SOL/BAL Splits Pair of Games on Opening Day of Carpenter Cup

The SOL/BAL squad split its opening day games in Carpenter Cup play, defeating the Inter-Ac and falling to Burlington County.

Steph Andreoli admits she was nervous.

Staring at a three-two count in her first at-bat in the fifth inning of a scoreless ball game, the Council Rock South sophomore knew her SOL/BAL squad desperately needed to get something going in Tuesday morning’s Carpenter Cup opener against the Inter-Ac.

“It was really nerve racking when I went up because I hadn’t gone in the game yet,” Andreoli said. “All the college coaches were standing there, and everyone was watching.

“The pitch was down the middle, and I knew we needed one run.”

Andreoli roped a double into the left center field gap that ignited a three-run outburst as the SOL/BAL went on to earn a 4-0 win over Inter-Ac. In its second game of the day, the SOL/BAL rallied from a 6-0 score to pull to within one but couldn’t get over the hump, falling 6-5. All told, it was a good day for a squad that had limited practice time prior to Tuesday’s debut at FDR Park.

“I don’t really know – we all just jelled together,” Upper Merion junior Olivia Sborlini said. “It was tough because we only had three practices, but we just jelled.

“Today really helped us bond because we got to actually play in situations and trust each other. I think that helped.”

It was Sblorlini and Andreoli combining for a nifty one-hit shutout in the SOL/BAL’s 4-0 win. Sborlini threw the first four innings, allowing one hit and no walks while fanning two. Andreoli, who earned the win, did not allow a hit or walk in three shutout innings. She struck out a pair.

“They were phenomenal,” said Upper Dublin coach Heather Boyer, the head coach of the SOL/BAL. “They had great composure, good focus and did a great job hitting spots.

“It’s different for all of them. (North Penn) coach (Rick) Torresani is calling the game, and he’s working with both the catchers and pitchers on that, so you have to quickly develop a relationship there. The girls have to trust what he’s calling, and he’s got to trust that they’re going to throw it. Both Olivia and Steph did a great job making good pitches in critical spots and coming up with some really key outs.”

Talk to both pitchers, and it’s clear the adjustment to a new batterymate was relatively simple.

“Between the pitchers and catchers, I think we understand each other from the pitcher-catcher point of view of where the pitches should be, what pitches we can throw and stuff like that,” Andreoli said.

“I thought it was pretty easy because the catchers are really good,” Sborlini said.

It certainly didn’t hurt that their teammates played flawless defense behind them.

“That’s huge too,” Boyer said. “You have 17 talented kids on this roster, but sometimes getting them on the field at the same time and getting them to jell can be difficult, so the fact that they were able to come together and play really good, crisp, focused defense was very important too because we didn’t score until late in the game. It wasn’t until the fifth inning that we got on the board.”

Andreoli’s double on a nine-pitch at-bat to lead off the fifth got the ball rolling for the BAL/SAL.

“That was clutch,” Boyer said.

With one out, Katie Beer (North Penn) legged out a bunt single, and an error on a fielder’s choice by Maddie Bieber (Central Bucks South) allowed Andreoli to score a run that turned out to be the game winner. RBI singles by Bri Battavio (North Penn) and Sblorilini gave the SOL/BAL a 3-0 lead.

For good measure, the SOL/BAL tacked on an insurance run in the seventh. Singles by Bieber and Battavio – who both had two hits – set the stage for an RBI single by RonnieMarie Folasco (Delco Christian).

“That was a really good insurance run in a tough spot,” Boyer said. “It’s the seventh inning, and you haven’t seen a pitch yet. She goes in and hits a really good single.”

That win set the stage for a contest against Burlington County – a 7-4 winner over the PCL. Burlington plated a single run in the first. The SOL/BAL threatened in the bottom of the inning when Madison Gianelle (Cheltenham), who was safe on a bunt single, found herself on third with one out, but the SOL/BAL couldn’t push her across.

“That, to me, was a little bit of a game changer because if you get that tying run it changes momentum again,” Boyer said. “We didn’t answer there, but it was still early.”

Burlington tacked on a pair of runs in the third and scored two more in the fifth and a single run in the sixth to go on top 6-0 before the SOL/BAL erupted for five runs in the sixth. Battavio led off the inning with a single, and the SOL/BAL had a pair on board after Sblorlin was hit by a pitch. Juianne Griffin (Wissahickon) drew a seven-pitch walk to load the bases, setting the stage for a clutch two-run single by Theresa Haug. Falasco followed with an RBI single, and with one out, Coleman delivered an RBI single. A successfully executed suicide squeeze bunt by Beer plated the fifth run, but that’s as close as the SOL/BAL would get as Burlington County held on for the 6-5 win.

“They could have easily called it quits and said, ‘This game’s over,’ but they didn’t,” Boyer said. “They were very resilient, and they found a way to battle back. We just came up one run short.

“It just showed them they have the ability to compete and they have the ability to be offensive at any point in the game – it doesn’t matter if it’s the first inning or the fifth inning. It does give a little bit of momentum heading into tomorrow, so hopefully, the bats stay hot.”

The SOL/BAL – hoping to ride the momentum of their late-game rally - will face Delaware South in a 9 a.m. contest Wednesday.

“It was a 6-0 game, but no one gave up,” Andreoli said. “We all kept fighting until the last inning, scored five runs and only needed one run to tie it up.”

“I think that was really good for us because it showed us that we can work together and rally,” Sborlini said

Whatever the outcome in the double elimination tournament, there’s no mistaking that this is an experience the players wouldn’t have wanted to miss.

“It’s really fun because during the season we get to play against each other, but now we get to play with each other,” Sborlini said. “One of my teammates from travel ball (Upper Dublin’s Sarah Tannenbaum) is also on Carpenter Cup so I get to spend more time with her.

“It was good to meet new people from all the other schools, and the coaches are really nice and helpful.”

“I had a lot of fun,” Andreoli added, “All the coaches are so nice and all the girls – we just had a lot of fun together.

“I knew a couple of them from travel, but it was cool how everyone jelled from all the different schools, how we were rivals and now we’re all teammates.”

SOL/BAL       000 030 1     4-10-0
Inter-Ac       000 000 0     0-1-1

E-Inter-Ac 1, 2B-Andreoli. SB-Sblorlini, Loftus.

Burlington County    102 021 0    6-13-2
SOL/BAL                     000 005 0    5-8-2

E-Burlington Co 2, SOL BAL 2. 2B-Zulla, 3B-Mayernik. SB-Murzello, Coleman, Falasco.