Check out Thursday’s SOL softball results.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 5, HATBORO-HORSHAM 4
Ally Horvath had her eyes on second base the minute her slap to lead off the top of the seventh inning of a tie ball game got over the infield.
“As soon as I hit it, I knew that I was going to run hard to first, and as soon as it hit the ground, I was just trying to find where it was and I was going for second,” she said.
South coach Dan Haynes was not the least bit surprised to see his speedy senior turn a routine single into a double.
“We preach that big time,” he said. “It doesn’t always work that way, but we always tell them to take the big turn. If they bobble it, with her speed, it’s incredible.
“She bobbled it once, but I think even if she didn’t bobble it, she wouldn’t have gotten her.”
Hallie Bilker’s sacrifice bunt sent Horvath to third, and a Hatter miscue on the play allowed Bilker to reach base as well. Taylor Gallagher’s sacrifice fly sent Horvath home with the go-ahead run, and Bilker raced home with an insurance run when – on a suicide squeeze attempt – the ball got by the catcher.
That run loomed large when Jenn Cader led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot over the left field fence to make it a 5-4 game. Daria Edwards, who hit a blast over the left field fence for a solo home run earlier in the game, drew a one-out walk, but shortstop Maddie Decker snagged a screaming line drive off the bat of Heather Lutz for the inning’s second out. A win was in the books for the Titans when Decker fielded a sharp ground ball and tossed the ball to second for a forceout to end the game.
“She’s just a good softball player,” Hayes said of Decker, who also doubled in Thursday’s win. “Where do you want her to play? Do you want her to pitch? Do you want her to catch? She can play anywhere you want her to play.”
Kristyn Marinelli earned the win on the mound. She also had herself quite a day at the plate, finishing the game 3-for-4 with two RBIs. It was Marinelli’s infield singles that plated single runs in both the first and third innings, spotting the Titans an early 2-0 lead.
“She was gutsy out there,” Hayes said of his pitcher.
The Hatters knotted the score with two runs in the third – the first on Edwards’ round tripper and the second on a rundown play at second that allowed Lutz to score from third.
“We gave them a little bit early, but that’s inexperience,” Hayes said. “As I thought, we hit the ball, and we got some bunts down.
“We knew exactly what we wanted to do both offensively and defensively. This is as good as we have played against good competition.”
The Titans went on top 3-2 in the fifth when Bilker, who reached base on an error, scored on a clutch two-out double to right by Sammi Meyers. The Hatters knotted the score in the bottom of the inning when Cader, who lined a two-out double to center, scored on Maria Spinosa’s single to left.
The Titans, however, had an answer for every Hatter comeback.
“That’s really big,” Horvath said. “I feel like that shows a lot about this team’s character.
“I think this (win) gives us a little more confidence. At the beginning, we were a little iffy on the season, so something like this – especially after a few tough losses – will be good for us, but we have to make sure we keep the intensity up.
“We were all talking on the bus how we really needed to focus. It wasn’t going to be an easy game, and we knew that. I feel like we really earned the win.”
Both teams are now 3-1 in league play. The Titans are 6-2 overall while the Hatters are 5-1.
“This definitely means a lot,” Horvath said. “We’ve been making a few errors in games, and we’ve been a little bit down on ourselves, so I really think this game was a big push for us. It showed what we could do as a team.”
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 6, SOUDERTON 4 (11 innings)
Nothing comes easily in Continental Conference play, and the Patriots needed 11 innings before they eked out the win.
“Both teams played great,” East coach Erin Scott said. “It could have gone either way.”
The Indians went on top 1-0, thanks to a solo home run by Haley DeLany in the second inning. That lead grew to 3-0 in the third inning when freshman Dayna Shelly delivered a clutch two-out double with the bases loaded. It could have been worse, according to Scott, had it not been for a dazzling defensive play by second base Caroline Schoenewald.
“She made a diving catch – her body is completely horizontal on the ground,” Scott said. “It was a line drive that would have gone into right field and scored two runs, so we really got lucky. That was huge.”
The Patriots battled back in the fourth inning when Caroline Shoenewald ripped a three-run home run, plating Allie Chase (walk) and Julia Shoenewald (single) to knot the score 3-3.
That scored didn’t change until the 10th inning when the international tiebreaker went into effect. The Patriots plated a run in the top of the inning when - with runners on the corners – Jess Haug delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Patriots on top 4-3. The Indians answered with a run in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a bunt single by Amanda Brush, who had two crucial bunts in the game.
In the top of the 11th, Allie Chase, after moving up to third on a passed ball, scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Julia Schoenewald. Carla Ruscio and Kayla Ventura singled, and freshman Theresa Haug delivered an RBI on a fielder’s choice, giving the Patriots a 6-4 lead.
Things got interesting in the bottom of the inning when – with runners on first and second and one out – shortstop Jess Haug made a brilliant catch of a sinking line drive, doubling the runner off second to close out the game.
“I knew Souderton would compete,” Scott said. “I said every single game we play – every single team is so competitive.”
