Check out the recaps for SOL baseball teams in action Thursday. (NP/CB South photos provided courtesy of Cindy Manero/NP baseball)
SOL Liberty Division
Upper Dublin 6, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
After going 1-4 in its previous five games over the last two weeks, Thursday was a gut-check game for Upper Dublin against first-place Plymouth Whitemarsh.
The Cardinals avenged a previous loss to PW behind a stellar pitching effort from Austin Dahl and timely hitting in the third and fifth innings.
“It was amazing,” said Upper Dublin coach Ed Wall. “Austin Dahl did the job again. He struck out 11, walked three, scattered two hits and was in charge from the start until he ran out of pitches to throw. It’s always fun watching him go. The thing I’m most impressed with is his consistency.”
Eric Sanders recorded the final out in the seventh to finish off the game.
Offensively, UD did its damage in the third with two outs, as Ben Wilkins and Eric Berman had back-to-back singles, and then a run scored on an error and two more on a single by Oliver Gill.
Two innings later, Dahl drove in two runs with a single and Bobby Keck picked up an RBI sac fly.
“It was nice that we capitalized on some of their miscues and took advantage of some of the things that went wrong on their side,” Wall said. “Sometimes we just need a crack, and we can make some things happen.
“Oliver Gill came up huge with the line drive single in center field. That broke things open a little bit. It’s little things like that. I’ve been talking about Oliver for the past couple games. He’s been hitting the ball really well. It’s nice to see him land some RBIs for the squad.”
The UD coach went on to laud the efforts of the top of the lineup that accounted for five of the teams six hits and scored four runs.
“Austin drove in two RBIs himself with a big knock, but the top of the order scored the runs,” Wall said. “(Eric) Berman gets on and Nate Cairnes gets on (and) both scored two runs. We’re doing well. It was a big day for us offensively. Six runs is a big day.
“It was good that we put both sides of it together, the offense and the defense. That’s the part that I was happiest about.”
Upper Dublin (12-6, 10-4 SOL), now No. 5 in the Class 5A power rankings, will be on the road at William Tennent for a crossover game Monday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (14-4, 13-2 SOL), which dropped to No. 2 in the Class 6A power rankings, will host William Penn Charter in a non-league game Saturday at 11 a.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 000 1 – 1 3 2
Upper Dublin 003 030 x – 6 6 1
Quakertown 3, Hatboro-Horsham 0
Quakertown finds itself in position to possibly win a division title and a high District One Class 6A playoff seed on the back of its outstanding pitching staff.
Thursday was Matt Marsten’s turn, as he out-dueled Hatboro-Horsham’s Jamie O’Neill in a Liberty Division pitchers’ duel.
Marsten went all seven innings, allowing just two hits and three walks, while striking out seven.
In its last three league games, Quakertown has allowed just one run. It has won 11 straight SOL games.
“Matt was outstanding, and he helped himself out with his bat too,” said Panthers coach Jon Pallone. “He did a great job attacking the strike zone on the mound.
“We knew we were blessed with a lot of good arms this year. Matt and Cooper (Natisin) have been our main two, but Carl Weiss and Macen Probition have thrown some clutch innings for us too, along with the rest of our staff.”
H-H’s O’Neill was just as strong through the first five innings, as it was a scoreless game heading into the sixth inning.
Cole Reich led off the sixth with a single, and he came around to score on an RBI double by Marsten.
One inning later, Quakertown scored one run on an error and another on a Gunnar Rahn RBI single.
Quakertown (14-5, 13-2 SOL), which is tied with PW for the top spot in the Liberty, will host Abington on Tuesday in the regular-season finale.
Hatboro-Horsham (8-9, 7-8 SOL), No. 12 in the Class 5A power rankings, is scheduled to travel to Avon Grove for a non-league game Friday.
Quakertown 000 001 2 – 3 7 1
Hatboro-Horsham 000 000 0 – 0 2 1
Wissahickon 6, Abington 2
Wissahickon saw a six-game win streak snapped on Tuesday against Quakertown. Two days later, the Trojans started a new one with an impressive 6-2 win on the road at Abington.
“I’m so proud of our guys and how they came out today and competed in a very contentious game for seven innings,” said coach Andy Noga. “(Abington), that’s a good baseball team we played today, and a team that no-hit us last year on our Senior Day.
