Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Tuesday. Souderton/Pennridge photos provided courtesy of Christine Yardley. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f12122253 North Penn/CBW photos courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball.
SOL Colonial Division
North Penn 5, Central Bucks West 3
With three league games remaining, North Penn has wrapped up the SOL Colonial Division regular season championship, courtesy of a solid 5-3 win over second-place CB West on Tuesday afternoon.
A five-run fourth inning was the difference as North Penn shook off a slow start, pitcher Jack Picozzi settled in and it was on the way to win No. 10 in a row.
“We were facing another good pitcher,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said about CB West starter Sam Greer. “Back-to-back, we faced two of the best arms in the league. We got down early, but I thought we grinded out at-bats early in the game and got his pitch count up. I thought we made some nice adjustments in that fourth inning.
“But the big thing, I thought, was we were down 2-0, and then Jack Picozzi settled in and put some zeros on the scoreboard after that and gave us a chance.”
Alex Valdes and Kevin Bukowski had RBI singles for CB West in the top of the second to put the Bucks in front.
The bottom of the fourth started with a single by Kevin Brace and then a Picozzi double to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Chase Jones followed with a two-run double to tie the game at 2.
Henry Wetzel later had a RBI single and James Mangine then cleared the bases with a two-run triple and just like that the Knights were up 5-2.
The Bucks scored a run on three singles and a bases loaded walk in the top of the sixth, but Picozzi got out of the jam and then set down the side in order in the seventh to finish off the complete-game victory.
He struck out eight and scattered seven hits and one walk over seven innings.
“We started hitting the ball,” Manero said. “We used the middle part of the field and were a little more disciplined. That led to some timely hits – and James Mangine’s two-run triple. The second time through the order, we were able to adjust a little bit.”
North Penn (14-1, 12-1 SOL) has the division title wrapped up and currently is the top team in the District One power rankings. The Knights will try to avenge its only loss Thursday at Souderton.
CB West (11-5, 8-5 SOL) hosts CB South on Thursday.
CB West 020 001 0 – 3 7 0
North Penn 000 500 x – 5 7 2
Central Bucks East 10, Central Bucks South 4
Suddenly red-hot CB East won for the third time in five days and did so with its bats once again, setting the table with five runs in the first two innings on the way to the statement win at rival CB South on Tuesday night.
The Patriots went right to work in the first against CB South ace Owen Wheeler. Jack Mislan was hit by a pitch, Nolan Behm singled and Chase Harlan reached on an error to load the bases with nobody out. A groundout by Thomas Cano-Piszel scored one and Ryan Zosulis followed with a two-out, two-run single to make it 3-0.
Mislan hit a two-out solo home run to left in the second, followed by a Behm double and an RBI single by Harlan.
The Titans managed to stay within striking distance with two in the second and then one in the fourth to make it a 6-3 game. But CB East never stopped hitting and put the game away, scoring at least one run in six of the seven innings. For the game, it managed 12 hits, drew two walks and had two hit batters.
The top four hitters in the East batting order went a combined 9-for-17.
Joey Wilga went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs to lead the way. Mislan, Behm and Harlan had two hits each.
On the mound, Xavier Sjostedt went 3 1/3 innings and earned the win. Sam Bliss allowed just one run over 3 2/3 innings to close the game out.
CB South was led at the plate by Wheeler, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Jake Yang added two hits.
CB East (5-12, 5-8 SOL) goes for its fourth straight win Friday night at Pennridge.
CB South (7-7, 6-6 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin in a nonleague game Wednesday.
CB East 320 111 2 – 10 12 0
CB South 020 100 1 – 4 8 5
Souderton 3, Pennridge 2
Ethan Warner singled home the game-winning run with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh, as Souderton shook off a sixth inning that saw visiting Pennridge rally to tie the game to post the 3-2 win on Tuesday.
“Ethan showed his senior leadership and confidence at the plate today, knocking in the game-winning run,” said Souderton coach Mike Childs. “He had to be taken out in the third due to cramping. He immediately came to me and said, ‘I can hit later in the game if you need me.’ We did, and he recorded the walk-off.
