Jarrad Saffren recaps all of Monday's SOL baseball action.
By Jarrad Saffren
Fourteen Suburban One League baseball teams played league games Monday. Six others played non-league games.
I honestly never thought I would write those beautiful words again.
Hopefully I will write them multiple times this week. Hopefully the rain will stay away. We will see.
But for one day in May, we were safe. Baseball was played across the county, and it felt like opening day. All we needed was American flag bunting.
The results and recaps are below.
SOL National
Council Rock North 5, Neshaminy 2
Council Rock North coach Matt Schram said it on Saturday, before his team started a four-game week:
“It’s ideal for a pitcher to throw seven in the first game,” Schram said. “Then you use up one but can divide the rest of the games more easily.”
Matt Hand gave his coach that ideal scenario for the rest of the week. Hand gave up five hits and one earned run in seven innings.
“Just like we planned. That’s how we drew it up,” Schram said.
Schram warmed up CJ Kilgarriff before the seventh. But Hand retired the Redskins in order to end the game.
“I had a short leash on Matt in that last inning. His pitch count was up there (102),” Schram said. “We talked before that last inning. He said, ‘I’m finishing the game.’ But I wanted CJ ready just in case.”
Hand struck out five, matching his lowest total of the season. Schram is not concerned. “No, not at all,” the Indians’ coach said. “He’s not a strikeout pitcher. He’s a finesse pitcher. I want balls in play to let our defense do its thing.”
Hand is fine with that.
“We have a pretty good defense behind us. One of the best defenses in the league,” Hand said. “I’m pretty confident that if I can get them to roll over on balls and hit pop-ups, we’ll be pretty successful.”
Hand improved to 7-0 with a 0.84 ERA.
In the fourth, CR North scored four runs to take a 5-2 lead. Jared Schram lined a single to left. And Seth Leuz scorched a two-run triple down the left field line.
Neshaminy ace Billy Meyer fanned Jared Schram and Leuz in their previous at-bats. They made sure to avoid his takeout pitch, the 12-to-6 curveball, the next time around.
“My last couple at-bats he gave me a fastball first pitch so I decided to be aggressive,” Leuz said.
Leuz’s triple came on a first-pitch fastball.
“He kept me off-balanced all day and I was looking for a fastball and he gave me one and I went after it,” Jared Schram said.
Mike Burns had a double and an RBI for Neshaminy. Meyer only gave up two earned runs in seven innings.
CR North (14-1, 9-1 SOL) plays Council Rock South Tuesday. Neshaminy (8-7, 6-4 SOL) takes on Pennsbury.
Council Rock North 0-1-0-4-0-0-0 5
Neshaminy 0-0-2-0-0-0-0 2
Pennsbury 10, Bensalem 0
Pennsbury’s Billy Bethel pitched his third complete game of 2016 and struck out nine. All three complete games have been league wins.
“His curveball was great. His changeup was affective. He threw curves in every count, which really kept them off-balance,” Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci said. “He doesn’t throw excessively hard. But he throws three pitches for strikes.”
Bethel struck out Bensalem’s third and fourth hitters four times combined.
His outing allowed Pesci to save his bullpen for the rest of the week.
“We may have to extend some kids over the next couple days,” Pesci said.
Ace Zach Conley will start Tuesday.
Pennsbury only needed eight hits to score 10 runs. In the second, Pennsbury took a 3-0 lead after Bensalem walked four straight batters with men on second and third.
“That’s being a good hitter too,” Pesci said. “Discipline.”
David Murphy and Justin Massielo each had two hits for the Falcons. Vaughn Ward and Bryan Nagy each had two RBIs. The Falcons struck out once as a team.
“We did a great job putting the ball in play,” Pesci said.
Pennsbury lost to Bensalem 14-3 on April 6. The Falcons have won six of seven league games since. The Owls have lost six of seven.
“(Bensalem’s) Harry Daut is a great coach,” Pesci said. “I said to him, ‘It’s a tale of two seasons.’ They came out of their southern (spring training) trip hot and caught us on a really bad day. We’ve been playing phenomenal defense and pitching really well. Besides that game.”