“We knew coming into it, being their Senior Day, that we were going to be in for a dogfight and an emotional game.”
Timely hitting and the pitching of starter Adam Hajdak enabled the Trojans to put this one away late.
Hajdak allowed two earned runs over five innings, scattering six hits and two walks, while striking out seventh. Jake Furhmeister then pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
“As always, with Adam taking the ball for us, we felt like we were in a great position, and while he didn’t have his best stuff, he was a real gamer for us and gave us five solid innings,” Noga said.
Center fielder Josh Palutis, who led off the game with a triple and scored on a Justin Miller RBI single, went 2-for-4 with two triples, two runs scored and two RBIs out of the leadoff spot. Palutis hit a sac fly in the second to score a run in the fourth with an RBI triple.
Josh Stonesifer went 2-for-3 with a double.
“Josh Palutis continues to step up and get hot at the right time,” Noga said. “We had great team defense today, led by Mark Selverian at third, and put pressure on them on the bases with aggressive reads, which led to more opportunities to score.
“Daniel McGarry was used as a courtesy runner and trusted his reach and was able to score on a ground ball fielder’s choice.
“(Palutis’) two triples,and some unselfish baseball by our other seniors – Justin Miller, Finn Olszewski and Jarret Federrer really set the tone for the offense. Putting up a solid six runs in a league game for us felt great, and it feels like things are really starting to click at the right time for the Trojans.”
Wissahickon (13-5, 10-5 SOL), No. 10 in the district power rankings, will host Central Bucks South in a non-league game Friday.
Abington (5-10, 5-9 SOL) will be on the road at Quakertown on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 110 211 0 – 6 8 1
Abington 001 010 0 – 2 8 0
SOL Freedom Division
Lower Moreland 5, Springfield Twp 1
It’s been a rough stretch for Lower Moreland, which lost five straight going into Thursday’s game against first-place Springfield.
But three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh broke open a tie game and gave the Lions the 5-1 win.
“This win was a long time in the making,” said LM coach Mike Guido. “Early in the season, we lost to them in the top of the seventh when they rallied with two outs and no one on. Ultimately, hitting a bases loaded triple off of Connor (Hegedus) to take the lead.
“That game has stayed with me for a while, as I felt responsible for making some game decisions that may not have put us in the best spot to win.
“It’s been a tough season for us. We hadn’t won in a while, after some really tough games in and out of our division. Our loss to New Hope on Tuesday had us questioning whether we had packed it in or not for the season. Wednesday’s practice we reset ourselves with some old fashion discipline and I challenged them to find it in themselves to finish this season in a way that would make themselves proud.
“They stepped up today. Finally got the bats going. We had some really great at-bats against (Springfield’s Nolan) Kidwell, who was throwing hard. We did a great job of seeing a lot of pitches and drawing some walks.”
Hegedus gave the Lions six strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits and three walks. Mason Tammaro pitched a scoreless seventh.
“It was definitely a day I was looking forward to,” Hegedus said. “Last game against Springfield left a bad taste in my mouth and certainly everyone else on the team. While others may have moved past it and shifted the blame away from me, I still kept that last inning in the front of my mind when taking the mound for the rest of the year.
“That being said, I saw today’s game against Springfield as my greatest opportunity for redemption and revenge. Celebrating Senior Night and seemingly having control over the divisions, the stars seemed to align for the perfect payback.
“Fortunately, it did happen. Alongside great fielding and hitting, I’m proud to have another win as a Lion and a great memory as well.”
Tamarro did the job with the bat too, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. James Cronin was 3-for-3 with a double, and Drew Dorval went 2-for-4.
“My key was playing loose and just having some fun,” Tamarro said. “The season has been full of ups and downs, but in my final games, I want to spend it being relaxed and just playing the game with the boys.”
Lower Moreland (7-10, 4-10 SOL) will host Abington on Monday.
Springfield (9-8, 8-7 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Lower Moreland 001 003 1 – 5 9 1
Springfield 001 000 0 – 1 8 0
Upper Moreland 6, Cheltenham 1
The Golden Bears were just 2-7 in their previous nine SOL games, including three straight losses.
