Jarrad Saffren recaps all of Monday’s SOL baseball action.
By Jarrad Saffren
Twenty Suburban One League baseball teams played league games Monday. Two—North Penn and Council Rock South—played a non-league crossover game.
Monday started the eight-day home stretch of the regular season. Most teams will play three games this week and another next week, before the regular season ends on May 16.
All 10 results and recaps are below.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks East 4, Central Bucks West 3
Central Bucks East took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third. CJ Gillmer singled to left, scoring Matt Ernst and Cameron Komonchak.
Central Bucks West tied the game a half inning later. Trevor D’Arcy blasted a two-run homer to left. Daniel Clayton also scored.
CB East regained the lead, 3-2, in the home fourth. Ernst lined the ball to right, plating Grant Meiers.
In the away sixth, CB West again tied the game. Matt Cooper doubled to center. Thomas Philipps scored.
East finally took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth, on Ernst’s line drive to right. PJ Harris raced home with the winning run.
Gillmer had another big game for East, with two hits and two RBIs.
“He’s been hot. He leads us in most offensive categories this year. He has a lot of multi-hit games. You kind of expect that out of your third-year guys,” Patriots coach Kyle Dennis said. “He has a great approach at the plate. One thing he does exceptionally well is hit with two strikes. He doesn’t give at-bats away. He’s hit some balls real hard with two strikes.”
Starter Tyler Quinlan pitched well enough for the Pats, lasting six innings, allowing two hits and two earned runs.
“He competed. He threw strikes to both sides of the plate. He left one ball over that led to the home run,” Dennis said. “But other than that, he just went out there and competed and got ahead. That is our staff. They throw strikes and challenge hitters.”
East reliever Jared Thompson pitched a scoreless seventh.
“Thompson did what he’s been doing all year in relief,” Dennis said. “He threw strikes and got the job done.”
CB East improved to 7-5 in games that count toward the District One Class 6A Power Rankings. The Patriots are 14th in the rankings, which came out Sunday. Twenty teams make the District One 6A playoffs.
CB East (10-6, 6-4 SOL) plays William Tennent Wednesday at 3:30. CB West (4-9, 2-7 SOL) hosts Perkiomen Valley Tuesday at four.
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-2-0-1-0 3
Central Bucks East 0-0-2-1-0-1-X 4
Souderton 1, Pennridge 0
Sophomore Jordan Morales pitched six shutout innings for Souderton. He allowed one hit and struck out seven.
“He got us ground balls. He kept the ball down, and his off-speed was working well. He has nice velocity for a sophomore. His pitch count would have been lower if we could have made some plays behind him,” Souderton coach Michael Childs said. “He has been a gamer all season. He has pitched well in big games. He has a personality where he gets the guys hyped. He shows a lot of leadership.”
Souderton reliever Dan Knechel tossed a scoreless seventh. He got three outs on nine pitches.
Souderton scored its run in the top of the second. Lucas Kullman grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Brett Moyer.
Pennridge starter Andrew Mayhew gave up one earned run in seven innings. He fanned seven.
Souderton is now 7-4 in games that count toward the D1 6A power rankings. The Indians are 11th in the rankings.
Souderton (11-6, 6-3 SOL) plays North Penn Wednesday at 3:45. Pennridge (5-11, 3-6 SOL) hosts CB West Wednesday at 3:30.
Souderton 0-1-0-0-0-0-0 1
Pennridge 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks South 7, William Tennent 3
The first five batters in Central Bucks South’s order—Ben Berger, Chris Farrell, Joey Loynd, Andrew Dietz and Tyler Watson—went 11-for-18, drove in all seven Titans’ runs and scored five.
Berger scored a run. Farrell had two runs scored and an RBI. Loynd had two runs and two RBIs. Dietz drove in three runs. Watson knocked in one.
