North Penn edged CB South in a key SOL softball conference showdown. Check out Thursday’s recaps. Upper Moreland/GMA photos provided courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. Check back for a gallery of game action photos.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 1, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
Bri Battavio hadn’t forgotten. Neither had her teammates.
None of them had been able to quite get over the 11-0 mercy rule beating they had taken at the hands of the Titans earlier this season.
“It was awful,” Battavio said of a loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Knights. ““We were doing good until that point, and I think we just expected to win because we were winning. I don’t think we really took into account that they are a great team. I think we took them too lightly at first, and I think everyone was a little nervous because we do have a young team.
“When you lose 11-0, your whole mindset changes. We’ve run-ruled teams, but you don’t understand until it happens to you, especially when you know you gave them the game. The first game we made a million errors. It was terrible. After that, we just knew we were never losing like that ever again, no matter who it was.”
Thursday’s win will go a long way toward erasing memories of that thrashing at the hands of the Titans, and most impressive about the rematch was the fact that Battavio and company silenced the Titans’ big bats. In the initial meeting between the two teams, Taylor Marinelli belted a pair of home runs off of Battavio.
“I played with her, and I played against her,” Battavio said of Marinelli. “The thing about me is I have to prepare mentally before I come into the game.
“So I have to know and visualize what I’m throwing and where. I can’t make the mistake of leaving the ball over the plate for her because she will jack it. I was trusting coach’s calls. We were throwing all my junk. We were just trying to keep her off balance.”
Battavio scattered seven hits, struck out two and didn’t walk a batter in the complete game win.
“Bri came out and just pitched an outstanding game- I’m just really proud of her,” said North Penn coach Rick Torresani. “It was an awesome game. Both teams played really well, both teams played really good defense, both teams had good pitching, it’s what you’d expect getting ready for the playoffs. If you’re going to do anything, now’s the time.”
While Battavio was on top of her game, so was her defense.
“Bri’s a good pitcher,” South coach Kevin Rosini said. “She didn’t strike out that many, but their defense was a million times better than it was the first time we played them.
“That was the big key – they made all the plays. We did hit the ball hard, and we left a ton of runners on, but we just didn’t get a big hit when we needed it.”
The Knights scored the only run of the game in the fifth. Jordan Pietrzykoski opened the frame with an infield single. A walk and hit batsman loaded the bases, setting the stage for yet another walk – this one to Elia Namey that pushed the game-winning run across.
Battavio made that 1-0 lead stand the rest of the way, and the big win was in the books.
“When we lost to them 11-0, nothing worked out right,” Torresani said. “We made errors, we just weren’t in sync.
“You know, it was a learning experience for everybody because we start two ninth graders and three sophomores. What they did – they turned it into a positive thing by making sure they were ready to play the rest of the games we had.”
The win gives the Knights sole possession of the conference’s top spot and ups their winning streak to nine straight since their loss to CB South.
“We take our games one game at a time, and last night we talked a lot about how we were approaching these girls,” Battavio said. “If we keep our defense tight, we just knew we would make the plays.
“We knew it would be a good game, but we knew in our heart that we were going to win this because we’ve been working so, so hard.”
Torresani acknowledged that his team’s defense was key.
“We didn’t have any errors,” the Knights’ coach said. “The kids were focused on what they needed to do, and that’s what we’ve been working on.
“Emily Groarke in right field made two really beautiful catches early in the game.”
The team’s outstanding defense was not lost on Batavio.
“On my god, the defense was amazing today,” she said. “We had some awesome plays.
“Our second baseman, Jordan (Pietrzykoski), made a diving stop and got the lead runner at second. Our right fielder, Emily Groarke, she had a day. She slid in and caught some balls. She caught a ball over her head. She was terrific. Our third baseman (Victoria Juckniewitz) made some key plays. Everybody was a part of this win today.
“Everybody helped and made plays. We didn’t have one error, which was a huge change from the first time we played them.”
The Titans threatened in the bottom of the seventh when they had runners on first and second with one out.
“With our leadoff hitter up – I thought, ‘Oh boy, here we go,’” Rosini said. “We had a fly out to left and a fielder’s choice. Ball game.
“We just did not get the big hit when we needed it, and they made all the plays, Bri pitched a really good game. Kiley (Kenney) pitched a really good game too. We are even – these two teams are even. I don’t care what anybody says. They won today, and they’re going to win the league. Good for them.”
Kenney allowed just four hits in seven innings while fanning nine.
Maddie Rowley (2-for-3) and Maddie McShane (1-for-1, double) led the Titans’ offense.
Groarke led the Knights at the plate, finishing 2-or-3 with a walk. Battavio was 1-for-3 with a double.
Thursday’s big win came on the heels of a 6-1 win earlier this week over a Haverford squad that was seeded third in the most recent District One 3A power rankings.
“They were a good team, they were a very good team,” Battavio said. “Their pitcher throws – I think it’s a curve outside, and we were all swinging at it.
“She was a great pitcher. We were only winning 2-1 until the seventh inning when we put up four runs, so it was a very, very close game.”
North Penn (16-3, 10-1 SOL) will host Pennridge on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (13-5, 9-2) will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
North Penn 000 010 0 1
Central Bucks South 000 000 0 0
American Conference
QUAKERTOWN 14, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 0 (5 innings)
Tori Caputo and Ryan Kemmerling combined for a no-hitter in the abbreviated contest, striking out three and walking two. Their teammates took care of business at the plate, scoring early and often.
Maddie Moyer had herself a day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBIs and a run scored. Abbey Schwartz was 3-for-4 with a double, triple, RBI and three runs scored. Abbey Hill was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Sarah Stofik added a solo home run.
Quakertown (15-3, 12-1 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (1-13, 1-12) will host Mount St. Joseph Academy on Monday in a non-league contest.
Quakertown 545 00 14-9-1
Springfield 000 00 0-0-4
Non-league
PENNRIDGE 9, DOCK MENNONITE ACADEMY 5
The visiting Rams scored three runs in the first and added three more in the second to go on top 6-0 early. The Pioneers scored four of their own in the third to make it a two-run game, but that’s as close as they would get.
All told, the Rams pounded out 13 hits. They were led by the two-hit performances of Kylie Watson (2-for-4, three runs), Emily Hegen (2-for-5, two RBIs), Kailyn Bell (2-for-4, two RBIs), Skylar Hengeveld (2-for-5) and Krista Yerk (2-for-4, RBI, run). Grace McGingley tripled, drove in a run and scored. Allie Motts was 1-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs. Nikki Rosenberg added one RBI.
Pennridge (9-8, 4-6 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Pennridge 330 111 0 9-13-0
Dock Mennonite 004 001 0 5-9-4
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 11, UPPER DUBLIN 1 (5 innings)
Kayla Gallagher threw five innings to earn the complete game win in the abbreviated non-league contest, allowing one hit and one run. She struck out eight and walked three.
The Bucks broke a scoreless tie with a seven-run outburst in the third inning. Ella Castronuovo's three-run triple higlighted the frame. They added four more runs in the fifth to bring an early end to the contest. Again, Castronuovo was in the middle of the action, delivering a two-run triple.
Castronuovo finished a productive day 2-for-4 with a double, triple and five RBIs. Cara Hatzinger was a perfect 3-for-3, and Kelly Cyliax was 2-for-2.
Central Bucks West (5-11, 2-9 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday, and Upper Dublin (10-7, 8-3) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham for a 7 p.m. contest.
Upper Dublin 000 01 1
Central Bucks West 007 04 11
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