Real life forced the manager of the Upper Perk Senior Connie Mack team to closely monitor his players' attendance and contemplate the lineup before every game. Initially, Christopher Burns had to figure out who was available to pitch and catch.
            Despite the challenge of working with limited numbers, Burns claims he's having the most fun of his entire career coaching for the Upper Perkiomen Kiwanis. He says the team has a sandlot feel. 

Sammy Zematis tags a Silver Creek runner at third base for Upper Perk's Senior Connie Mack team last week.

            "This is such a good group of players," the East Greenville resident said. "They support each other. They have great chemistry. They just want to get together and have fun."
            The team, made up of players between the ages of 17 and 21, ended its 11-game schedule this week. Brandon Godshall pitched Upper Perk (6-5) to victories in its final two games at Perkiomen School.

            UP defeated Silver Creek 6-5 on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Leadoff hitter Kaiden Schaefer delivered a team-high three hits and scored twice to lead his team to victory.

            On Monday, Godshall went the distance on the mound in a 3-0 win over Chestnut Hill. Eli Zematis led its offense with two hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs.
            Pitching and defense have carried Upper Perk this season, according to Burns, who said a lack of consistent practice time made hitting a challenge. Godshall, who plays club baseball at Bloomsburg University, has been its top pitcher.
            He sports an earned run average of less than a run over 29 innings. Burns described Godshall, a 2024 Upper Perkiomen graduate, as one of the top pitchers in the Sullivan Division.
            "He's so efficient," the manager said of Godshall, who went the distance on the mound in a 1-0 loss to a team from Lower South on Aug. 9.

            Upper Perk's roster features 18 players with a variety of experience. It includes players who have aged out of Perkiomen's American Legion baseball team, including Godshall and Isaac Bugman. Three of its players – Jonathan Lewis, Jake Creneti and Burns' son Topher – were double-rostered with Post 184 this summer.

            This season, Christopher Burns made sure to fill the team's roster to make sure enough players showed up for each game. Due to job and educational obligations, not every player attends every game.

            "They come when they can," he said.

            Topher Burns, Sammy Zematis, Gavin Merolla and Kaden Schaefer have covered a majority of the innings on the mound. Creneti has served as the primary catcher, while Spenser Collins, Topher Burns and Peyton Borchelt – a lefthander – have also caught.

            This season, anywhere from nine to 14 players have appeared for a game. Last season, with only 14 on the roster, scrounging up enough to field a team for every game was a challenge, according to the manager.

            "There were days when I was calling anyone I could to play," he said.

            Upper Perk jumped to an early 6-0 lead in its win over Silver Creek. Eli Zematis and Bugman drove in runs without a hit in the bottom of the first inning.

            UP added four runs in the bottom of the second. Sammy Zematis drove in two on a two-out hit to left field. Owen Hornack added a two-run double.

            Schaefer, Upper Perk's starting pitcher, earned the mound victory by allowing one run over five innings. Bugman, who plays for Rosemont College, pitched the seventh inning to earn the save despite allowing one run and three base runners.

            On Monday, Godshall permitted just three hits and four walks. He struck out eight on 98 pitches.

            Sammy Zematis added a hit and an RBI for Upper Perk, which scored twice in the third inning and once in the fifth. Schaefer stole a base.