Jayme Ziegler threw the first four innings for the Patriots, allowing four hits. Kayla Ventura allowed just four hits in seven strong innings to earn the win.
“Kayla did great,” Scott said. “She hasn’t pitched in situations that are super close, but she did a great job.”
Souderton pitcher Salina Allebach turned in a standout effort of her own on the mound, limiting a dangerous East lineup to just 10 hits in 11 innings.
“To go 11 innings is crazy to begin with, and to go 11 innings against our team and give up 10 hits is pretty impressive,” Scott said.
Shelly led the Indians with two hits, including a double, and kept her RBI streak alive by driving in a pair of runs.
“The team that came out on top was East, but it was the best game Souderton has played so far this year,” Souderton coach Courtney Hughes said. “The weather had a lot to do with it being a low scoring affair as the wind was knocking down home run balls right and left.”
While the Indians fell to 1-3 (7-4 overall), the Patriots upped their record to 3-1 in the league (7-1 overall).
PENNRIDGE 9, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 5
The Lady Rams rebounded from Tuesday’s heartbreaking extra-inning loss to Hatboro-Horsham to earn the big win. Pennridge pounded out 12 hits and scored eight runs in the first three innings to go on top 8-0.
Alison Horne was 2-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and three RBIs. With a pair of runners on board in the second inning, Brooke Labs hit her second home run in as many games, this one over the left center field fence to plate three runs. She finished the day with four RBIs. Julia Helbling was 2-for-3 in her first start in left field for the Rams.
The Bucks did not go down quietly. Becca Cassel hit a two-run home run over the left field fence to make it an 8-2 game. The Bucks added three runs in the sixth on three hits and a walk off relief pitcher Briana Gery. Emily Mayhew, who threw the first 5.1 innings and earned the win, re-entered the game to end the threat.
The Rams are 3-1 in league play (6-1 overall) while the Bucks fell to 0-4 in the league (0-8 overall).
NORTH PENN 3, QUAKERTOWN 2
National Conference
NESHAMINY 11, WILLIAM TENNENT 0 (5 innings)
Lauren Quense was once again overpowering on the mound, tossing a no-hitter in the abbreviated contest while fanning eight and walking one.
The Redskins plated all the runs their mound ace would need with a three-run uprising in the second. They tacked on a single run in the third and exploded for five in the fourth before putting the game away in the fifth.
Julia McGovern brought the game to a dramatic end with a two-run walk-off home run in the fifth. She finished a monster day with a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate, which included three doubles, a home run and three RBIs. Sam Offenback was 2-for-2 with a double and solo home run, and Diana LaPalombara was 2-for-4 with two doubles for the ‘Skins, who pounded out 12 hits in the win.
The Redskins improved to 4-0 in the league (5-1 overall) while the Panthers are 0-4 in the league (1-6 overall).
ABINGTON at TRUMAN (postponed)
American Conference
WISSAHICKON 8, CHELTENHAM 6
The Trojans are showing a flare for the dramatic this season, once again rallying from an early deficit to earn the important win.
“This is the third time we’ve done that,” coach John Bilella said. “I don’t know if I can take much more of that, but it’s making the league so much better. Nobody is dominating. They’re just real good games. They’re great games to watch.
“The parents are saying they don’t want to go watch the Phillies – they get more excitement out of these games.”
Wissahickon plated a single run in the first only to watch the Lady Panthers answer with four in the top of the second. The Trojans evened the scored with three runs in the fourth, but again, Cheltenham answered, this time plating two in the fourth. The Trojans won it with a four-run sixth inning, benefitting from a pair of walks, a single by Emma Goodrich and several safety squeeze bunts by Andrea Mazurek and Kelly Gilman.
“We’re trying to sacrifice with a man on third,” Bilella said. “That’s what we’ve been doing, and it’s been working.”
Bilella can’t help but be impressed by his team’s resiliency.
“I’m overwhelmed,” he said. “They never get excited. They just peck away one run at a time.
“It was almost the same pattern as our last game (against Plymouth Whitemarsh).”
Alex Comonitski (2-for-4, triple) and Merdith Byrne (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) led the Trojans’ attack.
Goodrich earned the win on the mound, scattering eight hits while fanning eight and walking four.
The Trojans improved to 3-1 in the league (4-2 overall) while the Lady Panthers fell to 2-2 in the league (4-3 overall).
UPPER DUBLIN 9, UPPER MORELAND 1 (Wednesday, April 10)
The Flying Cardinals plated one run in the first inning, three more in the third and five in the fifth to seize control of Wednesday’s game. The Golden Bears scored their only run in the fifth.
Kristin Ganderton earned the win on the mound, allowing six hits and one run while fanning eight and walking three. She also had a big day at the plate, going 4-for-4. Rachel Stingle was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Ana Cubit was 1-for-3 with a run scored and a double.
Upper Moreland’s Amanda Getz was 2-for-2 with a run scored. Jess Habermehl absorbed the loss.
The Flying Cardinals are 3-1 in league play (3-2 overall) while the Golden Bears fell to 0-4 in the league.
UPPER MERION 12, POTTSGROVE 7
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