PA High School Baseball: Pennsbury’s Bradley gets strikeout
Pennsbury junior pitcher Keller Bradley gets one of his 11 strikeouts to close out the 3rd inning of District One playoff 2nd-round victory
The PIAA District One baseball playoffs began Monday, May 19, with berths in the PIAA state tournament on the line in Class 6A and 5A. The Class A-4A playoffs started Tuesday, May 20.
PIAA District One playoffs
All games 4 p.m. unless noted
Class 6A (Six state qualifiers)Semifinals Tuesday, May 27
(7) West Chester Henderson 3, (6) Neshaminy 0: Neshaminy, which is 15-7, advanced to states for the second straight spring. Senior Chase Bonner started for Neshaminy and pitched into the fifth inning, when junior Matt Gryn came on in relief. Bonner also had two hits, including a double.
(8) North Penn 4, (4) Coatesville 2: Junior Christian Barnes had two RBIs for the visiting Knights, including the single to put them ahead in the top of the seventh inning to key a three-run rally. Barnes singled in senior Mason Coyne (2 for 3), who had doubled, in the fourth, only for Coatesville to score two in the bottom of the frame. Senior Ben Grattan contributed three hits for the second game in a row, giving him and Barnes six hits apiece during that time. Senior Trevor Lugara went the distance, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out six for NP (18-5).
First-round consolations Tuesday, May 27
(5) Pennsbury 4, (1) Haverford 0: The Falcons scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning en route to the victory and earned a state berth. Senior Vanderbilt commit Keller Bradley struck out 17 in 6â…” superb innings, permitting two hits and walking one, before senior Mason Keith registered a strikeout to end it after Bradley reached the 100-pitch limit. Sophomores Brendan Zuckerman (two-run homer) and Pierce Perry (single) accounted for all four Pennsbury RBIs in the fourth frame.
(3) Perk Valley 1, (2) Methacton 0 (9 innings)
Final Thursday, May 29
(8) North Penn vs. (7) West Chester Henderson at Plymouth Township: The Knights (18-5) captured the SOL Colonial with a 10-5 record. They are headed to states for the third consecutive season. In 2024, NP gained the sixth and final district spot at states before falling in the opening round of the PIAA tournament. North Penn last won the district in 2008, though it has three state titles (2009, ’13, ’15) since then. It was second in the district in 2015 and ’17.
Third-place game May 29
(6) Neshaminy at (4) Coatesville: Neshaminy (15-7) finished fifth at districts a year ago and won a state playoff game to reach the quarterfinals.
Fifth-place game May 29
(5) Pennsbury at (3) Perkiomen Valley: The Falcons (16-6-1) won the SOL Patriot Division for the third time in four years.
Quarterfinals Friday, May 23
(8) North Penn 8, (1) Haverford 1: The Knights secured their third straight trip to the state playoffs with the win. Junior Jake Nunn went 5â…” innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run and striking out eight. Senior Ben Grattan had three RBIs and three hits, while junior Christian Barnes contributed four hits and two RBIs. NP scored three times in the fifth to break a scoreless tie.
(4) Coatesville 2, (5) Pennsbury 0: The Falcons (15-6-1) need a win in consolation play to make the state playoffs. Pennsbury put two runners on base in the sixth inning but couldn’t score. Sophomore Pierce Perry started and senior Mason Keith also pitched for visiting Pennsbury, which had three hits.
(7) West Chester Henderson 5, (2) Methacton 4 (8 innings)
(6) Neshaminy 4, (3) Perkiomen Valley 2: Neshaminy, which is 15-6, clinched a state berth with the victory. Senior Jake Plebani had a two-run double in the fourth inning, while junior Brandon Lall and senior Danny Nocito provided RBIs. Junior Jared Kligerman allowed two runs and struck out five in three innings, with junior Matt Gryn adding four innings of two-hit, shutout ball. Gryn had no walks and fanned three.
Second round May 20
(1) Haverford 6, (17) Souderton 3: The Big Red received two hits and three RBIs from senior Cody Ricko and a two hits, including a double, from junior Evan Divens. Souderton finished 11-10-1.
