Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Friday.
National Conference
Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Friday.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3
The neighboring rivals put on quite a show for the large crowd in attendance at Friday’s rivalry game, and it was the Indians earning the emotional win when Sabrina Crane delivered an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to plate the game winner.
Earlier, the Indians plated a single run in the bottom of the third, but the Golden Hawks answered with two runs in the top of the fourth. They added a single run in the fifth to go on top 3-1
“There was a lot going on even until the third,” coach Chris McDermott said. “Runners on, big plays, a huge crowd.
“As a coach, I feel as though we’re very equally matched teams. It was just going back and forth. There was a little relaxation – not that we should have – when we scored first.
“They had some big hits in the fourth to get two, but they could have had four. We came up with some big plays by Marisa Gergel, who’s our centerfielder. They got a single run in the fifth to go up 3-1, and the stress level just heightened because that’s a lot of runs.”
Gergel delivered a clutch two-run double in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score 3-3. Neither team scored in the sixth.
“The sixth was not relaxing for anybody,” McDermott said. “We had runners on, they had runners on. We had a couple of errors, they had a couple of errors, but nobody got in.
“Everybody is on the edge of their seats. Everybody is at the game. Some of these girls are on the same travel team, and the head coach of South (Greg Heydet) coaches players from both teams.”
That 3-3 score stood until the seventh when Rock North leadoff batter Taylor Briggs reached base with her third hit. She moved up to second on Mallory Pollack’s sacrifice bunt, setting the stage for Crane’s game winner,
Briggs finished the game 3-for-4 to lead the Indians. Crane was 2-for-4 while Gergel was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Amanda Camp earned the win a contest that saw Camp and Elyse McMenamin split pitching duties.
The win was the fourth of the week for the Indians.
“We had a good week,” McDermott said. “We have a tough week next week.
“We start with Souderton on Monday, Neshaminy on Tuesday. We have a day off and we see Bensalem on Thursday, Abington on Friday and Bensalem on Saturday to finish a game that was suspended due to weather. There’s no easy team in there.”
With the win, the Indians improved to 6-2 in conference play (9-3 overall) while the Golden Hawks are 4-5 in the league (8-6 overall).
Council Rock South 000 210 0 3
Council Rock North 001 020 1 4
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 3, UPPER MORELAND 2
A young Flying Cardinal squad displayed poise down the stretch, holding on for a hard fought win Friday night.
“It was a fun game under the lights,” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “The girls aren’t used to playing in that kind of environment. There were a lot of people there to watch, a lot of energy. It could easily overwhelm you, especially because we have such young players on our squad, but they handled that very well.”
The Golden Bears broke a scoreless tie with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on a misplayed bunt, but the Cardinals had an immediate answer, scoring two runs in the top of the sixth. Sarah Sharp got things started with a single, and the Cards had a pair on board when Jackie McMenamin’s sacrifice bunt was misplayed, setting the stage for a clutch two-run double to left field by Sarah Tannenbaum that put the Cardinals on top 2-1. They could have had more but a base running miscue with the bases loaded on a fly ball to the center field resulted in a double play, allowing the Bears to get out of the inning.
“They showed great poise,” Boyer said. “It was a quick game up until the fifth inning, and they scored a run in the fifth.
“I said, ‘We only have six outs left, and we’ve got to get it together.’ It would have been very easy for them to play scared and be afraid to lose, but they got right into it, got a couple runners on. We executed with a good clutch hit.”
The Cards stretched that lead to 3-1 in the top of the seventh. Kaitlin Shorr led off the inning with a single. She moved up to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a grounder and scored on an RBI single by McMenamin.
The Bears didn’t go down quietly. Jenn Freeman and Creighton opened the seventh inning with back-to-back singles. A sacrifice fly by Amber O’Connor made it a 3-2 game, but with UM runners on first and third, pitcher Rebecca Matricardi delivered a huge strikeout to close out the game.
“That’s a part of the game where the tying run is on third base, and a young team like that – you get worried that they might get scared of making a mistake instead of making the play,” Boyer said. “They maintained good composure.
“Upper Moreland – Scott (Ludlow) has done a great job. They’re very well coached, they execute well, their defense was strong, they like to bunt, and they’ve got some good speed. They’re a good team this year, so it was an exciting win, for sure.”
Upper Dublin is 4-6 in conference play (4-10 overall), and Upper Moreland is 4-3 in the league (5-4 overall).
Upper Dublin 000 002 1 3
Upper Moreland 000 010 1 2
Non-league
UPPER MERION 3, VILLA MARIA ACADEMY 0
Coach John Whitney knew Friday’s non-league game against a Villa Maria squad ranked first in the all-important Class AAA power rankings would be a measuring stick to see where his team – ranked fourth – stood.
