Council Rock South won its playback game while New Hope-Solebury saw its season end in its bid to earn a state berth. New Hope/Palisades photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f860927651
District 1/District XI 3A Regional
PALISADES 5, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 4
What a difference a year makes.
The Lady Lions – after struggling to a 3-16 record one short year ago – captured a share of the program’s first ever SOL Freedom Division title with an 11-5 record in league play. This on the heels of a 2-14 league season a year earlier.
Throw in the fact that the Lady Lions won their first District 1 3A crown, and it’s the kind of turnaround few teams dare dream about.
“The kids performed so far above what we had any reason to expect,” Marchok said. “Absolutely, it was a special year.”
“I told them in the huddle afterwards, ‘To me, this year was just a blessing.’ To be able to be a part of that special group of kids. Yes, there was a little more talent, but there was a heck of a lot of culture. There was this incredible love and sisterhood among 18 young women. They are very, very special. It’s just a phenomenal group of young women to be a part of, and I thanked them for an opportunity to be part of that crew.”
The Lions came oh so close to adding a trip to the PIAA 3A State Tournament to their impressive resume, battling back from a 5-1 deficit with only a close call at the plate in the seventh inning for the game’s final out preventing them from a tie and a potential win.
“People will point to and say – ‘So and so came in,’ and it’s true,” Marchok said. ‘Certainly, there was this small group of kids that came in, but it simply allowed everyone else to settle down.
“Today was the epitome of it. We did what we did all year where we took a couple of punches. We were down 5-1 going into the bottom of the fifth, and we score one, and we score one in the sixth, and we’re holding them scoreless and holding them scoreless. This game that our kids put together – they took the punches. They battled back.”
Trailing 1-0, the Lions knotted the score in the bottom of the third when Dagny Mobley, who singled, scored on Emily Wilson’s two-out single to right field.
Palisades scored two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to go on top 5-1, but the Lady Lions battled back.
In the bottom of the fifth, Mabel Klossner, who was safe on an error, scored on a single by Mobley. In the sixth, Bianca Elizondo delivered a sacrifice fly that plated Rachel Sim, who singled earlier in the inning.
The Lions still trailed 5-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but they rallied. Kaylee Harris led off the inning with a bunt single, and one out later, Harris, who stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball, scored on a Palisades miscue. The Lions had two on base with two outs, but the Pirates recorded the final out on a close call at the plate.
Shire (2-for-4) and Mobley (2-for-3, RBI, R) both had two hits to lead the Lions.
“You have a kid, Bianca Elizondo, who struggled a bit at times for us this year but kept working,” Marchok said. “She’s so earnest, so hardworking. She kept
working, kept working, and today, she played some of the best second base I’ve seen. Unbelievable how far this kid has raised her game. She’s sliding, she’s diving, she hit a big sac fly to drive in the third run of the game for us. She had really struggled with both sides, and she didn’t quit, she didn’t lay down. She just kept working and improving. That’s just one story.
“Frenchy (Elena Shire) out in left field had a couple of wonderful plays out there. Rachel Sim out in center field – again just running balls down and settling life down out there.”
In the circle, Dagny and Klossner – both freshmen – once again shared pitching duties.
“When you talk about Mabel and Dagny, playing shortstop and pitching, the two of them really, really kept in check a very good team,” Marchok said. “The shortstop play out of Mabel – she’s become an amazing, amazing shortstop. It’s funny because everyone who knows Mabel in the area knows her as a pitcher. Let me tell you what – they better start knowing her as a shortstop too. She’s very, very good out there, and this is the first year she’s ever played.
“I had a kid who got hit in the head yesterday at practice. She said, ‘Coach, I can’t play tomorrow, but I can still sing the national anthem. She sings a beautiful, beautiful national anthem acapella. Everyone was contributing. I will never forget this year and these girls.”
Adding an interesting twist to Friday’s game was the fact that New Hope-Solebury held its prom on Thursday night, less than 24 hours before the midday game.
“Of course, every prom goer wants to go to the beach or the mountains or whatever it is they’re doing,” Marchok said. “Every single kid was there, and they’re not all starters, but the kids are there because of their sisters.
“The fact that all 18 kids were there the day after prom, the fact that they fought with each other. It was a special atmosphere out there. Because it was held during the day since Palisades had graduation – we probably had 200 students out there watching at various times. It was loud, it was fun, it was energetic.
“I told our kids – ‘In the history of this school, softball has never been played this way, and you showed hundreds of our underclassmates exactly what our game looks like today.’ I know it sounds cliché, but I could not be any prouder of players one through 18.”
The future is bright for a Lions’ squad that returns its entire starting lineup.
“We hope to be competitive again,” Marchok said. “It’s a big ask when you’re looking at Upper Moreland and Tennent, and our crossover games are difficult, but more than any talent, it’s the sisterhood. They played with and for each other.
“I had two separate parents – their kids were worried about what it would be like in high school, and they said this has been so wonderful. I’ve been blessed.”
Palisades 010 220 0 5-7-2
New Hope-Solebury 001 011 1 4-7-2
District 1 6A fifth place game
#2 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 9, #12 BOYERTOWN 2
Lexi Waring was on top of her game.
The Golden Hawks’ ace allowed just three hits and one earned run in the complete game win, striking out 11 and walking two in Friday’s fifth place playback game.
The Hawks wasted little time before getting on the scoreboard, plating a pair of runs in the first. Helen Woloshyn led off the inning with a bunt single and advanced all the way to third on a groundout to the right side by Gabby Bloom. Woloshyn scored when Grace Stepp followed with a double. An error allowed a second run to cross the plate.
Boyertown rallied to knot the score in the top of the fifth, but the Hawks regained the lead with a run in the bottom of the inning. Bloom lined a single to right field to lead off the inning and then stole second. Stepp picked up her second RBI of the game when she lined a single to left that brought home a run that stood as the game-winner.
But the Hawks were far from finished.
A six-run outburst in the sixth included four straight walks and a two-run single by Julia Scannapieco. The Hawks also benefitted from a Boyertown error.
The Golden Hawks were led at the plate by Stepp (2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, 2R), Scannapieco (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) and Katie Aamland (2-for-4, RBI).
Council Rock South (20-3, 13-2 SOL) will face District 11 champion Liberty in a PIAA 6A State Tournament opening round game on Monday at DeSales University at 4 p.m.
Boyertown 000 020 0 2-3-4
Council Rock South 200 016 0 9-11-1
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