But Thursday, Upper Moreland scored five runs in the bottom of the first and got strong pitching from senior Colin Fell to pull away from Cheltenham.
“Great to see Colin Fell back out on the mound today,” said UM coach Jim Fasano. “He was outstanding for five innings and has continued his rehab to get to a point where he could help us.
“Jackson Townsend had two hits, we had five hits in the first inning, and it was cool to see us come out and put up a five spot after a tough loss on Tuesday.
“I’m proud of the kids. It’s never over ‘till it’s over, and we still have our Senior Night on Tuesday and a non-league game (Friday) against Truman.”
The bottom of the first started with a Nate Kelly single, and then a Pat Kilgus RBI double. Townsend later had an RBI single, another run scored on an error, and then RBI singles by Jimmy Murray and Fell.
Alex Best closed out the win with two shutout innings on the mound.
“Also great to see Alex Best throw two shutout innings to close the door today,” Fasano said. “He’s been a great teammate and influence on our younger players in this, his senior season.
“Freshman Lucas Zipper got his first league start behind the dish today and acquitted himself nicely. He blocked balls well and made a very nice play to get a guy out at home.
“A ton of credit to Cheltenham. Kevin (Hite) has really turned the program around, and their future is tremendously bright with players like Jack Haugen and Finn Kopp.”
Upper Moreland (8-10, 7-8 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman for a non-league game Friday.
Cheltenham (7-10, 6-9 SOL) will host Upper Merion in a non-league game Monday.
Cheltenham 000 010 0 – 1 4 4
Upper Moreland 501 000 x – 6 8 4
New Hope-Solebury 2, William Tennent 1
John Whalen allowed only one earned run on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven in an impressive complete-game performance to give New Hope its second win in as many games.
“John is a student of the game,” said Lions coach Tony Vlahovic. “We have been working on the art of pitching and he is really starting to understand it. The quiet warrior attacked the plate consistently and our defense was tremendous.
“Our young players are learning the level they need to compete at if they want any type of success in the SOL.”
Tennent’s Mike Woehr was strong as well, allowing just one earned run on three hits over six innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five.
But in the first, New Hope’s Brooks Saft hit a two-run home run to center field and that proved decisive.
“Brooks Saft hit his second home run in two games and also had a single during his second at bat,” Vlahovic said. “He is seeing the ball well and getting his pitch and barreling it up. Brooks is a four-year starter for us, and his field leadership has been great. He is headed to Babson college next year.”
New Hope-Solebury (5-13, 3-12 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
William Tennent (3-13 SOL, 2-12 SOL) will host Upper Dublin in a crossover game Monday.
Tennent 000 100 0 – 1 4 1
New Hope 200 000 x – 2 3 1
SOL Patriot Division
Bensalem 4, Harry S Truman 3 (11 innings)
It happened in dramatic fashion, as Logan Savage’s RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning gave Bensalem the huge home win over Truman 4-3 on Thursday afternoon.
The ending was only fitting as this one was back-and-forth and tight the whole way.
“It was nice to get a win on Senior Day,” said Bensalem coach Kurt Sowa. “Both teams showed strong pitching throughout the whole game. Runs weren’t easy to come by. We got down twice, but we didn’t quit.’
The Owls grabbed the lead in the first as Ryan Strazziere singled and later scored on a passed ball. Truman scored one in the third and one in the fourth – on a Ryan Kearns RBI single and then on an error after a Luke Olivero sac bunt.
Trailing 2-1, Bensalem tied it in the fifth on a RBI single by Jake Wagner, and that’s where the score stood for a while, as the game went into extra innings it wasn’t until the 10th when runs were scored again.
Gavin Kenworthy singled with one out in the top of the 10th for Truman, went to second on a Logan Allen single and then went to third on a groundout. Then, with two outs, Kenworthy scored on a balk, giving the Tigers the 3-2 lead with just three outs standing between them and the victory.
In the bottom half of the inning, however, after the first two batters were retired, the Owls rallied again, as Strazziere was hit by a pitch and Wagner walked. Then, Kaden Lavendar doubled to left field, scoring Strazziere, but the potential winning run was thrown out at home plate for the final out and the teams went on to the 11th.
