Neshaminy advanced to Friday’s District One AAAA title game while Pennsbury earned a spot in Thursday’s semifinal game. To view photos of the Neshaminy/North Penn game, please visit the Photo Gallery. For live coverage of Friday’s district title game, listen to WBCB 1490 AM or visit the web site: http://tunein.com/radio/WBCB-1490-s27366/
#1-3 PENNSBURY 8, #1-6 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 3
The tone for Wednesday’s district quarterfinal game, according to senior Mackenzie Obert, was set very early when – after Val Buehler retired the Warriors in order in the top of the inning - Christina Bascara led off the bottom of the first with a single.
“We were definitely ready for this game, and I think that showed,” Obert said. “We came out hard, and we came out swinging. Christina started us off with a great hit. As soon as she gets on, we know we’re pretty solid, and we’ll keep hitting.”
Although the Falcons didn’t get on the scoreboard in the first, they knew the hits would follow, and they did. By the time Buehler retired the Warriors in order in the seventh, the Falcons had pounded out 13 hits and put eight runs on the board.
Bascara and freshman Fiona Link led the hit parade with three hits each. Link, who hits out of the eight hole, reached base on all four trips to the plate, drawing a walk in her fourth at-bat.
“She’s a great player,” Bascara said of Fiona. “She’s definitely doing her job. She’s doing big things, and we’re so grateful to have her here.”
The Falcons scored all the runs Buehler would need in a five-run second inning that featured five hits and three costly Warrior errors. Dani Litwin got things started with a single, and when Farryl Groder’s sacrifice bunt was misplayed, the Falcons had a pair of runners on board. Link followed with an RBI single, and the Falcons had a lead they would not lose.
“She’s a freshman, and sometimes freshmen are the kind of kids who don’t think too much – they just go up there and react,” coach Frank McSherry said. “That’s pretty much what she did. She did a great job, and that helped us. She had some real good at-bats for us.”
Henderson hurler Lauren Butts fanned the next batter she faced, but Bascara was waiting in the wings and delivered an RBI triple. Jess Greenwald was safe on an error, and Obert followed with an RBI single to center. A walk to Suzanne Swanicke set the stage for an RBI single by Michelle George, and the Falcons led 5-0.
“It made it a lot easier,” Bascara said of taking the early lead. “We knew we were coming in facing a very competitive and a very good pitcher. Luckily, we were able to hit the holes, and it worked out for us today.”
Pennsbury led 6-0 in the third after Bascara, who led off the inning with a single, scored on a costly two-out error.
In the top of the fourth, the Warriors broke up Buehler’s shutout bid after collecting three consecutive singles and plating a single run. It could have been worse, but with Warrior runners on the corners and one out, the Falcons pulled off an inning-ending double play, erasing both runners on a double steal attempt on a perfect Litwin-to-Obert-to-Litwin connection for the putouts at second and then home.
“I think that’s the first time we have actually done that,” Obert said. “All I knew was I had to get the girl out at second. That’s our first priority.
“Coach always tells us to look for the second out – we’re never satisfied with one. Once I tug her, I knew I had to look to see if she had crossed the plate and if I had a play on her, and I did. I threw it as hard as I could, and it turned out it went to Dani’s glove.”
The Falcons plated a single run in the bottom of the fourth, benefitting from singles by Link and Taylor Boltersdorf and another Warrior miscue.
“We came in, and everyone was pumped,” Obert said after the double play to end the fourth. “You could hear our bench got a lot louder after that play.”
The Falcons upped their lead to 8-1 in the fifth when Greenwald and Obert collected back-to-back infield singles. Greenwald scored on a George groundout. The Warriors scored two runs in the sixth, but it was too little too late.
“This team is a good team, and they showed it,” McSherry said. “They battled back.
“They were 19-2 for a reason, so we can’t just get production from a few kids. The lineup all the way through has to produce.”
The win guaranteed the Falcons a spot in the state tournament while the Ches-Mont champions (19-3) saw their season end.
“It’s exciting, especially as a senior,” Bascara said. “It’s a tough day for them – they came out here and played their hearts out.”
