Hamlin, Hasson homer, North Penn powers past CB West
DOYLESTOWN >> No matter where it is in the other, North Penn baseball feels like it’s always one swing away from impacting a game.
The Knights have put together a pretty potent lineup this season, one that’s flashed a lot of power the last few weeks and it’s a big part of the reason they’re currently atop the SOL Continental. North Penn is also stretching the offense out and not just relying on one or two big innings early.
Thursday, the Knights offense stayed hot in a 10-4 win over Central Bucks West in the Bucks’ annual Lace Up 4 Cancer game.
“We’re a threat one to nine, it doesn’t matter who it is,” North Penn catcher Hunter Hamlin, who belted a double and three-run home run, said. “We’re all in the weight room, we all have power, we’re lifting all off season. If we’re down a run, we get a runner on base and we’re one swing away from taking a lead. It’s a huge part of our game.”
CB West (2-10, 2-6 SOL Continental) has been wracked by injuries all season, forcing a number of younger players to step into big roles and learn on the fly. While the record doesn’t show it, CB West hasn’t been an easy out in league play.
Even Thursday, down 10-1 in the sixth, the Bucks kept battling and ended up getting a three-run home run from third baseman Matt Cooper to at least give themselves a chance. Trevor D’Arcy made a couple of stellar defensive plays in center and CB West put plenty of guys on base but couldn’t get them home, an occurrence that’s been far too common this spring.
“They competed, you’re not going to win every battle but as long as you’re competing in every battle, that’s all we’re looking for,” Bucks coach Brad Tracy said. “This was typical of the games we’ve had, we’ve hung around but haven’t been able to get that big two-out hit. We’ll take a bloop single, we’ll take anything but I can’t take away how hard they’ve been battling.”
That Cooper bomb would have been much bigger had it not been for the Knights’ ability to keep up the pressure throughout the game. North Penn scored at least one run in the first four innings to build a 6-1 edge but wasn’t content to just sit on that edge.
In the top half of the sixth, a couple of errors by CB West allowed North Penn to load the bags in front of outfielder Atlee Hasson. The senior only needed one pitch to deliver one of those impact swings, launching the first offering of the at-bat over the fence for a grand slam.
“One of the things we’ve done very consistently is not chase pitches out of the strike zone,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said. “We say if you swing at strikes and don’t swing at balls, you’re going to be a pretty tenacious offense and we’ve done a good job of that. Our ability to tack on these runs late today was a big bonus, we tell the guys if you have a lead, you have to tack on and you can’t let a team hang around.”
Hamlin’s three-run shot to left in the third put North Penn up 5-1 but the senior said the Knights aren’t just going up swinging for the fences. As a team, North Penn drew seven walks on Thursday and put a lot of balls in play, collecting 11 hits and finding other ways to get on base.
Manero said this group’s ability to hit the ball has changed some of the calls he’d make during a game. In places where the Knights would have bunted or tried to hit and run in past seasons, Manero is a little more willing to let his hitters swing away, so long as they keep doing it the right way.
“We have guys who can drive the ball, they work hard to get stronger and they’ve done a good job with that,” Manero said. “We let our guys swing because they look good swinging the bat. When we do our best is when we’re still using the middle of the field. We have guys turning on one and hitting it over the left field fence every once in a while but our best hits are still gap-to-gap and we have some strong guys powering the ball to right-center.”
Like Hamlin noted, the Knights are confident in the lineup one through nine and that confidence extends to the bench. Against CB West, North Penn gave normal starting shortstop Zack Miles a day off while AJ Patterson came in and made every play in the field while adding a single and double at the plate.
“We work a lot on counts and discipline in practice and it’s all about looking for the right pitch,” Hamlin said. “We have a lot of threats and once you get a runner on base, it’s all a momentum game. You keep it going, keep tacking on and Coach Manero always talks about never letting up and trying to put teams away early.”
SPECIAL DAY
In the spring of 2016, the Bucks program got to know Dominic Liples, a young Doylestown resident who was battling pediatric cancer.
Liples threw out a first pitch for the team’s last game that season and made an impact on not only the Bucks, but the entire community. Dominic passed away in December of 2016, but the Bucks stayed close to his family and welcomed Dominic’s brother Ciarlo to throw out Thursday’s first pitch.
“We try and do more than just play baseball here,” Tracy said. “Dominic touched a lot of kids here. Having him and his brother Ciarlo out here really means a lot.”
Thursday marked the third year of West’s involvement in the Lace Up 4 Cancer campaign, which had players from both teams wear gold shoelaces. The Bucks also created the Dominic Liples Scholarship Fund, which is awarded to a senior baseball player who best embodies Dominic’s constant positive attitude and ability.
Bucks senior Blaise Heacox had some fun with Ciarlo prior to Thursday’s first pitch and said it’s an honor for he and his teammates to play for a cause that extends far past the baseball diamond. Now in his fourth year with the program, Heacox said he’s seen how supportive the entire Doylestown community is but also the role and impact his team can have in it.
“It makes us appreciate what we’ve got,” Heacox said. “A kid like Ciarlo, he struggles every day and he still finds a way to be happy. It makes you appreciate what you’ve got and you see your struggles aren’t like everyone else. It helps you be happy and embrace what you have.”
