The SOL/BAL compiled a 2-1 record in the double elimination Carpenter Cup tournament at FDR Park on Tuesday.
PHILADELPHIA – The Suburban One League/Bicentennial Athletic League squad had just earned its second win in as many games in Tuesday’s Carpenter Cup Play at FDR Park when Audrey LaBouliere was asked what she enjoyed most about the experience.
“Meeting girls from all different teams,” the Central Bucks East sophomore said without a moment’s hesitation. “You play against some of these girls during the season, but to actually get to meet them and hear their experiences is different and interesting.”
Cara Fabiano - one of just two BAL players on the squad – never played against her SOL/BAL teammates, but it hasn’t taken the Bristol sophomore long to fit in with her SOL teammates.
“I don’t think I knew anyone, but they really accepted me into the group,” Fabiano said. “They’re really nice people, and I just love playing softball with them.”
The team had just two practices, but if they were looking for an experience to bring the squad together, it came in the first game of the day when the SOL/BAL rallied from a 5-1 deficit to earn a 6-5 walk-off win over Delaware County.
“In tournaments like these, it’s all about momentum,” LaBouliere said. “Once we won that first game, everyone is on a high and excited, started laughing more and is fun.”
The SOL/BAL lost its third game of the day in the double elimination tournament – falling to Berks/Lebanon-Lancaster 10-0 - but will return to FDR Park on Wednesday for a 3 p.m. game.
“I told them to have a short memory,” said Upper Dublin coach Heather Boyer, the head coach of the SOL/BAL. “Don’t sweat it – come out and play two tomorrow.”
The SOL/BAL played three on Tuesday, and they displayed a flare for the dramatic in the first against Delaware County, falling behind 5-1 after three innings. A three-run fourth that was highlighted by Maddie Bieber’s two-run triple made it a 5-4 game. The Central Bucks South junior scored when LaBouliere singled. Earlier in the frame, Michela Coleman picked up her second single of the game.
“We weren’t giving up,” Coleman said. “We were saying in our huddles ‘Let’s get some hits, let’s score some runs. Let’s do the little things.’
“We had a lot of energy on the bench, and we all were picking each other up when we had a bad at-bat. A few times we let our mental game go down, but then someone would help get the confidence back at the plate.”
It was still a 5-4 game heading into the bottom of the seventh. The SOL/BAL loaded the bases with one out, thanks to a hit batter, a walk and a single by Delco junior RonnieMarie Falasco. It looked as though Delaware County might escape when pitcher Leigh Ann Jenkins coaxed a popup to first for the inning’s second out, but East sophomore Tara Harper drew a walk that pushed the tying run across. Jackie McMenamin, who had walked, raced home with the winning run when it was safe all around on a fielder’s choice on sharp ground ball to third by Coleman.
“It was pretty exhilarating,” Coleman said. “The bases were loaded, my heart was pounding. I knew my team was depending on me, and I knew I had to do something on the ground.
“We just had to get one run more run across. My mind was racing. I said to myself, ‘Bat to ball – put it in play.’”
Council Rock South junior Stephanie Andreoli earned the win, allowing two hits in two shutout innings.
LaBouliere, Falasco and Coleman led the SOL/BAL’s nine-hit attack with two hits each.
“Coming back and winning it in the seventh inning was huge,” LaBouliere said. “We had all of our energy up, and we came out and dominated the next game.”
Propelled by their dramatic win, the SOL/BOL seized early control of its game against Inter-Ac. In the bottom of the first, LaBouliere legged out an infield single, and Bri Battavio was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for a two-run double by Falasco to spot the SOL/BAL an early 2-0 lead.
The Inter-Ac cut that lead in half with a run in the second, but the SOL/BAL put the game out of reach with a six-run third that was highlighted by Falasco’s booming three-run double to the fence in straightaway center. Coleman and Bieber both singled and scored. Alyssa Adinolfi (Upper Merion) contributed a sacrifice fly, and Upper Dublin’s Jackie McMenamin had an RBI groundout.
