Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Monday. To view photos of the Tennent/Truman game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
WILLIAM TENNENT 4, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Nikki Alden just keeps working her magic on the mound.
One out separated the senior standout from a perfect game in her last outing - a 7-0 win over Council Rock South. She finished with a no-hitter, and Alden did it again on Monday, tossing a no-hitter in the Panthers’ important win over Truman. She walked a pair – one in the second and another in the sixth - to account for Truman’s lone baserunners.
“She’s throwing well, and we’re defending it well,” coach Biz Keeney said. “It’s a combination of the two.
“She had five strikeouts, so we made 16 plays. Her location of pitches has been real, real, real good, and that’s really been the key. She’s just spotting the ball well. She’s throwing the heck out of the ball right now.”
Alden also delivered at the plate – roping a two-out, two-run double in a three-run fifth. The Panthers had a pair of runners aboard, thanks to a bunt single by Sara Keeney and a Truman miscue.
Earlier in the inning, Casey McMahon, who bats out of the eight hole, hit a solo home run. In the sixth, McMahon picked up her second RBI of the game – this time singling on the heels of singles by teammates Whitney Delagol and Katie O’Toole.
“I can’t say enough about her,” coach Keeney said of McMahon. “Defensively, she played real, real well (at first base). She’s really attacking the ball defensively. Nobody fields the ball better than Nikki, but that being said, Casey has stepped in there and taken balls that might be borderline plays for Nik that Casey has jumped on and played very, very well. She hit the ball. She had a real special day.”
Keeney tipped his hat to Truman pitcher Jess O’Neil, who handed his team one of its three losses this season.
“This girl today has pitched better against us than anyone has all year,” the Panthers’ coach said. “She has our number. I don’t know what it is.
“She dominates our kids.”
After committing just one error in their previous game, the Panthers played error-free ball on Monday.
“I love our defense,” Keeney said. “We work on defense all the time. This was a real good defensive day for us.
“We’re just trying to get better every day. We’re playing well at the right time.”
The Panthers (13-4, 10-3 SOL) moved one step closer to clinching a share of the conference title. With one game remaining against Bensalem on Thursday, the Panthers share the top spot in the conference standings with Pennsbury.
The Tigers fell to 5-9 in league play (6-12 overall).
William Tennent 000 031 0-4
Harry S Truman 000 000 0-0
SOUDERTON 9, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 4
The Indians clinched at least a share of the SOL Continental Conference crown with Monday’s win. They need to win one of their final two games to claim sole possession of the title.
“This definitely was a goal,” coach Steph Rummel said. “We always work to be better, so every single game we try and work on things to be a better team.
“Whether it’s our fielding, our hitting, or our communication, we always build to be better at what we’re lacking. That’s something we achieved this year. We always worked. We never settled.”
Paige Shelly hit a solo home run with one out in the top of the first, and the Indians had a lead they would not lose. Shelly finished the game 3-for-4 with a home run and RBI. Erelle Sowers, who closed out the game for winning pitcher Katie Kehler, was 2-for-4 with a walk. Dayna Shelly was 2-for-5 with one RBI. Both of her hits were triples. Amanda Brush and Haley Delany were both 2-for-5.
The Indians will host Quakertown on Tuesday with a chance to clinch sole possession of the title.
“All the girls are so excited, and they just want to keep winning,” Rummel said. “Haley said after the Christopher Dock game – we’re not settling until we come off that field with a win. That’s the kind of determination my girls have. They love the game, they want to work to be better, and they love to win, and they’re not settling for anything less than that. That’s not something I have to instill. That’s already in them. They want to learn, and they want to be better.”
The Indians are 9-2 in the league (12-3 overall) while the Bucks are 0-12 (1-14 overall).
Souderton 300 210 3-9
Central Bucks West 000 022 0-4
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 13, WISSAHICKON 3 (6 innings)
The Colonials jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first and took that lead into the fourth inning when the Trojans rallied to knot the score. The Colonials answered with five runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth to bring an early halt to the game.
“Offensively, we brought our bats,” coach Dana Moyer said.