“I love the ‘whatever it takes’ attitude that Ethan brings to our team.”
This game was a pitchers’ duel throughout, between Souderton’s Austin Kreyenhagen and Pennridge’s Garrett Navitsky.
The Indians scored one in the second and another in the fourth. Warner and Connor Klock had RBIs for Souderton. Pennridge answered with two in the top of the sixth to tie the game on a two-run double by Joey Santora.
Kreyenhagen struck out 13 in six innings, scattering three hits and three walks, while surrendering those two runs.
“Austin looked good on the mound today,” Childs said. “Even with giving up the two runs in the sixth to tie it, he stayed composed to get us out of that inning. Anytime a kid strikes out 13 guys in six innings you wish him the best outcome and we got it for him today.”
Souderton (8-8, 6-7 SOL) has a nonleague game Wednesday against Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Pennridge (1-16, 1-12 SOL) next plays a Friday night game against CB East.
Pennridge 000 002 0 – 2 3 3
Souderton 010 100 1 – 3 8 0
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock North 8, Bensalem 7
Nick DiGiacomo hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, capping a five-run rally that gave CR North an improbable comeback after trailing Bensalem for most of the afternoon.
“There are only a few home runs that are hit on our field that you know the moment he hit it that it was gone,” said Indians coach Matt Schram. “But Nick hit the ball so hard it appeared to have been still elevating when it landed in the top of the trees. It was a magical moment for him and our team.”
Bensalem took the lead with two runs in the top of the second on a Jake Wagner two-RBI single with two outs and played from in front for most of the game.
CR North kept it close by trading runs with the Owls, but it faced a 7-3 deficit going into the bottom of the seventh.
“For six innings, Bensalem outplayed us in all facets of the game,” Schram said. “They had quality at-bats all day which ran the pitch count up on our starter Matt Herbert.
“We are in a four games in four days stretch, so we used multiple arms after Herbert just to keep the game in reach, including pitching freshman Preston Martin (winning pitcher) at the end.”
Leor Kedar started the seventh with a single, Jaden Tang walked, and Lukas Mullen singled to load the bases with nobody out. Brian Curry followed with a two-run single to make it 7-5 and bring DiGiacomo up with two on.
“The bottom of the seventh is what kids dream of when they are visualizing how a game can end,” Schram said.
Curry had a big game at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Kedar ws 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Tang and Joe Hughes had two hits each.
Bensalem also had 10 hits, including two each by Yahil Almodovar, Kyle Rubin, Zach Lentchner and Wagner.
CR North (8-8, 6-7 SOL) hosts rival CR South on Thursday.
Bensalem (5-13, 3-12 SOL) hosts Pennsbury on Thursday.
Bensalem 021 0121 1 – 7 10 2
CR North 011 010 5 – 8 12 1
Council Rock South 7, Neshaminy 2
Trey Sajeski had two hits at the top of the batting order and pitched a complete game on the mound as CR South scored a very important win over Neshaminy as it fights for a district playoff berth over the final two weeks of the regular season.
“Today was a great win against a really good baseball team,” said Golden Hawks coach Greg Paprocki. “We have had ups and downs throughout the season, but the guys really came to play today.”
With the score tied at 1, CR South scored two runs in third to take the lead for good, as one scored on a balk and the other on a sac fly by Mason Curtier.
Two innings later, the Hawks scored three runs, and with the way Sajeski was pitching, that was plenty of run support. He scattered six hits and one walk, while striking out six.
“Trey Sajeski has led us to victory when the team has needed it most,” Paprocki said. “He did it once again today.”
Reed Curtier also went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI for CR South.
CR South (8-7, 7-6 SOL) plays at CR North on Thursday.
Neshaminy (12-6, 8-6 SOL) looks to rebound Thursday against Harry S. Truman.
Neshaminy 001 001 0 – 2 6 3
CR South 012 031 x – 7 9 3
Pennsbury 5, Harry S. Truman 2
Pennsbury jumped out to a 5-0 lead and that was plenty of run support for junior Connor McCloskey, who turned in another solid outing with five quality innings on the mound as the Falcons got past visiting Truman 5-2 on Tuesday.
