Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Friday.
Editor’s note: The dramatic change in records in league play reflects the change of crossover games from non-league games to league games.
SOL Patriot Division
BENSALEM 9, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 7
In a moment much bigger than the game, junior Mia Keshanech stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first for an at-bat that won’t show up in the scorebook but will not soon be forgotten.
“The coolest thing was – both teams, the umpires, everyone was all in on it, and it was awesome,” coach Dan Schram. “Her sister Tatyana graduated in 2014, and this family has been part of what I’ve done for a long time.
“What’s really unique and deserves a ton of credit in our team’s success – her father, Scott Keshanech, is a former collegiate baseball player, and he has been so helpful. I hadn’t seen him in five years since Tatyana graduated, and he came back in 2019 to help us. He refuses to take a spot as an actual coach with a contract – he only wants to volunteer, and he shows up every single day. He’s amazing with the kids and contributes so much. It’s really, really special. After all the years, you start collecting all these amazing families, and the Keshanechs are so special.”
Mia Keshanech, who has a developmental disability, joined the team as a freshman, and her ‘home run’ was the best hit of the day for the Owls.
“It’s great having her, and this was a great opportunity,” Schram said. “It’s only fitting that someone as high character and quality person as John Engelhardt is all in on doing something like this. He was great about it.”
As for the game itself, the Golden Hawks gave the Owls all they could handle.
“Council Rock South brought their ‘A’ game today,” Schram said. “They made the plays, they were ready to play.
“We made some errors, we didn’t play clean, but we did what we had to do to win.”
The Golden Hawks plated a run in the top of the first. The Owls answered with four in the bottom of the inning, and it was Maddie Buechner delivering the big hit – a two-run double that plated Megan Klein and Emma LoStracco. Both had singled.
The Hawks knotted the score 5-5, and Destiny Howard doubled in Lina Sponheimer with the go-ahead run in the fifth.
Klein was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Buechner was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs, and Destiny Howard was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Owls’ 11-hit attack.
The Golden Hawks pounded out 12 hits.
Bensalem (9-9, 6-9 SOL) will host Villa Joseph Marie in Saturday’s Cancer Awareness Game at noon. Council Rock South (4-13, 1-13) will host Pennsbury on Monday.
Council Rock South 103 011 1 7
Bensalem 400 113 x 9
NESHAMINY 4, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3
The Redskins took a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning when the Indians put a pair of runs on the board to make things interesting. The ‘Skins would not be denied, holding on for the win.
“Tim Quense is really doing a great job at Neshaminy,” Rock North coach Susan Yee said of the Redskins’ first-year coach. “They are a team that can compete with anybody, and they are just getting better as the year goes on. They are going to make a lot of noise in playoffs, and if we are fortunate enough to get in, we are going to compete better for having games with such high quality opponents under our belt coming down the stretch.
“I was extremely proud of my girls for the way they played today. They could have easily folded after our loss to Bensalem knowing the difficulty of the path that now lays ahead of us in order to slip into the playoffs, but they showed today that they are ready to embrace the challenge. Neshaminy is an extremely talented, very well coached, team, but our girls came out and made them earn everything today.”
In the top of the first, Emma Zoldi led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. She scored on an RBI single by Kat Hastings. In the bottom of the inning, sophomore Lindsey Gorka slammed a two-run home run that put the Redskins on top 2-1.
The Redskins opened up a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the second. Kennedie Ruth drew a leadoff walk, and Amanda Slabicki singled. Sophomore Maddie Nelson and senior Kylie Siwek each had RBI singles, and the Redskins led 4-1.
The Redskins threatened in the fourth after putting their leadoff batter on board.
“The next batter laid down a sacrifice, and the ball was overthrown into right field,” Rock North coach Susan Yee said. “However, right fielder Jayme Bordner was there for the backup and gunned the ball to shortstop Emma Zoldi covering second base. The runner saw the ball get there way before she did and attempted to go back, but Zoldi was able to run her down and tag her out while also holding the runner on third.”
