Reporter Baseball Roundup: Quakertown rallies for 11-inning win over North Penn
The Quakertown baseball team rallied from five runs down in the top of the seventh inning to take a 7-6 lead, host North Penn scored a run in the bottom of the frame to force extras but the visiting Panthers completed their comeback in the 11th as Dennis Pierce’s two-run home run gave Quakertown an 9-7 SOL Continental Conference victory.
Mason Hicks’ two-out grand slam capped the six-run seventh for the Panthers (10-4, 6-3 conference), which trailed Knights 6-1 at the start of the inning. North Penn tied the game 7-7 in its half of the seventh on Jake Drelick’s RBI single.
Brad Bryan led off the top of the 11th with a single, went to second on sacrifice bunt and scored as Pierce belted his two-run homer.
Pierce finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored while Adam Ritter went 2-for-6 with an RBI and and a run scored for the Panthers.
Colby Chan was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored for North Penn (6-8, 4-5), which jumped out to a 5-0 lead after an inning. Zack Miles went 2-for-4, Kyle Schulze was 2-for-6 with a home run and two runs scored while Connor Ertel was 2-for-6.
Quakertown scored its first run in the fifth but the Knights pushed its lead back to five on Schulze’s solo homer in the sixth.
In the top of the seventh, the Panthers loaded the bases with one out. A Bryan RBI single made it 6-2 while Adam Ritter’s RBI fielder’s choice cut the margin to 6-3. Pierce’s two-out walk loaded the bases for Hicks, who connected on a grand slam for Quakertown’s first lead.
Drelick’s RBI double knotted things in the bottom of the seventh and gave NP runners on second and third with one out. After a strikeout, Miles was intentionally walked to load the bases but a ground out sent the contest to extras.
Dock Mennonite 11, Holy Ghost Prep 4 >> Mason Keller struck out 10 and gave up four runs on five hits on the mound while also adding two-RBI single at the plate as the Dock Mennonite handed Holy Ghost Prep its first loss of the season.
Carter Jagiela and Michael Chavez both had a pair of hits for the Pioneers, who finished with 10 hits — five of those doubles. Chavez, Christian Rush and Clark Baker all collected two RBIs.
Dock scored three runs in the bottom of the first before Holy Ghost pulled even with a three-spot in the top of the third. But the Pioneers broke the tie with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame then went up 7-3 with three runs in the fourth.
Holy Ghost cut its deficit to 7-4 in the fifth but Dock answered with two in it half of the inning then tacked on another run in the sixth.
Upper Moreland 5, Upper Dublin 3 >> Ben Paul and Ryan Gibbs both finished with two hits and two RBIs and Upper Moreland had a 4-0 lead after three innings then held off a late Upper Dublin charge for an SOL American victory.
Paul was 2-for-4 with a double, Gibbs finishes 2-for-4 while Jack Dombroski scored three times as the Golden Bears (7-4, 6-4) won their fifth straight, all in conference play.
Upper Moreland scored a run in the top of the first then went up 4-0 in the third on a Paul RBI ground out then Gibbs’ two-RBI single.
The Cardinals (8-7, 5-5) made it 4-1 in the fourth then pulled within 4-3 in the sixth after Kyle Rizzo’s RBI single and a Jarrod Matz RBI sacrifice fly. But UM added an insurance run in the seventh on Paul’s RBI double.
Bears starting pitcher Colin Bates earned a complete-game win, giving up three runs – none earned – on three hits. He walked one and struck out seven.
Springfield (Montco) 6, Hatboro-Horsham 4 >> Springfield’s Mitchell McCann finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored as the Spartans posted four runs in the top of the first, added another in the third to go up 5-0 en route to besting Hatboro-Horsham for an SOL American win.
Ryan Deal went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored for Springfield (5-9, 4-7), which won its second straight.
Jimmy Tooley was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI an run scored for the Hatters (11-5, 8-3), who lost its second straight to fall a game behind Plymouth Whitemarsh for first place in the American. Anthony Bruno went 2-for-4 while Lucas Walker was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Hatboro-Horsham scored three runs in the top of the fifth then got within 5-4 in the sixth on Ryley Robinson’s RBI double. McCann, however, answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to push the Spartans’ lead back up to two.
Pennridge 5, Central Bucks South 4 >> Jimmy Petrik was 2-for-3 with an RBI and pitched the final two innings to earn the save as Pennridge held off Central Bucks South to claim its first SOL Continental win.
After both teams scored twice in the first, the Rams (5-10, 1-8) took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second. A Ray Knight RBI sac fly in the fourth made it 5-2 Pennridge.
The Titans scored a run in the fifth then in the seventh pulled within 5-4 on a Mike Marino RBI sac fly. Petrik, however, stranded a pair of baserunners to picked up the save and stop the Rams’ two-game losing streak.
Marino was 2-for-4 while Jake Trachtenberg went 3-for-4 for CB South (8-5, 6-4), which lost its second straight.
Pennridge starting pitcher Anthony Helbling went five innings to claim the win.