“Our approach today was to jump out early and hit the fastball. We stayed back on the curveball and hit a lot of line drives. Our approach today was much better than it’s been. We’ve been popping up,” CB South coach Brian Klumpp said. “Joey Loynd and Chris Farrell did a great job getting on. Dietz and Watson did a great job driving those guys in when they got on.”
CB South actually trailed, 2-1, after two innings. But the Titans scored three runs in the third and three more in the fourth.
South reliever Alex Bendzlowicz pitched three scoreless innings, the fourth, fifth and sixth, after the Titans had built a big lead.
Greg Delgado had a big game for Tennent, with three hits, two RBIs and a run. Cole Browne scored two runs. Nick Cataldi had an RBI.
Justin Mauz and Devin Farrell both scored one run for South.
CB South improved to 6-5 in games that count. The Titans are 16th in the 6A power rankings.
CB South (9-5, 5-5 SOL) plays Bensalem Wednesday at 3:30.
William Tennent fell to 6-5 in games that count. The Panthers are 15th in the rankings.
They (6-7, 4-5 SOL) host CB East Wednesday at 3:30.
William Tennent 2-0-0-0-0-0-1 3
Central Bucks South 1-0-3-3-0-0-X 7
SOL American
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Wissahickon 0
Colin Kennedy did everything for Hatboro-Horsham. He pitched a complete game shutout, allowing three hits, striking out nine. And in the third, he ripped a two-run single to center.
He helped himself. He gave himself all the run support he needed.
“He was tremendous again on the mound, and then combine that with the fact that he got the big hit,” Hatters coach Pete Moore said. “I wasn’t surprised because he’s been our best hitter all year.”
Moore was surprised by Wissahickon’s approach to Kennedy in that at-bat.
“Their pitcher fell behind 2-0 and they had a mound meeting,” Moore said. “With men on second and third, I expected them to put him on. Then they come back with a 2-0 fastball, and he hit it right up the middle.”
Moore was really not surprised by Kennedy’s performance on the mound. The left-hander did what he always does.
“He was spotting up his fastball on both sides of the plate. He was throwing his breaking ball in,” Moore said. “It’s almost like a video game calling pitches for him right now. Anything I call he’s having success with.”
Eddie Schultz and Ryan Long scored Hatboro-Horsham’s runs.
Wissahickon starter Logan Willans allowed one earned run in six innings.
Hatboro-Horsham improved to 9-2 in games that count. The Hatters are fourth in the D1 6A power rankings.
Wissahickon fell to 6-5 in games that count toward the District One Class 5A Power Rankings. Sixteen teams make the District One 5A field.
Hatboro-Horsham (11-4, 9-2 SOL) plays Plymouth Whitemarsh Wednesday at 3:45. Wissahickon (9-8, 6-5 SOL) hosts Cheltenham Wednesday at 3:30.
Wissahickon 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-2-0-0-0-X 2
Quakertown 9, Cheltenham 0
Quakertown’s Viktor Morelock pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out five. It was the first league start of the senior’s career.
“He pitched a little last year and this year. He came in relief in some non-league games. But with Bukavich and Guidos going complete game after complete game, we haven’t had many innings for other guys,” Quakertown coach Jon Pallone said. “With the three-game week, we needed him to start one. He hasn’t seen Cheltenham, so it worked out.”
Pallone knew Morelock would be willing to start whenever.
“He’s always had a team-first mentality,” Pallone said. “My favorite story with him is, he had a perfect game going in a summer league when he was younger. He lost it on a walk. The coach went out and Viktor said, ‘You think I care about that, I just want to win this game.’”
Quakertown took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The Panthers pulled away in the last three innings, scoring three runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Matt Bukavich and Lake Friday both scored two runs for Quakertown. Dennis Pierce scored two runs and drove one in. Brian Robison scored a run and drove three in. Jake Wooden and Ethan Hurst both had one RBI. Morelock had two RBIs. Justin Guidos and Nathan Chabak both scored a run.