Hastings induced a shallow ball to right for the inning’s second out and then coaxed a fly ball to second baseman Sophia Levy to escape the jam. In the top of he sixth, Zoldi led off with a line double to the fence. She moved up to third on Taylor Gearhart’s single up the middle. With Hastings at the plate, Gearhart stole second, and Zoldi took home on the throw. After a walk to Hastings and with runners on the corners, Molly Sheehy hit a hard ball back to the pitcher, who knocked it down but couldn’t make a play, and Gearhart scored the third run.
The Indians had the bases loaded with none out when Sofia Shields was safe on an error. The Redskins escaped unscathed, gunning down the runner at home, and then Mia Barone collected back-to-back strikeouts.
“The girls worked hard, they made adjustments at the plate as the game went on, and they were constantly talking and moving on defense,” Yee said. “It really was a total team effort today. Every single player on the field was responsible for at least one out today except for Kandace Kiskurno, who had no chances, however, she came up huge with a big time backup that saved a run for our team, so her efforts definitely contributed even though they didn’t show up in the stats.
“Kat (Hastings) struggled a little finding her groove at the start of the game, but she really took ownership and just got better and better as the game went on and after the first two, she threw four shutout innings – two 1-2-3 innings and another facing four but included an error. She has thrown a lot of innings this week – three complete games in four days, so the fact that she just kept getting better shows the kind of heart she has, and the type of leader she is for our team.
“Emma Zoldi also played huge once again for us today at short as well as at the plate and on the bases. She really made the defense work to try and get her out. Freshman Taylor Gearhart also really impressed me with her maturity today. She’s a fantastic player in her own right; however, her travel program is run by Neshaminy coach Tim Quense and she came into the game slightly nervous about him knowing how to attack her weaknesses. After a first at-bat strikeout, I pulled her aside and told her ‘You are thinking too much trying to predict how he is going to go after you, just relax, see the ball, and hit it like you would against any other team.’ While that seems like simple advice, it’s easier said than done, especially for a freshman, but she turned around and put the ball in play her next at bat, then drove a shot to the outfield, stole a base and scored a run, and then worked an absolutely clutch two-out walk in a fantastic at bat to put the tying run on base in the seventh. That is mental toughness and maturity that you wouldn’t expect from a freshman, and if she keeps this level of focus and maturity it’s going to be scary how good she is by the time she is a senior.”
For the Redskins, Slabicki had a pair of hits while Barr, Siwek, Gorka, Nelson and Barone all added one hit.
Barone earned the win, facing 29 batters, striking out six and allowing four hits and three runs.
Zoldi was 2-for-4 to lead the Indians.
Neshaminy (13-5, 11-4 SOL) – 12th in the District One 6A power rankings – will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday. Council Rock North (7-11, 4-11) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday. The Indians are 27th in the power rankings.
Council Rock North 100 002 0 3
Neshaminy 220 000 x 4
PENNSBURY 11, HARRY S TRUMAN 1 (6 innings)
Quinn McGonigle allowed just three hits in the six-inning win, and Caitlyn Martell pounded out four hits – including a double and home run – to lead the Falcons’ 12-hit attack.
The Falcons put a run on the board in the first when Martell, who doubled, scored on a two-out error. A three-run second inning included a Jess Rowe RBI double and a three-run blast by Martell, and the Falcons led 4-0. An RBI single by Rowe put the Falcons on top 4-0 in the fourth, and a four-run fifth all but sealed the Tigers’ fate.
In the fifth, the Falcons received a pair of two-run home runs. The first by Sam Raub came with none out and Martell – who singled – on board. After Rowan Mulholland singled, senior Cynthia Ehrenfeld homered to left, putting the Falcons on top 9-0. Martell’s two-run home run to center put the finishing touches on the impressive win.
In addition to Martel, Raub was 2-for-4, with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Mulholland was 2-for-3, and Rowe was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored.
