Four SOL teams will be in action when the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament begins on Monday. The SOL captured four of five berths awarded to District One teams with district champion Hatboro-Horsham capturing the top seed and district runner-up Pennsbury the second. Neshaminy finished third in the district, and Souderton downed Owen J. Roberts to earn the district’s fifth and final playoff berth.
#1-1 Hatboro-Horsham vs. #3-3 Governor Mifflin at Lebanon Valley College, 4 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham
- 22-2 overall
- District One Class AAAA champions
- Won nine in a row since loss to Souderton on May 3
- Junior pitcher Maggie Shaffer did not allow an earned run in the district playoffs
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 survived a late-game rally by Pennsbury to earn an 8-5 win in eight innings in last Thursday’s district title game. Julie Wambold hit her second home run in as many games. Lead-off batter Melissa Spinosa led the Hatters with a pair of hits. Shaffer earned the win on the mound.
Governor Mifflin
- 16-8 overall
- Finished third in the District 3 Tournament despite entering the tournament as the 18th seed out of 20 teams.
- Defeated by Central Bucks South 5-0 in 2010 PIAA Class AAAA semifinals
- Pitcher Jess Epler leads Governor Mifflin
How they got here: Governor Mifflin, which entered district play with a 12-7 record, defeated #15 Conestoga Valley 4-1 in an opening round game. That was followed by a 4-3 win in eight innings over second-seeded Daniel Boone. Governor Mifflin downed #10 Dallastown 7-3 in quarterfinal action but fell to eventual district champion Central Dauphin 2-0 in the semifinals. In the third place game, Governor Mifflin defeated 12th-seeded Lower Dauphin 3-1. Rachel Fritz led Governor Mifflin with a pair of hits.
#1-2 Pennsbury vs. #12-2 Northeast at Spring-Ford High School, 2 p.m.
Pennsbury
- 20-3 overall
- District One Class AAAA runner-up
- Falcons saw their eight-game winning streak end when they fell to Hatboro in district title game
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)
How they got here: The top-seeded Falcons trailed Hatboro 5-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning of Thursday’s district title game. A bases-clearing triple by Savanna Grantham knotted the score and sent the game into extra innings, but the Hatters plated three runs in the eighth to earn the win over a usually sure-handed Falcon squad that committed four errors.
Northeast
- Lost in Public League semifinals 19-18 to Franklin Towne Charter in a game that featured 27 hits.
#1-3 Neshaminy vs. #11-1 Easton at Patriots Park (Allentown), 7 p.m.
Neshaminy
- 18-4 overall
- Fourth seed in the District One AAAA Tournament
- Three of four losses this season are to archrival Pennsbury
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: The Redskins rebounded from a heartbreaking loss to a nemesis Pennsbury squad in the district semifinals to earn a 2-0 win over Spring-Ford. Sarah McGowan tossed a shutout on the mound, and Laura Altenburger paced the offense with a pair of hits.
Easton
- 17-8 overall
- Sixth seed in the District 11 AAAA Tournament
- Second district title in history of the program
How they got here: Easton defeated 11th-seeded Stroudsburg 11-3 in an opening round game and followed that with a 6-4 upset of third-seeded Freedom. Easton downed seventh-seeded Whitehall 3-2 in the district semifinals and then pulled off the upset of the tournament, upsetting top-seeded Pleasant Valley 9-8 in a wild district title game at Patriots Park. Senior centerfielder Audra Heilman, who holds the school record for career hits, singled home the game-winning run in the top of the seventh inning. Easton, which led 7-0 after two innings, was led by the 3-for-5 effort of Kat Nemeth, who drove in four runs. Heilman scored three runs, and Emily Glose was 2-for-2 with a run scored.
#1-5 Souderton vs. #3-1 Central Dauphin at Lebanon Valley College, 4 p.m.
Souderton
- 17-5 overall
- Sixth-seeded team in District One Class AAAA tournament after not earning a berth in 2010
- First trip to state tournament since 2006
Players to watch: Liz Parkins (Pitcher), Mollie Burrell (Catcher), Brittany Beebe (First Base), Lauren Urbanski (Third Base), Sarah Derstine (Shortstop), Meghan Weisel (Center Field)
How they got here: Souderton rebounded from a potentially devastating 5-3 loss to Spring-Ford in the district quarterfinals that saw the Rams score four unearned runs, benefitting from four Indian miscues. They went on to defeat Downingtown West 10-5 behind the 18-strikeout effort of pitcher Liz Parkins. In Friday’s fifth place game, Parkins scattered four hits, struck out 12 and led the Indians to a 2-0 win over Owen J. Roberts. Mollie Burrell and Meghan Weisel led the Indians with two hits each.
Central Dauphin
- 20-3 overall
- Second-seeded team out of District One
- Captured first District 3 AAAA title since 1998
How they got here: Central Dauphin – after an opening round bye – defeated 14th-seeded South Western 2-1 in a second round game and followed that with a 7-1 win over sixth-seeded Elizabethtown. A 2-0 win over 18th-seeded Governor Mifflin in the semifinals propelled Central Dauphin into the title game against top-seeded New Oxford. In Thursday’s 1-0 title win over New Oxford, junior pitcher Taylor Henry stole the spotlight, striking out 12 and allowing just one hit. She also drove in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning.
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