Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action on Monday.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 13, HARRY S TRUMAN 3 (5 innings)
Nicole Rounsavill has been a tough out all season, and the Indians’ senior shortstop was an impossible out in Monday’s win over the Tigers. Rounsavill was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a two-run home run and five RBIs, and she wasn’t the only one creating problems for the Tigers. Sabrina Crane was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two RBIs.
The Indians brought an early end to the game with a nine-run fifth.
“We did a nice job of executing our bunts today,” coach John Engelhardt said.
Freshman Jenna Khantzian earned the win, allowing no earned runs while fanning eight in five innings.
Council Rock North (9-3, 7-2 SOL) will host Council Rock South in a key conference game Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (3-12, 2-9) will face Bristol in a non-league game at 5:30 p.m.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
Junior Bri Battavio tossed a gem, allowing just four hits in the complete game shutout. She walked two and fanned three.
“She pitched an awesome game,” coach Rick Torresani said. “It was probably the best game she’s pitched all year.
“Everything was working, she was hitting her spots, and she was throwing really hard.”
The Maidens got the only run Battavio would need in the top of the first when Katie Beer, who singled, scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kariam Bou. They added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth.
Battavio drew a leadoff walk, and Bou followed with a single. An error on Courtney Neal’s hard hit ball to the outfield loaded the bases. A throwing error on Melanie Lauro’s grounder allowed two more runs to cross the plate.
“We got back to playing North Penn softball today,” Torresani said. “It’s been a while since we played that – since the beginning of the year.
“The kids know we’re in playoff mode now, and they need to win the next couple of games to get into districts, and they came ready to play today.”
Monday’s win loomed large in light of Sunday’s power rankings.
“This is huge, especially since most of our games that are left are away,” Torresani said. “We dropped down to 19 in the power rankings, and we knew we needed a big win against a team that had a lot of points in East. This will hopefully continue.
“We’re 7-4 in the league, but our non-league schedule is so brutal. I was really proud of them today.”
Theresa Haug, who was charged with the loss, allowed three hits and one run in four innings while fanning three and walking one. Kayla Ventura allowed two hits and two runs (both unearned). She struck out five and walked one.
North Penn 1000 002 0 3
Central Bucks East 000 000 0 0
American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 3, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 2
The Golden Bears broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the sixth and held off the Spartans for a win that puts the two teams in a tie for second place in the conference standings behind first place Upper Merion.
In the three-run fifth, the Golden Bears benefitted from a walk, a pair of bunts and a passed ball that allowed the first run to score. An RBI double by Brianna Byard put the Bears on top 2-0, and Maddie Mull’s RBI single gave the Bears a three-run lead. Both hits came with two outs.
That would be the extent of the Bears’ offense against Jenn Hammons, who fanned 10 in the first four innings and came back to strike out the side in the sixth. She finished with 14 strikeouts and walked just two.
“Having not played for a week and a half, I wasn’t sure how we would come out,” coach Scott Ludlow said. “She’s a tough pitcher to face coming out of something like that, and she clearly had her stuff today.
“We did a lot of little things, starting with a walk and a couple of good bunts and took the momentum and got a couple of runs in. The way she was pitching today it was going to be little things that got the job done. That inning was a good example of it.”
The Spartans didn’t go down quietly, plating a pair of runs in the sixth, benefitting from a walk, a single by Hammons and a two-run single by Gabby Gaskin. It could have been worse.
“They had scored two runs with no outs,” Ludlow said. “Their three hitter (Gaskin) hit a ball in the right center field gap, and my right fielder (Kim Benge) tracked it down, turned and threw her out at second base.
“Of all the plays we made today, that was the play of the game. She made a perfect throw, and we got her by a step at second base. They had scored two runs, but now they had nobody on with one out as opposed to the tying run on second base with no outs. That was a big play.”
The Spartans had runners on first and second in the seventh inning, but Amber O’Connor, who earned the complete game win, escaped unscathed. O’Connor fanned seven and walked three.
“It was tense,” Ludlow said. “Nothing’s ever easy.