Quakertown is now 9-2 in games that count toward the D1 6A rankings. The Panthers (11-4, 9-2 SOL) battle Upper Moreland Wednesday at 3:30.
Cheltenham (3-11, 3-7 SOL) plays Wissahickon on the same day and time.
Cheltenham 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
Quakertown 0-1-0-3-3-2-X 9
Upper Dublin 6, Plymouth Whitemarsh 3
Upper Dublin trailed 2-0 going into the top of the third. Then the Flying Cardinals scored two runs to tie the game. Justin Horn scored on an error. JT Breslin scored on a passed ball.
Upper Dublin went up 3-2 in the fifth. Matt Hebling scored on a passed ball. UD scored three more in the seventh. Breslin grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Julian Gimbel, the first run of the inning.
Then Max Weinberg lined a single to center, plating Justin Horn. Then Joey Monaghan stroked the ball to left, scoring Breslin.
“We put together a couple good innings. We had a tough time timing their pitcher. He kept us off-balance,” Cardinals coach Ed Wall said. “We were able to square a couple up and they brought in a reliever, and our guys liked him a little more.”
Upper Dublin scored three runs off both of PW’s pitchers. UD starter Ryan Besachio allowed two runs in six innings. He fanned five.
“He’s leaving the ball up a little. They squared a couple up but he got the job done,” Wall said. “He’s resourceful. He has been really good about that most of the season.”
Jack Mangan scored two of PW’s three runs. Brad Krenicky scored the other. John Pecharo drove in all three runs.
Upper Dublin (5-9, 3-8 SOL) plays Council Rock South Tuesday at 3:45. Plymouth
Whitemarsh (3-12, 2-9 SOL) battles Hatboro-Horsham Wednesday at 3:45.
Upper Dublin 0-0-2-0-1-0-3 6
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-0-0-0-0-0-1 3
SOL National
Pennsbury 6, Neshaminy 1
Pennsbury starter Billy Bethel gave up no earned runs in seven innings, striking out nine. He retired Neshaminy’s last 10 batters.
“Once we scored those runs, I just had to throw strikes and get ahead,” Bethel said. “When you pitch with a lead, you have more confidence.”
Pennsbury trailed 1-0 going into the top of the fifth. Zach Boop was pitching for Neshaminy. But the Falcons rallied for five runs. Then they added another in the sixth.
During the rally, Pennsbury sent nine batters to the plate. Only two hit balls out of the infield. Three got on by bunting. Nick Price even pushed an RBI single down the third base line.
“Sometimes you don’t get the big fly or double,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “Today we just put pressure on the defense.”
“We’ve been working on bunts,” Pennsbury’s Vaughn Ward said. “We’ll spend 45 minutes of practice on them out of two and a half hours.”
“We did everything right. We needed to get runners on and move them by playing small ball,” said Pennsbury’s Justin Massielo, whose bases-loaded walk tied the game at one. “We have people who know the game and know how to get it down.”
Tyrone Hodges scored two runs for Pennsbury. Kyle Dear and Massielo both had a run and an RBI. Ryan McCarty and Bethel each drove in a run. Vaughn Ward and Justin Ward both scored a run.
Pennsbury handed Boop his first loss of 2017. The big right-hander is still 6-1.
“It feels amazing,” Ward said.
“It feels great,” Massielo said.
Pennsbury (11-6, 7-2 SOL) is also now just a half game back of Neshaminy (13-3, 8-2 SOL) in the SOL National standings. Pennsbury has three league games left. Neshaminy has two. If they finish with the same league record, they will share the league title, since they split the season series.
Pennsbury improved to 8-3 in games that count. The Falcons are 10th in the D1 6A power rankings. Neshaminy is now 10-2 in games that count. The Redskins are first in the rankings.
Pennsbury hosts Council Rock South Wednesday at 3:45. Neshaminy plays Harry S. Truman Friday at 3:45.