Pennsbury (10-5, 8-3 SOL) battles Neshaminy Tuesday. The Redskins have won two straight against the Falcons, including an upset last May.
“We have to pay them back,” Pesci said.
Bensalem (9-6, 4-6 SOL) plays Harry S. Truman.
Pennsbury 0-3-0-0-4-3-X 10
Bensalem 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
William Tennent 7, Wissahickon 5
William Tennent trailed 5-1 in the third. Coach Rick Penecale brought in Dan McNamee. Wissahickon did not score for the rest of the game.
“He had good command. His curve and fastball were working. And he made them hit the baseball. Nothing was free,” Penecale said. “He battled. He’s a real good competitor and a hard-working kid.”
The Panthers tied the score in the fourth and took the lead in the fifth. Paul McElroy and Dylan Mannon each had two hits.
“We put the ball in play for the most part,” Penecale said.
William Tennent increased its season-long winning streak to three. The first two were against league opponents.
“I didn’t want to treat this game like anything less than a real game. I didn’t want to stop the momentum and pick it up again tomorrow,” Penecale said. “We got the taste of winning. The kids were into it. We came from behind again. It was a good win for us. Hopefully it gives us momentum going into tomorrow.”
Willy Tennent (7-7, 5-5 SOL) plays Abington Tuesday at 3:30. Both teams are 5-5 in league play. Wissahickon (7-7, 7-3 SOL) is now 0-4 in non-league play. The Trojans take on Norristown Tuesday.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 4, Pennridge 0
First place Central Bucks South improved to 2-0 against second place Pennridge.
The Titans also won the first meeting 4-0. Ace Dan Klepchick has not allowed a run in 14 innings against the Rams. He has also fanned 12.
Do not take it personally, Pennridge. He does that to everybody. Klepchick improved to 6-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.63 (Three earned runs in 43 innings). He has walked seven.
Yet, like a vivacious new girlfriend, he keeps impressing his coach, Brian Klumpp, in different ways.
“The first inning has been his toughest. But today he went 1-2-3 with two strikeouts,” Klumpp said. “He started fast and never looked back.”
Of course, like an old, reliable girlfriend, Klepchick continued to do what he has been doing all season.
“He was hitting spots, working down in the zone, and getting ahead,” Klumpp said. “His slider was very good toward the end. His changeup came back toward the end as well. Once he gets that third pitch going, he is really tough to hit.”
Klumpp sent Klepchick’s 2016 statistics to Monmouth University after the game. Monmouth, St. Joseph’s, and LaSalle are recruiting Klepchick “pretty heavily,” Klumpp said. Penn State also talked to Klepchick last summer.
“But he is focusing on Monmouth, St. Joe’s, and LaSalle,” Klumpp said. “He hasn’t decided. He’s only a junior.”
CB South scored four runs in the third. Kyle Rossi (Two), Casey Sloms (One), and Tyler Watson (One) drove in the runs. All three belted two hits.
The Titans did not make an error.
“We did what we’ve done all year,” Klumpp said. “We pitched and fielded, and hit for an inning.”
CB South has not put together a full offensive game all season.
“It’s always been one or two innings,” Klumpp said. “Never five or six innings where we score one or two runs each inning. It would be nice to keep going after teams and not be satisfied with three, four, five runs.”
CB South has three more league games this week. Klepchick’s performance conserves the rest of the staff.
The Titans (9-3, 7-2 SOL) play Souderton Tuesday at 3:45. Pennridge (10-6, 6-4 SOL) hosts North Penn at 3:30.
Central Bucks South 0-0-4-0-0-0-X 4
Pennridge 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Central Bucks East 1 (13 innings)
Colin Kennedy entered in the fifth and pitched nine scoreless innings.
“It’s not often a guy throws nine shutout innings in relief,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Pete Moore said.
Sometimes the obvious says it all.