Falasco finished the game 3-for-4 with two doubles and five RBIs. South junior Taylor Marinelli was 2-for-2 with a double, RBI and three runs scored as she reached base on all five trips to the plate. Coleman was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
“The intensity is just insane here,” said Fabiano, who did not allow a hit in two scoreless innings. “The confidence was there. I know I have an amazing defense behind me and we were scoring runs, so it was great.”
Battavio earned the win, allowing three hits and one run in 2.1 innings. Abington’s Megan Burdziak gave up one hit and one run in 1.2 innings, and Upper Merion’s Alyssa Adinolfi threw a scoreless seventh.
In the third game of the day for both teams, Berks/Lebanon-Lancaster scored six runs in the first and added three more in the second on its way to the lopsided 10-0 win. LaBouliere accounted for the SOL/BAL’s only hit – a single in the first inning, but this game belonged to Berks/L-L.
“It wasn’t errors,” Boyer said. “They legitimately hit the ball hard.
“It didn’t matter if they had one run or two runs – we only had one hit. Their pitcher threw well.”
Fabiano threw four scoreless innings in relief, allowing four hits. Andreoli worked the final two innings, allowing two hits and one run.
Win or lose – there’s a whole lot of good-natured bantering going on amongst both the players and coaches.
“It was nice to have all these girls together, and it was nice to see South finally win a game,” said North Penn coach Rick Torresani, a long-time assistant to Boyer in Carpenter Cup play. “I always tease them. They always say how great they were, and I said, ‘You lost to us three times – how great can you be?’”
North Penn sent CB South home for the season this spring with a win in a first round district game.
“As you can see, there’s a lot of inside jokes and fun behind the scenes,” Boyer said. “I think that’s a part of the puzzle to get this to work in such a short period of time.
“In a situation like (the first game) – if you’re not cheering for each other and pulling for another and you come up short, then you’re kind of (down) for the rest of the day. Your momentum is going in the opposite direction.
“These girls were rallying for each other. There were a number of girls in the first game that only had a pinch hit or pinch run appearance, and they were just as excited – if not more – as the girls who played a number of innings.
“That’s important. What we’ve really been trying to preach is – that pinch hitter that comes up in the top of the seventh with the tying run in second or comes in for that defensive switch is just as critical as the starting group.”
The SOL/BAL entered the tournament with a chip on its shoulder.
“The SOL was shut out of the states and now we have to win this tournament to get respect for the SOL, and they all bought into that – including the girls from the BAL,” Torresani said.
Also assisting the SOL/BAL are Abington coach Ellie White, North Penn assistant Mary Ward and Upper Dublin assistant Monica Newman.
“I’m grateful that these two included me on their coaching staff,” said White, who has been part of the staff since 2012 when the SOL/BAL won the championship. “I really enjoy coaching with them.
“I think that’s my favorite part of the year – being able to coach with two people that are great, great coaches. I love seeing the girls that play during the season when we play against them – that’s a fun experience.”
BERKS/LEBANON-LANCASTER 10, SOL/BAL 0
Berks/LL: Jayme Ruppert 4-0-0-0, Savanna Kolenda 5-2-3-1, Hanna Garber 5-2-2-1, Delaney Baker 4-1-2-1, Halle Kisamore 3-2-2-2, Brittany Hook 4-1-3-1, Gabby Willman 3-0-1-2, Erica Lutz 3-0-0-0, Zoe Texidore 1-0-0-0, Paola Texidore 2-0-0-0, Sabrina Ryan 2-0-0-0, TOTALS 36-10-13-8
E-SOL/BAL 2, LOB-Berks/LL 8, SOL/BAL 2, 2B-Savanna Kolenda. 3B-Gabby Willman.
