Bensalem and Souderton were winners in SOL softball action Thursday.
BENSALEM 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
Jackie Morell turned in a dazzling two-hit shutout performance to lead the Owls to the win in a classic non-league battle Thursday. The Owls’ senior ace tied a career high with 14 strikeouts, fanning the side in the bottom of the seventh to put an exclamation mark on a glittering performance. She did not walk a batter.
“All we did was lift weights in the offseason – we were trying to get her to that threshold where she could really dominate physically,” coach Dan Schram said. “She worked so hard to get there, and I think we’re starting to see the results. She is clutch.
“Honestly, her best pitched game was against Neshaminy (a 1-0 loss in eight innings). Mackensie Compton (who homered) earned that, she really did. She took a drop that was below her knees and took it out. That kid is strong and that kid is good.”
The Owls scored all the runs Morell would need in the top of the third. With one out, Erin McVicar singled and moved up to second on a passed ball. One out later, Meg Nally’s fly ball to the outfield was misplayed, allowing McVicar to race home. The Owls tacked on an insurance run when Carley Smith followed with an RBI single.
That was more than enough for Morell, who was in command from start to finish. Her counterpart, Kayla Ventura, pitched well enough to win on most days, allowing just three hits while striking out eight and walking one.
“Ventura pitched a great game – she’s a good pitcher,” Schram said. “She throws good stuff, she mixes it up real good. She kept us off balance and did a nice job.
“CB East is going to make noise in the Continental. Today was like a playoff atmosphere. You had a massive crowd there. When you step outside yourself and think what we have become the last four or five years, it’s really special.”
The Owls are 2-1 on the young season (0-1 SOL), and there’s no mistaking the role Morell has played in that success.
“She is special, and part of her success is her sister behind the plate,” Schram said of catcher Lauren Morell. “I think they feel a comfort level playing right now that is better than I’ve ever seen before with the two of them.
“I think they’re not looking over their shoulder wondering what I think. They trust that I trust them, and they give me their very best. Preparation is key. We’ve worked very hard, we’ve trained hard, and the kids brought it.”
Central Bucks East is 2-2 (1-0 SOL).
Bensalem 002 000 0 2
Central Bucks East 000 000 0 0
SOUDERTON 11, WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 6
In a rematch of last year’s second round district match – a 9-7 Souderton win, the Indians once again had the better of play against the Warriors. The two teams combined for 31 hits in an offensive showcase with the Indians collecting 17 of those.
The Indians erupted for five runs in the first. It began with a walk and a hit batter, followed by five consecutive singles.
“That was definitely important especially considering we were coming off a loss yesterday,” coach Steph Rummel said of getting on the scoreboard early. “I think we came out with the fire to win today.
“The girls bounced back really well, which is exactly what I wanted them to do.”
The Warriors answered with three runs in the top of the second to pull to within 5-3, and it was a 7-5 game heading into the bottom of the sixth when the Indians scored four runs to all but seal the win.
Morgan Yoder was 3-for-4 with a double and three runs, and Dayna Shelly also was 3-for-4 as both senior captains stepped up for the Indians.
“They’re both a very big piece of our team, and they’re great leaders,” Rummel said.
“If they continue to have the kind of games they had today and if they even continue to have a presence on the field, I think we’ll do really well this year.”
Katie Kehler was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs while Angie Carty was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Alex Gaydos was 2-for-4, and Bri Ruth was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Freshman Alex Scheeler earned the win on the mound.
The win evened the record of the defending state champion Indians at 1-1.
“There’s a little bit of pressure because teams are definitely out to get us,” said Rummel. “The way that I run the program with the girls is just we play one inning at a time, one game at a time, and we go from there.
“Yesterday we lost to Neshaminy, but last year we lost to Neshaminy, and it ended up good, and that’s what I told the girls. We just have to take one game at a time, and if we lose, we’re going to learn from it. We’ll come back the next day and work on those weaknesses, and that’s what we did today.”
WC Henderson 030 011 1 6
Souderton 501 104 x 11
About the Author