Bensalem pitcher Wagner worked around a leadoff walk to keep Truman off the board, and then Joe Dougherty led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk. With two outs, Savage singled to center, and pinch runner McGinty scored from second to end the game with the Owls picking up the victory.
Strazziere had a big game for Bensalem, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Wagner was 2-for-4 with a RBI. Wagner also picked up the win on the mound, going 5 1/3 innings in relief of starter Trevor Morris, allowing just one earned run, and striking out six.
“Kaden Lavendar was able to get a big two-out hit in the 10th to tie it back up for us,” Sowa said. “That gave our team a lot of energy.
“Logan Savage had the big game-winning hit in the 11th. I’m happy for him. Ryan Strazziere had a nice day at the plate as well. He’s been consistent all year. Jake Wagner stayed hot at the plate and had a nice hit in the fifth to tie it back up for us.
“Trevor Morris and Jake Wagner both pitched very well, as they have been all year for us.”
Allen went 3-for-5 for Truman, while Nate Gilson and Aqual Chapman had two hits each.
Bensalem (3-15, 1-13 SOL) will travel to Souderton for a crossover game Monday.
Harry S Truman (3-13, 3-11 SOL) will host Upper Moreland in a non-league game Friday.
Truman 001 100 000 10 – 3 12 2
Bensalem 100 010 000 11 – 4 8 2
Neshaminy 3, Council Rock North 1
With the Patriot Division championship already in hand – having clinched it outright on Tuesday – Neshaminy did what it has done for most of the season on Thursday and that’s find a win to get it done.
With three runs in the top of the first and excellent pitching, Neshaminy scored the tight win over CR North on the road.
Luke Schweiker pitched the first five innings, did not allow a run, while surrendering just one hit and three walks, while striking out seven. Steve Martin pitched the final two innings and struck out three to pick up the save.
“There wasn’t much going on from either offense today, but pitching and defense were on display,” said Neshaminy coach Dan Toner. “Luke Schweiker pitched a fantastic five innings. He made some big-time pitches in some big-time moments. He was in control from start to finish.”
Offensively, Neshaminy picked up three runs in the top of the first and looked on its way to a big game, taking advantage of a hit by pitch, a walk, a catcher’s interference call, back-to-back bases loaded walks, and then a passed ball to go up 3-0.
But that was pretty much it for the game. Neshaminy managed just three hits against CR North pitching.
CR North scored its only run in the seventh, as Peyton Shaw led off with a double and later scored on a Joe Rizzo RBI single with two outs.
“Throughout the season, we discuss how you can win games with pitching, defense and base running,” Toner said. “Offense doesn’t necessarily need to be there … and that is exactly how we won today. It was good for the players to experience that and get a win that way, especially with the playoffs right around the corner.”
Neshaminy (16-2, 13-2 SOL), currently No. 3 in the district Class 6A power rankings, will host Bensalem on Tuesday.
Council Rock North (11-7, 8-6 SOL), No. 17 in the power rankings, will host Pennridge in a crossover game on Monday.
Neshaminy 300 000 0 – 3 3 0
CR North 000 000 1 – 1 3 2
SOL Colonial Division
Souderton 4, Central Bucks East 3
Finishing strong is key for Souderton as it looks to lock up a spot in the District One Class 6A Tournament. Thursday’s walk-off win over first-place CB East puts the Indians in good shape to do just that.
Connor Klock hit an RBI single to score Zach Pollock in the bottom of the seventh to give the Indians the victory.
“It was not a pretty one, but we will take it,” said Souderton coach Mike Childs. “Both sides struggled in the field, and I am happy we ended up on the winning end of it.
“We needed this game against a good team to put us a little above the 20-24 ranking mark. It seems six or seven teams have been battling for those last five spots. We knew this win would give us a few extra bonus points to put us in a good spot to finish out the season.”
The Indians stand at No. 19 after Thursday’s win.
There were as many hits (8) in this game as there were errors (8), as both teams ended up with four of each.
CB East got it started with a run in the top of the first on a Chase Harlan sacrifice fly, only to see Souderton score two in the bottom half of the inning, including a Klock RBI single and a fielder’s choice groundout by Tyler Lutz.
East tied it at 2 in the fourth on a RBI double by Sean Hill, and in the fifth went in front 3-2 as Chase Fulford hit a sac fly to left to score Jack Mislan.
