Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Wednesday. Souderton/CB West photos courtesy of Cindy Hanson. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for SOFTBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 7, HARRY S TRUMAN 4
The Golden Hawks evened their division record at 2-2 with a tightly contested win over the visiting Tigers.
“It was a great team win for the kids,” Rock South coach Dan Schram said. “The kids at South are really starting to figure it out. Each and every one of them is realizing that they have something to offer to really contribute to wins.
“It’s a total team effort, and I’m really enjoying coaching them. The kids are starting to believe that anything’s possible.”
The Golden Hawks put four runs on the board in the bottom of the second. Grace Stepp and Lexi Waring led off with back-to-back singles, and Ameerah Wheet delivered the big blow, a booming triple that plated a pair.
The Tigers got those runs back in the top of the third. Teyana Towner doubled, Courtney Nau and Hannah Smith contributed back-to-back RBI singles to highlight the four-run frame.
“We went up 4-0, and we had an inning where we booted the ball a little bit, and it was 4-4,” Schram said. “The kids didn’t put their heads down. They kept battling. They were making a ton of noise on the sidelines, they’re in for each other.”
The Golden Hawks took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and added another in the sixth.
“We chipped away, and we won the game,” Schram said. “Truman is a really good team this year. They’re very aggressive, and Rick (Palmer) does a great job. He really gets the most out of his kids, and he does it quietly, he does it humbly. Game two is going to be just as tough as game one.”
Jordan Bobrin led the Golden Hawks’ 10-hit attack, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three stolen bases. Gabby Bloom was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, and Stepp was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Wheet was 1-for-1 with a triple, two runs scored, two walks and two stolen bases.
Waring earned the complete game win, allowing seven hits and four runs (one earned) while striking out nine and walking none.
For the Tigers, Towner was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored out of the leadoff spot. Nau was 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI.
Council Rock South (3-3, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (2-3) will host Pennridge on Monday.
Harry S Truman 004 000 0 4
Council Rock South 040 021 x 7
NESHAMINY 4, BENSALEM 0
After five shutout innings for both sides, the Redskins staged an impressive two-out rally, erupting for all four of their runs in the top of the sixth inning.
“We were one pitch away from keeping the score knotted at zero,” Bensalem coach Erin Smith said. “Defensively, it was the best game I’ve seen us play. Every time a runner threatened, we found a way to get out of it. It was a great defensive game by both teams today.”
Senior Amanda Slabicki started the sixth inning rally with a two-out single to the left side, and senior Meryn Bellacima followed with a home run that gave the visiting Redskins a 2-0 lead. Junior Lindsey Gorka drilled a double down the left field line, and senior Christina Walker smashed a ball over the centerfielder’s head that plated Gorka. Junior Ryleigh Bilbrey’s single to right center brought Walker home with the game’s final run.
“Camryn Pickering smoked a double to center field in the seventh to try and extend the game, but we couldn’t capitalize,” Smith said.
The Redskins were led by Bellacima and Gorka with two hits each. Seniors Carena Barr, Kennedie Ruth, Slabicki and Walker as well as juniors Maddie Nelson and Bilbrey contributed one hit each. Bellacima had two RBIs while Bilbrey and Walker each had one.
In the circle, Slabicki earned the complete game shutout win, retiring 19 of 25 batters she faced and allowing just two hits.
Smith credited the defensive play by both sides.
“We caught a runner trying to steal in a first/third situation to end the first,” Smith said. “Our center fielder, Ayva Knowles, made a diving catch and doubled a runner off to end the second. In the third, our third baseman Destiny Howard caught a popped-up bunt and doubled off another runner to end the inning.
“Neshaminy’s defense was just as tough. Left fielder Rachel Allen robbed a line drive shot to end the first. Their catcher, Laura Chorba, picked off runners in the second and fourth innings. Their pitcher, Amanda Slabicki, did a really good job keeping us off balance and forcing us to hit her pitches.”
Neshaminy (5-2, 3-2 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and Bensalem (4-3, 3-2) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday.
Neshamny 000 004 0 4
Bensalem 000 000 0 0
PENNSBURY 13, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2 (5 innings)
The Falcons notched a decisive win over the Indians for their fifth win without a loss.