McGonigle threw all six innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out six and walking one.
Pennsbury (16-1, 14-0 SOL) – number one in the District One 6a power rankings – will travel to Council Rock South Monday, and Harry S Truman (10-8, 7-8) will be on the road at Council Rock South on Tuesday. The Tigers are 18th in the latest district power rankings.
Pennsbury 130 142 11-12-0
Harry S Truman 000 001 1-3-1
SOL Colonial Division
PENNRIDGE 7, SOUDERTON 2
What a difference a month makes.
On April 14, the Rams suffered a 14-4 loss that was halted after five innings for the mercy rule. Fast forward to May 14, and the Rams exacted revenge, opening up an early lead and never looking back. They pounded out 12 hits after collecting only five in the first meeting.
“This was huge,” Pennridge coach Wendy Iadonisi said. “It was a fun game to watch. Just consistent contact, getting runners on and moving them around – it was just an all around sound offensive game.
“I’m not sure what it was. We did spend a lot of time at practice yesterday batting, worked a little bit on the mental part of it more so than what we usually do. I think the girls just had a different mindset coming in today. They just played with confidence when they went up to bat, focusing on contact and driving the ball.”
The Indians plated an unearned run in the bottom of the first when Catelyn Thrush, who reached base on all four trips to the plate, was safe on an error and scored after back-to-back singles by Maddie Silber and Cassandra Schillo (RBI).
In the second inning, Thrush’s double to left field plated a pair, and a third run crossed the plate when Grace Helbling delivered a sacrifice fly.
Souderton plated a run in the top of the third, but the Rams scored two in the bottom of the inning. Anja Puketza delivered an RBI single, and Thrush came through with a two-out single to plate a run that put the Rams on top 6-1.
Kayley York’s triple pushed a run across in the top of the sixth for the Indians, but the Rams got that run back in the bottom of the frame when Silber collected a two-out double that plated Thrush, who picked up her third hit of the night earlier in the inning.
“She had a heck of a game,” Iadonisi said of Thrush. “She’s just been continually playing consistent for us both defensively and offensively and just making great contact on the ball.
“I don’t know if it’s not having the pressure of being in that number one spot, but she’s really just settled in. I’m so thrilled with how well she’s performing. We had her in shortstop, which is not her natural position, so she was batting leadoff and playing shortstop. I think she has a different comfort level right now. She’s very comfortable in the outfield. She’s just really shining in that two-hole spot.”
Puketza earned the complete game win, allowing five hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out three and walking two.
“She’s another player that is starting to come into her own on the mound,” Iadonisi said. “We have a very good connection. I call her pitches for her, and she is just hitting her spots. If I had to give it a percentage, I would say 95 percent of the time she’s hitting her spots and just doing really well with how she’s mixing speeds and putting the ball where we want it to be pitched. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s really stepped up as a sophomore and is just doing really well for us.”
Thrush’s 3-for-4 effort with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored led the Rams. Silber (2-for-4, 2B, RBI), Schillo (2-for-4, RBI, one run), Coughenour (2-for-3, one run) and Puketza (2-for-3, RBI) also had multiple hits.
“Chloe Coughenhour is really hitting the ball well and had a couple of nice line drive hits,” Iadonisi said. “Maddie (Silber) had a big RBI late in the game to answer back when Souderton had scored a run, which is always nice to do.”
For the Indians, Sierra Ripka was 3-for-4 with a double and run scored, and Kayley York was 2-for-2 with a double and run scored.
Pennridge (7-11, 5-10 SOL) will host Avon Grove in a non-league game on Saturday at 11 a.m. Souderton (12-7, 9-6) – 14th in the latest District One 6A rankings – will host Central Bucks West for Tuesday’s Senior Day game.