Berks/Lebanon-Lancaster 630 001 0 10-13-0
SOL/BAL 000 000 0 0-1-2
BERKS/LL IP H R ER BB SO
Brittany Hook (W) 4.00 1 0 0 0 5
Sabrina Ryan 3.00 0 0 0 1 5
SOL/BAL
Bri Battavio (L) 1.00 7 9 8 0 0
Cara Fabiano 4.00 4 0 0 0 1
Stephanie Andreoli 2.00 2 1 0 1 1
SOL/BAL 13, INTER-AC 2
SOL/BAL: Michaela Coleman 3-1-2-0, Stephanie Andreli 1-0-1-1, Audrey LaBouliere 2-2-1-0, Makenna Diamond 1-0-0-1, Maddie Bieber 3-1-1-1, Bri Battavio 1-2-0-1, Cara Fabiano 2-0-0-0, Megan Burdziak 1-1-1-0, RonnieMarie Falasco 4-1-3-5, Tara Harper 0-1-0-0, Taylor Marinelli 2-3-2-1, Jackie McMenamin 5-0-1-2, Alyssa Adinolfi 3-0-1-1, Courtney Neal 3-1-1-0, TOTALS 31-13-13-13
INTER-AC: Brigitte Gutpelet 3-1-2-0, Rajaa Wilcox 3-0-0-1, Kayla McTamney 2-0-0-0, Colleen Carrigan 1-0-0-0, Rachel Kazlauskas 2-0-0-0, Faith Fenton 2-1-0-0, Ariana Feliziani 3-0-1-0, Samantha Martin 3-0-1-0, Lucy Lamb 1-0-1-1, Brooke Royer 1-0-0-0, Regina Porter 1-0-0-0, Michele Bilotta 1-0-0-0, TOTALS 23-2-5-2
Marinelli. 3B-Brigitte Gutpelet.
SOL/BAL 206 031 1 13-13-0
Inter-Ac 010 001 0 2-5-1E-Inter-Ac 1, LOB, SOL/BAL 9, Inter-Ac 2. 2B-RonnieMarie Falasco 2, Taylor
SOL/BAL IP H R ER BB SO
Bri Battavio (W) 2.33 3 1 1 1 3
Cara Fabiano 2.00 0 0 0 0 2
Megan Burdziak 1.67 1 1 1 0 0
Alyssa Adinolfi 1.00 1 0 0 1 1
Inter-Ac
Kayla McTamney (L) 3.00 6 8 6 3 1
Colleen Carrigan 1.67 0 3 3 5 0
Ava Nicolucci 2.33 7 2 2 0 0
SOL/BAL 6, DELAWARE COUNTY 5
Delaware County: 4-1-2-1, Heather Lazer 4-1-2-2, Sam Wittmer 3-1-1-1, Hayley Coale 2-0-0-0, Leigh Ann Jenkins 1-0-0-0, Amber Seamen 3-0-0-0, Paige Benasutti 1-0-0-0, Lindsay Moran 1-0-0-0, Nicole Atkins 1-0-0-0, Madison Lane 4-0-2-0, Nikki DePietro 0-1-0-0, Hope Dimario 2-0-0-0, Bridget Thomas 3-1-1-0, TOTALS 29-5-8-4.
SOL/BAL: Maddie Bieber 3-1-1-2, Audrey LaBouliere 4-0-2-1, Bri Battavio 2-0-0-0, Makenna Diamond 0-0-0-0, Meghan Bradley 3-0-0-0, Taylor Marinelli 2-0-0-0, Stephanie Andreoli 1-0-0-0, Courtney Neal 0-1-0-0, RonnieMarie Falasco 4-0-2-0, Cara Fabiano 4-2-1-0, Tara Harper 3-0-1-1, Michaela Coleman 3-1-2-2, Jackie McMenamin 0-1-0-0, TOTALS 29-6-9-6
Delaware County 005 000 0 5-8-3
SOL/BAL 010 300 2 6-9-3
E-Del Co 3, SOL/BAL 3. LOB-Del Co 9, SOL/BAL 10. 2B-Bridget Thomas, Heather Lazer. 3B-Maddie Bieber.
Delaware County IP H R ER BB SO
Bridget Bailey 4.00 7 4 3 1 6
Leigh Ann Jenkins (L) 2.67 2 2 2 2 1
SOL/BAL
Bri Battavio 4.00 6 5 5 2 4
Stephanie Andreoli (W) 3.00 2 0 0 1 0
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