North Penn will do battle with Avon Grove in Thursday’s District One AAAA title game at Great Valley (3:30 p.m.).
The North Penn Maidens have gone full circle.
In the The Philadelphia Inquirer’s preseason poll ranking the top teams from Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Maidens were ranked number one, but a season of great expectations didn’t exactly go as planned for a squad that returned the nucleus of last year’s state semifinalist team.
They lost their first game of the season to Downingtown West 19-14 in a game they led 11-3. The Maidens suffered a similar fate in a 5-3 loss to Central Bucks South in their league opener that saw the Titans stage a late rally for the come-from-behind win. They rebounded to defeat archrival Souderton (10-4) and Quakertown (8-2) but then stumbled in an 8-3 loss to Central Bucks East.
North Penn was 6-3 after an 8-4 win over Archbishop Wood on April 23 but fell to 6-6 after dropping three straight games to Souderton (9-3), Bensalem (8-2) and Central Bucks South (2-0).
A whole lot has changed since that April 28 loss to South. The Maidens have reeled off 11 straight wins. In that span, they have allowed just 17 runs, holding teams to two runs or less in nine of those games and one or less in six.
Impressive numbers for a squad that is one win away from capturing its second district title in three years, and perhaps just one person is standing in the way of the Maidens’ quest for a district crown.
Maggie Balint.
Avon Grove’s sophomore star is the talk of the district and deservedly so. It’s been a long, long time since a pitcher so dominant has hit the scene. In three district playoff wins, Balint has allowed just one earned run. In those 22 innings, she has given up a total of nine hits while striking out 38 and walking five.
Those dazzling numbers have sent three SOL teams – Central Bucks South (1-0, 8 innings), Neshaminy (2-1) and Souderton (3-1) – home on the short end of the score. Balint, who has made a verbal commitment to Delaware, has been a one-woman wrecking crew for the Red Devils. She’s led her team to wins in three games that saw the Red Devils hit just .159 (11-for-68). Balint has accounted for two of those 11 hits. Teammate Alyssa Herion is the team’s hottest hitter with three hits in eight at-bats. Courtney Gall and Logan Needham each have two hits.
On Thursday, the sophomore sensation will be confronted with a North Penn squad that has talent at every position and has moved back to number four in the most recent Inquirer rankings. Avon Grove is ranked second.
Who will prevail?
It promises to be a most interesting battle.
#2 AVON GROVE vs. #9 NORTH PENN (at Great Valley, 3:30 p.m.)
North Penn
- 17-6 overall
- 10-4 SOL Continental Conference (tied for second place)
- Won seven in a row to close out regular season after a 6-6 start, a strong finish that coincided with the return of Philadelphia University-bound centerfielder Erin Maher to the lineup.
- Last loss was April 28 to 15th-seeded Central Bucks South (2-0). The Titans swept the season series with the Maidens.
- Returned the nucleus of last year’s squad that advanced to state semifinals
- Split with third-seeded Souderton, winning initial meeting 10-4 and dropping second 9-3.
How they got here: The Maidens plated three runs in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s district semifinal game against Spring-Ford to break a 0-0 tie. Becky Christoffers collected an RBI single to plate the first run, and Meghan Curley’s two-run single made it a 3-0 game. Jackie Bilotti earned the win, allowing just five hits. In Friday’s quarterfinal against William Tennent, the Maidens needed extra innings for the second straight game. Nicole Schussler delivered a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning to propel the Maidens to a 4-2 win. Bilotti earned the win. In second round action last Wednesday, Bilotti tossed a complete game three-hit shutout in the Maidens’ 2-0 win in 11 innings over Central Bucks East. Senior Vicky Tumasz delivered a two-run single to plate the game’s only runs in the 11th inning. In Monday’s opening round, Alyssa Shoulberg contributed a double and three RBIs and Bilotti had a pair of solo home runs to lead the Maidens to a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Council Rock South. Bilotti also earned the win on the mound.
