Neshaminy senior Lauren Quense threw a perfect game in Thursday’s PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal contest against Daniel Boone, fanning 15 in The Redskins’ 8-0 win. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.
ROYERSFORD – Just one out separated Lauren Quense from perfection in Thursday’s PIAA Class AAAA contest when a Daniel Boone fan directly behind home plate shouted, ‘Don’t ruin your perfect game.’
That fan’s attempt – as well as every other attempt - to rattle the Neshaminy senior fell on deaf ears. Quense was in some kind of groove, and the senior standout needed just three pitches to strike out Daniel Boone’s Nicole Kovach, putting the finishing touches on a perfect game and an 8-0 win that vaulted the Redskins into Monday’s state semifinal game against North Penn.
Quense – who fanned 15 in a dazzling effort - had very little to say about her perfect game, but she was quick to deflect credit all around.
“You have to hit in order to win games, and you have to play defense,” she said. “We build off that.
“This girl from Boone (Bekah Slattery) was a very good pitcher. We went back to the basics, and it played out well for us.”
Slattery was indeed very good. She fanned 13 but also allowed eight hits. Her teammates, who committed seven costly errors, did not provide a whole lot of support, but this rainy spring afternoon belonged to Quense, who retired all 21 batters she faced.
“It was definitely a challenge for my team because we haven’t really played in the rain so far, and for our outfielders coming off the grass with the rain, it’s a lot different,” Quense said. “You just have to play through it. You have to play with the cards you’re dealt.”
Quense served early notice that she was onto something special, striking out the first five batters she faced before Daniel Boone’s Maggie Koch hit a change-up into shallow center that was snagged by centerfielder Mackensie Compton, who made a glittering sliding catch.
“That’s a freshman out there tracking balls down like she’s a senior,” coach Dave Chichilitti said. “It was a very big spot in the game. At the time, we didn’t know how important it was, but looking back at it, what a spectacular play that was – for her to be that aggressive. She went for it and made a spectacular catch.”
Three straight strikeouts in the third were followed by three groundouts in the fourth – one back to the mound and two to shortstop Diana LaPalombara. In the fifth, third baseman Selina Alicea cleanly fielded a sharp grounder and fired to first for an out, and Quense took care of the rest, inducing a popup she fielded herself in front of home plate for the final out of the fifth.
Quense put an exclamation mark on a brilliant performance with six straight strikeouts to close out the game.
“She was good, but she’s always good,” senior catcher Julia McGovern said. “She's so fun to watch, so fun to catch. It’s great.”
Quense acknowledged she didn’t really know a whole lot about Daniel Boone’s hitters.
“It doesn’t really bother me or any of my teammates,” she said. “It’s a mental game more than it is physical. You face who you face, and you have to defend and you have to hit. It’s a team game.”
The senior pitcher was asked which of her pitches she was happiest with in her perfect performance.
“I don’t really know,” she said. “They all seemed to be working a little bit here and there.”
And then Quense tipped her hat to batterymate.
“I can’t say enough for my catcher,” she said of McGovern. “Even when I miss my spots, she gets me right back up. She’s the one who really is the rock back there. Everything was working because of her.”
Thursday’s perfect game was the first seven-inning perfect contest of Quense’s high school career.
“I thought she was absolutely in command of this game from the first pitch to the last pitch,” Chichilitti said. “She’s playing well.
“She’s a senior, and she’s playing for the group of eight seniors we have, and she’s doing an excellent job of trying to send these girls out the right way.
“I’ve said it a million times – no one works harder than Lauren Quense. Six days a week – whether it’s hitting, pitching or working out, our own practices, travel practices – all of her success is attributed to the hard work and the hours that she put in. She sets goals for herself, and she works hard to attain them.”
The Redskins spotted Quense a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After Slattery fanned the first two batters she faced, McGovern singled to left, and Sara Snider-Leonhauser brought her home with a double to right center. A pair of Trailblazer errors on the hit allowed Snider-Leonhauser to circle the bases as well.
“Their pitcher was fantastic,” Chichilitti said. “It seemed to me like our girls went up there and either struck out or crushed a ball to the fence.
“Those hits were all hard-hit balls, and that set the tone for the game. It pumped up the air in this dugout and let the air out of that dugout. That was a huge spot in the game.”
The Redskins added to their lead in the second. Jen Walker drew a leadoff walk, and one out later, Anna Luff reached base on a four-pitch walk. Walker stole third and then raced home when the throw got by the third baseman. LaPalombara’s double to left center plated a run, and when Quense poked an RBI single to left, the Redskins led 5-0.
Quense led off the sixth with her eighth home run of the season. This one hit the top of the fence in left and bounced over, putting the Redskins on top 6-0. McGovern singled to right and wound up on second when the ball got by the outfielder. She scored when the Trailblazers committed a pair of errors on Snider-Leonhauser’s grounder to short. Sam Offenback’s single to right brought home the game’s final run.
That was more than enough for Quense, who put her name in the record books with her perfect game.
“The defense was good, the pitching was good, and the hitting was timely,” Chichilitti said. “When we had runners on and we needed those hits, the girls executed. I couldn’t be happier about that.”
The Redskins will face North Penn in a state semifinal game on at William Tennent High School on Monday at 4 p.m.
NESHAMINY (8) – Diana LaPalombara ss 4-1-1-1; Lauren Quense p 4-1-2-2; Julia McGovern c 4-2-2-0; Sara Snider-Leonhauser 1b 3-2-1-1; Nikki Wild ph 1-0-1-1; Sam Offenback dp 4-0-1-1; Jen Walker rf 1-1-0-0; Selina Alicea 3b 3-0-0-0; Anna Luff 2b 1-1-0-0; Lauren Creamer ph 1-0-0-0; Mackenzie Compton cf 2-0-0-0; Erica Mohan ph 1-0-0-0; Carly Coleman lf 0-0-0-0. TOTALS 29-8-8-5.
DANIEL BOONE (0) – Bekah Slattery p 3-0-0-0; Heather Toth 1b 3-0-0-0; Nicole Kovach ss 3-0-0-0; Mikaela Ballmer 3b 2-0-0-0; Savannah Toth c 2-0-0-0; Maggie Koch 2b 2-0-0-0; Megan Piccarreta cf 2-0-0-0; Kelsey Winger lf 2-0-0-0; Rachel Levens dp 2-0-0-0; Maddie Blumenstock rf 0-0-0-0. TOTALS 21-0-0-0.
E-Daniel Boone 7, Neshaminy 0; LOB-Neshaminy 3, Daniel Boone 0. 2B-Sara Snider-Leonhauser, Diana LaPalombara. HR-Lauren Quense
NESHAMNY 230 030 0 8-8-0
DANIEL BOONE 000 000 0 0-0-7
IP H R ER BB SO
Neshaminy
Lauren Quense (W) 7 0 0 0 0 15
Daniel Boone
Bekah Slattery (L) 7 8 8 6 2 13
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