To view action photos of the Neshaminy/Owen J. Roberts and the CB South/Spring-Ford games, visit the photo gallery and click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
Things can change in a hurry in the world of SOL softball.
Last Thursday night, Neshaminy was on top of the world after downing archrival Pennsbury for the first time since 2003 in a marathon nine-inning affair that ended after midnight.
One day later, the Redskins – National Conference co-champs with the Falcons - won the coin toss with Pennsbury, capturing the coveted top seed in the District One AAAA Tournament.
On Wednesday, the unimaginable happened when the Redskins were sent packing when they were upset by 16th-seeded Owen J. Roberts 5-2 in a second round game.
Not far down the road, the third-seeded Falcons were suffering a similar fate, falling to 19th-seeded Coatesville 4-1.
Just like that, two teams that were expected to advance deep into the tournament were gone.
Second-seeded Central Bucks South came out on the good side of a controversial call at the plate in the sixth inning. The call opened the floodgates for three runs, allowing the Titans to escape with a 3-1 win over a pesky Spring-Ford squad.
Another top seed - seventh seeded Norristown – fell to 10th seeded North Penn 5-0.
Hatboro-Horsham, the tournament’s number four seed, had the easiest time of it, rolling to an 11-1 win over Downingtown East in a game that was halted in the fifth when the mercy rule went into effect.
If you’re counting, nine SOL teams earned berths in the 23-team Class AAAA field, Only three were still standing after Wednesday’s second round.
Those are not the kind of numbers anyone expected from a league whose teams garnered the top four seeds. It’s been a tough district tournament so far for the SOL.
#2 Central Bucks South 3, #15 Spring-Ford 1
Jennifer Robinson wasn’t sure if Haileigh Stocks was safe at home plate with the tying run in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s war with Spring-Ford, but Robinson’s opinion didn’t really count for a whole lot. All that mattered was that the umpire ruled that Stocks was safe.
“That run was the game changer,” the Titans’ coach said. “I really can empathize with Spring-Ford because I can understand why they would be very upset with that call, but at the same time, the umpire is one foot away from the play watching it the whole time. If she’s right there and the play is right there, how do you miss that call?
“One of two things happened – (the umpire) was right there in front of the plate, and she did not see the catcher tag Haileigh but also did not see Haileigh get the plate and waited to make the call until Haileigh touched the plate. Or, the umpire blew it big time, and the latter very well may be true.
“Honestly, I can’t say I know for sure, but if she had called Haileigh out, I would not have been out there arguing it because there’s a very strong chance she could have been out. That was a blessing because that was our first run, and we have no outs.”
The Titans went on to score two more runs in the inning to eke out the important win, plating the game winner on Dani London’s groundout and adding an insurance run when Taylre Stocks collected an RBI triple for the 3-1 final.
In many ways, the game – until the fateful sixth - bore a marked resemblance to the Titans 1-0 loss to Hatboro-Horsham. In both games, South’s opponent put its leadoff runner on board in the first, and that runner came around to score.
“They got the run, and similar to Hatboro, I wasn’t worried, I wasn’t concerned,” Robinson said. “I had gone to Spring-Ford’s game on Monday. I had seen what their pitcher was throwing, and I felt as though I prepared the girls for what to expect – drop curves or balls that rise in the strike zone.
“They practiced off live pitching yesterday off pitchers with similar speed, and they looked really good, but they just made really bad choices in terms of what they were swinging at.”
Things didn’t improve a whole lot as the game progressed, and by the fifth inning, Robinson was feeling genuine concern.
“They started going through the lineup again, and it was the same thing,” the Titans’ coach said. “They really hadn’t adjusted, and now it’s becoming an issue where we’re getting deeper in the game. We have players who have a lot of heart and a lot of desire, but now they’re trying too hard.
“We were behind, and it’s almost like they were swinging out of desperation. They were thinking about it too much. Now it’s the fifth inning, and I’m starting to be concerned because we’re not making the adjustment.
