Four area SOL teams were in action as Monday’s 6A baseball playoffs commenced. CB West’s extra-innings walk off and Quakertown’s upset highlighted the first round.
A Quakertown (10-11) program that traditionally punches above its weight struck again on Monday. The No. 23 – and second to last seed – Panthers topped No. 10 Owen J. Roberts 7-3. Quakertown ace Vinny Pellegrini fanned six and didn’t walk any in a complete game win. Cooper Natisin doubled, singled and drove in three to highlight the offense. Quakertown played No. 7 and SOL National champ Pennsbury in Wednesday’s late second-round game.
No. 14 CB West (15-6), the SOL Colonial runner-up, extended its win streak to four with an extra-inning 7-6 win over No. 19 Downingtown West in Doylestown. Bill Zentmayer’s RBI single walked it off. Will Hogenauer also hit a two-run double. West faced No. 3 Methacton in a late second-round Wednesday game.
Results of Wednesday games were not available at press time.
It was a tough Monday for Council Rock. No. 18 CR North (11-9) lost to No. 15 WC Henderson 4-3 while No. 24 CR South (7-10) dropped a 3-1 pitcher’s duel to No. 9 Upper Darby.
The Indians, the SOL Patriot runners-up, carried a seven-game win streak out to West Chester. Nick DiGiacomo’s homer put the Indians up 2-0 but the Warriors posted a four-spot in the seventh to walk off with the playoff win. Notably for North, Leor Kedar hit .438 with six extra-base hits in the regular season.
CR South’s Chase Ennis pitched well, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3, but the Golden Hawks didn’t have an answer for Upper Darby ace Chris Zupito, who allowed just two hits.
No. 2 Faith Christian (13-3, 12-1 BAL) topped No. 3 Jenkintown 6-5 in Tuesday’s District One class A semifinal. It earned the Lions a rematch with No. 1 Dock Mennonite for the district final this Thursday. Dock handed Faith its lone Bicentennial loss. Kendri Beltre (.559) and Grayson Weikel (.488) led the Lion offensive attack. Faith has now reached the last six straight district final games.
No. 5 Neumann-Goretti knocked No. 4 Archbishop Wood out of the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs with a 10-5 quarterfinal win on Saturday. Wood’s (9-4 PCL) Joey Gale was named the PCL’s co-Defensive Player of the Year while teammate Patrick Gozdan joined him on the all-league first team.
In District 11 2A No. 6 Palisades traveled to No. 3 Williams Valley in Wednesday’s late first-round game. The winner advances to No. 2 Schuykill Haven on May 28. Palisades finished the regular season 7-13; in their final five games, the Pirates won two and had a one-run loss in a third.
No. 2 Solebury School completed a successful season last Thursday, falling 11-7 to No. 4 Community Academy of Philadelphia in the Penn-Jersey Athletic Association final. A win would have resulted in Solebury’s first league title since 2006. The Spartans finished the year at 9-3-1 (8-2-1 PJAA Blue).
Across the river, Dillon Gallagher pitched well enough to win, scattering just two hits and striking out 12, but No. 7 South Hunterdon fell 2-0 to No. 10 South Amboy on Monday in the first round of the Central Jersey Group 1 Sectionals. The Eagles went 7-10 (5-3 Skylands Mountain) in the regular season. Gallagher’s six extra-base hits, 14 RBIs and 66 strikeouts on the mound all led the team.
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