Check out Thursday’s SOL softball results. To view photos of the CR North/Abington and North Penn/CB South games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 19, ABINGTON 9 (6 innings)
The Indians had every reason to lose.
Instead, they found a way to win, recuperating from the loss of starting pitcher Hannah Member (concussion) and overcoming 13 free passes and a nine-run uprising by the Ghosts to earn the big win.
“Hannah is out with no timeline for her return, so the girls were pretty much devastated,” coach Hollie Woodard said. “We talked before the game. I said, ‘The universe is challenging you. This is one of those days where you can be a victim. Today is a great day to call it in, make an excuse – we don’t have a starting pitcher playing a team that has already beaten us. Today is a great day to lose, or you can say – no, I’m not going to be a victim. I’m going to fight through this.’
“They fought through it. From the get-go, they knew they were going to have to score a ton of runs.”
And score a ton of runs they did, pounding out 21 hits while scoring 19 runs.
“It was outstanding,” Woodard said. “They just hit and hit and hit.
“I don’t want to use a cliché, but they just absolutely refused to lose.”
The Indians scored three runs in the first and five more in the second, but the Ghosts answered, scoring two in the second, five in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 9-8 lead.
Woodard went to her junior varsity for a pitcher to close it out, calling on freshman Amanda Camp.
“She barely knows the girls,” Woodard said. “We threw her into the game, and she didn’t shut them down, but she threw enough strikes for us to get the outs we needed, and she ended up with the win.”
The Indians won the game with an eight-run fourth and added three more in the sixth to bring an early end to the game.
“Literally, at one point, I said, ‘We have to score 10 runs this inning if we want to win,’” Woodard said. “I’ve never said that before. Usually, it’s like, ‘Let’s get one,’ but we knew we had to get enough. The softball gods are testing us.”
Marissa Gergel led the Indians with a monster 3-for-4 performance that included a triple and six RBIs. Dom Pinto was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Bailey Bigler also was 3-for-5. Kalli Segal was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Diana Amendolara was 3-for-5 with one RBI. Marketa Kruse was 2-for-2 with one RBI. Tatum Kelly was 2-for-4 with one RBI. Kelly Harrison also had an RBI.
Woodard credited Pinto for pulling the team together.
“She’s been getting good hits, but they weren’t Pinto hits,” the Indians’ coach said. “She just nailed the ball today, and the way she handled the young pitchers, she kept us in the game.”
Rachel DeCarlo accounted for Abington’s two hits.
While the Ghosts fell to 3-6 in the league (4-7 overall), the Indians improved to 4-5 in the league (4-6 overall).
“They were devastated after the William Tennent loss,” Woodard said of her team’s 6-5 loss to Tennent on Tuesday. “This was a nice day for them.”
NESHAMINY 2, BENSALEM 0
Lauren Quense continued her dominance in National Conference play, scattering four hits and fanning 15 in a classic pitcher’s dual with Bensalem’s Jackie Morell. The Owls’ sophomore hurler fanned four and allowed just three hits.
“It was a well-pitched game on both sides,” coach Dave Chichiletti said. “There were 20 strikeouts, seven hits and no walks.
“Lauren pitched incredibly well, but Jackie pitched really well too. They have some good players on that team.”
Julia McGovern stole the spotlight at the plate, singling to lead off the fourth inning, stealing second and then scoring on a double by Sarah Snider-Leonhauser to give Neshaminy a 1-0 lead. They added an insurance run in the sixth when McGovern drove home Diana LaPalombara, who had singled, with a sacrifice fly.
“We executed when we needed to execute,” Chichiletti said. “Julia McGovern was very big for us all day today.”
While the Owls are 4-4 in league play (4-7 overall), the Redskins – who face Bristol in a non-league game tomorrow - are 9-0 in the league (11-1 overall).
“We have four games in four days, and we’re just trying to grind out this week,” Chichilitti said. “It’s a test. We knew going in that it was going to be a physical and mental test.
“To their credit, Bensalem played very well today. They made some incredible plays in the field.”
PENNSBURY 14, WILLIAM TENNENT 6
The Falcons seized early control of Thursday’s game, plating three runs in the first, two more in the second and three in the third to go on top 8-0. The Panthers cut that lead in half with a four-run fourth, but the Falcons had an answer, tacking on six runs.