“The bottom line is – they have been playing ball for years. They know what to swing at, and I just wanted them to go out and do what they knew how to do and be aggressive in the batter’s box.”
Finally, in the sixth, the Titans staged a rally.
It began with Haileigh Stocks delivering a single to open the frame. Morgan Decker – the Titans’ top hitter – was called on to lay down a sacrifice bunt. She did one better – bunting for a base hit. With runners on second and third, Lauren Klepchick hit a sharp grounder into the shortstop hole.
The Rams’ shortstop made a dazzling stop and came up throwing to home plate.
“The ball definitely beat Haileigh to the plate by a little bit,” Robinson said. “I’m looking at it, and in my mind, honestly, I thought she very well could have been out.
“Haileigh goes around the tag, rolled over onto her stomach and touches home plate. The umpire made no call, and I’m waiting. My first base coach said, ‘Haileigh, step on the plate.’ Haileigh steps on the plate, and the umpire called her safe.
“I told the girls I was very proud of the effort that was put out, particularly by the pitcher and catcher on such a hot day. Spring-Ford was there to make us work. They put the ball in play over and over and over again. They slapped, they bunted, they did everything, and our defense made more errors than usual, but we held it together. I was proud of the fact that we did not give up.”
Fran Carrullo notched the win on the mound, allowing seven hits – only four after the first inning when the Rams strung together three hits to plate a single run.
As a result of the win, the Titans have earned a date with North Penn in Friday’s quarterfinal contest. The two teams met twice during the regular season. The Titans won both, winning the first 10-0 and the second 1-0.
“It’s definitely tough winning that third time around,” Robinson said. “We’ll have to play better than we did today.”
#4 Hatboro-Horsham 11, #13 Downingtown East 1 (5 innings)
If Hatboro-Horsham needed a chance to find its stride after a layoff of more than a week, the Hatters had a golden opportunity to do just that when they faced a Downingtown East squad that committed six errors, resulting in six unearned runs.
“At this point, all the teams are good, so we have to expect everyone to be good if they made it this far,” senior co-captain Chelsea Edwards said. “We just had to do our best and bring our ‘A’ game.
“This was a good confidence booster to get back into the swing of things.”
The game ended when designated player Kelsey Koelzer delivered a two-out single to right, capping a two-run seventh that saw the Cougars commit three errors.
“We expected a one-run game, but we’re going to come out and do our thing,” Hatboro senior co-captain Megan Kelly said. “These games are nice when we haven’t been hitting in a while to get back into it.
“We haven’t had a game in over a week.”
The Hatters pounded out 11 hits – led by the three-hit effort of Chrissy James. Koelzer and Denise DiFilippo each added a pair of hits.
When it was over, it was easy to forget that the Cougars actually led 1-0 after plating an unearned run in the first, capitalizing on the Hatters’ lone error of the game.
“The girls came out fired up in warm-ups,” coach Kelly Krier said. “When the game started, they were a little tight. We called a timeout and told them we had to score anyway, what happened happened – let’s focus on what’s in front of us.”
The Hatters answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Kelly was safe on an error to lead off the inning and immediately stole second. She scored the equalizer from third when James laid down a bunt single.
Val Sadowl followed with a line single to left, and one out later, Jackie DiPietro singled to right, loading the bases. The Cougars looked as though they might escape without further damage when they collected the inning’s second out on a forceout at the plate, but Danielle DiFilippo followed and ripped a ground rule double to center that came close to clearing the fence but still plated a pair.
The Hatters led 4-1 after Melissa Spinosa’s slow chopper for an infield single.
“From that point on, we did the little things,” Krier said. “We scored runs with two outs, we moved runners, we took advantage of overthrows, and we were aggressive on the bases.
“Things that helped us all season long – we did today. We did have an extended break, and that may have led to the jitteriness. We’re still a little young, so maybe the first playoff game – it’s a different feel. They were able to recover and ride that momentum for the rest of the game.”
On the mound, sophomore Maggie Shaffer – who allowed just three hits – found her groove after the first inning, fanning six straight.