The veteran coach liked what he saw as the Vikings defeated the Hurricanes on their home field, serving notice that they could be heard from when postseason playoff rolls around.
“It was a tremendous game,” Whitney said. “It was a very well-played game.”
Topping the list of contributors for the Vikings was a familiar name. Olivia Sborlini tossed a neat five-hit shutout. She also drove in a run that turned out to be the game winner.
“Liv pitched really well again,” Whitney said.
The Vikings got on the scoreboard in the third inning. Dez Kandy singled and stole second, and she raced home on Sborlini’s RBI single. That 1-0 lead stood until the sixth. Sborlini was hit by a pitch, and Abby Volpe roped a double to right center, putting runners on second and third. Both runners crossed the plate on Allie Moffett’s single.
Sborlini put the finishing touches on a game that was a far cry from last year’s May 5 meeting that saw Villa earn a 10-3 win.
With the win, the Vikings upped their overall record to 10-2 (8-0 SOL).
Upper Merion001 002 0 3
Villa Maria 000 000 0 0
HATBORO-HORSHAM 5, BENSALEM 0
Less than 24 hours after Lexie Campbell allowed just two hits in nine innings in the Hatters’ win over Central Bucks East, Taylor Sciubba turned in a gem of her own, allowing just three hits while walking one and fanning five.
“She was dominant on the mound,” coach Joe DiFilippo said.
The Hatters broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fourth and then added a single run in the fifth, two more in the sixth and one run in the seventh to earn the important non-league win.
Dee Moyer was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Jen Cader also was 2-for-4 with one RBI and a double, and KyLeigh Dineen also was 2-for-4.
The Hatters upped their overall record to 8-6 (5-5 SOL) while the Owls are 7-6 overall (4-5 SOL).
Hatboro-Horsham 000 112 1 5
Bensalem 000 000 0 0
ABINGTON 5, PENNRIDGE 3
The Rams took an early 3-0 lead, but the Ghosts came roaring back to earn the non-league win at Druckenmiller Park on Friday night.
Nikki Ray’s two run blast in the fourth made it 3-2 game. Toni Washington, who singled, scored on a home run that was Ray’s fifth in four games. In the fifth inning, Washington slapped a single with the bases loaded to plate a pair, giving the Ghosts a 4-3 lead.
In the sixth, Jade Sowell led off with a single and moved up to second on Maddie Malfara’s sacrifice. She stole third and scored the game’s final run on Olivia Bernstein’s RBI single.
Washington and Bernstein led the Ghosts with two hits each.
“It was a total team effort,” coach Ellie White said.
For the Lady Rams, Alyssa Hughes was 3-for-4 while Natalie Babik and Briana Gery both had doubles.
Ray earned the win in the circle for the Ghosts, who upped their record to 11-3 (7-2 SOL). Pennridge is 4-9 overall (2-8 SOL).
Abington 000 221 0 5
Pennridge 201 000 0 3
WISSAHICKON 7, GWYNEDD MERCY 6
The Trojans used a heroic seventh inning rally to eke out a dramatic come-from-behind win over their neighboring rival. Trailing 6-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Trojans scored four runs.
“Coming back in the seventh inning with four runs to win the game was huge,” coach Mike Borkowski said. “They had a very good pitcher.
“They’re a very well-coached team, and they play well. It was a good game to watch, a good game to coach and a good game to play in. It was a very good softball game. There was a little bit of everything.”
It was Andrea Mazurek delivering a two-run double to knot the score in the bottom of the seventh, and with Mazurek on third and two outs, Zoe Trumbore delivered a clutch hit to plate the game winner.
Mazurek was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Destini Paige was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Brittany Gelman was 2-for-4 and reached base on all four trips to the plate. She scored one run. Julianne Griffin was 2-for-4 with a run scored
“The middle of the order was very big for us today,” Borkowski said.
Sophomore Halle Segal scattered nine hits and earned the win in the circle for the Trojans.
“It was her second game in a row with no walks,” Borkowski said. “She really pitched well again.
“We had a nice talk with her at the beginning of the week, telling her how good she could be, how she has it in her. We had a real positive talk with her, telling her how to take control and be a leader out there.
“The light went on. She really responded well. It was a well-played game by both teams. It was a great game and a good team win.”
Wissahickon improved to 6-7 overall (4-4 SOL).
Gwynedd Mercy 300 002 1 6
Wissahickon 000 030 4 7
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 13, GARNET VALLEY 6
The Titans exploded for 16 hits and set the tone for their convincing win when they plated five runs in the first inning.
