Three SOL softball teams – Central Bucks South, North Penn and Council Rock North – advanced to Tuesday’s District One 6A semifinals. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson.
Three SOL teams – Central Bucks South, North Penn and Council Rock North – guaranteed themselves berths in the PIAA 6A Tournament, thanks to wins in Friday’s quarterfinal round. For the Titans, this is their first trip to states since 2012 when South captured the PIAA Class 4A title. For the Knights, it’s been four years (2014) since they last were in states.
Neshaminy is one of four teams vying for the fifth and final spot. The Redskins must win their next two games.
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 5, #1-8 CONESTOGA 1
The Titans won’t beat many teams by smashing the ball over the fence, but their bats do pack a punch. They proved that much in Friday’s quarterfinal win over the Pioneers when they collected five doubles and a triple.
They did not commit an error in the field behind Kylie Kenney, who allowed just four hits and fanned nine in yet another stellar outing. Conversely, their opponent committed a pair of errors that led to four unearned runs.
“I don’t know how many games it was this year – we were still able to pull a lot of them out even with errors,” said junior Alexa Ortman, who contributed a double, triple and three RBIs. “I know last year errors were a big deciding factor.
“We need solid defense. We don’t have that big hitting team and all the home runs, so solid defense and just putting the ball in play is what we’ve been trying to do.”
“Defense is what wins our games,” added senior Alex DeLeon, who had a pair of doubles. “We don’t have those home run hitters, so the runs that we get aren’t put over the fence – it’s us taking advantage of the errors the other team made, and we’re advancing our runners because we’re aggressive on the base paths.
“It could easily be the other way – if we make those errors, those runners are going to be running all day.”
The Titans benefitted from a Pioneer miscue to plate three second-inning runs. Katie Hines ripped a double down the left field line to open the inning, and one out later, she scored when Nicole Pilla’s grounder to short was bobbled. Rebecca Brennan singled, and with two outs, Ortman lofted a fly ball to left center that was misplayed into a double, allowing two more runs to cross the plate.
“Getting those three runs at the beginning of the game was really important for us because then we can just focus on making the plays out in the field,” DeLeon said. “Coming into this game we were all hyped up. We just want to win, we just want to keep going and make a run for it.”
Those three runs loomed large when the Pioneers bunched three of their four hits with two outs in the third to put a run on the board. Kenney did not allow a hit the rest of the way, and the Titans added a pair of unearned runs in the fourth. Pilla was safe on an error to open the inning, and two outs later, Ortman ripped a shot to the right field fence for a run-scoring triple. Tara Tumasz’s single to right plated Ortman, and the Titans were on their way to a win that guaranteed them a berth in states.
“This was a goal we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season,” coach Kevin Rosini said. “I’m just so proud of this group. Ellen (Goldstein) and I – we love this team, we love these kids.
“They’ve stepped up for us all season long. To get to this point, we’re happy we made it here, but we’re not satisfied. We know we still have a long way to go.”
Ortman and DeLeon each had a pair of hits to lead the team’s nine-hit attack.
“The kids are playing solid – we’re getting a lead and not giving it back,” Rosini said. “That’s been a big difference in the way we’ve played.
“Everybody feels confident now – they want the ball hit to them, they’re ready to make the play, and that breeds throughout the whole team.”
Central Bucks South (19-3, 9-3 SOL) will host North Penn in District One 6A semifinal on Tuesday. It will be the third meeting of the SOL Continental Conference rivals, who split their regular season series.
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#1-4 NORTH PENN 10, #1-12 COATESVILLE 0 (5 innings)
Earning a state berth is typically anything but easy with 20 teams battling for five coveted spots. The Knights have made it look like a cakewalk, winning by the mercy rule for the second time in as many games, and suddenly, their lineup looks very imposing one through nine.
“We’ve been hitting the ball,” said coach Rick Torresani. “We’re playing good defense, and Mady (Volpe) is pitching well.”
The Knights seized early control of the game, plating three first-inning runs. Emily Groarke got the ball rolling with a single down the third base line. Victor Juckniewitz legged out a bunt single, setting the stage for a two-run double from Elia Namey. Jordan Pietrzykoski’s sacrifice fly plated Namey with a run that put the Knights on top 3-0.
