. Collela finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
Matt Monaghan picked up the win for Tennent before giving way to Sheller in the seventh. Monaghan allowed just three earned runs over six innings.
Neshaminy was led by Chris James, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Gus Natelli was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
The win was the first league win over the season for Tennent (5-9, 1-8 SOL), which hosts CR North on Wednesday.Neshaminy (10-5, 7-4 SOL) has a cross-over game at home Thursday against Souderton.
Neshaminy 200 004 0-6 9 1
Tennent 101 203 x-7 8 4
Bensalem 16, Harry S Truman 5
After falling behind by five runs through two innings, Bensalem kept its hopes for a share of the SOL National title alive with 16 runs over the next four innings on the way to a 16-5 victory in an impressive 18-hit performance.
Nick Dean went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and eight RBIs to lead Bensalem. He also pitched the sixth and final inning, striking out three and allowing just a single hit.
Ryan McLaughlin picked up the win for the Owls, going 3 2/3 innings, and allowing just one earned run on five hits, while striking out five.
Dean was one of six Bensalem hitters with multiple hits, including Austin Shay, who went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Matt Silano, Damon Lavender and Rich Bordone had two RBIs each, while Bordone had two doubles.
For Truman, Joey Wright went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Dylan Jackson and Chris Haer also had two hits each. Jackson had two doubles.
Truman (5-9, 3-6 SOL) plays at Pennsbury on Thursday.Bensalem (11-3, 7-3 SOL), which is two games behind first-place Pennsbury with two conference games remaining, hosts Council Rock North on Thursday.
Bensalem 003 418-16 18 1
Truman 140 000- 5 11 2
SOL Continental
Central Bucks East 10, Quakertown 2
Central Bucks East scored two runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back, as the top three hitters in its lineup combined for seven hits, six runs scored and five RBIs in an impressive 10-2 win on Tuesday.
“The top of the order did a great job,” said CB East coach Kyle Dennis. “Defense picked it up all day. All and all, a well-played game in all areas for us.”
Jack Nugent went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, three runs scored an RBI. Nick Bitsko went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Tyler Young was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and cleanup hitter Colin Weber was 1-for-4 with three RBIs.
Nugent’s one-out triple in the first got things started, as next batter Young followed with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Young would score on a two-out error.
After Quakertown cut it to 2-1 as Adam Ritter scored on a double-steal, CB East answered in the bottom of the fourth, as Nugent had an RBI single, and a bases-loaded double by Weber scored three runs and broke the game wide open at 6-1.
Anthony Yermolov went the distance to earn the win for the Patriots, allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk, while striking out five. He threw 93 pitches.
“Great job by Yermolov,” Dennis said. “He commanded all of his pitches.”
For Quakertown, Ritter and Mason Hicks had two hits each. Justin Butler hit a solo home run.
Quakertown (11-5, 6-4 SOL) currently sits at No. 22 in the District One Class 6A power rankings with three games remaining. It hosts CB West on Thursday afternoon.
CB East (9-9, 4-7 SOL) plays Pennridge Thursday night (7 p.m.) at James Memorial Park in Sellersville.
Quakertown 000 110 0 -2 5 5
CB East 200 440 x-10 10 2
Central Bucks West 8, North Penn 7
A Brian Gilvary single scored Rhys Nicholas from third, capping a wild win for CB West over North Penn on Thursday, in a game that saw the host Bucks pound out 11 hits, four of which were home runs.
It was a back-and-forth game from the start, as North Penn led 3-1 at home point, and then rallied to go up 6-4 with two runs in the top of the sixth. But CB West countered with three runs of its own in the seventh, gave up the lead in the top of the seventh and then plated the game-winner in walk-off style in the bottom of the eighth.
“This was relentless baseball,” said CB West coach Brian Weaver. “Both sides scored in inning after inning, and you never felt like any lead was safe. North Penn is dangerous in any situation, and they simply wouldn’t quit. In both the sixth and the seventh, they were down and found a way to get runs across.”
Nicholas went 2-for-5 with three runs scored and both of his hits were home runs. Mike Bukowski and Tyler Dalzell also had homers.