The Falcons return to the diamond on Thursday when they will face Central Bucks East in a district semifinal game at William Tennent at 4 p.m.
“It’s a great thing,” Bascara said of playing on back-to-back days. “Especially after the break we had – we’re fired up, and we know we’re going to be facing another really, really good team, and we love those games.”
(1-1) NESHAMINY 2, (1-13) NORTH PENN 0
Lauren Quense, thanks to a pair of walks, found herself in a bit of a jam in the top of the first inning when the Maidens had a runner advance all the way to third. The Redskins’ senior ace escaped unscathed and then methodically took care of business the rest of the way, allowing just two hits while fanning eight. She did not walk a batter the rest of the way.
“After the first inning, she really took control of the game,” coach Dave Chichilitti said. “She got stronger at the end.
“She mixed up her pitches really well, and she hit her spots. To their credit, they put 13 balls in play, and we made 13 plays except for one little (miscue), but it didn’t hurt us. We played excellent defense.
“They came out prepared to be aggressive against her, and they were, but she just hit her spots. Fortunately for us, we made the plays. Their pitcher (Jackie Bilotti) hit her spots too. We were fortunate enough that some of our hits were big blows where their hits were singles.”
The Redskins scored all the runs Quense would need in the bottom of the first. Senior Diana LaPalombara led off with a double, and one out later, Quense drew her first of three unintentional intentional walks. With two outs, sophomore Sara Snider-Leonhauser ripped an RBI double to spot the Redskins a 1-0 lead.
“That was really big,” senior Julia McGovern said of scoring early. “They came out with a lot of energy. They came out really ready to play, and we knew we had to match that.
“They had a runner on third in the top of the inning, and we held them off, and to come back and score a run, that set the tone that we were there to play too.”
It might have been more, but the Maidens delivered a pair of defensive gems. The first came when - after Snider-Leonhauser doubled – Julia McGovern’s drive down to left was snared on a diving catch by the leftfielder.
“That would have been a double or triple,” Chichilitti said.
“She made an awesome diving catch,” McGovern said. “I was so mad, but it happens.”
Also in the inning, the Maidens gunned down a second runner attempting to score on Snider-Leonhauser’s double.
In the third inning, McGovern made sure there would be no more heroic catches, delivering a home run over the right center field fence.
“I didn’t know it was a home run,” she said. “I have a curse where it seems like it’s going to be and then it hits the fence or the wind takes it.
“I had two strikes on me, and I knew I had to protect. I was just protecting the plate, and I got ahold of one, and there you go. Sometimes it just happens.”
That 2-0 score stood the rest of the way.
“We played solid defense,” McGovern said. “We always say that defense is going to win the game, no matter what. Hits will come hopefully, but we always try to play solid defense, and I can’t ask for more.
“A lot of people have stepped up, and it’s great to see that. I think it’s reassuring for Q to have that behind her. We have such a great pitcher in the circle, and to have a great team in the field – we trust each other. It’s nice to know the person next to you and behind you is going to make the plays.”
Snider-Leonhauser was the lone player to collect two hits in the game. The Redskins managed just four hits off of North Penn sophomore Jackie Bilotti.
“It was a very well played game between two very good teams,” Chichilitti said. “I believe in my heart that this district tournament is almost harder than the state tournament, I don’t care what anyone says. We have 24 teams in our tournament, and 18 of those are excellent teams.
“It was one of our goals coming into the year to play for the district championship. This team has focused on their goals and worked hard. Hopefully, they will have a chance to complete another goal that they set.”
The win propelled the Redskins into Friday’s district final – the first trip to the district title game for this group of players, who fell to Pennsbury in the district semifinals two years ago.
Awaiting the Redskins will either be a Central Bucks East team that sent the Redskins packing in the second round of districts last year or an archrival Pennsbury squad that twice fell to the Redskins this season.
“It’s so exciting,” McGovern said. “Not only are we playing for the district title, but I get to play with my best friends. We’ve been working so hard for this, and it’s awesome to see it come into focus.
“We always say – one game at a time, and now we’re here playing for a district championship. All the hard work paid off.”
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