“Truman is always tricky for us, because they hang around and it’s always a really good game against them,” said Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci. “The first game, they were up 2-0 and we beat them 6-3. Today, they had the tying run at first base (in the seventh inning).”
Pennsbury scored three runs in the bottom of the third to break open a scoreless game. After a pair of walks, Ryan Zuckerman had an RBI single, Joe Tiroly drove in one with a sac fly and Zuckerman scored on a wild pitch.
An inning later, the Falcons added two more runs.
“We had the bases loaded and Zuckerman was up,” Pesci said. “We ended up getting two runs on wild pitches. I told (Zuckerman), ‘That’s because of you. They’re throwing breaking balls in the dirt.’”
Pennsbury had just five hits on the day, but it drew seven walks.
“We had good at-bats,” Pesci said. “We only had two strikeouts and drew seven walks. We put the ball in play. A little too many flyballs and popups for my liking, but the kids competed.”
Starting pitcher Connor McCloskey improved to 3-0 with the win. He went five innings, allowing just two earned runs, while striking out seven. The two runs allowed, in the fifth, were the first two McCloskey allowed in over 23 innings pitched this season.
Aiden Kenney came out of the bullpen and recorded five outs, and then Zuckerman moved over from shortstop to get the final out of the game and leave the bases loaded.
Gabe Marrero had two RBIs for Truman, while Ryan Cavanaugh was 2-for-4.
Pennsbury (13-3, 10-3 SOL) has a three-game lead in the SOL Patriot standings with three league games remaining in the regular season. It plays at Bensalem on Thursday.
Truman (8-6, 6-5 SOL) plays at Neshaminy on Friday.
Truman 000 020 0 – 2 4 2
Pennsbury 003 200 x – 5 5 0
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 3, Hatboro-Horsham 1
Anthony Dardaris and Jaden Hernandez hit home runs, and clutch pitching from starters LJ Wolff and reliever Chase Wolfe gave the Galloping Ghosts a big Liberty Division win on the road at Hatboro-Horsham.
“That was a huge win,” said Abington coach Bill Degen. “Both teams pitched real well. We were able to break through when one of the captains proved why he’s a captain and hit a two-run HR.”
This was a scoreless tie through the first four innings, as Wolff and Hatboro-Horsham’s Jamie O’Neill were sharp. With one out in the top of the fifth, Mike Judge singled for the Ghosts, and Dardaris followed with a home run to left field.
One inning later, Jaden Hernandez hit a solo home run to make it a 3-0 game.
That was plenty of run support for Wolff, who allowed just three hits and walked four before leaving the game after throwing 101 pitches after six.
“LJ Wolff was outstanding for us today with 11 strikeouts in six innings,” Degen said. “He proved why he’s a Division I (college pitcher going to Wagner).”
The Hatters made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh, as Kenny Lutz drew a one-out walk, and Brady Pagano followed with a single to put runners on first and second. With two outs, Aidan Eckley singled to load the bases, and center fielder Trey Porter then drew a walk to drive in a run and make it a 3-1 game with the tying run on second.
Reliever Chase Wolfe recorded the final out with a groundout and Abington earned the 3-1 win.
Abington (11-6, 10-4 SOL) is off until Friday when it hosts Lower Moreland in a makeup game.
H-H (10-6, 7-6 SOL) has another big game Thursday at home against Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Abington 000 021 0 – 3 6 1
Hatboro-Horsham 000 000 1 – 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2, Quakertown 1
Luke Gartland’s RBI single with one out in the bottom of the seventh gave Plymouth Whitemarsh the one-run win at home in a well-pitched and well-played game between Liberty Division rivals.
“This had to be one of the quickest seven-inning varsity games you’ll see,” said Colonials coach Chris Manero. “Vinny (Pellegrini) was outstanding on the mound for Quakertown, and on our side, Dylan (Robinson) kept doing what he has done all season. We just can’t say enough about how he has pitched in 2023.”
Robinson went the distance with a 70-pitch outing, allowing just one earned run – in the top of the seventh – on three hits and did not walk a batter. He struck out three.