Bukowski’s two-run home run with one out in the sixth tied the game at 6. After the second out, Nicholas’ second HR of the day gave CB West a 7-6 advantage.
“We used the long ball today to pace the offense, which isn’t something we’ve done this year,” Weaver said. “Rhys Nicholas has been tremendous. He’s a steady shortstop, just making every play, and he’s been consistently hitting at the plate. He put one out the other day against Truman, and today had two more homers.”
North Penn tied it in the seventh thanks to out-error that scored Griffin Juckniewicz.
In the top of the eighth, Luke Nitschke recorded a huge fly ball out with the go-ahead run on second to set the stage for the bottom of the eighth.
There, with two outs, Nicholas reached on an error, Matt McCarthy walked, and Nitschke walked to load the bases. Gilvary’s infield single ended the game.
“The last three games we’re playing the kind of baseball that makes the game great,” Weaver said. “With the exception of the first couple of innings against Truman, we’re putting up runs consistently, getting guys in, and staying competitive on the mound. I’m proud that our guys went through a funk in the middle of the year but shook it off and have played baseball they can be really happy with.”
CB West (7-9, 4-6 SOL) plays at Quakertown on Thursday.North Penn (6-10, 4-6 SOL) is on the road Thursday at CB South.
North Penn 021 003 10-7 7 4
CB West 101 203 01-8 11 6
Souderton 9, Pennridge 0
Souderton won its eighth straight game with an impressive 9-0 shutout of Pennridge on Tuesday.
Sophomore Eric Ritchie and senior Andrew Curran combined on a two-hitter for the Indians. Ritchie allowed one hit and walked a batter, while striking out six. Curran struck out five in two innings.
Offensively, Luke Taylor and Jordan Morales had two hits each, while Jake Horton had a three-run home run.
Frank Pollock got the scoring started in the bottom of the first for Souderton, with an RBI single. One batter later a sacrifice fly by Curran scored Taylor and it was a 2-0 game.
A two-out error open the flood gates for Souderton in the fourth, as Curran followed with an RBI double and a two-run single by Morales then made it 5-0.
Taylor had an RBI single and Horton followed with a two-run home run in the fifth. Morales’ second RBI single of the day later in the inning concluded the scoring.
Souderton (15-2, 11-0 SOL), currently the No. 1 ranked team in the District One Class 6A power rankings, will look to avenge a previous loss at Neshaminy on Thursday.Pennridge (5-10, 1-9 SOL) next plays Thursday night (7 p.m.) at James Memorial Park in Sellersville against Central Bucks East.
Pennridge 000 000 0-0 2 1
Souderton 203 400 x-9 11 1
Non-League crossovergame
Central Bucks South 10, Council Rock North 0
Central Bucks South swung hot bats right from the start, and left-hander Ryan Rieber was dominant on the mound, as the Titans won easily in five innings 10-0 in an important SOL cross-over game on Tuesday.
“(CR North coach Matt Schram) does a great job with his young team, and we felt like we couldn’t come out flat or they would make us pay,” said CB South coach Brian Klumpp. “Really proud of our guys today.”
With the win, the Titans are currently No. 18 in the District One Class 6A power points with two games remaining. Twenty teams qualify for the postseason.
Rieber threw just 61 pitches in five innings, allowing just two hits and not walking a batter. He struck out six.
“Rieber was dominant on the mound,” Klumpp said. “He just filled up the strike zone and did a great job of keeping them off balance. We always have a tone of confidence when he is on the mound.”
Offensively, the Titans pounded 12 hits, led by designated hitter Jake Trachtenberg, who went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Brock Veit was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Connor McKeown went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
CB South was also boosted by the return of shortstop Joey Loynd, who has missed most of the season with an injury, but was back in the lineup Tuesday. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
“We got a big boost today having Joey and Bryan (Rossi) back in the lineup today,” Klumpp said. “I think having Joey in the lineup for the first time since Pennsbury (the first game of the season) gave our guys a ton of energy.”
CB South (10-5, 6-4 SOL) hosts North Penn Thursday night (6 p.m.)CR North (5-10, 2-6 SOL) plays at William Tennent Wednesday afternoon.
CR North 000 00-0 2 2
CB South 114 04-10 12 1
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