Sullivan, Hamilton help North Penn top Pennsbury, clinch at least share of SOL Colonial title

TOWAMENCIN >> Put the ball in play and there is always a chance something good will happen.

Ryan Sullivan’s two-out grounder to the left side of the infield could have been the end of the fourth inning. Instead an error instead gave the North Penn baseball team the opportunity to break a tie with Pennsbury Monday afternoon.

“When I hit the ball, I saw grounder, I was like I got to run as hard as a I can cause coach has said hard ground, don’t make mistakes,” Sullivan said. “So when I saw the ball go by I was really happy and so when I kept running I see everyone go home, I was really happy.”

The ball continuing into foul territory allowed both baserunners to score and Sullivan to reach third base with the Knights holding a 3-1 advantage.

“Look, it’s hot and dry out here right now, the field’s hard, you got to force people to make plays and then on defense you have to bear down and know your field,” North Penn coach Kevin Manero said. “I mean, we made a couple mistakes too in the infield with some balls that were hit kind of hard.”

The Falcons pulled within a run in the top of the fifth but Eric Hamilton took over the mound and kept the visitors from adding to their total. Sullivan, meanwhile, drove in an insurance run in bottom of the sixth as the Knights earned a 4-2 victory to clinch at least a share of the Suburban One League Colonial Division title.

“It was hard in the beginning cause the pitcher was dominating but all we did was put the ball in play and they made their errors so that’s how we got into the game,” Sullivan said. “And Mike Lennon, Eric Hamilton dominated on the mound so it feels great.”

Sullivan, NP’s junior left fielder, went 2-for-3 from the No. 9 spot in the lineup with an RBI and a run scored. Hamilton, meanwhile, threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the save as the Knights (12-5, 10-5) bounced back from a 2-0 loss to Central Bucks South last Friday to win for the seventh time in their past eight games.

“I thought this was a really, really tough, hard-fought team win,” Manero said. “We needed a bullpen guy to come in and shut things down – he did. We needed a couple guys to make some really tough plays on a hard, fast infield in the last inning – they did. And we needed some guys in any part of the order to come up with big hits today and they did.

“So in every facet of the game today we gutted it out as a team and it’s what we tell the guys, there’s a lot of really good players in the league but we want to make sure we’re the best equipped to win as a team. The best nine not the nine best.”

North Penn, which last SOL championship came in 2018 in the SOL Continental Conference, visits Central Bucks East 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. A win by the Knights gives them the outright Colonial crown while an East victory splits the title between the Patriots and NP.

“It’s huge to bounce back cause tomorrow is our chance to go and grab the conference title so we want to do that and we don’t want to have two losses under our belt,” Sullivan said. “So we kind of took it personal Friday so we wanted to bounce back and today was huge.”

Reese Hirsh was 2-for-4 with an RBI while Joe Limongelli was 2-for-4 for Pennsbury (9-10, 7-8 SOL Patriot), which lost its second straight. The Falcons came into the week 24^th in the District 1-6A rankings with 20 making the playoff field. North Penn began Monday 10^th in 6A.

In the top of the fifth, a Justin Mitrovich two-out single to shallow center put two runners on for Hirsh, who knocked an single through the right side to score Callan Fang from second to make it 3-2 and end the day for NP starting pitcher Lennon. Hamilton came in and proceeded to strike out the next batter, stranding runners on second and third.

“I really just trusted the fastball right there,” Hamilton said. “Coach Manero calling the pitches and then just Evin (Sullivan) giving me that sign and that target and I know I just got to hit that and that’s what I did.”

North Penn regained the two-run lead with three straight one-out hits in the sixth. Sam Cohen collected the first with a base hit to right while Jack Picozzi lined a single through to the left side. After a Pennsbury pitching change due to starter Mitrovich reaching the 100-pitch count, Ryan Sullivan ripped a single to center, plating Cohen’s pinch runner Tyler Bohn to make it 4-2.

“He wanted me to bunt and I didn’t get the barrel out in time so then I was down in the court so all I thought was shorten up, widen up –  what’s he’s told me all year,” Ryan Sullivan said. “And just hit the ball right up the middle. Felt really good.”

Hamilton did not give a hit or walk, allowing just one Falcon on base due to a two-out error in the sixth. The right-hander, however, got the following batter to fly out to left then put Pennsbury down in order in the seventh.

“I think just having the trust from all my teammates and especially my coaches, so always get in those situations,” Hamilton said. “I think that’s really what helps it. I just trust my stuff, trust my fielders and I just go at it and throw some strikes.”

Lennon earned the win for the Knights, the left-handed West Chester commit allowing two runs – both earned – on 10 hits, no walks and five strikeouts. Elon commit Mitrovich took the loss, the Falcons righty giving up four runs – two earned – on five hits, walked three and struck out nine.

“I think it took Michael a few innings to be Michael,” said Manero of Lennon. “He was Mike in the first couple innings. Just up in the zone a little bit but once he settled in he was real tough and I’ll tell ya, Mitrovich is a good pitcher and we knew that is going to be a tough battle when we knew he was throwing today and he is tough.”

Pennsbury took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as Dan Ciotti led off the inning with a triple to right center then scored on Fang’s RBI sacrifice fly to left.

Ryan Sullivan started the bottom of the third with an infield single, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. After a Jeff Sabater walk, Ryan Sullivan came home on Evin Sullivan’s RBI sac fly to center to knot things 1-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, Justin Egner led off with a single and went to second on Colin Orndorff’s sacrifice bunt. A two-out Picozzi walk put two on for Ryan Sullivan, who bounced a grounder to the left side that resulted in the error that scored both Egner and Picozzi.