North Penn came up short in Thursday’s District 1 6A title game. Check out the recaps for SOL teams in action. North Penn/OJR photos courtesy of Kim Supko. CR South photo courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for galleries of both games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ SOFTBALL GALLERIES.
District 1 6A title game
#4 OWEN J ROBERTS 3, #11 NORTH PENN 1
The dust had not settled on the Knights’ loss to Owen J Roberts in Thursday’s district title game at Spring-Ford when coach Rick Torresani had a message for each of his players as they awaited the medals ceremony: “I’m proud of every single one of you. Good job.”
“I’m extremely proud of them,” the Knights’ coach said. “We started off slow, we graduated eight seniors, and for this team to be here at this moment is amazing to me.
“I’m so grateful for all the hard work they put in. The good thing about it – I said to them, ‘Who won it last year? Who won it two years ago? Who won it three years ago?’ They don’t know. We won it two years ago, and we won it three years ago. The thing is – and I said this before – people remember who wins the state, and it’s still out there.”
The ending wasn’t what the veteran coach or his players had hoped for, but it’s not the end.
“I think the biggest thing is – our season’s not over, and now that we have states, we’re still in it,” junior captain Tallie Smink said. “Yeah, they won districts, but we’re going to come back in the state playoffs and be ready. I don’t think we weren’t ready – we just needed to come up with more timely hits.”
The Knights managed just four hits off the Wildcats’ gifted freshman Maddie Reed, who struck out six and walked one.
“She’s definitely a good pitcher, and I feel like we were swinging at her pitch and not our pitch, and we just weren’t selective at the plate,” Smink said.
After the Knights stranded a pair of runners in the top of the third, the Wildcats got on the board in the bottom of the inning when – after a two-out walk – Amelia Atkins hit a no-doubt-about-it home run to left field. It was her third home run in as many games and her 10th of the season.
The Wildcats upped their lead to 3-0 when Atkins collected a two-out RBI single in the fifth.
“I called two stupid pitches,” Torresani said in reference to Atkins’ home run and RBI single. “She had two strikes on her (when she hit the home run), and I called for an inside screwball, and I should have called for an outside curve, and she’s an inside hitter. That was my fault.”
The Knights broke up Reed’s shutout bid in the sixth when Mady Archer singled to left field to plate Cailin Halfpenny, who drew a leadoff walk. That would be the extent of the scoring for both sides.
Gabriella Brigidi had two of the Knights’ four hits.
By the numbers: North Penn: Gabriella Brigidi (2-for-3)
Felicia Connolly (6.0 IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 4BB, 6K)
Owen J Roberts: Maddie Reed (W) (7 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 7K)
Amelia Atkins (2-for-3, HR, 3RBI, 1R), Rachel Epps (2-for-3)
Up next: North Penn (14-8, 8-1 SOL) will host District 11 runner-up Nazareth in Monday’s PIAA 6A State Tournament opener.
North Penn 000 001 0 1-4-1
Owen J Roberts 002 001 x 3-5-2
#1 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 6, #2 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2
In a battle of the district’s top two seeds in Thursday’s third place game, it was the Vikings bouncing back from a loss to Owen J Roberts in the district semis to defeat the Golden Hawks.
The Hawks benefitted from a pair of walks and a Viking error to plate an unearned run in the first when Veronica Houk hit a sac fly to right field.
The Vikings – who went to their short game – erupted for six runs in the third to seize control of the game. Paige Brady’s RBI single accounted for the Hawks’ second run in the top of the fourth.
Rock South had just three hits off PV’s Maci Strechay, who fanned 11.
Up next: Council Rock South (19-5, 9-1 SOL) will face District 11 champion Easton – the eighth seed entering the tournament – in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A Tournament.
Council Rock South 100 100 0 2-3-2
Perkiomen Valley 006 000 x 6-7-3
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