Souderton 001 001 0 2-5-2
Pennridge 132 001 x 7-12-3
NORTH PENN 6, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The visiting Knights scored a pair of runs in the first, and that was more than enough for Mady Volpe and Julia Shearer. Volpe, who notched the win, allowed two hits in six shutout innings, fanning 13 and walking four. Shearer threw a 1-2-3 seventh, striking out all three batters she faced.
Shearer tripled to left to open the first and scored the first run of the game on a passed ball. Volpe’s double plated the second run. That 2-0 scored held until the sixth when the Knights added three more runs.
Sarah Sabocsik’s two-run single highlighted the inning. Shearer once again scored on a passed ball. The Knights added a single run in the sixth.
Shearer (2-for-3, 3B, two runs) and Gianna Cimino (2-for-4) led the Knights. Bri Wilmot was 1-for-3 with a double.
North Penn (17-1, 15-0 SOL) – second in the District One 6A power rankings – will host Central Bucks East on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (7-11, 7-8) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Monday in a non-league game.
North Penn 200 003 1 6-8-1
Central Bucks South 000 000 0 0-2-1
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 9, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3
Elise Waddington continued her torrid offensive production for the Patriots. In Friday’s win, the sophomore was 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and five RBIs. She has been on a bona fide tear since moving from the fifth spot in the batting order to third .
“It’s funny – now she’s hitting home runs, but we basically did it because she’s just a good contact hitter,” East coach Karl Knapp said of Waddington. “She was getting singles and moving people around and all, so we thought ‘We’ll move her up,’ and we took Soleil (Dooner) down because she was struggling a little bit. We talked to her, and she didn’t care. She was fine with it.
“Elise has been on fire recently, just getting hits. Plus, she has the least strikeouts on the team. She only has six all year.”
Waddington’s two-run home run in the first inning gave the Patriots a lead they would not lose. Soleil Dooner’s RBI triple highlighted a three-run third. Waddington emptied the bases with a three-run double in a four-run sixth inning.
The Bucks put got on the scoreboard in the sixth when Abby Lineman hit a three-run home run.
The win was the third straight for the Patriots after dropping three in a row. The Patriots pounded out 12 hits with Waddington, Alex Frenia and Bailey Shellhorn each racking up multiple hits.
“We’ve been a good hitting team,” Knapp said. “It’s fallen off a little bit, but seven of our nine players were hitting .300 or better, and our team batting average is around .300.
“The thing was – we were getting hits, but nobody was on base. It wasn’t the total reason we lost the three, but that was what was hurting us. Lately, we’ve been getting people on, and now we’re getting hits with people on, and that’s made the difference in these wins. The hits are finally coming with somebody on base instead of nobody.”
Frenia earned the complete game win, allowing four hits and three runs in seven innings while striking out seven.
Central Bucks East (12-6, 10-5 SOL) – 13th in the District One 6A power rankings – will host Nazareth Academy on Monday, and Central Bucks West (1-17, 1-14) will travel to Souderton on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 203 004 0 9-12-1
Central Bucks West 000 003 0 3-4-2
SOL Liberty Division
HATBORO-HORSHAM 9, QUAKERTOWN 0
Sometimes a small change can bring big results.
Kendal Leitner found that out firsthand. The junior pitcher – at the suggestion of her father – decided to step into the batter’s box with a different mindset.
“I used to go up there with kind of a timid attitude, but my dad told me, ‘You’ve just got to picture a single, you’ve just got to think you’re going to hit a single every single time, and then once you’re in that box, clear your head,’ and that’s what I did,” Leitner said. “And things just happened.”
Did they ever.
In addition to throwing a two-hit complete game shutout and striking out 10, Leitner was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with not one but two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored. As individual performances go, they don’t get much bigger than that.
“I was more impressed with my mindset because normally after I hit a home run I get all hyped up, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and then I make an out,” Leitner said. “I was proud of myself that I could calm myself down.”
That’s about as much as Leitner had to say about her performance, preferring instead to deflect credit to her teammates in a contest with the SOL Liberty title at stake.