“Amber was solid. She got out of a jam in the first – they had first and third with none out, and she had two big strikeouts of their four and five hitters to get out of the inning. She did a really nice job today.”
Gaskin (2-for-3) was the only player for either side to get more than one hit. Mary Kate Smith had the game’s only extra base hit – a triple.
Upper Moreland (9-3, 6-3 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Tuesday, and Springfield (6-5, 6-3) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
Springfield 000 002 0 2-6-1
Upper Moreland 000 030 x 3-4-0
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 6, WISSAHICKON 2
The Colonials took a 1-0 lead in the second and then seized control of the game with a four-run third. The Trojans did not get on the scoreboard until the bottom of the seventh when they scored two runs.
Earning the win was the battery of senior pitcher Ashley Yeager and junior catcher Ragan Ebersole. Yeager allowed four hits in seven innings.
The Colonials pounded out 12 hits on the day. Offensive standouts were sophomore Lauren Fuhrmeister (3-for-3, two runs scored, RBI), freshman Peyton Baldwin (2-for-4) and senior Elena Iannuzzelli (2-for-4, one run scored, RBI).
Michela Coleman singled and drove in a run out of the leadoff spot for the Trojans. Emily Welsh also had an RBI.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-4, 5-4 SOL) will host Springfield on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (0-11, 0-8) will be on the road at Norristown on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 014 001 0 6
Wissahickon 000 000 2 2
UPPER MERION 15, NORRISTOWN 0 (3 innings)
The Vikings brought an early end to Monday’s game with a nine-run third inning.
“The girls played well,” UM coach John Whitney said. “They kept hitting.”
All told, they pounded out 15 hits. Dez Kandy led the hit parade with three hits while Olivia Sborlini had a pair of doubles. Allie Moffett, Nicole Kowalski and Bridget Valeri added two hits each. Kowalski and Michaela Ghanayem led the Vikings with three RBIs each.
Sborlini earned the win in the circle. The senior hurler did not allow a hit, fanning four and walking none in three innings.
Upper Merion (13-1, 10-0 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Norristown (5-10, 3-8) will host Wissahickon.
Norristown 000 0-0-6
Upper Merion3-3-9 15-15-0
Non-League
ABINGTON 7, CHELTENHAM 5
In a battle of neighboring rivals, it was the Ghosts exploding for four runs in the first, and they took a 7-1 lead into the seventh when the Panthers staged a late rally, scoring four runs for the 7-5 final.
In her team’s first-inning uprising, Jamie Gosselin ignited the Ghosts with a lead-off triple, and Nikki Ray’s RBI single put the Ghosts on the scoreboard. Olivia Bernstein’s double plated Ray, and after Aubrey Cataldi walked, Brooke Clewell delivered the Ghosts’ third extra-base hit of the inning – a two-run double that gave the Ghosts a 4-0 lead.
Abington tacked on two runs in the second, and in the sixth, the two teams exchanged runs. In the seventh, the Lady Panthers capitalized on several walks and miscues as well as three singles.
Megan Burdziak earned the win, throwing four shutout innings. She did not allow a hit.
Abington (5-8, 4-5 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (5-10, 3-7) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 000 001 4 5
Abington 420 001 x 7
GWYNEDD MERCY 7, UPPER DUBLIN 4
The Monarchs scored three unearned runs in the top of the first, and after the Flying Cardinals rallied to knot the score 4-4 with three unearned runs of their own in the fourth, it was anyone’s game. Gwynedd won it with three runs in the sixth – all unearned.
Christina Shragher earned the win for the Monarchs, allowing seven hits and four runs (one earned) while striking out 10 and walking three. She also helped her own cause with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate with two runs scored.
For the Cardinals, Sarah Sharp was 2-for-3 with a triple, run scored and stolen base. Sarah Dennin was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Becca Matricardi absorbed the loss, allowing six hits and seven runs (only one earned) while striking out four and walking none. The Monarchs benefitted from four hit batters.
Upper Dublin (5-7, 4-5 SOL) will host Upper Merion on Tuesday.
Gwynedd Mercy 300 103 0 7
Upper Dublin 100 300 0 4
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