It was a 4-0 game after the Knights tacked on a single run in the fourth on Paige Paciolla’s sacrifice fly. The Knights brought an early end to the game in the fifth inning, capitalizing on a walk, singles by Juckniewitz, Courtney Neal (RBI) Paciolla (RBI) and Groarke (2 RBIs). Namey and Jordan Pietrzyski both contributed RBI doubles in the frame. Groarke’s two-run single brought an early end to the game.
All told, the Knights collected 12 hits. Juckniewitz was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Namey was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Pietrzykoski was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI, and Paciolla was 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Torresani credits his team’s remarkable offensive onslaught on the warm temperatures.
“We’ve won 14 out of the last 15 games, and it’s when it got warm,” Torresani said. “I said that at the beginning of the year because we hit the ball really well at Myrtle Beach when it was 75, and I thought – when this team gets hot weather, they’re going to hit, and once the weather broke we started hitting.”
Freshman Mady Volpe tossed a one-hit shutout in the abbreviated contest, striking out seven and walking two in yet another standout effort.
North Penn (18-4, 9-3 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Central Bucks South for Tuesday’s semifinal contest. The two teams split the regular season meetings.
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Sparked by the superb five-hit effort of Lauren Begg in the circle, the Indians continued their magical run through the District One 6A Tournament, knocking off their third straight higher seeded opponent – this one a familiar conference foe.
Begg was perfect through three innings, retiring the first 11 batters she faced. She allowed just two base hits heading into the seventh inning.
“Lauren Begg pitched the best game I have ever seen her pitch,” coach John Engelhardt said. “Lauren executed our game plan.
“We were trying to contain their best hitters. They can hit one through nine, but we did not want (Liana) Jones and (Natalie) Rios to beat us with the long ball.
“Lauren was just unbelievable. She throws a heavy ball. The bigger the game, the bigger the crowd, the more pressure – Neshaminy is one of the better hitting teams in the district, if not the state.”
Friday’s win capped a week that saw the Indians send third-seeded Avon Grove and 14th-seeded Souderton home for the season before derailing a veteran Redskin squad.
“We played a very clean defensive game,” Engelhardt said. “
The Indians set the tone by scoring a run in the first without the benefit of a hit. Riley Sheehy – after a tough at-bat – was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and then immediately stole second.
“We wanted to put a run on (the board) as soon as possible and put the pressure on them,” Engelhardt said. “My kids tend to do better when we score first, get that confidence.”
The Indians took that 1-0 lead into the sixth when they added a pair of insurance runs. Begg led off with a single, and Juliana Shields followed with an RBI double. Abby Seiple singled to plate Shields, giving the Indians a 3-0 lead.
“The last time we played Neshaminy on their field (a 12-11 North win), Juliana struggled and had a couple of errors in that game,” Engelhardt said. “Today she was our defensive MVP.”
In the seventh, the Redskins broke up Begg’s shutout bid. Amber Brugger, who had tripled, scored on a single by Alexis Watkins. That would be the extent of the Redskins’ run production, and yet another upset was in the book for the Indians.
“If you would have told me the score of today’s game would be 3-1 – in my wildest of dreams, it wouldn’t have been a low scoring game,” Engelhardt said. “It was just a clean game.
“There were defensive gems on both sides. It’s one of those old school games when they were pitching from 40 feet and the pitchers had such a huge edge. It was great intensity on both sides. Both teams came out there and left it all on the field. Neshaminy is a fantastic team, and Dave Chichilitti is as good a coach as there’s around. It was just an awesome game. We were really fortunate to come out on top.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my kids. They played seven innings, they picked each other up. My girls right now – they believe in each other and regardless of what happens out on the field, it doesn’t faze them. This is what we were looking to see from this team, and we’re glad that it’s happening at the right time.”
The Indians – who advanced to the state quarterfinals last year – are once again back in the state tournament.
Council Rock North (15-7, 7-5 SOL) will face 15th-seeded Garnet Valley in a battle of the underdogs who have spent the tournament sending higher seeded teams home for the season. Neshaminy (17-4, 10-2) will host #7 Downingtown West in a playback game on Tuesday.
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