“I was just so proud of my team for backing me up with my pitching,” Leitner said. “They made some amazing plays out in the field. They were just insane.”
No one made more big plays behind Leitner than shortstop Kayla Tauber. She made a difficult putout at first on a ball in the hole look routine and then – on the very next batter – fired a strike to third for the tag as the relay on a ball hit to the fence by Syd Andrews.
“Kayla’s insane,” Leitner said, “You see it going in the hole, and she just gets it, and you’re like, ‘All right, she’s out.’ She’s just so fluid when she throws. I don’t even worry about it – I know she’s getting it.”
The Hatters got all the runs they would need in the top of the fourth. Abby Waeltz led off with a single, and one out later, Leitner hit a home run over the center field fence to plate a pair. With two outs, Marissa Rapino – who just arrived at the field after completing her AP Environmental Science exam – picked up her first of three straight hits on the day. She scored on the throw to the infield on Tess Kearney’s single, and the Hatters led 3-0.
“Marissa was a spark for us,” HH coach Kelly Krier said.
If the Hatters needed insurance, they got it with a four-run fifth when they staged an impressive two-out rally. Waeltz got things started when she smashed a solo home run over the center field fence. Lundy and Leitner followed with back-to-back singles, and both scored when Alyssa Tooley hit a double to the fence. Rapino’s RBI double gave the Hatters a 7-0 lead.
“We scored four runs with two outs,” Krier said. “Abby Waeltz started that off with a home run, and even down to Alyssa Tooley – a freshman – getting a 2-RBI double, everyone is contributing in little ways. It’s nice for us to see that as we approach the end of the regular season.”
Lundy led off the top of the seventh with a solo shot to right center, and then it was Leitner ripping her second home run of the day to cap a glittering performance.
“(Kendal) was one of the last to leave yesterday’s practice, and we just said to her, ‘You set the tone, so if you come in here ready to play, the rest of the team will fall in line,’ and she did that obviously with her first two-run home run,” Krier said.
In addition to Leitner’s four-hit effort, Rapino was 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored. Lundy was 2-for-4 with a home run, RBI and two runs scored, and Waeltz was 2-for-3 with a home run RBI and two runs scored.
With the win, the Hatters clinched sole possession of the SOL Liberty Division title. They are ranked third behind Pennsbury and North Penn, and if some are surprised, Leitner is not in that number.
“I 100 percent knew that they can do anything,” the Hatters’ junior ace said of her teammates. “I wish this was a travel team. Everyone contributes in their own way, and they’re just amazing. It’s so much fun, and as long as we have fun, the wins will follow.”
Hatboro-Horsham (17-1, 15-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Monday and will close out the regular season on Tuesday when the Hatters will host Upper Dublin at Hatboro Little League Field. Quakertown (16-3, 12-2) – eighth in the district rankings – will travel to Abington Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 000 340 2 9-14-0
Quakertown 000 000 0 0-2-2
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 14, ABINGTON 0 (5 innings)
Sophomore Molly Morgan excelled in the circle and at the plate. The sophomore pitcher threw a five-inning shutout, allowing two hits while striking out nine and walking three. At the plate, she was 3-for-4 with a home run, double, five RBIs and two runs scored.
“When Molly is on, she’s fun to watch,” PW coach Mike Perez said. “It’s easy to rally behind her when she’s throwing like that.”
The Colonials broke a scoreless tie with an eight-run third. Moore’s three-run inside the park home run to right field highlighted a frame that also included Regan Gehman’s RBI double. Carly Rosenberger and Marissa Perez each had RBI singles in the inning. The Colonials added a single run in the fourth and five more in the fifth to bring an early end to the game.
Gehman was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Perez went 2-for-2 with an RBI and run scored. Six other players collected hits, including freshman Haylie Lindley who had a pinch hit triple. All told, PW collected 14 hits.