Pennsbury 0-0-0-0-5-1-0 6
Neshaminy 1-0-0-0-0-0-0 1
Abington 6, Council Rock North 0
Abington starter Paul Poppert pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out nine.
“He’s been a horse all year. He has unfortunately not had a lot of run support. He had some help from his friends today. He just had great composure and hit his spots all day long,” Abington coach Jon Morrissette said. “He was very business-like. He really wanted this game today. I gave him the choice of who he wanted this week and he said he wanted North. He knew it was a great challenge.”
The Ghosts scored four runs in the first and two in the fourth. George Jacob knocked in two runs for Abington. Matt Horn had a run and an RBI. JP Nolan scored two runs. Colin Kelly and Nick McClay both scored a run.
Gavin Ferrandino pitched three scoreless innings for Council Rock North. He struck out six and allowed just one hit.
Abington (4-13, 2-9 SOL) plays Truman Wednesday at 3:30. CR North (9-9, 6-5 SOL) hosts Pennsbury Friday at 3:45.
Abington 4-0-0-2-0-0-0 6
Council Rock North 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
Bensalem 8, Harry S. Truman 0
Bensalem’s Stephen Aldrich and Nicholas Dean combined for the shutout. Aldrich allowed one hit in 5.1 innings. Dean surrendered no hits in 1.2 innings.
“They threw both pitches for strikes. Steve was good once again. That’s a broken record at this point,” Bensalem coach Harry Daut said. “Steve throws fastball-curveball and Nick Dean throws fastball-changeup. They got good stuff, so they are tough to hit when they are on.”
Aldrich improved to 3-2 and lowered his earned run average to 1.08. Aldrich has appeared in 10 of Bensalem’s 11 league games, starting six. He has also saved two of them.
“That’s tough, considering the new pitch rule,” Daut said.
Bensalem scored one run in the first, three in the third, one in the fifth and three in the sixth. Dean and Trevor McGee had four and three RBIs, respectively. Austin Shay and Keith Parrish both scored two runs.
Parrish also had three hits. He has six hits in his last two games and is batting .480 this season.
“He’s had a really good season,” Daut said. “Dean has been hitting, too. Trevor, Dean and Parrish are my three guys that have been hitting.”
Dominic Grady, Nick Bagnarelli and Greg Janowski all scored one run.
Bensalem improved to 6-6 in games that count. The Owls are 21st in the D1 6A rankings.
Bensalem (9-6, 6-5 SOL) plays Springfield Township Tuesday at 3:45. Harry S. Truman (2-11, 1-8 SOL) hosts Abington Wednesday at 3:45.
Harry S. Truman 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
Bensalem 1-0-3-0-1-3-X 8
Non-League Crossover
North Penn 7, Council Rock South 0
Danny Kirwin and Matt Stevenson usually start games that count for North Penn. But Jon Udzinski started Monday. North Penn has three games this week.
“This week it was a matter of who would pitch which game. We didn’t want to throw the same guys against the same teams they faced the first time,” Knights coach Kevin Manero said. “It was either turn around Stevenson on three days or go Udzinski. We don’t want to stretch anybody at this point in the season.”
Udzinski did not disappoint, allowing two hits in seven innings. He threw just 64 pitches, 74 percent for strikes.
“He pitched to contact,” Manero said. “It was very effective.”
North Penn’s consistent offense supported its pitcher, scoring in four of seven innings. The Knights scored two runs in three different innings.
Billy Collins led North Penn with two RBIs. Tyler Siddal, Hunter Evans and Matt Marino all had one RBI. Ryan Bealer, Zack Miles, Corey Stouffer, AJ Patterson and Collins all scored one run. Atlee Hasson scored two.
Council Rock South starter Brendon Carter allowed one earned run in four innings.
North Penn (13-2, 6-2 SOL) plays Souderton Wednesday at 4:15. CR South (8-8, 5-4 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin Tuesday at 3:45.
North Penn 0-2-0-0-2-1-2 7
Council Rock South 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
About the Author