Kennedy gave up five hits, struck out six, and threw 101 pitches.
“He threw his fastball on both sides of the plate and kept the ball down in the zone,” Moore said. “His curve was great too.”
Central Bucks East relievers Nick Rodstrom and Kyle Feasby matched Kennedy for six innings. Rodstrom and Feasby each pitched three shutout innings.
But in the top of the 13th, after Feasby exited, Shaun Thomas lined a single to right and Brian Edgington trotted home from third. Kennedy tossed a scoreless bottom of the 13th.
Hatboro-Horsham starter Alex Crim gave up one run in four innings. Crim missed the last two weeks with arm soreness.
“He did a nice job,” Moore said. “I didn’t want to extend him.”
CB East starter AJ Curran gave up two hits and one unearned in six innings.
The Hatters broke a four-game league losing streak. Five of their six league losses have been by one run.
“We’ve been right there. There’s not anybody we can’t play with,” Moore said. “It’s just a matter of guys stepping up and getting it done.”
Moore’s team may need to win out to make the District One Class AAAA playoffs. “Winning out may give us a better shot than finishing .500,” Moore said. “The last team in right now (Abington) is .500. Winning today gave us something to play for.”
Edgington will pitch Tuesday against Central Bucks West. He has an 0.61 ERA in league games.
“We’ll see what Edge can give us and play off that,” Moore said.
Hatboro-Horsham (6-8, 4-6 SOL) plays Pennridge Wednesday and Central Bucks South Friday.
“That’s a lot of baseball and a lot of innings that need to be thrown,” Moore said.
The Hatters have seven other varsity arms and three more on junior varsity.
“I am confident they can come up and throw strikes if needed,” Moore said.
CB East buses to Quakertown Tuesday for a 7 p.m. start.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-1 2
Central Bucks East 1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 1
North Penn 11, Quakertown 2
North Penn had been struggling at the plate. Coach Kevin Manero knew why.
“We were falling behind early in the count a lot,” Manero said. “This league has extremely good pitching. Then you are facing somebody’s out pitch. Kids in our league throw good out pitches. When you get a good pitch early in the count, you have to take advantage.”
North Penn did on Monday. The Knights scored four runs in the second, four in the fifth, and three in the seventh.
Six players had RBIs. Kadar Namey had two hits. Nate O’Donnell scored two runs. Danny Kirwin hurled three shutout innings.
“We were a little more loose and a little more aggressive. We used our speed well early in the game,” Manero said. “Once we got runs on the board and were a little more comfortable, we swung the bats even more aggressively.”
The Knights improved to 4-5 in league play and need as many wins as possible.
“Every win is important. We have to string a lot together,” Manero said. “We have to stay even keeled and win every game in front of us.”
North Penn (8-6, 4-5 SOL) plays Pennridge Tuesday at 3:30. Quakertown (7-8, 5-5 SOL) takes on Central Bucks East.
North Penn 0-4-0-0-4-0-3 11
Quakertown 0-0-2-0-0-0-0 2
Central Bucks West 5, Council Rock South 4
Central Bucks West earned its first non-league win. On senior day, senior Greg Vuono singled home the winning run.
“He played very well,” CB West coach Brad Tracy said.
Matt Peralta drove in two runs and scored one for the Bucks. In the seventh, his two-run single tied the game at four. Drew Sypawka had a hit and an RBI.
Johnny Hudson, Sypawka, and Trevor D’Arcy combined to throw four shutout innings in relief.
CB West (6-7, 5-4 SOL) plays Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday and CB East Wednesday. “Everybody knows what the goal is from here on out,” Tracy said. “Today’s win certainly helps. It showed that everyone can contribute, that everyone’s important. Everyone will have to contribute over the next week for us to make the playoffs.”
Council Rock South (4-10, 2-7 SOL) hosts Council Rock North Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 0-1-1-0-0-0-3 5
Council Rock South 2-0-2-0-0-0-0 4
Souderton 7, Christopher Dock 4
It was not a league win for Souderton, but still an important one.
