tom moore, bucks county courier times
·5 min read
Monday was a busy day in the PIAA state baseball playoffs.
The Bucks County area was represented by seven teams and five of them advanced to the quarterfinals. District 12 champion La Salle and District One fifth-place finisher Neshaminy prevailed in 6A, as did Conwell-Egan (District 12 4A champ), Holy Ghost Prep (District One 4A champion) and Faith Christian (Class A champ).
Here's how the first round went and the second-round matchups:
PIAA State Playoffs
Class 6A
First round, Monday
(12-1) La Salle 7, (1-4) Plymouth Whitemarsh 4: The Explorers scored three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning en route to the home victory. Junior Jack Pye pitched the first 5⅔ innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while senior Cole Kochanowicz handled the final 1⅓. Seniors Matt Gannon and Frank Provenzano each had two RBIs, with seniors Liam Hawley (triple, three runs scored), David Vozzo and junior Aimon Chandler adding two hits apiece.
(2-1) Hazleton 1, (1-3) Central Bucks East 0: Senior Damian Frayne threw six scoreless innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven forthe visiting Patriots(17-8), with sophom*ore Jason Abert coming on in relief. Hazleton won it on a two-out error with two runners on base. Senior Chase Harlan, junior Colin Lynch and sophom*ore Anthony Niro had hits for CB East. ... The Patriots qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in school history. They won the Suburban One League Colonial Division title for the first time since 2013.
(1-5) Neshaminy 4, (11-1) Bethlehem Liberty 0:Senior Luke Schweiker (four innings, six strikeouts) and junior Steven Martin (three innings, two strikeouts) combined for a no-hitter. Senior Stone Powell drove in a second-inning run with a single for Neshaminy(21-3), with sophom*ore Mike Sassano adding an RBI single in the top of the fourth and sophom*ore Brandon Lall contributing a two-run single in the seventh at De Sales University. Senior Joel Bonner and Lall had two hits apiece.
(3-1) Hempfield 12, (1-6) North Penn 2 (6 innings): The visiting Knights (16-9) allowed six runs in the first inning and four in the third. North Penn used three pitchers. Senior Ben Farley had a two-run double in the third for the Knights. ... NP finished third at districts a year ago and advanced to the state semifinals in 2021 and ’23.
Quarterfinals, Friday
(12-1) La Salle vs. (1-1) Downingtown East, 2 p.m. at Neumann University, Aston: The Explorers (22-3) won the Philadelphia Catholic League title after also taking the title in 2021 on the way to capturing the state championship. ... Downingtown East downed Ephrata 9-2 in the first round.
(1-5) Neshaminy vs. (2-1) Hazleton, noon at De Sales University: SOL Patriot Division champ Neshaminy (21-3) had last made states in 2021 by securing the district title and won a PIAA opening-round playoff game. The win total is a single-season school record. ... Hazleton edged Central Bucks East 1-0 in the first round on an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh.
Class 4A
First round, Monday
(12-1) Conwell-Egan 10, (11-1) Bethlehem Catholic 4:The Eagles(16-5) jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings, thanks mainly to a five-run second inning, and stayed in control the rest of the way for the opening win. CEC had 11 hits in the victory, which is CEC's first in the state playoffs. Philadelphia Catholic League schools joined the PIAA during the 2008-09 school year. Senior Braydon Janzer had three hits and three RBIs, with senior Scott Ray (RBI) and sophom*ores Keegan Johnson (double, two RBIs) and Connor Landau (RBI) contributing two hits apiece. Freshman Brady Guzzie allowed one earned run in 4⅓ innings and struck out seven and junior Chase Forester didn't give up a hit over the final 2⅔.
(1-1) Holy Ghost Prep 20, (12-2) Constitution 0 (3 innings): The Firebirds (15-8) rolled to victory, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first inning and 13 in the second. HGP had 17 hits, 10 of which went for extra bases (nine doubles and a home run by sophom*ore Jake Keaser). Sophom*ores Matt Baker (two RBIs) and Colin Davis (three RBIs) had two doubles apiece, while sophom*ores Tyler Bergkoetter (double) and Matthew Evans (three RBIs) each went 3 for 3. Sophom*ore Killian McHugh tossed three hitless innings, striking out eight. An error kept him from an abbreviated perfect game. … Constitution, which plays in the Philadelphia Public League, lost to Conwell-Egan 21-0 in three innings for the District 12 championship.
Quarterfinals, Thursday
(12-1) Conwell-Egan vs. (4-1) Danville, 6:30 p.m. at Wenger Field, Fredericksburg: CEC tied for second place in the Catholic League with a 9-3 regular-season record. Conwell-Egan hadn’t won districts since 2017, when it competed as a Class 3A school. ... Danville topped Scranton Prep 5-2 in Monday's opener.
Friday
(1-1) Holy Ghost Prep vs. (2-1) Dallas, 3:30 p.m. at De Sales University: The Firebirds (15-8) secured their third district title in four years before winning Monday's state opener. They reached the 4A state title game in 2022. ... Dallas defeated ELCO 13-2 in six innings in the first round.
Class A
First round, Monday
(1-1) Faith Christian 1, (11-1) Nativity BVM 0: Junior Reid Miller's RBI double in the top of the third inning produced the game's only run for the undefeated Lions (20-0) at North Schuylkill HS in Ashland. Senior Grayson Weikel (six innings, five strikeouts) and Miller (final inning, one strikeout) combined to pitch a no-hitter.
Quarterfinals, Thursday
(1-1) Faith Christian vs. (2-1) MMI Prep, 4 p.m. at Walter Stump Stadium, Pine Grove: The Lions (20-0) earned three straight Class A district titles from 2017-19, winning a first-round game at states in 2018. ... MMI Prep downed visiting Millville 11-1 in five innings in the first round.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: PIAA State Baseball Playoffs: Matchups, scores, recaps
