Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Wednesday. New Hope-Solebury/Springfield photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos. Pennsbury/Bensalem photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography.
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 7, BENSALEM 2
The Falcons made their 2021 debut a good one, notching a win over a pesky Owls’ squad that plated a pair of first-inning runs. The Falcons responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning and then blew the game open with a five-run fifth.
“We knew right then and there in the first inning that we were in for a game, and it was 2-2 until the fifth inning,” Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry said. “In the top of the fifth inning, they loaded the bases with nobody out, and we got out of that with a fielder’s choice throw to home, Ainsley McClure had a big strikeout and then a fly ball to center field. We turned around in the bottom of the fifth and scored five runs, so that fifth inning was the game.”
McClure notched the complete game win, settling in to pitch six shutout innings after giving up two in the first. She allowed seven hits while striking out 11 and walking one.
Igniting the Owls in their two-run first were the Klein sisters – freshman Megan and senior Jess.
“Bensalem should be given credit,” McSherry said. “They have two kids at the top of the lineup – the Klein sisters. They’re both left-handed slappers/bunters, and they both have unbelievable wheels. They’re table setters, there’s no doubt about it.”
Megan Klein was 1-for-4 while Jess Klein was 3-for-4.
In the bottom of the first, the Falcons answered with a pair of runs. Riley Mahony led off the inning with a double, and the Falcons benefitted from three consecutive walks that pushed a pair across.
That 2-2 score stood until the fifth when the Falcons exploded for five runs. The big blow in the inning was a two-run home run by senior first baseman Jess Rowe.
Three players accounted for six of the Falcons’ seven hits. Rowe and Rowan Mulholland were both 2-3 while Mahony was 2-for-4 with a double.
Pennsbury (1-0 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Friday in a key division contest, and Bensalem (2-1, 0-1) will travel to Council Rock North on Friday.
Bensalem 200 000 0 2
Pennsbury 200 050 x 7
NESHAMINY 3, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
Kennedy Ruth and Mia Barone were all but untouchable, combining for a one-hit shutout in the Redskins’ league opener. Ruth, who went six innings and earned the win, threw 78 pitches, striking out 17 and walking one. She allowed just one hit. Barone closed out the game, striking out a pair and throwing 12 pitches in a one-two-three inning.
The Redskins, who have seven new starters on the field, played flawless defense, according to first-year coach Tim Quense.
Offensively, Neshaminy had nine hits. Kylee Jones was 2-for-3 with a double and home run. Her home run highlighted a two-run third that gave the Redskins a lead they would not lose. Kylie Siwek was 2-for-2 with a walk.
Also contributing to Neshaminy’s offense was Danielle Monaco, whose sacrifice fly plated her team’s second run in the third inning. Darby Barndt was 1-for-3 while Barone was 1-for-1 and drove in an insurance run in the sixth. Ruth (1-for-2), Michelle Baradiej (1-for-2) and Peyton Tierney (1-for-3) each added a hit.
Despite the outcome, Rock South coach John Engelhardt had nothing but good things to say about his team’s effort.
“I can’t remember a time I felt this positive after a loss,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “We were eager to see how we stacked up against a program that averages 18 wins per season. We faced good pitchers in our previous games but none on the same level as Neshaminy ace Kennedy Ruth.
“Our goal for today was to control what we can control: max effort, leave it all on the field, support one another, stay positive and only focus on the next play. The outcome on the district website may say ‘loss,’ however, every player and coach walked off Neshaminy’s field with our head held high and proud of the way we competed against a very good team.”
Neshaminy (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Friday, and Council Rock South (2-1, 0-1) will be on the road at Council Rock North on Friday.
Council Rock South 000 000 0 0
Neshaminy 002 001 x 3
SOL Colonial Division
NORTH PENN 11, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 (5 innings)
Mady Volpe was once again brilliant in the circle, striking out 14 in the five-inning contest and allowing just one hit. She walked just one.
“Once again, it was Mady,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said. “Fourteen strikeouts in a five-inning game is pretty dominating.
“I don’t care what high school team you are – 14 of the 15 outs are strikeouts. She was pretty much dominating, even more than against Quakertown (a 1-0 win in eight innings) where she really had to pitch under some pressure.”
Chloe Dryden broke up Volpe’s no-hit bid with leadoff double to right field in the fourth inning. Volpe struck out the next six batters she faced to close out the game.
