Bensalem holds off Council Rock North for District 1 6A title

With one out in the top of the seventh inning and a pair of runners on base, Bensalem head coach Harry Daut decided to talk to his pitcher. Just two innings earlier Bensalem had led Council Rock North, 7-0, but now the Owls’ lead dwindled at two and the top of Council Rock North’s lineup was looming on the on-deck circle.

“Even with the tying run on first, our focus was just getting the guy at the plate out,” Daut said, recalling his meeting with pitcher Nick Fossile and the rest of his infield. “Fossile has been doing this all year, he’s a big competitor and has a quiet confidence about him.”

After the meeting broke, Fossile struck out the next batter he faced and got Cavan Tully to send a lazy fly ball into left field to end the game and give Bensalem their first district championship in school history.

The Owls came out of the gate swinging, collecting a pair of runs on four hits in the first inning and adding another on a sacrifice fly by Fossile in the second. 

“It’s hard playing a team you know so well, especially one who has already beaten you,” Council Rock North head coach Matt Schram said. “It wasn’t a great matchup and they’re such a hot team right now, it doesn’t matter who you throw against them.”

As Council Rock North left 8 men on base, Bensalem continued to pile up the runs in the middle innings tacking on two more runs in the third and then one apiece in the fourth and fifth to open up a 7-0 advantage. The Owls had a chance to put away the game for good with the bases loaded and nobody out in the fifth, but line out and a pair pf fielders’ choices snuffed out their rally.

With their backs to the wall, Council Rock finally broke through in the top of the sixth. Tully and Nolan Hartwell each knocked in a run with a pair of singles before a double by Matt Shenot sent them both scampering home. That four-outburst was followed by a quick 1-2-3 inning in the home half of the sixth and the Indians had momentum.

A walk and an error got runners on the corners for Council Rock North with one out in the seventh, setting up an RBI single from Jared Luez. But unfortunately for the Indians, that’s where the rally ended.

“Baseball can change at the drop of a dime and today’s game did,” Schram said. “If we had more time or more innings, we probably would’ve come back and won this game.”

Nick Dean pitched four shut out innings for the Owls before giving way to Dom Grady in the fifth. Eric Hoefer was the starter for Council Rock North, but only lasted 2.1 innings, allowing 5 earned runs. The trio of Matt Roda, Gavin Ferrandino and Nate Abbe finished the game for the Indians. 

“I was very excited to pitch today,” Dean said after the game. “All year, it’s been a battle when we play these guys.”

In addition to to his success on the mound, Dean contributed to the offensive charge as well, gathering three hits. Keith Parrish scored two runs for the Owls and Jon Revell led Bensalem with two RBIs. For Council Rock North, Shenot led the charge with three hits and a pair of RBIs, while Luez added two hits of his own.

Thursday marked the third time Bensalem and Council Rock North met this season, with the Owls taking all three contests by a combined score of 20-10. In addition to capturing their first district title, Bensalem will also be advancing to the state playoffs for the first time.