(8) North Penn 12, (24) Council Rock South 0 (5 innings): The host Knights (16-5) scored five runs in the first inning en route to the victory. Senior Ben Grattan had two hits and three RBIs for NP, while junior Christian Barnes added a double and three RBIs and seniors Kevin Brace and Luke Chartrand contributed two hits apiece. Senior Trevor Lugara tossed a three-hitter with no walks and six strikeouts. Seniors Billy O’Neill, Jake Andrews and Ryan Hickey had hits for the Golden Hawks.
(4) Coatesville 2, (13) Quakertown 1: The willing Panthers fell on a walk-off in the seventh inning at Coatesville. Senior Jarred Housten allowed one earned run in 6â…“ innings, four hits, walked two and struck out four. Seniors Cole Reich, Anthony Pellegrini, junior Gunnar Rahn (RBI) and freshman Carter Tucholski had Quakertown’s hits.
(5) Pennsbury 7, (12) Lower Merion 0: Junior pitcher Keller Bradley limited LM to three hits and one walk while striking out 11 (five looking). The Falcons (15-5-1) received three RBIs and a triple from senior Ryan Webber and three RBIs from senior Dylan Hirsh. Sophomore Pierce Perry added an RBI.
(2) Methacton 3, (15) Central Bucks South 2: Seniors Jake Yang and Owen Pinkerton contributed two hits apiece for the Titans. Junior Luke Hillegass allowed six hits and one earned run and struck out seven in five innings. South (12-9) had earned its first opening-round win at districts since 2019, when the Titans ended up second at districts and were the runner-up to Souderton at the PIAA state tournament.
(7) West Chester Henderson 2, (10) Garnet Valley 1
(3) Perkiomen Valley 4, (14) Downingtown East 2
(6) Neshaminy 10, (11) Avon Grove 1: Neshaminy received a five-hit complete game from senior Chase Bonner, who has allowed one earned run over his last 26 innings. He walked one and stuck out seven. Junior Mike Sassano had three RBIs for Neshaminy (14-6), while junior Brandon Lall (two hits, including a double), sophomore Dan Marable and Bonner contributed two apiece. Senior Anthony Kurley (double) chipped in with three hits.
First round May 19
(17) Souderton 1, (16) Boyertown 0 (8 innings): The Big Red (11-9-1) scratched out a run in the top of the eighth to edge Boyertown. Junior Patrick Wendell singled and scored the game’s lone run on an error off the bat of senior Cody Ricko. Senior Tyler Lutz was terrific on the mound, giving up just two hits and striking out 12 in seven innings. Senior Ben Divens recorded a scoreless eighth.
(24) Council Rock South 16, (9) Great Valley 0 (3 innings): The Golden Hawks (11-9) rolled to victory after securing the final 6A playoff spot by downing rival Council Rock North to take the SOL Patriot series 2-1 and Neshaminy defeating Bensalem. The win was South’s fifth straight and featured three shutout innings of two-hit ball and five strikeouts from junior Reed Curtier, who also had three hits and two RBIs. Seniors Billy O’Neill (three RBIs), Jake Andrews (two RBIs) and junior Owen McLean had two hits apiece. Senior Johnny Mendola had a home run and three RBIs while junior Jack Reynolds added two RBIs.
(13) Quakertown 6, (20) Plymouth Whitemarsh 5: The Panthers improved to 11-9 with the walk-off victory at DeSales University. With two out and the bases loaded, senior Nick DePiero’s grounder was misplayed, allowing sophomore CJ Peacher, who was running for senior catcher Gunnar Rahn, to score. DePiero had three hits and two RBIs, freshman Carter Tucholski contributed two doubles and an RBI, with senior Cole Reich adding two hits. Senior Macen Probition pitched the final two shutout innings, striking out five and allowing just one hit to earn the win.
(12) Lower Merion 8, (21) Conestoga 2
(14) Downingtown East 3, (19) Wissahickon 1
(15) Central Bucks South 6, (18) Central Bucks West 4: After spotting CB West a 4-0 lead, CB South scored the game’s final six runs. Junior Shane Farrell finished with two hits and three RBIs, including a two-run single to put the Titans (12-8) ahead for good in the bottom of the second inning. Senior Jake Ruddell also had a double among his two hits, while senior Brett Barrett (five innings, 10 strikeouts) was the winning pitcher and senior Landen Hinds threw two innings of scoreless relief.
Junior Jack Hogenauer contributed a double, two-run single and 1â…“ innings of solid relief for the Bucks (12-8). West senior Michael Koldhoff had a solo home run and junior Noah Gerstein provided an RBI single in its four-run second. The Bucks had won two of the three regular-season matchups with South during the regular season.