For the Ghosts, Aneesa Rohrer collected both of her team’s hits and was 2-for-3 on the day.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (11-7, 10-5 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Abington (7-10, 6-9) will host Quakertown on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 008 15 14-17-0
Abington 000 00 0-2-1
SOL Freedom Division
LOWER MORELAND 4, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 3
The Lions notched a thrilling come-from-behind victory on their Senior Day, defeating Springfield 4-3 with a two-out run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Springfield got on the board first in the top of the first inning when Mikayla Quinn scored, benefitting from two errors and a hit.
In the bottom of the second, the bases were loaded for Lower Moreland when senior Dana Schwarz drew a bases-loaded walk that pushed Hannah Klanderman across the plate. Senior Sam Himmelstein followed with another walk that scored Isabella Ricciardi, and Lower Moreland was up 2-1. After a pitching change, the Spartans collected a strikeout to end the inning.
Springfield came right back in the top of the third inning when Quinn scored again on three hits and another error. Springfield took the lead in the top of the sixth inning when Chloe Morales reached base on an error, stole second, and then scored on another error.
Lower Moreland answered in the bottom of the sixth inning when Payton Lennon was hit by a pitch, and Schwarz brought her in on the best hit of the game, a triple to right center field.
The first two Lower Moreland batters were retired in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Klanderman kept the Lions alive with a base hit to right field. Klanderman stole second base and advanced to third on a passed ball. Pitcher Liz Neeld laid down a bunt, and when the throw pulled Springfield’s first baseman off of the base, Klanderman scored the winning run, ending the game in dramatic fashion.
Neeld got her second win on the mound, striking out 10 and walking just one after returning from an injury two days ago.
“It wasn’t pretty, but I’m very proud of my girls for fighting to the end,” LM coach Karen Reese said. “We didn’t hit well today and we made a lot of mistakes in the field, but we managed to get out of a lot of defensive jams and squeeze in a run in the bottom of the seventh for the win.”
Lower Moreland (8-9, 7-8 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Tuesday, and Springfield Township (2-13) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Springfield Twp 101 001 0 3-8-2
Lower Moreland 020 001 1 4-4-6
WILLIAM TENNENT 12, UPPER MORELAND 2 (5 innings)
Gigi Demito homered and drove in four runs and Meg Curtis had three hits to lead the Panthers 10-hit attack. Mackenzie Clee notched the win, allowing two hits and two runs (unearned) in five innings while striking out eight and walking six.
The Panthers scored early and often. Clee singled to lead off the first and scored when Anna Coulter doubled. Coulter scored on a sacrifice fly by Demito, and Lainey Scotese’s sacrifice fly plated a run that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
In the second, they added four more runs. A triple by Curtis drove in a run while Clee had an RBI single and Coulter had her second sacrifice fly in as many at-bats. A three-run home run to center by Demito highlighted a five-run fourth. Curtis also had an RBI in the frame.
Curtis was 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Clee was 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Coulter was 1-for-1 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Demito was 1-for-2 with a home run, four RBIs and one run scored.
William Tennent (10-4, 9-4 SOL) – the 19th seed in the District One 6A power rankings – will travel to Cheltenham on Monday, and Upper Moreland (8-9, 7-8) – fifth in the Class 4A power rankings – will host New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 000 02 2-2-4
William Tennent 340 5x 12-10-2
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 16, CHELTENHAM 6 (6 innings)
RiRi D’Agostino notched a complete game win in the circle, striking out seven, and she also had a big day at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Freshmen Helen Knapp and Willa Darrow combined to reach base 10 of 10 times and scored five runs.
The Lady Panthers, according to NHS coach Chris Marchok, turned in a gutsy performance, leading twice and trailing by only four heading into the bottom of the sixth. Cheltenham pitcher Lana James battled, keeping her squad in the game until the end. Joelle Williams had a double and scored two runs, and Megan Boyle was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
New Hope-Solebury (3-14, 3-12 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Cheltenham (1-15, 0-14) will host William Tennent on Monday.
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