“We started off rough this season, got hot, and then lost three games in a row. We need to make a run to have a chance at the playoffs,” Souderton coach Michael Childs said. “We wanted to start today and carry momentum into league games.”
In the third, Aaron Gulibon’s three-run home run put Souderton up 3-2.
“That put a charge into our lineup,” Childs said. “He’s been our engine all year.”
In the fourth, Luke Barnum’s grand salami put the Indians up 7-2.
“I’m always happy to see that,” Childs said. “Especially from a sophomore.”
Souderton’s Thylar Summerall, Jake Morgan, and Miles Minnick all threw two shutout innings.
Childs was not too worried about his team’s three-game losing streak.
“We just were not putting runs on the board,” Childs said. “Quakertown was in the pouring rain. Pennridge we faced Andrew Mayhew in first start back and then Dan Long. It doesn’t get much tougher than that. But now we control our own destiny in the last four league games.”
Souderton (9-6, 6-4 SOL) battles Central Bucks South Tuesday and North Penn Thursday.
Souderton 0-0-3-4-0-0-X 7
Christopher Dock 0-0-2-0-2-0-0 4
SOL American
Upper Dublin 6, Upper Moreland 5
Upper Dublin fell behind 5-0 in this battle for first place.
“We needed to have more focused at-bats. We had a tough time getting in a groove early,” Upper Dublin coach Ed Wall said. “Joey Bates did a good job. He was sneaking the fastball by us. We weren’t ourselves.”
Upper Dublin’s seniors went to their prom this past weekend. The school’s senior study program, where students do an internship outside of school, started Monday.
“We were off our usual schedule,” Wall said. “It took a while. But in the sixth and seventh we got it going.”
The Flying Cardinals trailed 5-1 going into the bottom of the seventh. Thomas Juelke and Jason O’Gara doubled to make it 5-2. Max Weinberg singled to put men on first and third. Upper Moreland coach Ken Irwin pulled Bates.
Then Jason Greene stroked an RBI single to make it 5-3. After Justin Horn singled, Matt Hebling grounded into a fielder’s choice. UM intentionally walked Cole Swiger and unintentionally walked Connor McFadden, forcing in the tying run.
JT Breslin smoked the ball up the middle into center. Weinberg waltzed home with the winning run.
“They were good at-bats. We were squaring up fastballs that we could have made better opportunities of early in the game,” Wall said. “We brought in Greene, Hebling, and Weinberg. Guys came off the bench to do a job and help us win.
“Hebling hit the ball hard against Plymouth Whitemarsh last week,” Wall added. “It was a good opportunity to get him in there.”
Wall could not stick to coach-speak after such a big, exciting win.
“This win is huge. The guys were pumped,” Wall said. “Upper Moreland had a lot of juice throughout the game. We stayed quiet and confident.”
Upper Dublin plays two more league games this week and three next week.
“There’s a lot of ball to be played,” Wall said.
The Cardinals (10-2, 9-0 SOL) travel to Upper Merion Tuesday for a 3:30 start. Upper Moreland (11-3, 8-2 SOL) plays Cheltenham Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 0-0-0-0-0-1-5 6
Upper Moreland 2-0-0-3-0-0-0 5
Cheltenham 4, Springfield 3
The Panthers scored three runs in the last two innings to win their fourth straight game.
In the sixth, Nissim Leibovitz hit an RBI single to center and Jack McHugh lifted a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Jordan Rorer scored on an error by the pitcher.
Cheltenham’s Jacob Petrisko gave up three unearned runs in seven innings. Wes Giles and Leibovitz pounded two hits each.
Springfield’s Jackson Pauwels had two hits and two runs scored. Cory Cottone knocked in a run.
Noel Franzyk gave up one earned run in six innings.
Cheltenham (5-7, 4-5 SOL) plays Upper Moreland Tuesday. Springfield (1-8, 1-8 SOL) welcomes Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:45.
Cheltenham 0-0-0-1-0-2-1 4
Springfield 0-2-0-1-0-0-0 3
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