(10) Garnet Valley 11, (23) Spring-Ford 2
(11) Avon Grove 3, (22) Council Rock North 1: CR North scored in the top of the seventh inning on senior Joe Rizzo’s RBI single that plated sophomore Noah Furman (single). Seniors Peyton Shaw and Will Seiler also had hits. Junior Preston Martin (1â…” hitless innings) and senior Will Godonis (two innings, three strikeouts) pitched well in relief for CRN, which finished the season 12-9.
Class 5A (Three state qualifiers)Final Tuesday, May 27
(2) Radnor 2, (4) Upper Dublin 1
Third-place game May 27
(11) Hatboro-Horsham 4, Chichester 0: The 10-13 Hatters triumphed at Neumann University to earn a spot in the state playoffs and will face the District 11 champion in the June 2 PIAA state playoff opener. Senior Jamie O’Neill went 6-plus innings, allowing five hits and striking out seven, with junior Conner Cataldi (one strikeout) getting the final three outs. Junior Cole Incudine (two hits) had a two-run single in the third inning to score senior Chris Yeager and junior Kenny Lutz, who each had two hits. H-H was helped by a double play in the fourth on a flyout to right fielder Yeager, who hit senior first baseman/cutoff man Ricky Klenk, whose throw to catcher Lutz just beat the runner trying to score from third base.
Semifinals Friday, May 23
(2) Radnor 4, (11) Hatboro-Horsham 3 (9 innings): The Hatters led 3-0, but Radnor rallied to prevail on a walk-off grounder in the bottom of the ninth. Junior Kenny Lutz had an RBI single in H-H’s three-run second inning, then came around to score on a throwing error. Senior Cole Reinheimer was the starting pitcher and contributed 5-plus strong innings. Senior Chris Herrera (3â…“ innings, one earned run) and junior Conner Cataldi came on in relief for the Hatters, who can still make states by winning the consolation final.
(4) Upper Dublin 11, (1) Chichester 0
Quarterfinals May 20
(11) Hatboro-Horsham 6, (3) Upper Moreland 1: The visiting Hatters (9-12) upended their longtime rivals behind junior pitcher Shane Mills, who had six strikeouts and gave up two walks and four hits in 5â…” innings. Junior Conner Cataldi handled the final 1â…“ innings. H-H junior Kenny Lutz and senior Dom Rapino had two hits apiece.
Senior Patrick Kilgus went 3 for 4 for the Golden Bears (14-6). UM finished second to Springfield-Montco in the SOL Freedom with a 13-2 record. UM prevailed 7-5 in a non-conference game between the schools on March 27. Bears assistant coach Pete Moore, whose son Chase is a sophomore regular for UM, was the H-H head coach from 2002-23. The Hatters are 9-12.
May 21
(1) Chichester 6, (9) Strath Haven 2
(4) Upper Dublin 3, (5) West Chester Rustin 2
(2) Radnor 9, (10) Upper Perkiomen 2
First round May 19
(9) Strath Haven 6, (8) Phoenixville 1
(5) West Chester Rustin 2, (12) Marple Newtown 0
(10) Upper Perkiomen 7, (7) Upper Merion 1
(11) Hatboro-Horsham 6, (6) West Chester East 2: The Hatters (8-12) picked up the road victory behind six strong innings from senior Jamie O’Neill (five hits, seven strikeouts). Junior Conner Cataldi handled the seventh, striking out two. O’Neill added a single and two RBIs, while junior Cole Incudine had a double among his two hits, senior Dom Rapino contributed an RBI single and junior Chase Canney had an RBI.
Class 4A (One state qualifier)Semifinals May 20
(1) Springfield-Montco 11, (4) Interboro 3
(2) Pope John Paul II 4, (3) Holy Ghost Prep 2: The defending 4A state champion Firebirds received two hits and an RBI from junior Matt Baker, two hits by junior Eddie Rosado and an RBI from junior Colin Davis. Junior Bam McNabb pitched the first 3â…“ innings and sophomore Christopher Schnauffer handled the final 2â…” hitless innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Holy Ghost ended up 10-9.
Final Friday, May 23
(2) Pope John Paul II 7, (1) Springfield-Montco 3
Class 3A Combined District 11/1 (One state qualifier)Quarterfinals Tuesday, May 20
(2) Palmerton 6, Palisades 0: The Pirates ended up 10-11.