The Hatters, meanwhile, plated an unearned run in the second and tacked on three more runs in the third. Highlights of the frame were singles by DiFilippo and James (RBI) as well as a double to deep right center by Kelly that sent two more runs across the plate.
In the fourth, Edwards opened the inning with an infield single, and one out later, Koelzer picked up a single. Edwards scored on Spinosa’s sacrifice fly to deep center. The fifth inning featured three Cougar errors and Koelzer’s game winner.
Despite their lopsided win, the Hatters, according to Edwards, never took anything for granted.
“What we normally do if we’re up by a lot – me and Meg will be like, ‘It’s a nothing-nothing game’ and try not to get on our high horse too much,” the senior captain said. “We pretend we’re down or it’s a tie score.”
On Friday, the Hatters will take on a Whippet squad that is led by pitcher Caroline Raymond, a first team all-state selection last year who is bound for the University of Masschusetts on a softball scholarship.
#10 North Penn 5, #7 Norristown 0
Kellianna Bradstreet scattered three hits and fanned five in a standout effort on the mound to lead the Maidens to the big win that sets up a quarterfinal date with Central Bucks South.
“This is huge because this is what these kids were gearing for – they were gearing to get back in that game,” said coach Rick Torresani, whose team fell to Owen J. Roberts 9-5 in the quarterfinals last year. “The seniors want another try, and that was their goal.
“Of course, you want to win the league, but once that wasn’t available, one of our main goals was to get back to that third game and have another chance to get into states. Now they’re there. Hopefully we will be able to keep on playing the way we have been playing.”
The Maidens scored all the runs Bradstreet would need in a three-run third. The inning began with Miranda Sergas reaching first on an error, and Steph Farrar followed with a single. One out later, freshman Michelle Holweger delivered a two-run double. Holweger scored on Bradstreet’s sacrifice fly, and the Maidens led 3-0.
For good measure, the Maidens added a pair of runs in the seventh. Taylor Marchozzi and Mary Ward collected back-to-back singles, and both runners advanced on a double steal. Jess Mower followed with a two-run single, putting the Maidens on top 5-0.
“Going into the game, I told the girls Norristown would be ready, and we had to be ready,” Torresani said. “Kellianna went in there, and they only got one girl to second base, and that was in the second inning.
“Kellianna kept them off the bases. We played good defense. We didn’t have any errors, and they only hit three balls into the outfield, and they were caught. Her pitch count was really low, and that helped.”
Farrar and Ward were both 2-for-4 to lead the Maidens.
Friday’s game against South will be the third meeting between the two Continental Conference foes. South won both games.
“It’s going to be tough, but you know what – we both know each other,” Torresani said. “We know their hitters, they know our hitters. We know their pitcher, they know our pitcher.
“Hopefully, it won’t come down to a mistake by either team. Hopefully, one team will win it on a hit, but you never know in a game like this. It’s going to come down to pitching and who gets the clutch hit or who makes the mistake. I’m hoping both teams play well and somebody earns it. The last time we played it was 1-0. Hopefully, we can play like that again but this time come out on the other end of it.”
#16 Owen J. Roberts 5, #1 Neshaminy 2
There was nothing to suggest that disaster was imminent for the top-seeded Redskins after they put a pair of runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning to go on top 2-0. The Wildcats rallied to knot the score in the top of the sixth and won it with three unearned runs in the seventh off the usually sure-handed Redskins, who were haunted by four miscues.
Suddenly and without warning, a Redskin squad many had penciled in to not only advance to the district title game but also well into the state tournament was sent home for the year. The Redskins closed out their season with a 16-4 record.
#19 Coatesville 4, Pennsbury 1
Coach Frank McSherry said his team would have a tough time with a Coatesville team that had battled fifth-seeded Downingtown West to extra innings. The Pennsbury coach was right.
Pennsbury took a 1-0 lead in the third only to watch the Whippets score single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. They sealed the win by plating two more runs in the seventh.
The Falcons – National Conference co-champs with the Redskins – closed out their season with a 17-4 mark.
- Log in to post comments
0