North Penn sophomore Bri Wilmot had the game’s biggest hit – a three-run home run in a seven-run second. She also had an RBI single, finishing the day 2-for-2 with four RBIs. Sophomore Julia Shearer was 2-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot.
Torresani also had high praise for Sarah Sabocsik, who was 1-for-2 with an RBI. The catcher had some big shoes to fill with the graduation of Amanda Greaney, who is now playing softball at Lehigh University.
“She has done extremely well catching Mady,” Torresani said. “Mady’s ball moves a lot, she’s fast. We haven’t lost a step from when Amanda Greaney was catching for us, which was huge.
“Just the way – as a sophomore – she is so comfortable catching Mady and doing a great job.”
The Knights collected nine hits in the win.
North Penn (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel Pennridge on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. contest at Druckenmiller Park. Central Bucks West (0-3, 0-1) will host Central Bucks South on Friday at 3:45 p.m.
Central Bucks West 000 00 0-1-1
North Penn 271 1x 11-11-0
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, PENNRIDGE 3
The visiting Rams, despite managing just one hit, took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning only to watch the Patriots rally for the dramatic come-from-behind walk-off win.
“It wasn’t until our last at-bat in the seventh that we woke up,” East coach Karl Knapp said.
Sophomore Elise Waddington’s long single into the right center field gap plated Soleil Dooner from third with the winning run.
Earlier in the seventh, sophomore Elizabeth Gray and senior Alex Frenia collected back-to-back one-out singles. Junior Amelia Funston followed with a double that drove in a run, and after Dooner was hit by a pitch to load the bases, sophomore Mackenzie Wilson drove in a pair with a single, knotting the score 3-3. Scoring from second on the play was freshman Peyton Shellhorn, who was pinch running for Funston. That set the stage for Waddington’s game-winner.
All but lost in the shuffle of the big win was the impassioned pep talk of senior co-captain Bailey Shellhorn. Her teammates certainly responded.
“We needed this win after yesterday,” said Knapp of his team’s 3-2 loss to Quakertown. “That was a real frustrating loss to blow a 2-0 lead. With runners in position, we were 2-for-14.
“Even in this game, we had the bases loaded and didn’t score. It was a real good pitcher’s battle. We’ve been playing good defensively and finally today, I guess, got a sense of urgency.”
In the top of the sixth, the Rams benefitted from a walk and a dropped third strike that would have been the third out to plate three unearned runs when Grace Helbling lofted a home run to center field.
In the circle for the Patriots, Dooner threw five near perfect shutout innings to open the game, retiring the first 14 batters she faced. She did not allow a hit, striking out six and walking none. Frenia threw the final two innings and earned the win, allowing one hit while striking out five and walking one.
“The pitching was good on both sides,” Knapp said. “Their pitcher did a good job too.”
Central Bucks East (3-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday, and Pennridge (1-1, 0-1 SOL) will host North Penn on Friday.
Pennridge 000 003 0 3-1-1
Central Bucks East 000 000 4 4-7-2
SOUDERTON 13, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 7
Offense – and lots of it – was the name of the game for both sides in Wednesday’s shootout. The two teams combined for 20 runs and 26 hits with the Indians holding an edge in both categories.
It looked like anyone’s game as the team’s exchanged runs early. The Indians got on the scoreboard in the top of the first when Kayley Yerk, who had a one-out double, scored on a bases-loaded walk to Taylor Nelson.
Nicole Pilla – who threw out a Souderton runner attempting to steal in the top of the first – began a productive day at the plate with a solo home run to left field.
After the Indians scored three runs in the top of the second, the Titans answered with one in the bottom of the inning to make it a 4-2 game. They took their first and only lead of the game with a three-run third that was highlighted by Allie Franck’s bases-clearing triple that plated three and put the Titans on top 5-4.
That lead was short-lived.
The Indians exploded for seven runs in the fourth. Abby Burns had a pair of singles in an inning that saw the visitors bat around. Kayley York’s second double of the day drove in a pair of runs, and when the inning was over, the Indians led 11-5. Souderton tacked on a pair in the top of the sixth, thanks to Riley York’s two-run home run. The Titans answered with two in the bottom of the inning, sparked by Pilla’s two-run double. Neither team scored in the seventh.
Riley York was 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Indians 15-hit attack. Kayley York was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored. Burns was 2-for-4, and leadoff batter Megan Kummery was 2-for-2 with one RBI and three runs scored.