They took care of business in a hurry. In the top of the first, they put two runs on the scoreboard with Quinn McGonigle’s RBI single the big hit in the inning.
In the five-run second, McGonigle and Sammy Raub each had an RBI double while Ava Storlazzi and Ryan Mulholland both contributed RBI singles.
McGonigle’s three-run home run highlighted a five-run third inning. Sophomore Naya Schubel also hit a solo home run in her only at-bat of the game.
Rock North put a pair of runs on the board in the fourth inning when Molly Sheehy, who was 1-for-2, hit a two-run home run. Taylor Gearhart, who drew a walk, scored on the play.
McGonigle finished a big day at the plate a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and home run, two runs scored and five RBIs. Mulholland was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, and Raub was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Ainsley McClure notched the win, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out 10.
“Pennsbury absolutely came to play from top to bottom,” Rock North coach Susan Yee said. “Offensively, they are potent. They had 12 different players all get at least one hit. That alone is an impressive stat right there. They executed, they played solid defense, and Ainsley did a great job of spinning the ball and hitting her spots to keep our offense at bay.
“Our bats just flat out struggled today. However, I was really proud of sophomores Taylor Gearhart and Molly Sheehy, who both did a fantastic job making adjustments from their first at-bat to their second, resulting in our two runs crossing the plate in the fourth. Their poise and maturity from the first at bat to the second was impressive considering they are two of the youngest girls on the field.”
Also for the Indians, Sarah Teitelman was 1-for-2.
Pennsbury (5-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday, and Council Rock North will host Souderton on Monday.
Pennsbury 255 01 13-15-0
Council Rock North 000 20 2-3-2
SOL Colonial Division
SOUDERTON 5, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3 (8 innings)
Kayley York brought a dramatic end to Wednesday’s division game with one sweet swing of her bat, turning on a 1-2 pitch and smashing a two-run home run over the left field fence to give the Indians the walk-off win.
It was the third home run of the game for the Indians, who have not had the best of weeks. With pitcher Abby Burns already limited to playing first base due to an injury to her index finger, it looked as though the Indians would be adding two more to their list of walking wounded. First baseman Taylor Nelson and sophomore pitcher McKenna Schroding both left Monday’s loss to Pennridge with injuries – Nelson suffering a hand injury and Schroding taking a line drive to her knee.
“McKenna was on crutches yesterday – she said she felt good, but I didn’t want to push the issue,” Souderton coach Carol Atkinson said.
Starting Wednesday’s game in the circle was swing player Lindsey Detwiler, who threw 6.1 innings. She allowed nine hits and three runs, striking out 14 and walking two.
“She did phenomenal,” Atkinson said. “She really did a great job for her first varsity start.”
Detwiler took a shutout into the seventh inning when Chloe Dryden hit a three-run home run to center field, knotting the score 3-3. Detwiler was relieved by Schroding with one on and one out, and the sophomore slammed the door on West’s rally, retiring the first two batters she faced and then tossing a 1-2-3 eighth.
Earlier in the game, the Indians plated an unearned run in the first inning, and they took a 2-0 lead when Lily Ponce led off the fifth inning by ripping a solo home run to center field. One inning later, Riley York hit a solo shot to center field, giving the Indians a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, the stage was set for Dryden’s game-tying blast after Avery Rubenstein drew a leadoff walk and Sienna Lawsen singled.
The Indians managed just four hits off Lawsen, who went the distance in the circle for the Bucks, but three of those hits were home runs. Lawsen struck out seven and walked two.
Kayley York’s three RBIs led the Indians.
Schroding did not allow a hit in 1.2 shutout innings in relief. She struck out five and did not walk a batter.
“CB West has got a really good team – they have a good group of girls, and it was nice playing them,” Atkinson said. “We regrouped after Monday’s loss (to Pennridge) and came back today. This was a very nice win.”
Souderton (6-1, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Monday, and Central Bucks West (2-5, 1-4 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 000 000 30 3-9-2
Souderton 100 011 02 5-4-0
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 7, PENNRIDGE 1
The Titans trailed 1-0 heading into the top of the sixth when their offense came alive and they plated five runs, going on to earn a win that snapped a three-game losing streak.
