Five SOL teams return to action on Friday. None will go home since the four teams that lose in Friday’s quarterfinal game will battle it out for the fifth and final state tournament berth. Below is a brief preview of the four games involving SOL squad.
#8 North Penn at #1 Pennsbury
North Penn
- 14-6 overall
- 8-6 SOL, finished fourth in the Continental Conference standings
- Season highlighted by wins over Central Bucks South (4-1 on April 14), Souderton (6-0 on April 18), Hatboro-Horsham (2-1 on April 20), Lansdale Catholic (7-0 on April 29) and Downingtown West (6-1 on May 7)
- Maidens rolled to a 6-1 record in conference play in the first go-round but were just 2-5 in the second time around.
Players to watch: Kellianna Bradstreet (Pitcher), Taylor Marchozzi (Third Base), Stephanie Kulp (Center Field), Jess Mower (Catcher), Michelle Holweger (Second Base), Jen Halcovage (Shortstop), Erin Maher (Right Field)
How they got here: On Wednesday, the Maidens, who had an opening round bye, rolled to a 10-0 win over Interboro in a game that was halted in the fifth inning when the mercy rule went into effect. Sophomore Michelle Holweger delivered the game’s big blow – a two-run home run in the second that spotted the Maidens a 4-0 lead. Holweger was 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Senior Stephanie Kulp was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Freshman Vicky Tumasz earned the win in relief.
Coach Rick Torresani says: “They key to this game is Kellianna Bradstreet. She has to come in strong like she has for us all year, and we just have to play like we did on Wednesday with no errors and get some timely hitting. I think the key is going to be our two, three, four and five (hitters). They’re the ones that are going to have to come through. The whole team is looking forward to playing Pennsbury. They’re a good team, and traditionally they’re a great program. We miss playing them. The girls were all excited when I told them the other day if we won who we're going to play most likely. They want the competition, they want to face the best, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Pennsbury
- 18-2 overall, 13-1 SOL
- Defeated Neshaminy 3-2 on Monday to capture sole possession of the National Conference crown as well as the district’s top seed.
- Highlights of the season included a pair of wins over Neshaminy – Monday’s 3-2 win and 5-3 win on April 30. The Falcons also earned a 4-3 win over Central Bucks South on May 2.
- Only SOL loss came at the hands of Council Rock North with Falcons’ second loss was a non-league loss to Toms River East
- Falcons have won 15 of 16 to lose out season
How they got here: The Falcons, who had an opening round bye, defeated Central Bucks East 7-0 in Wednesday’s second round game. They took control of the game with a three-run third inning that featured a two-run single from Mackenzie Obert, who was 2-for-4. Christina Bascara led the Falcons’ attack with three hits. Senior Kelsi Bunda added a pair of hits. Val Buehler scattered seven hits and fanned four while earning the shutout on the mound.
Players to watch: D’Anna Devine (Catcher), Keli Bunda (Center Field), Mackenzie Obert (Shortstop), Jess Greenewald (Second Base), Christina Bascara (Third Base), Suzanne Swanicke (First Base), Val Buehler (Pitcher), Dannielle Fox (Left Field), Savanna Grantham (Right Field)
Coach Frank McSherry says: “We know North Penn is well coached, they’re always a tough team, and we always have great games against them, so we expect nothing less. I know Rick (Torresani) will have his kids ready. He’ll want to come down here and beat the heck out of us. We have had battles with them. We played them for so many years in our league.”
#10 Downingtown West at #2 Hatboro-Horsahm
Downingtown West
- 15-5 overall
- Finished second to Bishop Shanahan in Ches-Mont League
- Season highlight a 2-0 win over Chest-Mont champion Bishop Shanahan, the tournament’s third-seeded team, on May 11.
- The Whippets won five in a row and nine of last 10 games to close out the regular season with only loss in that span a 6-1 loss to North Penn on May 7.
How they got here: After defeating Penncrest 2-0 in an opening round district game, the Whippets upset seventh-seeded Central Bucks South on Wednesday. The Whippets managed just three hits in that game but made all of them count. Clean-up batter Sydney Robey is West’s big gun at the plate and delivered a two-out RBI double in the first to spot West an early 1-0 lead.
Hatboro-Horsham
- 12-2 SOL Continental Conference champions
- 19-2 overall
- Won 10 of 11 games to close out regular season
- Only losses came at the hands of Souderton (4-1 on May 3) and North Penn (2-1 on April 20 in eight innings)
- Hatboro is the defending district runner-up
Players to watch: Melissa Spinosa (Center Field), Chrissy James (Third Base), Julie Wambold (Catcher), Danielle DiFilippo (First Base), Val Sadowl (Shortstop), Kelsey Koelzer (Left Field), Heather Lutz (Right Field), Jackie DiPietro (Second Base), Maggie Shaffer (Pitcher)
How they got here: The Hatters, who also had an opening round bye, trailed Upper Darby 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when they exploded for four runs. Kelsey Koelzer delivered a three-run triple, and the fourth run crossed the plate on a double steal. Chrissy James was 2-for-2 with a double to lead the Hatters. Maggie Shaffer earned the win on the mound, allowing six hits while walking two and striking out eight. Upper Darby’s lone run was unearned.