For the Titans, Pilla was 3-for-4 with a home run, double, three RBIs and a run scored. Franck was 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs, and Suzie Williams was 2-for-4 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot.
Burns notched the complete game win, allowing 11 hits and seven runs (four earned) while fanning 11 and walking one.
The Titans used four pitchers in the loss.
Souderton (4-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Friday, and Central Bucks South (0-2, 0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Friday.
Souderton 130 702 0 13-15-2
Central Bucks South 113 020 0 7-11-1
SOL Liberty Division
UPPER DUBLIN 7, ABINGTON 6
The Flying Cardinals took a 7-2 lead into the seventh inning when the visiting Ghosts rallied to score four runs, making it a one-run game. The game ended with Ghost runners on second and third.
“It obviously made for an exciting game,” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “For our girls, I have essentially five kids in new positions out there, so to not collapse and lose their poise in what ended up being a very tight last inning – it’s good. It’s good for their confidence, but it also shows them what they need to work on to improve so that we can get better every game.”
The Ghosts’ seventh-inning rally began with two outs and nobody on base.
“Abington had no quit,” Boyer said. “We got the first two outs in the seventh inning and then we had a miscue in the infield, and then Jess Sokolski hit an RBI triple, so now it’s 7-3. Leanna Schenk came up and hit an RBI single. Then they got a bloop hit from Mia Scheuer, so now it’s 7-5. They had two more singles to make it 7-6.
“With runners on second and third, Mackenzie Marcotte was up and hit a laser down the first base line, and (first baseman) Gretchen Wolpert snagged it for the third out.”
Prior to the seventh, the Cardinals broke a 2-2 tie with five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kaelin Penna doubled to lead off the inning, and the Cardinals were off and running. The rally was capped with pinch-hitter Liz Baginski – the daughter of first-year Abington coach Bob Baginski – delivering a pinch hit RBI single, which turned out to be the go-ahead run.
“We had some young kids step up,” Boyer said. “Kaelin Penna is almost like a second-year freshman because she would have played last year, but she didn’t get to.
“This was her first varsity start at shortstop. She played a solid game defensively, and she led off our sixth inning rally with a double to get it started, so that was a big start.”
Earlier, the Ghosts took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Annie Sokolski, who led off the inning with a single, scored on Leanna Schenk’s RBI double to left field. Gretchen Wolpert didn’t give the Ghosts a whole lot of time to celebrate, leading off the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to left.
“I moved Gretchen Wolpert up into the leadoff spot because she’s got a good eye, and she’s a smart player,” Boyer said. “She had a beautiful home run over the right center field fence that tied the game up in third inning.”
The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the fourth only to watch the Ghosts – thanks to Schenk’s sacrifice fly – knot the score in the fifth. The Flying Cardinals scored five runs in the fifth, and that turned out to be just enough to eke out the win.
Chloe Foster earned the complete game win, allowing eight hits and two earned runs while striking out eight and walking a pair. She also was 2-for-3 at the plate.
“Chloe Foster has worked very, very, very hard over the last year plus and is growing tremendously as a pitcher, so it was fun to see all the work she’s put in in action today,” Boyer said.
Also for UD, Ally McDaid was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, two runs scored and an RBI.
For the Ghosts, Schenk had a productive day, finishing 2-for-2 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Annie Sokolski was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot.
Upper Dublin (1-0 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Friday, and Abington (1-2, 0-1) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
Abington 001 010 4 6-8-2
Upper Dublin 001 105 x 7-11-3
QUAKERTOWN 3, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2
Runs didn’t come easily in Wednesday’s SOL opener, and for the second time in as many days, the Panthers eked out a 3-2 come-from-behind win. This time they won it in the seventh when Trinity Lucas, who singled up the middle to lead off the inning, scored from third on a walk-off passed ball.
“Both teams were strong on the rubber,” Quakertown coach Dave Scott said. “We didn’t commit a single error in the field, and zero errors was the key for our win.”
Syd Andrews turned in another gem for the Panthers, allowing three hits and two runs in the complete game win while striking out 15 and walking three.
The Panthers’ junior pitcher also helped her own cause at the plate, tripling to center and scoring on a two-out miscue by the Colonials.
PW took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth. Molly Moore drew a walk to lead off the inning, and Lauryn Kane followed, nailing a two-strike pitch to center field for a two-run home run.