“Boy, did we need this,” South coach Kevin Rosini said. “We needed it desperately. We ran into a buzzsaw with Souderton and Abby (Burns). Then we lost a real hearbreaker to West (2-1) and then we ran into North Penn the other day.
“I think our confidence was really shaky, but this group found a way to compete. Even in the North Penn game we competed. I think that’s all we needed.”
In the pivotal sixth, freshman Ella Wheeler delivered a two-out RBI double that knotted the score 1-1
“Once we broke through with that hit, it opened the floodgates,” Rosini said. “You could hear it in their voices, and you could see it – just the confidence it boosted.”
After a walk that put a pair of runners on board, Nora Sidorski ripped a two-run triple down the left field line, giving the Titans a 3-1 lead.
A walk and hit batter loaded the bases for Suzie Williams, who delivered a two-run single to put the Titans on top 5-1.
In the top of the seventh, Wheeler hit a two-run triple to give the Titans their final margin of victory.
“It was a big night for her,” Rosini said. “It was also a big night for Nora (Sidorski) – her triple broke the tie and that was big. Suzie (Williams) added on in the sixth – that was a big hit.
“We had good at-bats that whole sixth inning. CJ Haney had a leadoff walk. Maddy Borowski batted tonight, and she had a walk in the fifth inning. Delaney Benjamin had a walk. We had three walks and a hit batter to go along with the hits.”
Williams led the Titans, finishing the game 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Wheeler was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and three RBIs. Sidorski had a two-run triple, and Delaney Benjamin had a double and also drew a walk.
Borowski notched the complete game win, allowing four hits and striking out four and walking two.
“Maddy pitched an unbelievable game tonight, which was big,” Rosini said. “She pitched fantastic tonight, and I think the same thing with her – after North Penn the other day, she needed this. I think we all did.
“She’s a really good pitcher. We just ran into some tough luck the past week and a half. Grace (Helbling) was pitching a really good game for Pennridge. To break out in the sixth inning and score all those runs with two outs, our confidence really went sky high, and we played good defense. We played solid in the field. It was just nice.”
Also of note was the performance behind the plate of freshman Maddie McClintock.
“She was amazing,” Rosini said. “She’s the fourth catcher we’ve used in five games. For her to catch the entire game – she blocked balls, she caught a foul popup. She kept Maddy Borowski on track. I’m happy because we needed it.”
For the Rams, Ashleigh Kenworthy and Catelyn Thrush each had a double.
Central Bucks South (2-3, 1-3 SOL) will host Avon Grove in a non-league game on Thursday, and Pennridge (3-3, 2-3) will travel to Harry S Truman on Monday.
Central Bucks South 000 005 2 7-7-2
Pennridge 000 100 0 1-4-0
NORTH PENN 12, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2 (5 innings)
The Knights haven’t experienced anything close to adversity this season, and while falling behind 1-0 to the Patriots in the first inning doesn’t exactly qualify as adversity, it did break a string of 12 straight shutouts since losing to Haverford in last year’s District One 6A quarterfinals.
“It’s the first time they’ve been down in a game, and they responded and got some runs in the bottom of the inning,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said. “It’s a good hitting team, and we’ll be all right. I told the girls during practice, ‘You can’t expect Julia (Shearer) to throw shutout after shutout.’
“Julia did a great job. They hit the ball. Julia came back and got out of some jams, but we scored 12 runs, and any time you score 12 runs, you should win.”
In the top of the first, Elizabeth Gray legged out an infield single to lead off the frame, and she moved up to second on an errant pickoff. Elise Waddington followed with a double to right field that plated Gray, and the Patriots led 1-0.
Shearer struck out the side to end that threat, and it took the Knights no time at all to erase that one -run deficit. Sarah Sabocsik drew a walk, and one out later, Brie Wilmot also received a free pass. Gianna Cimino laced an RBI double to center, and a pair of runs crossed the plate when Sophia Collins hit a bloop triple down the first base line. Just like that, the Knights led 3-1.
The Patriots added a run in the second inning, benefitting from a walk, a hit batter and an RBI single by Gray. Again, the Knights had an answer, this time scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning. Highlights of the inning included a two-run double to right field by Wilmot, an RBI double to left center by Julia Shearer and an RBI single by Sabocsik.