The Panthers received home runs from Nikki Alden, Whitney Delagol and O’Toole, but it wasn’t enough to offset the performances of Christina Bascara (3-for-5, triple, home run, 3 RBIs), Mackenzie Obert (2-for-4, home run, four RBIs), Jess Greenewald (2-for-4), Michelle George (2-for-3, double, two RBIs) and Emily Kraeck (2-for-3).
Val Buehler earned the win on the mound for the Falcons,
The Falcons are 8-1 in the league (11-2 overall) while the Panthers fell to 4-5 in the league (5-7 overall).
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 5, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The Maidens bounced back from what coach Rick Torresani called ‘a catastrophe’ on Wednesday to earn the important win. In their 11-9 win over Souderton one day earlier, the Maidens committed six errors in two innings
“Yesterday was a catastrophe, and I let them know it,” the Maidens’ coach said. “We had eight errors and they have five or six.
“It’s all mental. They just weren’t into the game for whatever reason, and I had to let them know through the (newspaper). I think they read it because they came out with a whole different attitude today.”
In Thursday’s win, the Maidens played the kind of softball Torresani was hoping to see from his defending district championship squad this season.
“I kept preaching playoff softball – playing good defense and getting good pitching like we did and getting the timely hitting,” the Maidens’ coach said. “If one or two girls do that and the team backs Jackie (Bilotti) up defensively, we’ll be right there. We have a good enough team. They proved that last year.
“For some reason, they just didn’t have it in them yet.”
Jackie Bilotti displayed the form that led the Maidens on their magical postseason run last year, scattering six hits while fanning six and walking one.
“She pitched great yesterday, but we couldn’t field it,” Torresani said. “Today I was wondering if she would be able to throw the 100-110 pitches she needed to throw, but she did. She was hitting her spots and keeping them off balance, and that’s the key with South.
“(Meghan) Curley made some great defensive plays at third, and we didn’t make errors.”
The Maidens plated a pair of runs in the fourth – both unearned, sparked by a South error, Meghan Curley’s double to right center and an RBI groundout by Becky Christoffers. That lead grew to 5-0 in the fifth. Bilotti and Erin Maher collected back-to-back infield singles, and with two outs, Curley came through again, this time ripping a shot off the pitcher’s glove that – thanks to an errant throw to first – allowed a pair of runs to cross the plate. An RBI single by Christoffers gave the Maidens their final margin of victory.
The Titans loaded the bases with two out in the sixth but came up empty.
“We knew they were a good team, and we needed a win today,” Bilotti said. “We can’t play like we played yesterday. We were lucky yesterday.
“This is a really big win, especially since it’s our second time playing them. It’s the second half of the season. We have two wins and no losses.”
The Maidens are 5-4 in the league (8-4 overall) while the Titans are 6-3 in the league (9-3 overall).
PENNRIDGE 2, QUAKERTOWN 1
Paige DeCew earned the win on the mound in a classic pitcher’s duel, scattering five hits while striking six. Haley Taylor had a strong game defensively at shortstop, recording four assists in the final six outs of the game. Bridget Casey, according to coach Paul Koehler, robbed Gray Spenser of a home run in the third inning when she caught a fly ball at the fence in deep center field.
Leading the Rams’ offense were Emily Mayhew (2-for-4, double, RBI) and Brooke Labs (2-for-3, RBI). DeCew and Julia Helbling both doubled.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the second when Janelle Croisette drove in Emily Reis. That lead held until the fifth when Helbling ripped a leadoff double to deep center. Mayhew’s hard grounder up the middle deflected off the pitcher, and the tying run crossed the plate. The Rams won it in the bottom of the seventh. Casey got things started with a one-out single, and Mayhew followed with a double to left, putting runners on second and third. Brooke Labs’ walk-off single to right lifted the Rams to the 2-1 win.
The Rams are 6-3 in league play (9-3 overall) while the Panthers fell to 3-6 in the league (6-7 overall).
HATBORO-HORSHAM 8, SOUDERTON 5
The Hatters scored a single run in the first and two more in the second to go on top 3-0 only to watch the Indians plate three runs in the bottom of the second to knot the score. The Hatters won it with a four-run outburst in the third.
