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TOWAMENCIN – Sporting blue shades and carrying herself with a quiet confidence, Kellianna Bradstreet looked anything but the part of a sophomore when she took the mound for Tuesday’s non-league opener against Council Rock North.
“She’s taken control out there on the mound,” said North Penn senior Cari Anderson, Bradstreet’s batterymate. “She’s a lot easier to catch this year. I have a lot more confidence in her, and she’s (come) back with more confidence.”
Bradstreet threw strikes and fielded her position flawlessly, and her confidence was apparently contagious.
The Maidens turned in a near perfect performance in their convincing 11-1 win over the Indians in a contest that was halted in the fifth inning because of the mercy rule.
The win was number 200 of Maiden coach Rick Torresani’s career.
“The girls’ knew nothing about it, and I said, ‘You know what – I wasn’t going to say anything, but the way you played today, the way you did things we have been practicing at bat and in the field just made this win so precious and important to me,” Torresani said. “That’s when I told them it was my 200th win.
“Kellianna pitched a great game, and Cari calling the game and keeping her calm, but the defense just played really hard. That’s what we were striving to do today – play good defense, put the bat on the ball, play the short game and then get the clutch hit, and that’s what we did.”
While everything was going right for the Maidens, the exact opposite was true for the Indians, who were without coach Hollie Woodward. All told, they committed nine errors, resulting in nine unearned runs.
“I have seen these girls practice, and that’s not our true team out there,” said Meghan Sinback, who was filling in for Woodward. “It’s been a tough week with coach not being here, and first-game jitters – it happens.
“I told the girls – there’s only room to improve from here. We have a lot of practices and games. I only expect better things.”
The Maidens collected just six hits and – if you’re counting – scored only two earned runs, but while the Indians were struggling to make the plays, the Maidens were not.
After Bradstreet fanned the first batter she faced, Maiden third baseman Mary Ward – who boasts a cannon for an arm – put to rest any thoughts that the Indians might be able to establish their short game by gunning down three consecutive Rock North batters who slapped the ball down the third base line.
“It feels good to know I have people behind me scooping it up,” Bradstreet said. “I can just throw strikes, and I’m confident in them.”
In the bottom of the first, the Maidens plated a run without so much as collecting a hit when leadoff batter Miranda Sergas – who reached first on an error – scored on a wild pitch.
Things went from bad to worse for the Indians in the second. It all began innocently enough when Anderson led off the inning with an infield single in the shortstop hole. She wound up on second on an errant throw to first.
“As soon as they got that hit, some people’s heads went down,” Rock North senior Chloe Pinto said. “It was all about the mental game today, all about it.”
Janelle Stawasz followed and drew a walk. Both runners advance don a double steal, and Sergas lined a two-run single to left that put the Maidens on top 3-0. Sergas wound up on third when the ball got by the outfielder for a two-base error.
“The plays they couldn’t make, we made,” Anderson said. “Once we get the energy going on our side, we’re really good with our team keeping it going.”
A bloop single by Ward plated Sergas, and the Maidens capitalized on another Rock North fielding error and a fielder’s choice to go on top 6-0 after two innings.
It was not, according to Pinto, the kind of performances the Indians anticipated.
“Absolutely not,” the Indians’ senior second baseman said. “We have so much potential this year, and obviously like Sinback said, it’s tough to play our normal game without our coach.
“It was tough to come off two great scrimmages like this, but we have so much potential – more potential than we have had since I was a freshman, and it’s really hard to come out like this, but you know what, was have to practice and get ready for the next game. We can’t let this ruin our whole season.”
Pinto, who had two of her team’s four hits, put the Indians on the scoreboard in the third when she ripped a two-out triple to deep right, plating Brittney Garvey who had walked and making it a 6-1 game.
But not for long.
In the bottom of the third, Anderson lined a leadoff double to the left field fence, and it was safe all around when Stawasz’s sacrifice bunt was misplayed. A walk to Brittany Gozur was followed by another Rock North error – this one plating a run. One out later, Stephanie Farrar hit an RBI single to center. A sacrifice fly by Alyssa Campbell made it a 10-1 game.
The Maidens went scoreless in the fourth – it was their only scoreless inning of the day. One inning later, the Maidens loaded the bases with none out, benefitting from back-to-back errors and a walk. That set the stage for Campbell, who picked up her third RBI of the day with a single to right as the Maidens put the finishing touches on their decisive win.
“I have high expectations for our team,” Anderson said. “I expect to make it to districts and maybe even to states.
“With our team and the way we all get along on and off the field – we support each other and pick each other up.”
“Everyone knows what each other wants,” Bradstreet added. “We have a connection.”
Extra innings: Bradstreet displayed a nasty changeup in Tuesday’s win. One resulted in a soft popup to second, another in a strikeout. “I’ve been working on it,” the sophomore hurler said. Bradstreet also made the defensive play of the game, snagging a wicked line drive off the bat of Liz Shrandt for the second out in the second inning.
NORTH PENN 11, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1
Council Rock North: Chloe Pinto 2b 3 0 2 1; Caitlyn Friis ss 3 0 0 0; Sarah Bunke cf 2 0 0 0, Kelsey meehan lf 2 0 1 0; Liz Shrandt c 2 0 0 0; Lindsey Iden 3b 2 0 0 0; Colleen Kraft dp 2 0 0 0; Diana O’Hara rf 1 0 0 0; Alyssa Smith rf 1 0 0 0; Brittney Garvey 1b 1 1 1 0; Morgan Lewis p 0 0 0 0; Alex Tremitierre p 0 0 0 0. TOTALS 19 1 4 1.
North Penn: Miranda Sergas cf 4 3 1 2; Mary Ward 3b 3 2 1 2; Stephanie Farrar 1b 3 1 1 1; Taylor Marchozzi ss 1 0 0 0; Alyssa Campbell dp 3 0 1 3; Danielle Kalis lf 3 0 0 0; Cari Anderson c 3 2 2 0; Stawasz 2b 1 2 0 0; Gozur rf 2 1 0 0; Lloyd rf 0 0 0 0; Bradstreet p 0 0 0 0. TOTALS 23 11 6 8
E- NP 0, CRN 9. LOB- CRN 4, NP 8. 2B-Anderson. 3B-Pinto. SB-Anderson, Stawasz 2. SAC-Stawasz. S-Campbell.
Council Rock North 001 00-1
North Penn 154 01-11
IP H R ER BB SO
Council Rock North
Lewis (L) 4 5 11 2 4 2
Tremittieere 0 1 0 0 0 0
North Penn
Bradstreet (W) 5 4 1 1 1 2
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