Coach Joe DiFilippo says: “To be honest with you, I don’t know anything about them. I know they must be good to beat South in the playoffs. We have to come out and play 100 percent better than we played Wednesday. We have to come ready to play. We have to be on the same level as if we were playing South because they beat South. I have never seen them play. Unfortunately, you don’t get a chance to go out and scout teams, so you kind of go into it blind, but if they beat South, they have to be good.”
#5 Owen J. Roberts at #4 Neshaminy
Owen J. Roberts
- 18-4 overall
- 16-2 PAC-10 regular season champion, lost to Boyertown 10-9 in tournament title game
- Upset Neshaminy – which was the number one seed - in the second round of the district tournament last year.
How they got here: After an opening round bye on Monday, the Wildcats defeated Downingtown East 2-0 in a second round game on Wednesday. Senior Taylor Shultz tossed a five-hit shutout and also was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Lexi Vezzily put the Wildcats on the scoreboard with an RBI double in the first.
Neshaminy
- 16-3 overall, 12-2 SOL
- Finished second to Pennsbury in National Conference standings
- Won six of eight games to close out regular season
- Fell to Pennsbury twice in conference play, most recently on Monday night in a contest to determine district seeding and conference crown.
Players to watch: Sarah McGowan (Pitcher/Third Base), Courtney Clee (Second Base), Brianna Guidos (First Base), Lauren Quense (Third Base/Pitcher) Julia McGovern (Catcher), Laura Altenburger (Shortstop), Carly Coleman (Left Field)
How they got here: After an opening round bye, the Redskins defeated West Chester East 3-1 in Wednesday’s second round. Lauren Quense earned the win on the mound, allowing five hits while striking out five and walking one. The Redskins – sparked by the play of shortstop Laura Altenburger, who had seven assists/putouts – played flawless defense.
Coach Dave Chichilitti says: “It was important to get that first win under our belts on Wednesday. Now we have to focus our energy on taking that next step. Everybody knows what happened last year when we played Owen J. Roberts. They won’t have the luxury of sneaking up on us this year. Our focus is solely on this game.”
#14 Spring-Ford at #6 Souderton
Spring-Ford
- 19-5 overall
- 14-4 PAC-10, finished second to Owen J. Roberts in the regular season
- Lost to Boyertown 3-1 in PAC-10 Tournament semifinals
- Highlight of the season was a 9-5 win over league champion Owen J. Roberts on May 10.
How they got here: After routing Garnet Valley 10-0 in the opening round, the Rams pulled off a major upset on Wednesday, defeating third-seeded Bishop Shanahan 4-2. The Rams scored all four of their runs in the first inning, sparked by a three-run double by Marisha Bates. Kristin Robinson singled in the fourth run. Leadoff hitter Deme Kanakis was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Haleigh Williams tossed three shutout innings in relief to earn the win on the mound.
Souderton
- 15-4 overall
- 10-4 SOL, tied with CB South for second place behind Hatboro-Horsham in Continental Conference standings
- Won 11 straight before losing to Central Bucks East 6-2 in regular season finale
- Highlights of the season were second-half wins over Hatboro-Horsham (4-1 on May 3), North Penn (2-1 on May 12) and Central Bucks South (2-0 on May 13)
- The Indians, who lost five starters from last year’s team to graduation, did not receive a district berth last year.
How they got here: Souderton, which had a first round bye, defeated West Chester Henderson 2-1 in 10 innings on Wednesday, twice rallying from a one-run deficit to earn the win – first in the ninth inning and then in the 10th inning. Liz Parkins allowed just three hits and no earned runs while fanning 14 and walking one to earn the win on the mound. Meghan Weisel, who had a key hit in the 10th, had three hits to lead the Indians. Sophomore Sarah Derstine drove in the tying run while Brittany Beebe had the game-winning RBI.
Coach Courtney Hughes says: “We know going into the game Friday that Spring-Ford has a potent hitting lineup. They will throw some leather around as well, so we're anticipating a hard-fought game. We're going to try to keep their big hitters from doing damage by pitching effectively and playing great defense. We got our playoff jitters out of the way Wednesday, so look to see a loose and ready team facing Spring-Ford. We want to set the tone by getting our offense going early in the game. We are looking to start offensively the way we finished the last game, getting people on, moving them over and finding ways to bring them in. We had a great day of practice Thursday, and the girls are looking forward to playing in front of their home crowd. We know that Spring-Ford is a great team, so we're looking forward to giving them our best game and showing what we're capable of.”
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