Leading the Hatters offensively were Jane Black (2-for-3, double, 3 RBIs) and Nicole Casagrand (2-for-3, double, 2 RBIs).
While the Indians fell to 3-6 in the league (6-7 overall), the Hatters improved to 8-1 in the league (11-1 overall).
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 6, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
The Patriots scored two runs in the second and took that lead into the seventh when they added four more runs for the 6-0 final in a game that saw the teams combine for just one error. That came in East’s two-run second. The Patriots were flawless on defense.
Senior Julia Schoenewald led the Patriots with a 3-for-3 day at the plate that included a double. Allie Chase had a solo home run in the seventh inning. Carla Ruscio had a triple, RBI and run scored, and Caroline Schoenewald was 2-for-3 with a triple and RBI. Jess Haug was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
Jayme Ziegler earned the win, allowing just two hits in five scoreless innings. Kayla Ventura did not allow a hit in two scoreless innings in relief.
The Patriots are 6-3 in league play (10-3 overall) while the Bucks fell to 0-9 (0-13 overall).
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7 CHELTENHAM 0
Tricia Link allowed only three hit in a complete game shutout on Thursday, fanning four.
“Tricia is still working with an injury, but she’s really working hard, throwing strikes and letting the defense do the work,” coach Dana Moyer said. “We got some big hits.”
Moyer lauded the defensive efforts of shortstop Elena Iannuzzelli, second baseman Jordan Katz and third baseman Jocelyn Porrino.
Offensively, the Colonials were led by Susan Janfrancisco, who was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and one RBI.
“I thought both of her hits were out, and she got doubles because they got out there so fast,” Monster. “They were two monster balls.”
Rachel Konowal drove in a pair of runs, and Porrinio contributed an RBI triple.
PW sealed the Lady Panthers’ fate with a four-run fifth.
The win came on the heels of a disappointing loss to Upper Moreland two days earlier.
“That one was tough,” Moyer said. “We had a long talk after that game at practice and just talked about focus and making sure that we’re practicing the way that we’re playing and that we are focused 100 percent all the time.
“We said, ‘We ask you for an hour and a half of your time. We just need focus every second of that time.’ We had a phenomenal practice yesterday, and today we knew exactly what we were doing with the ball and they looked confident. One of our senior captains said today when we were doing really well, ‘This probably had something to do with the way we practiced yesterday.’ It was obvious to them, so I hope we can keep the momentum up.”
The Colonials improved to 5-4 in the league (5-5 overall) while the Golden Bears fell to 2-7 in the league (2-9 overall).
WISSAHICKON 5, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 4
The Spartans scored a single run in the first to take the early lead, but the Trojans evened the score 1-1 in the second. They added a single run in the fourth and three more in the fifth to go on top 5-1 before the Spartans made things interesting with a three-run sixth.
Emma Goodrich earned the win on the mound, allowing just three hits and two earned runs while striking out four and walking three. Kim Machalette absorbed the loss.
The Trojans were led by Kellie Gilman (2-for-4, double, one run, 2 RBIs) and Alex Comonitski (2-for-3, triple, one run).
The Trojans are 6-2 in the league (7-4 overall) while the Spartans fell to 1-8 in the league (4-8 overall).
UPPER DUBLIN 5, NORRISTOWN 4
The Flying Cardinals led 2-1 after the first inning, but the Eagles scored three runs in the fourth to go on top 4-2. The Flying Cardinals plated a pair of runs in the sixth. Kristin Ganderton led off with a double, and courtesy runner Sara Weinberg advanced to third on a passed ball and then scored on Sarah Rosenbaum’s RBI single.
Rosenbaum finished the day 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Ganderton was 2-for-3 with a double, and Anna Dubit had a pair of hits. Maria Sinni and Taylor led the Eagles with two hits each.
Ganderton also earned the win on the mound, allowing eight hits and just one earned run while striking out four and walking one.
The Flying Cardinals are 5-3 in the league (5-4 overall) while the Eagles are 5-4 in league play (6-5 overall).
UPPER MERION 15, UPPER MORELAND 7
Maddalana Ghanayem led a potent Viking attack with three hits, including a double, and Abby Volbe and Riley Kontra both contributed triples.
The Vikings improved to 8-1 in league play (9-2 overall) while the Golden Bears fell to 2-7 in the league (2-9 overall).
- Log in to post comments
