Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Friday. To view photos of the Abington/Neshaminy game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 5, HATBORO-HORSHAM 4
Maddie Bieber had a simple goal when she stepped into the batter’s box with two outs in the seventh inning and the winning run on third base in the person of freshman Taylor Marinelli.
“I was thinking, ‘I hope I don’t get out,’” said Beiber. “I was just hoping to hit the ball in play hard somewhere, and if it’s a hard grounder, I hoped to beat it out.”
Bieber, who doubled and scored earlier in the game, didn’t exactly put a charge in a looping single that found its way just over the outstretched glove of shortstop Daria Edwards, allowing Marinelli to race home with the game winner and capping a remarkable comeback by the Titans.
“When I hit it, I thought it was going to be an out because of how it felt off the bat,” Bieber said. “Then I saw it falling, and I was happy for the team. I was really excited.”
Bieber and her teammates had reason to be excited. They found themselves staring at a 4-1 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, and they had managed just five hits to that point.
“I was trying to get the bench to get pumped up because I know we can do it – we’ve done it before in previous games,” senior pitcher Hailey Warner said. “I just tried to get us excited and have some fun because that’s what is important.”
The Titans certainly had fun, and all of it came at the Hatters’ expense.
Lauren McCarthy drew a walk to lead off the seventh, and one out later, Marianne Borrell drew a free pass. Hope Darreff’s single made it a 4-2 game and prompted coach Joe DiFilippo to make a pitching change.
Marinelli, also a freshman, was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then it was Maddie Decker delivering a clutch single to left to make it a 4-3 game. The tying run crossed the plate on a groundout by freshman cleanup hitter Taylor Risch, setting the stage for Bieber’s heroics.
“This is a big win,” Warner said. “They’re our biggest rival of the year, and it feels really good to beat them.”
Warner earned the win on the mound, allowing just three hits. Two of those hits were home runs. The first was a solo shot by senior Daria Edwards in the first and the second, a two-run home run by Jen Cader in the sixth to put the Hatters on top 4-1.
“I have seen them before,” Warner said of the Hatters’ power-hitting duo. “You always want to go for it, but you have to hold yourself back sometimes.
“I think we learned the first few innings not to go for it.”
The big win upped the Titans league mark to 7-3 (8-5 overall) while the Hatters are 6-5 in league play (7-5 overall). For the Hatters, it was the second time in a rough week that they saw a seventh-inning lead slip away. It also happened at Souderton on Monday.
Hatboro-Horsham 200 002 0-4
Central Bucks South 000 100 4-5
PENNRIDGE 8, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
The Lady Rams celebrated Senior Night at B. Earl Druckenmiller Park Friday, recuperating from a heartbreaking loss to the Hatters one night earlier to earn the big win.
Emily Mayhew had herself quite a night, earning the win in the circle while also going 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. She set the tone for the night with a solo home run to lead off the game.
Haley Taylor also had a big night at the plate as she went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Amanda O’Hara, who started at first base, was a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Kelly Spangler also went 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI.
For the Bucks, senior Amanda Wolfgang was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. Becca Cassel also was 2-for-3 for the Bucks (1-11, 0-10 SOL).
The Lady Rams are 3-7 in league play (5-8 overall).
NORTH PENN 11, QUAKERTOWN 1 (5 innings)
Lauren Schwartz had a huge game for the Maidens, turning in a 3-for-4 performance that included four RBIs and a run scored. Erin Maher was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs while Vicky Tumasz was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Jackie Bilotti earned the win on the mound, allowing one run while scattering three hits. She struck out two and walked one and also helped her own cause at the plate with a hit and two RBIs.
The Maidens are 6-4 in league play (7-6 overall) while the Panthers are 3-7 in the league (6-7 overall).
Quakertown 000 10-1
North Penn 004 61-11
HATBORO-HORSHAM 8, PENNRIDGE 4 (5 innings) (Thursday, May 1)
In a game that was halted after five innings because of inclement weather Thursday, the Hatters earned a hard-fought win over the Lady Rams.
It was a 2-2 game after one inning, and the teams were still deadlocked after two innings (3-3). The Hatters plated the go-ahead run in the third, and then scored four runs in the fourth, sparked by the three-run home run of senior Daria Edwards.
Kaeli Simmons earned the win, throwing 2.2 innings of relief and allowing two hits and one run while fanning four.
Hatboro-Horsham 211 40-8
Pennridge 210 10-4
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 8, WISSAHICKON 2
The Lady Panthers exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie. The big hit in the inning was a two-run home run to right field by Nina Jackson.