Senior Rachel Konowal led the hit parade with a perfect 5-for-5 day at the plate with four singles and a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Senior Susan Janfrancisco was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Senior Anna Consorte went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Senior Erin Ryan was 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Senior Tricia Link earned the win on the mound. She did not allow an earned run and helped her own cause with a 2-for-4 day at the plate.
Brittany Gelman was 2-for-3 to lead the Trojans.
“We got off to a tough start giving up runs in the first inning,” coach Crystalrae States said. “It's always challenging to play catch up. The girls did a good job battling at the plate and had some timely hits that tied up the game.
“All year we have struggled with consistency throughout the game, and unfortunately, today was no different. (Halle) Segal has been throwing well enough to keep us in most games, and we have had difficulty offering run support. Tomorrow we play Upper Moreland and hopefully we are ready to play seven innings of softball.”
The Colonials are 5-7 in league play (5-8 overall) while the Trojans are 0-12 in the league (0-16 overall).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 300 055-13
Wissahickon 000 300-3
UPPER MERION 8, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 4
The Vikings needed a three-run fifth to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead. They added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth. The win came on the heels of a rough week that saw the Vikings drop three games.
“It’s been a struggle,” coach John Whitney said. “We got beat up by Cheltenham, and then we played Pottsgrove on Junior Prom Night Friday and got beat 5-4.”
Maddalana Ghanayem had a huge day at the plate for the Vikings, finishing 4-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI. Allie Moffett was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Nicole Kowalski was 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Abby Volpe was 2-for-4. Riley Kontra was 1-for-4 with a double.
For the Spartans, Brianna Littlepage had two hits, including a triple.
The Vikings will face Upper Dublin in a doubleheader Tuesday that will include the completion of a suspended game as well as the league finale.
“If we win both of them, we’re tied for the championship,” Whitney said. “I told the kids – we have to take care of our own business. That was our goal at the beginning of the year – to win the title.
“If we have to share it, we’ll share it, but it would be nice for Mads and Gabby (Sborlini), our senior captains, to send them out with that. The big thing I talked to them about was getting that championship because that will guarantee us a spot in districts.”
The Vikings are 11-1 in league play (12-5 overall) while the Spartans are 6-6 in league play.
Springfield 202 000 0-4
Upper Merion201 032 x-8
NORTH PENN 8, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 1
Jackie Bilotti allowed four hits while fanning seven and walking none in a complete game win on Monday for the streaking Maidens (11-6). She helped her own cause with a 2-for-4 day at the plate that included a pair of runs scored.
She received plenty of offensive supports from teammates Erin Maher (2-for-3, three runs scored), Vicky Tumasz (2-for-4, one run), Becky Christoffers (1-for-3, triple) and Nicole Schussler (2-for-4, two triples).
HATBORO-HORSHAM 15, NORRISTOWN 2 (6 innings)
The Hatters brought an early end to the game with a six-run sixth inning. Jen Cader had a huge day at the plate for the Hatters, finishing 4-for-4 with a double, triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Jayne Black was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Both Cader and Black had a stolen base.
Freshman Taylor Sciubba earned the win, allowing just one hit in and two runs in three innings while fanning six. Kaeli Simmons allowed two hits in three scoreless innings.
Hatboro-Horsham 050 406-15
Norristown 101 000-2
METHACTON 7, UPPER DUBLIN 1
The Flying Cardinals managed just two hits in Monday’s non-league game. Sara Tannenbaum was 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Sara Weinberg had an RBI single in the fourth to account for the team’s only run.
Methacton 100 111 3-7
Upper Dublin 000 100 0-1
ABINGTON 14, CHELTENHAM 5 (Saturday, May 10)
The Ghosts brought their bats in Saturday’s non-league battle against their neighboring rival, rallying from a 4-0 deficit after one inning to earn the big win.
The Ghosts plated single runs in the second, third and fourth innings and then exploded for five in the fifth before adding three in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Nicolette Ray was 3-for-5, finishing a home run shy of the cycle. Michela Monterosso was 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Maddie Malfara was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Lizzie Lloyd was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and four runs scored, and Rachel Decarlo was 2-for-3 with three runs scored an RBI.
Abington 011 153 3-14
Cheltenham 400 000 1-5
- Log in to post comments