Souderton came back and tied it with a run in the fifth on a RBI groundout by Nate Woodbury, setting the stage for the seventh-inning dramatics.
“After a tough loss on Tuesday against North Penn, I talked to the team at practice about big-time players stepping up in big-time situations, and Connor took that to heart today,” Childs said. “He had two hits, threw a guy out at the plate and stepped up clutch to hit the winning run in to end it.”
Greyson Norris pitched two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win on the mound.
“Greyson did a great job coming in, putting up zeros against a good hitting lineup for the last two innings and getting the win,” Childs said.
Souderton (8-9, 7-7 SOL) will host Dock Mennonite in a non-league game Friday.
Central Bucks East (12-6, 11-4 SOL), now No. 7 in the district power rankings, will host Holy Ghost Prep in a non-league game Monday.
CB East 100 110 0 – 3 4 4
Souderton 200 010 1 – 4 4 4
North Penn 8, Central Bucks South 4
With its sixth straight win, North Penn not only has resuscitated its season and put itself in solid position for the postseason, but by beating CB South Thursday and getting a little help from others finds itself in position for a division championship.
One game back of first-place CB East, if the Knights win at CB East in the regular-season finale on Tuesday, the two teams will share the Colonial Division title.
“For a while today, we were not playing our best baseball,” said NP coach Kevin Manero. “But Nick Palovich started putting up zeroes and gave us a chance to get our act together.”
Palovich allowed four runs in the first two innings, all unearned thanks to a pair of two-out errors, but from that point on, he shut the Titans down. Palovich went six innings, scattering eight hits, but didn’t walk a batter and struck out nine.
Ben Holdsworth and Christian Gronback each pitched in the seventh to put the game away.
AJ Briggs hit a home run in the second to get North Penn on the scoreboard, but the Knights still trailed 4-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.
Chase Jones tied the game with a three-run home run, and one batter later Ben Farley homer to put the Knights in front for the first time at 5-4.
In the sixth, Ben Grattan hit a two-run double and Jeremiah Criger followed with a RBI single to make it 8-4.
“After a couple tough at-bats early, the middle of our order really came up big with those back-to-back home runs in the fifth,” Manero said. “I can’t say enough about the adjustment our guys made the third time through the order.
“As big as anything today was Ben Grattan’s two-run double in the bottom of the sixth. Those extra runs were huge. Ben didn’t get his shot until just after the halfway point of the season, but he has really given us plenty of reasons to keep him there.”
North Penn (12-5, 10-5 SOL), No. 12 in District One, will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South (5-10, 5-10 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon for a non-league game Friday.
CB South 310 000 0 – 4 9 0
North Penn 010 043 x – 8 8 2
Pennridge 3, Central Bucks West 1
It’s been a big week for Pennridge, including four games in four days, with rare back-to-back games with CB East and CB West, due to postponements from earlier in the season.
The Rams, fighting for their playoff lives, earned a split with CB East Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday bounced back from a mercy-rule loss with a come-from-behind 3-1 win on the road at CB West.
“Everything this team wants to accomplish is right in front of us,” said coach Danny Long. “We have to continue to take it one day at a time to put us in the best situation to succeed. I’m proud of our guys for their resilience in the seventh inning today.”
Pennridge entered the seventh trailing 1-0 and was stifled by CB West’s Jacob Greer for the first six innings.
The first four batters reached in the seventh, Matt Atchley with a walk, and singles by Ryder Olson, Connor Murray and a two-RBI single by Joey Gregoire. A bases-loaded walk to Tommy Ginnetti made it 3-1.
Pennridge’s Connor Smith, who allowed just one run on six hits, worked around a single in the bottom of the seventh and put the Bucks away for the complete-game victory.
“We did a great job of sticking together offensively and grinding it out in the seventh,” Long said. “Credit to Greer for making it very difficult for us to score runs.
“Connor Smith was very efficient today – 64 percent strikes and challenged hitter for the entirety of the game.”
Pennridge (10-7, 6-7 SOL), now sits at No. 20 in the district power rankings, and will host CB West (8-9, 6-8 SOL) on Friday night.
Pennridge 000 000 3 – 3 7 2
CB West 000 100 0 – 1 6 0
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