The floodgates were opened when Taylor Marinelli reached base on a one-out error, and after a strikeout for the inning’s second out, Meg Bradley singled, and Maddie Bieber walked. Alex DeLeon was safe on the second error of the inning, and after singles by Emily Gillard and Mikayla Gallagher (bunt), the Titans found themselves on top 5-0.
“I knew they had a couple of good players – I just didn’t know how good they were overall,” coach Dan Hayes said of the Jaguars. “Getting a five-run jump was really key.
“I think it was Emily Gillard’s first start, and it gave her a nice cushion.”
Gillard, who earned the win, was relieved by Alexis McConomy in the fifth with the Titans on top 5-4. The Titans exploded for three runs in the bottom of the fifth and five more in the sixth before the Jaguars tacked on two runs in the seventh.
Gallagher led the Titans with a perfect 4-for-4 day with a double. DeLeon also had a big day, contributing a double and home run with four RBIs. Her three-run home run highlighted the five-run sixth. Bieber, Marinelli and Bradley each added two hits.
With the win, the Titans upped their overall record to 9-5 (6-4 overall).
“Looking at their league, Garnet Valley is two games over .500, so we’ll pick up points in the power rankings,” Hayes said. “It was a good win.”
Garnet Valley 000 130 2 6-10-3
Central Bucks South 500 035 x 13-16-1
SOUDERTON 13, CHRISTOPHER DOCK 1
Angie Carty couldn’t stop smiling.
It was hard to blame the junior outfielder, who had just turned in a dazzling 4-for-5 effort that included a double, RBI and four runs scored in the Indians’ rout of neighboring Dock in front of packed stands at Stover Field. She’d also received – and accepted – a postgame prom invite, and while all of that certainly gave her reason to smile, it was more than that.
It was about being part of a squad that – despite the new faces in the lineup – is having itself quite a season after last year’s state championship run.
“I’ve never seen a team work as well together as we have this year,” Carty said. “Our hitting is absolutely contagious.
“We work together well, we get along well. It’s awesome. It’s my favorite year so far. This is amazing.”
There also are few games that compare to the annual Senior Night rivalry game against Dock.
“Our adrenaline is there,” Carty said. “You’re playing for your seniors – this is about them. This is their night. It’s awesome that we won tonight and the way that we did.”
The Indians seized early control of the game, plating five runs in the first and never looking back.
“The first inning we jumped on them right away,” Carty said. “That was definitely one of the best things we did in the game that led to our success.
“Our hits are contagious, and we kept on it the entire time. When someone was down, we picked them right back up, and we kept going.”
A three-run fourth put the Indians on top 8-0 before the Pioneers plated their only run off winning pitcher Alex Scheeler in the bottom of the inning.
“The way they came out so calm and relaxed even with the number of people that were here was phenomenal,” coach Steph Rummel said. “We work every single day, every single game on communicating with each other and having each other’s backs – if someone messes up, going over and picking them up.
“I think that’s what makes us not a good team but an excellent team because it sets us apart with how we work together and pick each other up – that’s on and off the field, and I feel that the coaching staff with the jayvee and varsity have made it easy for them to come to us and talk to us, and I think that’s a big reason why we’re winning.”
Emotions ran high on both sides when a Dock player ran into catcher Morgan Yoder (and was subsequently ejected).
“I definitely think they got amped, for sure,” Rummel said. “I don’t think that was obviously something they were trying to do, but Morgan stood up and handled it with class.
“That’s exactly what I want her to do and every single person on the team. They just came back at them with the way they played softball.”
The Indians’ coach credited Carty for setting the tone out of the leadoff spot.
“It gets everybody else fired up, and it gets the ball rolling,” Rummel said. “That’s something Angie is really good at.
“She always has good at bats, and she always swings hard. Even if she’s bunting, she does everything 110 percent.”
Carty wasn’t the only offensive hero for the Indians. Scheeler also contributed four hits while Dayna Shelly, Missy Wiley and Alex Gaydoes each added a pair.
Scheeler scattered eight hits in another strong outing for the Indians, who improved to 12-2 on the season (10-1 SOL).
“We are taking it game by game,” Carty said. “We are a very young team this season. We lost four seniors last year that were great starters.
“To come out and be (10-1) in our league is just awesome. Alex, our pitcher, is an amazing pitcher. We’re so lucky to have her.”
Souderton 500 320 3 13
Christopher Dock 000 100 0 1
NOTRE DAME (NJ) 5, NESHAMINY 1
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