“Nina is our unsung hero,” coach Ron Perlstein said of his catcher. “I have to give credit to her. She calls all the pitches, and she’s been doing a great job.”
Heading into the fifth inning, the Lady Panthers had just one hit off Trojan hurler Halle Segal, but Kelly Graham led off the fifth with a double, and the floodgates were about to open.
“She got us going,” Perlstein said. “She sparked us.
“We started to bunt because we were having trouble with her slower pace, and it worked. We got four infield singles, and we were able to steal a couple of bases, and then Nina hit the two-run home run.”
Finishing with multiple hits for the Lady Panthers were Madison Gianelle (2-for-4, two RBIs), Graham (2-for-4) and Maddie Baer (2-for-3).
Grace DeRosa earned the win on the mound, but there was a price tag attached to this one as she was hit by a screaming line drive on her shoulder late in the game.
“It was a pretty bad shot,” Perlstein said. “It hit her (left) shoulder, and it grazed off her cheek. It was a dead line drive.
“She dried her eyes, and I saw those gunfighter blue eyes of hers, and she went out and got the next two outs.”
DeRosa allowed six hits while fanning 14.
For the Trojans, Brittany Gellman was 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Julianne Griffin also had a double for the Trojans (0-13, 0-9 SOL).
The Lady Panthers are 9-1 in league play (10-2 overall).
Cheltenham 000 071 0-8
Wissahickon 000 010 1-2
UPPER MERION 10, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 (5 innings)
The Vikings celebrated Senior Night with a convincing win over neighboring PW.
“The girls played well tonight,” coach John Whitney said. “It was nice with Senior Night for Mads (Ghanayem) and Gabby Sborlini.”
Allie Moffett led the attack with a perfect 4-for-4 effort, which included three doubles and an RBI single that brought an early end to the contest. Olivia Sborlini, who earned the win on the mound, had a two-run home run. Nicole Kowalski and Dez Kandy also had multiple hits.
“Dez had a couple of bunts and scored a couple of runs for us,” Whitney said. “She set the table a couple of times with some real nice bunts.
“Olivia pitched a very nice game. We kind of got knocked around (yesterday).”
The Vikings fell to Interboro 13-4 in a non-league contest.
“Their coach said they started off real good, but they were struggling,” Whitney said. “I’ll tell you what – they didn’t struggle against us. Every hit they had fell in, and every line drive we hit, we hit right to them. It was just one of those days, but they played very well against us.”
Looming on the horizon for the Vikings is a date on Monday with a Villa Maria Academy team that sent them packing in districts last year.
“This is a big week for us,” Whitney said. “Hopefully, facing Villa’s pitcher will help us to get ready for Thursday night against Cheltenham. That will be a really big game.
“We’re going to use Monday’s game as a playoff game. The season will come to an end real quick. Everyone is in the same boat with seven or eight games in 10 days.”
The Vikings are 9-0 in league play (10-3 overall) while the Colonials are 2-7 in the league (2-8 overall).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 00-0
Upper Merion021 34-10
UPPER MORELAND 4, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The Golden Bears celebrated Senior Night in the second game of a doubleheader under the lights at Masons Mill Park. They not only recognized the team’s seven seniors but also notched an impressive win.
“It was a very nice win,” coach Scott Ludlow said. “Winning on Senior Night is always good, and it was just a solid win.
“We didn’t do a whole lot of spectacular things, but we just played good, solid softball all the way around.”
Sophomore Amber O’Connor tossed a shutout, scattering seven hits while fanning three and walking none.
“She was just solid all night long,” Ludlow said. “As much as she pitched well, she made a couple of very good plays in the field that kept us in the game.
“She had her composure, she had her control. I think they got a runner to third base twice the whole game. She just had control of the game all the way around. She didn’t strike a whole lot out and didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes, and we played good ‘D’ behind her.”
The Bears scored the only runs O’Connor would need in a two-run second that featured a clutch two-out, two-run single by Destinee Brown. For good measure, they added two more runs in the fifth, this time benefitting from a two-run double by Jenn Freeman.
Brown and Rachel Hartman both had a pair of hits to lead the Golden Bears (7-3, 6-3 SOL).
The Flying Cardinals are 3-6 in league play (3-9 overall).
Upper Dublin 000 000 0-0
Upper Moreland 020 020 x-4
National Conference
BENSALEM 3, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
Jackie Morell tossed a four-hit shutout, fanning five and walking none to lead the Owls to a win that avenged a 1-0 loss to the Golden Hawks earlier this season.
