Truman and Hatboro-Horsham earned come-from-behind wins, and Quakertown remained perfect in American Conference play. Check the recaps.
National Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 8, BENSALEM 7
With one swing of the bat, Steph Wolf brought a dramatic end to Wednesday’s contest, ripping a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the seventh of a tie game.
“Lo and behold, leading off the bottom of the seventh was the girl who’s been the face of Truman softball for four years, and she delivered huge,” coach Mike Klemp said. “I think it was the first or second pitch. She wasted no time, she jumped on one, drove it, and as soon as it left the bat, they knew it was over, we knew it was over.
“My young Tigers decided to continue to play great softball.”
Wolf’s home run capped a remarkable comeback by the Tigers, who trailed 7-0 after four innings.
“When I got there today, the girls had a lot on their minds,” Klemp said. “I could see their demeanor when I got there. I knew it was going to be a long day.
“I could see the way they were warming up. Things didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem like the team that I’d been coaching.”
The Owls exploded for six runs in the third and added a single run in the fourth.
“In the third inning, I think we had four errors, and they were hitting Steph Wolf pretty good,” Klemp said. “She was digging, she was fighting.
“I got on the team a little bit – I’m not a yeller, I’m not one to threaten, but I said, ‘If you think this game is over, go home. I don’t want you here. I’ve got a team down on jayvee that’s itching to play, and they’re good enough to play varsity.’
“I said, ‘We scored eight on them the first time we played them. We could very well have a big inning and we’ll be okay. If you don’t think we have a chance, please go away because I’m not happy.’ I did that in a pretty mild-mannered tone. I wasn’t screaming at the girls.”
The Tigers began clawing their way back in the game, scoring a pair in the fifth. In the sixth, they erupted for five runs to knot the score.
“My freshman catcher who has just been a leader of this team, Kailea Heston, delivered a home run to really get the momentum moving,” Klemp said. “We strung together some hits.
“I have a junior second baseman (Sarah Soltis) that has been streaky at hitting this year. She was my nine-hole hitter today, and I put it in her hands. I said, ‘You can bunt and move them over and put it in the hands of our leadoff hitter (Chrissie Huhn), who’s hitting a little over .400. You hit this girl the first time we played them. I have all the confidence in the world you can hit her. If you have the confidence, swing that bat.’”
Soltis swung at the first pitch and hit a drive to center that plated a pair and knotted the score, setting the stage for the Wolf’s seventh inning heroics.
“I thought today was the day for another bad game, but we haven’t played bad since Abington,” Klemp said of his team’s 11-1 loss to the Ghosts on April 19. “This momentum is definitely carrying.
“Today we made some roster changes and some batting order changes, and I started four freshmen instead of three along with three sophomores. They’re ballplayers, and they work hard.”
Turning in multi-hit efforts for the Tigers were Huhn (2-for-4, RBI), Wolf (2-for-4, home run, double, RBI, two runs), Elle Olivero (2-for-3), Grace Pool (2-for-3, double, RBI, two runs) and Soltis (2-for-3, 2 RBIs). Rylee Worthington added a double and RBI.
For the Owls, Tori Yorgey had a big day out of the leadoff spot, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Haley Keenan was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Kate Formichelli and Dani Sharp each had one RBI.
Hailey Carter threw three scoreless innings to close out the game in relief of Wolf, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out two to earn the win.
Harry S Truman (4-10, 3-6 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Thursday, and Bensalem (6-8, 1-8) will host Council Rock North on Thursday.
“We’re 4-10, but look at the results, look at the scores,” Klemp said. “We’ve had one bad game. We’re losing games by one and two runs with a team that’s so young. Seniors are stepping up to pitch that haven’t pitched since middle school. There’s nothing negative about this season.”
Bensalem 006 100 0 7-7-0
Harry S Truman 000 025 1 8-12-4
Continental Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 6, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 5
The Hatters were on the short end of a 5-4 score heading into the top of the seventh when they plated two runs to go on top by one. Mikayla Fedele kept the Patriots off the board in the bottom of the inning, and the win was in the books.
Britt Hubler led the Hatters 12-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort that included an RBI and two runs. Rachel Carney was 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs, and Brynn Griffith was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Kylie Flagler was 1-for-2 with a run scored, a sacrifice, and she was also hit by a pitch. Maddie Yeager was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Meg Sonntag added an RBI.
For the Patriots, Hailey Aspinwall (2-for-4, double), Steph Kuhns (2-for-4, triple, two runs) and Darien Dempsey (2-for-2, 2 RBIs) led the attack. Giuliana Ruscio had a double and RBI, and Audrey Labouliere tripled, drove in a run and scored a run.
Fedele earned the complete game win, allowing two earned runs while striking out four and walking three. Ruscio absorbed the loss for the Patriots.
Hatboro-Horsham (10-3, 5-2 SOL) will host Quakertown on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (8-7, 5-3) will travel to Pennridge for a 6:30 p.m. contest.
Hatboro-Horsham 200 110 2 6
Central Bucks East 200 201 0 5
American Conference
QUAKERTOWN 9, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4
A two-run double off the bat of Sarah Stofik in the top of the first spotted the visiting Panthers a 2-0 lead. They added three more runs in the second to go on top by five, but the Colonials scored single runs in three straight innings to make it a 6-3 game after four. The Panthers put the game out of reach with three runs in the sixth.
The Panthers’ top three hitters – Tara Baglivo (2-for-5, triple, RBI, 2 runs), Abbey Schwartz (2-for-4, RBI, 2 runs) and Stofik (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBIs) – combined for six of their team’s nine hits. Maddie Moyer added a double while Lauren Beal had an RBI.
For the Colonials, Kamryn Kropinski (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, run) and Lauren Fuhrmeister (2-for-3, RBI) had multiple hits. Also contributing one RBI each were Jennifer Byrne and Ragan Ebersole. Josie Tassoni and Gianna Fazio both had a double while Ebersole had a triple.
Ryann Kemmerling earned the complete game win, allowing nine hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out four and walking two.
Quakertown (12-2, 9-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-6, 4-5) will be on the road at Springfield Township.
Quakertown 230 103 0 9-9-3
Plymouth Whitemarsh 011 100 1 4-9-4
Non-league
WILLIAM PENN CHARTER 7, WISSAHICKON 2
About the Author