Players to watch: Erin Maher (Sr., CF), Vicky Tumasz (Sr., SS), Meghan Curley (Sr., 3B), Alyssa Shoulberg (Sr., 2B), Jackie Bilotti (Jr., P), Becky Christoffers (Jr., RF)
Avon Grove
- 18-4 Ches-Mont National Division co-champs with West Chester Henderson
- Swept league games with sixth-seeded West Chester Henderson (5-3, 2-0) and 11th-seeded Downingtown East (8-3, 1-0). Also defeated 10th-seeded Kennett (2-1)
- Lost two of three games to close out regular season, falling to Coatesville (2-1) and Downingtown East (3-2) in the finale.
- Led by sophomore phenom Maggie Balint, who already has over 600 strikeouts for her career and fanned 324 in 151.2 innings this season while walking just 43. She is 18-3 with a 0.46 earned run average and has allowed just 10 earned runs. Balint has committed to the University of Delaware but is being recruited by some of the nation’s top programs.
- Red Devils are led offensively by Balint (30-for-70, .429, 10 RBIs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run) and Alyssa Herion (26-for-65, .400, 17 RBIs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs). No other regular is hitting over .300.
How they got here: The Red Devils plated a pair of unearned runs in Tuesday’s 3-1 semifinal win over the Indians. Maggie Balint allowed just two hits and fanned 10. In Friday’s quarterfinal 2-1 win over Neshaminy, the Red Devils scored a pair of runs on wild pitches in the bottom of the seventh to erase a 1-0 deficit. Balint fanned 14 while allowing six hits. After an opening round bye, the Red Devils eked out a 1-0 win in eight innings over Central Bucks South, plating the game winner on an errant throw. The Red Devils managed just three hits off losing hurler Hailey Warner. Sophomore Maggie Balint fanned 14 and allowed just four hits.
#3 SOUDERTON vs. #4 SPRING-FORD (at North Penn, 4 p.m.)
Souderton
- 16-5 overall
- 11-3 SOL Continental Conference champions
- Program’s first conference title since 2004
- Scored five or more runs in 13 games
- Split conference games with eighth-seeded Central Bucks East (4-1, 5-8) and ninth-seeded North Penn (4-10, 9-3) and swept 15th-seeded Central Bucks South
How they got here: The Indians managed just two hits off Maggie Balint in Tuesday’s 3-1 district semifinal loss to Avon Grove. The Red Devils had just two hits off senior Erelle Sowers but benefitted from several miscues to plate two unearned runs. In Friday’s quarterfinal game against Henderson, the Indians needed a six-run rally in the sixth inning to earn a 9-7 come-from-behind win over West Chester Henderson. After an opening round bye, the Indians edged West Chester East 6-5 in a second round game. The Indians trailed 5-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth when they plated three runs to win it. Erelle Sowers, who earned the win on the mound, contributed an RBI single and Paige Shelly drove in a pair. Savannah Bostwick was the lone Indian to collect two hits.
Spring-Ford
- 18-4 overall
- 16-2 PAC-10 regular season champions
- Fell to 18th-seeded Owen J Roberts 8-1 in PAC-10 semifinals after defeating the Wildcats twice during the regular season (5-2, 5-3)
- Swept league games with 16th-seeded Methacton (7-3, 2-1) and split with 12th-seeded Perkiomen Valley (4-1, 1-12).
- Freshman Megan Kern was MVP of PAC-10
How they got here: The hard-hitting Rams managed just five hits off Jackie Bilotti in Tuesday’s 3-1 district semifinal loss to North Penn. Jaycie Loomis accounted for the team’s lone run with a solo blast in the sixth inning. in Friday’s quarterfinal game, the Rams used an RBI double by Morgan Maziarz in the eighth inning to eke out a 7-6 win over Pennsbury. Cassie Alexy, Kylee Harris and Jess Nattle each had three hits in a contest that saw the Rams collect 14 hits. In Wednesday’s 10-6 second round win over Council Rock North, the Rams, who had an opening round bye, pounded out 12 hits – seven doubles. Megan Kern led the hit parade with three doubles while Jess Nattle (double) and Morgan Maziarz each added a pair of hits. Amber Sergas allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings in relief of starter Jenna Lee, who was roughed up for nine hits and six runs.
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