(6) Pen Argyl 8, (3) Salisbury 0
(4) Notre Dame Green Pond 3, (5) Pine Grove 2
Semifinals Saturday, May 24
(4) Notre Dame Green Pond 8, (1) Allentown Central Catholic 6
(3) Palmerton 3, (6) Pen Argyl 2
Final Tuesday, May 27
(4) Notre Dame Green Pond 13, (3) Palmerton 3 (6 innings)
District 1/11 Regional Final Thursday, May 29
Bristol vs. Notre Dame Green Pond: The Warriors were 14-5 overall (8-2 BAL) during the regular season.
Class 2A (One state qualifier)Final Friday, May 22
(1) Faith Christian 7, (2) Delco Christian 0: The defending A state champ Lions repeated as district champions with the victory at Neumann University. Faith (18-2) received four RBIs, including a bases-clearing double in the second inning, from senior Chase Gieser. Senior Brandon Labs and junior Madden Marcks contributed RBIs for Faith. Senior pitcher Reid Miller was superb, allowing just three hits, one walk and striking out 13 in the shutout. Miller added a double and freshman Logan Labs had two hits.
The Lions will face the District 12 champion in the first round of states June 2. Faith went undefeated (10-0) for the second straight season in the Bicentennial Athletic League.
Semifinals Tuesday, May 20
(1) Faith Christian 15, (4) MaST Charter 5 (5 innings): The Lions rolled to victory. Junior Brandon Labs had three doubles and three RBIs, with sophomore Collin Kim adding two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Juniors Noah Wilson (two doubles), Madden Marcks (double) and sophomore Jagger Verbit contributed two hits apiece. Senior Chase Gieser went the distance on the mound for Faith (17-2).
(2) Delco Christian 6, (3) Calvary Christian 1
Class 1A (One state qualifier)Final Tuesday, May 27
(1) Dock Mennonite 2, (2) Plumstead Christian 0: The Pioneers (13-6) scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning at Plymouth Township to secure another district title. Sophomore Ethan Kratz allowed just two hits and struck out 12 in 6â…” innings. Senior Brayden Kratz, Ethan’s older brother, scored Dock’s first run on an error. The Pioneers will meet District 11 champ Nativity BVM in the first round of states on June 2.
Semifinals May 20
(2) Plumstead Christian 5, (3) The Christian Academy 4: The Panthers improved to 12-4 overall.
District 12 playoffs
All games 1 p.m. unless noted
Class 6A championship game (One state qualifier)Wednesday, May 28
Bonner-Prendergast (PCL 1) vs. Central (Public League 1), 3 p.m. at Dick Allen Field (FDR Park): The winner faces the District One third-place finisher in the PIAA state playoff opener June 2.
Class 5A championship game (One state qualifier)Wednesday, May 28
Roman Catholic (PCL 1) vs. Pub 1 at Dick Allen Field (FDR Park)
Class 3A championship game (Two state qualifiers)Wednesday, May 28
PCL 1 vs. PL 1 at Richie Ashburn Field (FDR Park)
PAISAA Championships
All games 4 p.m. unless noted
First roundMay 17
(5) Germantown Academy 6, (12) Germantown Friends 2: Junior Lucas Albert paced the GA offense with two RBIs. Senior Tyler Nolan contributed three hits. Sophomore Holt Record was the winning pitcher, giving up one run in three innings of relief. Junior Sean McGettigan and senior Charlie Morris also pitched well for the host Patriots.
QuarterfinalsTuesday, May 20
(5) Germantown Academy 3, (4) Shipley School 0: Junior Sean McGettigan tossed a three-hit shutout, walking none and striking out seven. Junior Lucas Albert had an RBI single, while senior Tyler Nolan and freshman Cooper Wilson also contributed RBIs for the 17-9 Patriots.
Semifinals Friday, May 23
(1) Malvern Prep 4, (5) Germantown Academy 1: Malvern topped GA for the third time this season after the game was tied 1-1 in the sixth inning. MP scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to prevail. The first two results were 5-4 and 4-2. The Patriots finished 17-10.
(3) Episcopal Academy 4, (2) Perkiomen School 2
Final Saturday, May 24
(1) Malvern Prep 6, (3) Episcopal Academy 1