Klock, Norris homer as Souderton tops Dock Mennonite
UPPER GWYNEDD >> Conner Klock had come close earlier this season to hitting his first varsity home run.
“Neshaminy I had a barrel to the fence – it was caught at the fence,” he said.
Monday night, the Souderton baseball sophomore finally got one out, connecting on a pitch in the top of the fifth inning to send it over Hostelley Field’s right-field fence for a two-run blast.
“I was looking first-pitch fastball, didn’t get a strike there, then the next one I was in a little bit of a slump but I just took a great swing on it, Klock said. “I didn’t think it was gone at first but just carried over the fence.”
Klock’s homer gave the Indians an 8-4 lead on home side Dock Mennonite in their nonleague matchup. The Pioneers plated a pair in the bottom of the inning but Souderton responded with five more in its half of sixth – the first three as Greyson Norris also hit his first varsity homer – and pulled away to claim a 13-6 victory.
“Feels like it’s a spark hopefully,” Norris said. “Keeps us rolling. I hope this’ll keep us going up, get a spark going for sure.”
Chris McKenna went 3-for-3 with a double with three runs scored while Ethan Warner finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Indians (7-8, 5-7 SOL Colonial) are hoping the season-high run total is a sign they can shake off recent offensive struggles in chasing a spot in the District 1-6A tournament.
Souderton scored a combined 10 runs as it went 1-5 in the previous six games, getting shutout against Pennsbury April 25 while posting just a run three other times during that span.
“I feel like we’ve been barreling the ball pretty good but just some unlucky placement, maybe just at people a lot of the time,” Klock said. “But I think our approach overall just has to be better in future games this week. Hopefully we can get into playoffs.”
The Indians at the moment sit 25th in the district standings with 24 teams making the playoffs. Souderton has three home games over the next three days, two that count towards the rankings – SOL Colonial matchups with Pennridge Tuesday and North Penn Thursday, both set for 3:45 p.m starts. The Indians also host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a nondivision contest 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Zach Pollock was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored for Souderton while Tyler Lutz had two RBIs.
Dock Mennonite’s Zach Neff was 2-for-4 with three RBIs with Zach Frederick going 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice as the Pioneers (14-2, 11-0 BAL) had their six-game win streak snapped. Matt Miles went 2-for-4 with a double while Deven Ross had two runs scored.
“We did a great job of battling at the plate, making them throw strikes, making them come over the middle of the plate and driving some balls, did a good job of that,” Dock coach Erik Kratz said. “We got to make sure we continue to focus on what we do well and that’s minimizing free 90 feets and we gave too many away. I think that’s something that we haven’t done. I think it’s something that is important for every team not to give 90 feet away no matter who you’re playing or nonleague or league games.”
The Pioneers, first in the District 1-1A rankings, visits MaST Charter 3:45 p.m. Tuesday then hosts Renaissance Academy 4 p.m. Thursday.
Both teams scored a run in the first then three in the third to be tied 4-4 after the first three innings.
In the top of the fourth, McKenna gave Souderton a 5-4 lead on his third hit of the night – an RBI double that took a fortuitous hop over the center fielder. After a Pollock single, Warner’s RBI sacrifice fly brought in McKenna to make it 6-4 while Pollock was out on the play attempting to reach third.
The Indians extended their lead to four in the fifth. Krieg Pierce was hit by a pitch with one out and Klock – in his first at-bat of the game – followed with his two-run homer to right.
“I’m always prepared on the bench to come in,” Klock said. “I’m always mentally prepared watching the pitcher so I’m always ready to come in.”
Dock cut its deficit to 8-6 in the bottom of the fifth when Ross and Frederick scored after Neff reached on a one-out error and advanced to second. Cooper Brannon drew a two-out walk to put a pair of runners on but the next batter flew out to right.
Pollock began the top of the sixth getting on base due to an error. A Warner single put two on for Norris, who put Souderton up 11-6 by belting a pitch over the fence in left center for a three-run homer.
“I knew he wasn’t throwing super-hard so I was sitting on something,” Norris said. “Seeing fastball, seeing curve, I knew he was probably coming fastball cause he wasn’t feeling confident with the curve but I just sat on it, saw it all the way in, saw it all the way out.”
The Indians tacked on two more runs in the inning on consecutive bases-loaded walks by Jeremy Fallon and Pollock.
Souderton loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first. Tyler Lutz’s RBI sac fly brought in a run but Dock kept it 1-0 by turning a 6-4-3 double play on the next at-bat. Frederick pulled the Pioneers level with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
The Indians went up 4-1 with three runs in the top of the third. After one-out base hits from McKenna and Pollock, a Warner RBI single scored McKenna with an error on the play allowing Pollock to come home. Lutz followed with an RBI single.
Dock answered with their own three-spot in the bottom of the inning. Three straight walks loaded the bases with no outs. A wild pitch brought in Sam Laux while Neff’s two-RBI single down the third-base line knotted the contest 4-4.
Souderton 13, Dock Mennonite 6
Souderton 103 225 0 – 13 14 1
Dock Mennonite 103 020 0 – 6 8 3
WP: Brandon Beiler 2.0 IP 1 H 3 R 3 ER 3 BB 2 SO.
LP: Nathan Lapp 4.1 IP 10 H 8 R 6 R 0 BB 6 SO 2 HB.
2B: S-Chris McKenna, Krieg Pierce; D-Lapp, Matt Miles; HR: S-Conner Klock, Greyson Norris.
Souderton: Klock 2 RBI, R; McKenna 3-3, RBI, 3 R; Norris 3 RBI, R; Tyler Lutz 2 RBI; Zach Pollock 2-3, RBI, 2 R; Ethan Warner 3-4, 2 RBI, R.
Dock Mennonite: Miles 2-4; Zach Frederick 2-3, RBI, 2 R; Zach Neff 2-4, 3 RBI; Deven Ross 2 R.
