North Penn tops Hatboro-Horsham, looks to finish season strong

LANSDALE >> On a night the North Penn baseball team honored a few of its past greats, Jake Drelick saw a future when this group of Knights will look back and reminisce on their playing days.

“I know 10, 20 years from now that’s going to be us talking, maybe it’s not on the field, maybe somewhere like a supermarket or something talking about all the times we’ve had together,” the senior catcher said. “And that’s something that’s really special, we all can agree on and say we all Knights on 2019.”

In the present, North Penn is trying to finish the season in a positive fashion. Friday at Memorial Park’s Weaver Field, the Knights picked up their second-straight victory, answering Hatboro-Horsham’s four-run top of the first inning by scoring the next nine runs in winning the Suburban One League non-conference contest 9-4.

“I don’t think a lot of our guys are checking out just yet, we’re really trying to finish strong,” Drelick said. Everyone’s playing withe the same intensity knowing our time is kind of almost over with each other, we want to make it the best, last couple baseball games we’ve ever had together.”

Prior to the game as part of Community Knight at the Ballpark, North Penn baseball inducted four new members into its Hall of Fame — 2002 graduates Justin Klinger and Jason Mills, 2009 grad Eric Ruth and the 2009 PIAA Class 4A championship team — Ruth throwing a complete-game in the 3-1 win over Parkland that gave the Knights their first-ever state title.

“When we picked guys to go into the Hall of Fame, what past we’ve talked about is not necessarily going chronologically but trying to sort of jump to a few different decades,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said. “Try to get as many as our deserving alumni involved as possible and then we’ll go back and we’ll get guys, too, from decades and stuff like that.

“But this was a chance for us, I thought, with the 10-year anniversary of the state championship to jump back into the 21st century and really honor three guys that were pivotal in what North Penn baseball has done here over the last 20 years.”

Connor Ertel, Colby Chan, Kolby Barrow and Jeff Sabater each had two hits as the Knights (8-10, 5-6 SOL Continental) racked up a total of 13 hits. Drelick scored three runs and also smashed a double off the left-field fence to bring in the first two of North Penn’s four runs in the bottom of the second that ended with the Knights up 5-4.

“He started with two curveballs and I was just saying in my head, ‘Please give me something to hit,’ said Drelick of his double. “I was really chomping at the bit and I saw it, right off the bat I saw it go and I kind hoping it was going (out), but I had no problem hitting that double. Got the crowd involved, the bench was hyping it up, absolutely no problem with it.”

Ethan Weber, meanwhile, took over on the mound at the start of the third and allowed just one hit in throwing five scoreless inning to earn the win.

“I think the No. 1 thing today is what a great job Ethan Weber did when he came in,” Manero said. “Ethan hasn’t gotten much of a chance to pitch this year, in fact, except for like a third of on a inning he hasn’t pitched at all since the beginning of the season in Myrtle Beach. And he went out there tonight and he was feeling himself. He was pounding the zone, he was working really quick, he had that eye of the tiger on the mound and that’s what you got to do.

“I told him every year on Community Knight somebody seems to emerge, somebody that hasn’t gotten a chance to play a lot, kind of comes of age. And, man, the way he shoved the ball tonight, super impressive really. Great way for him to go out.”

Weber walked one batter and struck out four while the only hit his gave up was a leadoff single by Christian Blair in the fifth.

“Once I got called on, I just wanted to go out there and just have fun,” Weber said. “And just do what I can to help the team win. And just not worry about anything.”

Anthony Bruno and Sean Gledhill both had RBI singles and scored a run in the first for Hatboro-Horsham (13-6, 10-3 SOL American), who had a two-game win streak snapped.

“We had some guys playing different positions they haven’t played this year and I think that kind of played a part in the beginnings they had,” Hatters coach Pete Moore said. “But you give them credit, they hit the ball. It was good for me to get an opportunity to see some of our guys that haven’t had as many at-bats this year, get them out there on the field and get them involved cause they’ve been working hard in practices.”

Hatboro-Horsham, seventh in the District 1-6A power rankings, ends its regular season Tuesday hosting Plymouth Whitemarsh with the winner claiming the outright SOL American title, which for Hatters would be their second conference crown in three years.

“Chris (Manero) runs a great program at PW,” Moore said. “I’m looking forward to getting on the field. Two very strong teams that are both (teams that) respect the game, play the game hard and the right way. Just looking forward to the kids getting out and competing and it’s been a real pleasure to coach this group of kids.

“And we talk about trying to getting our number up on the banner and it’d be pretty cool group for me to be able to say their year’s up on the banner for a championship.”

For North Penn, it look to be the rare season without a district appearance as the Knights sit 25th in the 6A rankings with 20 teams making the playoff field. North Penn hosts Pennridge 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

“This is a very good baseball team we have here and a heck of a bunch or guys that I don’t think anybody here wants to see the season end next week,” Kevin Manero said. “It’s taken us a long time this year to click for a number of reasons, whether it be injuries or whether it be first-year varsity guys that just haven’t seen varsity pitching, it took us a while.

“We’re playing really good ball right now. I thought two really good teams wins last night and tonight. Hopefully we just finish strong and the end of the season and that’s all you can do.”

The Hatters grabbed a 4-0 lead in the top of the first after back-to-back RBI singles from Bruno and Gledhill, a Andrew Lastowka RBI sacrifice fly and Gledhill stealing home. North Penn made it 4-1 in the bottom of the first as Drelick — who led off with a walk — scored on a passed ball and error.

After a Alex Gilbert two-out walk in the bottom of the second, North Penn’s next five batters also posted hits. Sabater’s bunt single was followed by Drelick two-RBI double. The next at-bat, Kyle Schulze’s double to right plated Drelick to tie the game. After a Chan single, Barrow’s base hit scored Schulze for a 5-4 Knights lead.

North Penn posted another four runs in the third to take 9-4 lead. Gilbert’s squeeze bunt scored Patrick Kirsch and two batters later an error on Drelick’s fly ball to left allowed Griffen Juckniewitz to come home. An error brought in Sabater from second to make it 8-4 while Barrow’s RBI single put the Knights up five.

NORTH PENN 9, HATBORO-HORSHAM 4
Hatboro-Horsham           400 000 0 — 4   5 4
North Penn        144 000 x — 9 13 1
WP: Ethan Weber 5 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 4 SO.
LP: Jimmy Tooley 2 IP 4 H 5 R 4 ER 3 BB 2 SO.
2B: NP-Jake Drelick, Kyle Schulze, Connor Ertel.
Hatboro-Horsham: Anthony Bruno 1-2, RBI, R; Sean Gledhill 1-2, RBI, R.
North Penn: Drelick 1-2, 2 RBI, 3 R; Ertel 2-4; Colby Chan 2-3; Kolby Barrow 2-3, 2 RBI; Jeff Sabater 2-3, 2 R.