PW scored one run in the bottom of the third, on an RBI single by Gartland, and that run looked like it was going to hold up with the way Robinson was pitching.
Quakertown, however, tied the game in the seventh, as Cole Reich led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cooper Natisin. Pellegrini followed with an RBI single to center to even the score at 1.
Robinson avoided further damage with a double-play groundout to end the inning.
Lincoln Sharpe started the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff double. After an intentional walk, the runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Nick DeLucca. After another intentional walk, Gartland delivered again, this time ending the game with a single to left.
“We held a 1-0 lead for most of this game,” Manero said. “And no matter who is on the mound for you, a lead like that is never completely safe. But I was so proud of the way our guys jumped out of the gate in the bottom of the seventh to make sure they took the game right back.
“Lincoln’s double to put the winning run on second base with nobody out was obviously huge. And the walk-off hit by Gartland was probably the most exciting hit of the season. But, not to be lost in all of that, Nick DeLucca had two huge sacrifice bunts today that set up both of our runs.
“We played very good defense as well.
“It was an important win to start the week and a nice bounce back from last Friday (a loss to Abington).”
PW (12-3, 11-2 SOL) has a nonleague game Wednesday at Souderton.
Quakertown (6-9, 5-7 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Thursday.
Quakertown 000 000 1 – 1 3 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 001 000 1 – 2 6 0
Upper Dublin 9, Wissahickon 1
Aidan McCarthy went 2-for-3 with five RBIs to pace the offense, while pitchers Chase Sunday and Billy Hart combined for a gem on the mound, as Upper Dublin remained in command in the Liberty Division with a convincing win over visiting Wissahickon.
The Flying Cardinals scored nine runs on seven hits and eight walks, and they also stole eight bases.
UD broke a scoreless game open with three in the bottom of the third, which included back-to-back walks and then a sacrifice bunt by Eric Berman. Austin Dahl had a two-out RBI single, and then McCarthy drove in two with a single to center field.
Two innings later, the Cardinals added six more runs to put the game out of reach. McCarthy, Nate Cairnes and Leo Soriano each had RBI singles in the fifth.
Sunday started for UD and pitched five shutout innings, allowing just three hits, while striking out four. Hart pitched the final two innings to close the game out.
Upper Dublin (13-3, 13-1 SOL) has a nonleague game Wednesday at CB South.
Wissahickon (11-4, 9-4 SOL) plays at Quakertown Thursday.
Wissahickon 000 000 1 – 1 5 0
Upper Dublin 003 060 x – 9 7 1
SOL Freedom Division
Lower Moreland 5, Cheltenham 4
Patrick Kennedy drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh with an RBI groundout and
Donato Incollingo pitched a scoreless bottom of the second, as Lower Moreland rallied with runs in the last two innings to pull out the win over Cheltenham.
“We’re going to continue to make a run at the playoffs and we’re going to need everyone on this team to play a role,” said LM coach Mike Guido. “Today, Drew Dorval was asked to pinch hit in the sixth and he sparked a rally with a gapper to get us started in the sixth.
“At the end of our game, our left fielder (Mason Tammaro) was asked to play third due to the way things played out. We had him practice there on Monday just in case and it worked out well.”
This was a tight game throughout.
Lower Moreland scored three times in the top of the third only to see Cheltenham tie it in the bottom half of the inning. The Panthers then went up 4-3 with a run in the fourth and had that lead going into the top of the sixth.
The Lions tied it up on James Cronin’s RBI sac fly in the sixth, and one inning later re-took the lead, as Matt Dymowski led off with a double and later stole third and scored on Kennedy’s RBI groundout.
“Dymowski continues to lead this team,” Guido said. “Four (hits) and four stolen bases today, (and) he hosed another runner at second. Best catcher in the SOL.”
Incollingo came on to close out the game in the bottom of the seventh and proceeded to walk the leadoff hitter and then hit a batter and walked another to load the bases with one out. A strikeout and a flyout, however, ended the game and sealed the win for Lower Moreland.
“Donny likes to make it interesting when he closes,” Guido said. “We got total faith in his ability at the plate, in the field and closing the game for us.
