Bats spark to life as North Penn rallies past Upper Dublin in season opener

TOWAMENCIN >> Sam Cohen’s frustration was evident.

The North Penn senior second baseman had stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the fifth trying to put down a bunt but had fallen behind 0-2 in the count. It was a crucial spot in an tie game, so Cohen stepped out of the box and composed himself.

Cohen fouled off a couple more pitches, then launched one to left-center for a three-run home run that put the Knights in front and on their way to a season-opening 9-3 win over Upper Dublin on Monday.

“I just did not want to strike out,” Cohen, who made his varsity debut, said. “I wanted to put a good swing on the ball and got a pitch right down the middle, so I turned on it. That really felt amazing.”

Cohen had rather good day for North Penn, going 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI including the go-ahead three-run shot and a solo home run in the sixth inning as insurance. North Penn as a whole woke up after a couple slow innings, scoring all nine of its runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames.

There were a lot of new names on both sides of the diamond. After a season lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, Monday was a much-awaited return to the field for the Knights.

Sure, players had summer baseball, the showcase circuit and fall ball, but it’s different to put on the school colors and play against a team with a different name on their jersey tops.

“It’s amazing when you think about the fact it’s been since 2019 that we last played a baseball game that counts,” Knights coach Kevin Manero said. “To get out here and play one for real in that amount of time is excellent. We’re all very lucky to be out here and fortunate to be healthy enough to be here playing baseball, no doubt.”

Upper Dublin got a game last weekend at the official start of the PIAA spring season but Cardinals coach Ed Wall echoed the sentiment he was happy to be back in a competitive setting. Like North Penn, UD has a large number of players getting their first look at varsity baseball.

Monday, UD jumped out early and did some good things but couldn’t quite get that big hit that would have opened up a lead. Nick Lombardo put the visitors up 1-0 in the top of the first, scoring when David Sharp kept a rundown going between first and second and the Cardinals plated two runs in the fourth on an RBI walk by Karan Acharya and a passed ball that scored Tyler Lizell.

“We put the ball in play, they didn’t give us a whole lot but we took advantage of a bunch of our opportunities, just not enough,” Wall said. “They have some serious long ball power up and down the lineup, which they showed. Our guys are going to keep getting better and better and keep learning from those opportunities.”

Cardinals starter Griffin Johnson did a nice job early in the game keeping North Penn off the board but Knights third baseman RJ Agriss wasn’t worried about his teams’ offense. Despite striking out his first time up, Agriss dug in to leadoff the top of the fourth looking to get the Knights on track.

He did just that by ripping a 1-0 pitch to left field for a solo shot and North Penn’s first run of the 2021 season. That was just what the Knights needed as they rallied to tie the game 3-3 on an RBI double by Ethan Cohen and RBI single by No. 9 hitter Quinn Marrett before reliever Grant Gill ended the frame.

“I was going up there looking to put a good swing on it and get on base, because that’s how big innings start,” Agriss said. “It just so happened I got a good piece of it and it went.”

Manero credited starting pitcher Dylan Brown, a talented junior lefty, for battling through not having his best stuff and not letting Upper Dublin expand on its lead. Brown, who committed to Notre Dame a few months back, compiled seven strikeouts in his four innings.

Senior righty Eric Hamilton picked up the win, pitching three scoreless innings. Hamilton worked around a leadoff double by Lombardo in the top of the fifth and ended the frame by stranding two runners to help set up the go-ahead rally by his bats in the bottom of the stanza.

“When you don’t have your best stuff and you still keep your team in the game and have a chance to win, I think that says a lot about your ability,” Manero said. “He did that and Eric Hamilton came in and was just outstanding in relief. That’s what we need, shutdown innings from guys coming out of the bullpen.”

Agriss led off the fifth with a walk, followed by first baseman Pat Breen doing the same to bring up Cohen. After missing the first pitch and fouling off the second, Cohen quickly fell behind in the count and needed to dig down to save the at-bat.

With one swing, he did that and gave his team the lead.

“We talked about mental toughness during our offseason meetings,” Manero said. “Sam, it looked ugly on that bunt attempt but he kept his cool in the box, took it one pitch at a time and barreled one up. Then he did again in his next at-bat.

“That’s a maturity thing these guys probably wouldn’t have had as sophomores or juniors but now being upperclassmen and knowing what’s on the line, that mental growth is evident.”

North Penn tacked on three more runs in the sixth. Agriss led off with a single and scored on Breen’s RBI triple to center, with the first baseman coming the last 90 feet on a wild pitch before Cohen ripped a solo shot out for the last run of the day.

“We haven’t played in so long, it just felt good to be back out here,” Cohen said. “We’re all really good friends, we all want to win and we all have one goal which is to go to Penn State and play (for a state title).”

North Penn 9, Upper Dublin 3

UPPER DUBLIN 100 200 0 – 3 9 1

NORTH PENN 000 333 x – 9 13 1

WP: Eric Hamilton. HR: NP – Sam Cohen (2), RJ Agriss. 3B: NP – Sam Breen. 2B: UD – Nick Lombardo, Karan Acharya, NP – Ethan Cohen