“CR South comes to play,” Bensalem coach Dan Schram said. “They’re a legitimate team. In past years, it wasn’t like that. Even in a win, you could play a little down and get a win, but that’s not going to happen. He (Greg Heydet Sr) is doing a really nice job with those girls. They come to play, and they got a taste of winning.
“We played a nice game. Once again, Jackie is a very competitive kid and did it on both sides of the ball. Hats off to her.”
The Owls won it with a three-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth. They plated their first run on a slow roller off the bat of Chelsea Briggs.
“It was a little dribbler that was mishandled,” Schram said. “The throw came home, the girl slid, and their catcher dropped the ball.”
Morell gave herself some insurance with a two-run single to put the Owls on top 3-0.
“That was really, really clutch,” Schram said.
Contributing multiple hits for the Owls were Tatyana Keshanech (2-for-3), Kelly Nolan (2-for-3) and Isabel Hansbury (2-for-3).
Rock South’s Becca Dougherty also was 2-for-3 with a double. Freshman Stephanie Andreoli absorbed the loss on the mound.
“She’s a good pitcher,” Schram said. “She kept us a little off balance. We were popping out a bit, but we were patient and things worked out.”
The Owls continued to experience success at their home field – Ramblers Field – where they boast a 6-2 record.
“It was another nice day at Ramblers Field,” Schram said.
The Owls are 2-7 in league play (6-7 overall) while the Golden Hawks are 6-4 in the league (7-5 overall).
Council Rock South 000 000 0-0
Bensalem 000 003 x-3
NESHAMINY 10, ABINGTON 9
Sarah Snider-Leonhauser’s two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning capped a four-run outburst and propelled the Redskins to the come-from-behind win over the pesky Ghosts, who took a 9-6 lead into the sixth.
“Sarah’s a great hitter,” Abington coach Ellie White said. “She went down after a low pitch and hit it out.”
Snider-Leonhauser (3-for-4, home run) led the Redskins at the plate. Jen Walker (2-for-4, double), Mackensie Compton (2-for-4, double) and Sam Offenback (2-for-4, double) also had big days.
“They had some good hits,” White said. “It was all the top of the lineup.”
For the Ghosts, Jamie Gosselin reached base four times – three times via walks. Rachel DeCarlo had a double, and Michaela Monterosso was 2-for-4.
Jenny Rakita earned the win on the mound.
“Our kids were very disciplined,” White said. “In the end, she walked eight of us.”
The Redskins – with two games in hand over William Tennent and Pennsbury – are atop the conference standings with an 8-3 mark (13-3 overall). The Ghosts are 1-9 in the league (4-9 overall).
Abington 112 401 0-9
Neshaminy 210 304 x-10
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH at PENNSBURY (Postponed to May 5)
NESHAMINY 6, WILLIAM TENNENT 3 (Thursday, May 1)
The Redskins exacted a degree of revenge for an early season 12-10 loss to the Panthers, plating two runs in the fourth inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead. They tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth.
“It was a tremendous win,” said coach Dave Chichilitti, tipping his hat to assistant Jimmy Petrino who took over the helm in his absence. “I’m really proud of the way the kids answered and pulled off a huge win.”
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead when Katie O’Toole hit a solo home run in the second. That lead grew to 3-0 in the top of the third when the Panthers capitalized on a single by Sara Keeny and back-to-back RBI doubles by Jackie Heim and Nikki Alden.
Mackensie Compton got two of those runs back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, and the Redskins took a lead they would not lose in the fourth, thanks to RBI singles by Carly Coleman and Sophie Beretski. In the sixth, Coleman led off with a double, and Beretski delivered an RBI single. By the time the inning was over, the ‘Skins led 6-3 on their way to the huge win.
Coleman, Beretski and Compton each had two hits to lead the Redskins’ 10-hit attack.
Jenny Rakita earned the win on the mound, allowing six hits – four in the first three innings – while fanning 10.
William Tennent 012 000 0-3
Neshaminy 002 202 x-6
WILLIAM TENNENT 14, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 (5 innings) (Tuesday, April 30)
The Panthers displayed their offensive firepower in Tuesday’s no-doubt-about-it win.
“Only one team showed up today, and that was Tennent,” coach Greg Heydet Sr. said. “An excellent game by them – true competitors. We’ve got work to do if we want to think about playoffs.”
Sara Keeny (2-for-4, two runs), Nikki Alden (3-for-4, three runs) and Katie O’Toole (2-for-3) had big games for the Panthers.
Alden earned the win on the mound, allowing just four hits while fanning 10.
William Tennent 005 63-14
Council Rock South 000 00-0
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