Ethan Jarosiewicz pitched the first six innings for LM and earned the win.
“Tolan Stahl, a first-year player as a senior, showed his athletic ability with the game-tying hit and made the game-ending catch,” Guido said. “We don’t have a deep team, but we have quality players all the way through who can all make a difference for us. It’s going to be a fun week and a half to see how we end up.”
LM (7-8, 5-8 SOL) plays at New Hope-Solebury on Thursday.
Cheltenham (3-12, 2-12 SOL) plays at William Tennent on Thursday.
Lower Moreland 003 001 1 – 5 9 1
Cheltenham 012 100 0 – 4 6 3
New Hope-Solebury 12, Springfield Twp 6
Saul Carmenini was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBIs and also pitched two solid innings of relief to help New Hope to the wild 12-6 win over visiting Springfield on Tuesday.
New Hope had 12 runs on 10 hits, and took advantage of five walks, three hit-batters and five Springfield fielding errors.
“Our game was not pretty to watch today,” said Lions coach Tony Vlahovic.”Both teams made numerous fielding errors, but we were able to have our entire lineup put the ball in play and move our runners.
“Tyler Corino pitched a solid game without much help from our defense. He settled in after surrendering three runs in the first. His off-speed pitches kept Springfield off balance and his fastball had good movement today. Saul Carmenini came in to shut the door for his third save of the year.
Corino allowed three earned runs over the first five innings, and he benefited from plenty of run support too.
New Hope scored six runs in the first inning, and then after Springfield cut it to 6-5 in the third, the Lions were able to put the game away with six more runs over the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Nick Wiseman went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for New Hope, while Matt Rickert was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
“I’m happy that our bats are finally heading up, and you can see the overall confidence at the plate rise in our last two games,” Vlahovic said.
New Hope (4-11, 3-10 SOL) hosts Lower Moreland on Thursday.
Springfield (5-10, 5-8 SOL) plays at Upper Moreland on Thursday night.
Springfield 311 000 1 – 6 9 5
New Hope 601 230 x – 12 10 3
Upper Moreland 8, William Tennent 4
Four runs for Upper Moreland in the bottom of the fifth broke open a tie game and reliever Alex Best pitched four scoreless and hitless innings to shut down visiting William Tennent on the way to the 8-4 win for the Golden Bears.
“We’d lost four straight before winning today, and things were looking bleak when we were down 3-0 in the second,” said UM coach Jim Fasano. “But we responded with a 4-spot in the bottom of the inning to show the heart of these kids.”
Best was called out of the bullpen to pitch in the fourth inning and the score tied at 4. He worked around four walks and struck out three, giving his offense an opportunity to take over the game.
“Alex Best threw four shutout innings in an impressive performance to earn his first varsity win,” Fasano said. “He’s a great teammate and has been working hard all year. I’m happy and excited for him. He deserves a lot of credit for the way he’s persevered and completed all season. So glad he decided to come back to UM.”
In the critical fifth inning, back-to-back walks with one out set things up for Pat Kilgus, who blasted a three-run home run to right field to put the Bears in front. Nate Kelly had a sac fly later in the inning to make it 8-4.
“We’ve been stressing situational hitting in practice and it was great to see us come up with three sac flies today,” Fasano said. “We preach doing the job with a runner on third and less than two outs, and Colin Fell, Jimmy Murray and Nate Kelly did just that.
“Pat Kilgus had his biggest hit of the year … He’s so talented and still only a sophomore. As he matures and learns, his swing is only going to get better.
“All of our team goals are in front of us despite a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season. We have four league games left to play and control our own destiny as far as the league title and making playoffs. If you’d given me this option before the season started, I’d have taken it.
“This is a great group of kids and I’m proud of them. We needed a win today and got it in come-from-behind manner. Hopefully, we use this as a springboard for the rest of the season.”
UM (7-7, 6-6 SOL) next hosts Springfield on Thursday.
Tennent (4-12, 2-10 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Thursday.
Tennent 031 000 0 – 4 4 2
Upper Moreland 040 040 x – 8 5 3
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