A four-run third inning gave the Knights a 12-2 lead and included a leadoff double by Maddy Gronback, an RBI single by Reyna Doherty and an RBI bloop double by Sabocsik.
The game was halted for the mercy rule after Shearer retired the side in the fourth and fifth innings, and this win felt a little different than their string of six straight shutouts to open the season.
“We needed to experience this to keep playing as well as we are,” Collins said. “I think it’s good we are getting some action so (Julia) knows we’re behind her if she does end up giving a hit.
“We knew right when they scored a run that we had to come back. We just had to work a little harder for it, but it’s definitely something we needed to experience, for sure. Now we just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”
What they’re doing is hitting and scoring a lot of runs. In Wednesday’s win, they collected 11 hits. Only Shearer (2-for-3, 2B, run, RBI) had more than one hit. Smink, Wilmot and Collins each had two RBIs.
“I love this team,” Collins said. “We’ve been practicing so hard, and I have so much confidence. Everyone is where they’re supposed to be on the field, and they all know what they have to do – all their jobs, and they just do it.”
Gray (2-for-3, run RBI) and Mackenzie Wilson (2-for-2) led the Patriots, who never went down in order and collected at least one hit in every inning. They stranded nine baserunners in the five-inning game.
“That was huge because we haven’t had that, and they need that to understand what to do when it happens, especially in a close game,” Torresani said. “Obviously, we’ve got some great teams coming up that we’re going to face, and it’s not going to be this way. It’s going to be a close game, and you have to respond, and they have responded.”
Shearer notched her seventh win of the season, allowing seven hits and two runs in five innings while striking out eight and walking two.
Despite the outcome, East coach Karl Knapp had no complaints.
“We’ve always been hitting well this season – sometimes it’s been late in the game coming back,” the Patriots’ coach said. “They really wanted to get a jump on (Shearer), and they did. I think to get (seven) hits off this pitcher is a pretty good deal because she’s very good.
“The biggest thing is they stay positive. Even when they get down this much and how easy it would be to pack it in, they don’t do that. They’re just a resilient team. They fight back, there’s no quit in them.”
The Patriots, who are shorthanded, have several players who are doing double duty.
“Three or four of them go down and play jayvee,” Knapp said. “You don’t think it does, but I think it starts to wear on a lot of these kids.
“I just think they’re fighters. They just stay in there and don’t give up. When you have a score like that, you could just as easily pack it in and say that’s the end of that.”
North Penn (7-0, 4-0 SOL) will face Methacton in a non-league game on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (4-2, 2-2) will host Boyertown in a non-league game on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 110 00 2-7-3
North Penn 354 0x 12-11-2
SOL Liberty Division
HATBORO-HORSHAM 5, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The game belonged to Kendal Leitner.
The Hatters’ senior pitcher tossed a brilliant seven-inning no-hitter, striking out 19 and walking only one.
“She had a very, very strong outing today,” HH coach Kelly Krier said. “The key for her today was hitting her spots, getting ahead in the count.
“She didn’t even realize until the game ended that she had a no-hitter. I also think not knowing that was happening helped her too. I think she just went out and pitched. I think she was feeling confident playing at home again, building off the inning she pitched yesterday. Just a combination of things helped her on the mound, but definitely, she was in a groove. She was feeling it.”
Leitner struck out the side in the second, third fourth, fifth and seventh innings and, at one point, struck out nine in a row.
“I said to her when she was on-deck, ‘You look slick,’” Krier said. “She just had it. Definitely getting ahead of batters, jumping out with first-pitch strikes, getting ahead in the count gave her flexibility to work on other things. I think it was good for her teammates and everyone else. I told her, ‘Take the weight off, just have fun today.’
The Hatters scored single runs in each of the first three innings. In the bottom of the first, Amya Lundy singled to drive home Alyssa Tooley, who singled to lead off the inning. In the second inning, the Hatters scored on an error, and in the third, it was a fielder’s choice that allowed a run to cross the plate for a 3-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, Abby Waeltz contributed an RBI single, and Tess Kearney also drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, giving the Hatters a 5-0 lead that held until the final out.
“We tried to set out with a mindset of being aggressive on the basepaths and just kind of push things,” Krier said. “We had a couple of times where things didn’t go our way – they made good plays. Upper Dublin shut down our runners trying to advance.