“It was an absolute pitcher’s duel,” PW coach Mike Perez said. “Lauryn Kane continues to swing a hot bat with her third home run in as many games.”
Molly Moore started the game in the circle for PW and faced just 18 batters through five innings, allowing three hits, one walk and one run while striking out six.
In addition to Kane’s home run, PW’s other hits were by Talia Carr, Regan Gehman and Marissa Perez
Ava Beal also had one of Quakertown’s three hits.
Quakertown (3-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Friday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-2, 0-1) will host Upper Dublin on Monday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 002 0 2-4-2
Quakertown 000 101 1 3-3-0
SOL Freedom Division
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 13, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 12
The Lions took a 13-8 lead into the top of the seventh inning. That lead turned out to be anything but secure as the visiting Spartans staged a rally, pulling to within one when NHS first baseman Emily Primavera delivered the defensive gem of the game.
“With the tying run on third base, (Primavera) dives and slides into the fence and catches the ball – a shoestring catch,” NHS coach Chris Marchok said. “The ball is hanging out the end of her glove. The umpire’s waiting to see if – when she picks it up – the ball stays in her glove.
“My kid knows it’s at the end of her glove, and she just stays there and is staring at him and finally brings her free hand on the ball, picks it up, and he signals out.”
Maria D’Agostino notched the complete game win in the circle, striking out five and allowing only two earned runs. At the plate, D’Agostino helped her own cause with a pair of hits – including an RBI triple – and two runs scored.
Shortstop Erin Firth was 3-for-3 and drove in three runs. She also drew a walk and was on base on all four trips to the plate. The senior – who has double-digit putouts at shortstop in two games – is bound for the Air Force Academy and also competes in track this spring.
Catcher Ciara Carter was 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs. Her bases-clearing double highlighted a four-run fourth inning. Primavera was 2-for-4 with an RBI double, three runs scored and the game-saving catch.
Marchok also recognized the play of freshman right fielder Helen Knapp, who will be the Lions’ number one tennis player next fall.
“She picked up a softball for the first time ever on March 15, and she had an RBI single today,” the Lions’ coach said.
New Hope-Solebury (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Friday, and Springfield Township (0-1) will host Upper Moreland on Monday.
Springfield Twp 012 041 4 12
New Hope-Solebury 024 430 x 13
UPPER MORELAND 12, LOWER MORELAND 3
The Golden Bears earned a convincing win over their neighboring rival, but according to UM coach Melanie Martino – the final score is deceptive.
“Do not let the score fool you,” the Golden Bears first-year coach said. “Lower Moreland did a great job, led by their sophomore pitcher Liz Neeld, who shut us down the first two innings.”
Neeld also gave the Lions an early lead with a solo home run in the first inning.
“Our pitcher, junior Lea Rizzo, also had a great day on the mound with the home run her only earned run of the game,” Martino said. “UM finally woke the bats up with Mallory Roedig getting on base and scoring our first run, followed by another from Alyssa Wiley, thanks to great base running and a perfect base hit bunt by Ava Bailey.
“Sophomore Natalie Walton hit one of the biggest home runs I have ever seen in a high school game. She not only cleared the fence but also the protective fence that had to be another 30 feet high.”
Lower Moreland again answered back with a run in the fourth.
“Once again Neeld had a great hit and scored the third run for LM in the fifth after shutting down the Bears – three up and three down,” Martino said. “UM wasn’t done yet, and I said to them, ‘This is where we need to get the job done. I need everyone to get on base. Don’t miss the signs and take advantage of any mistakes,’ and they did just that.
“We started the top of the sixth with our leadoff hitter and batted around, scoring six runs and grabbing three more in the seventh. Lower Moreland answered back by getting on base and challenging our players once again.”
The Bears’ first-year coach had plenty of praise to go around after her team’s first league win.
“I was so proud of our team today,” Martino said. “They didn’t give up and did the little things right that we have been practicing and got the job done. As coaches, we can’t ask for any more than that.
“Gabrielle Wiley had a great game today both offensively and defensively as did her sister, sophomore Alyssa Wiley, who had some key bunts and hits today. Chloe Kramer was an absolute vacuum in center field, keeping us out of some tough spots.”
Upper Moreland (2-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Monday, and Lower Moreland (0-2, 0-1) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
Upper Moreland 002 106 3 12
Lower Moreland 100 110 0 3
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