“I was happy to see that – just some aggressiveness and that confidence that we had last year that we’re working to get again. It didn’t work out in scoring a ton of runs, but I think that aggressiveness is going to pay off later on because they believe – I can get an extra base, I can move a runner, so it was positive. It was very good.”
Hatboro-Horsham (3-3, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland on Wednesday, and Upper Dublin (1-6, 1-4) will host Springfield Township on Monday.
Upper Dublin 000 000 0 0-0-5
Hatboro-Horsham 111 020 x 5-7-0
WISSAHICKON 2, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
Danielle Ciliberto and Molly Moore were locked in a classic pitcher’s duel. Neither team scored a run until the top of the sixth when the Trojans put a pair of runs on the board. That was enough to win Wednesday’s hard fought battle between the rival schools.
“It was an absolute pitcher’s dual today with both Molly and Danielle giving it their all in the circle and at the plate,” PW coach Mike Perez said. “Danielle did a great job changing speeds and pitch levels, and we simply couldn’t adjust in the box.
“Molly Moore pitched her heart out for the third straight day – and collected two hits at the plate. She certainly pitched well enough to win, we just need to produce at the plate. Wiss is always a tough divisional game, and we knew they’d be itching to win this one just as much as we were.”
Ciliberto allowed four hits in the complete game shutout, striking out 10 and walking none. Moore allowed six hits and two runs while striking out eight and walking two.
“Our defense had no errors – finally an error-free game,” said assistant coach Sarah Carney, who was filling in for coach Mike Borowski. “Both pitchers threw very well.
“It was a really, really good game, it was fun to watch.”
Ciliberto also was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Katelyn Fitzgerald was 1-for-2 with a walk, run scored and RBI.
Both were the catalysts in the two-run sixth. Ciliberto reached base on a single, and Fitzgerald hit a hard bad-hop single to right field that got past the outfielder and rolled to the fence. Ciliberto easily scored on the play, and Fitzgerald circled the bases and was ruled safe at home on a bang-bang play.
Emi Fox (1-for-3), Morgan Risnychok (1-for-3) and Emma Dutill (1-for-3) also contributed hits for the Trojans.
Wissahickon (3-3, 3-1 SOL) will host William Tennent on Monday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-3, 1-2) will travel to Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 000 002 0 2-5-0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 000 0 0-4-2
QUAKERTOWN 5, ABINGTON 1
The visiting Panthers – sparked by the 16-strikeout effort of senior Syd Andrews – led from wire to wire in Wednesday’s division win.
Quakertown put an unearned run on the board in the top of the first and saw its lead grow to 3-0 in the third inning. With two outs, Syd Andrews singled to center, and Skyler Williams hit a two-run home run to center field.
In the fourth inning, Trinity Lucas hit a one-out triple to right field, and she scored when Ava Beal doubled to center.
The Ghosts made it a 4-1 game with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Leanna Schenk doubled, and she scored when Natalie Broskley singled. The Panthers got that run back when Katie Muller, who singled, scored on a sacrifice fly.
Muller (2-for-4, run) and Lucas (2-for-3, 3B, run) led the Panthers’ seven-hit attack.
For the Ghosts, Broskley was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Quakertown (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Monday, and Abington (2-3, 1-3) will host Lower Moreland on Tuesday.
Quakertown 102 100 1 5-7-2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 001 0 1-5-1
SOL Freedom Division
UPPER MORELAND 7, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0
Lea Rizzo tossed a complete game shutout, and Devyn Kniese ignited the offense, delivering a pair of triples and a single.
“Devyn also had a solid defensive game,” UM coach Melanie Martino said. “Devyn is a really hard worker in the offseason, and after missing the bulk of last season due to an injury, it’s nice to have her back.”
Adding to UM’s offense was Grace Ounan, who had a clutch two-out hit. Mallory Roedig was 3-for-3 with a nice defensive game.
“New Hope is always a nice team to play with great sportsmanship and nice defensive play,” Martino said. “Their shortstop had a very good defensive game.”
Upper Moreland (2-2, 1-1 SOL) will host St. Hubert’s in a non-league game on Monday, and New Hope-Solebury will host Quakertown on Monday.
New Hope-Solebury 000 000 0 0
Upper Moreland 021 013 x 7
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