Check out Monday's SOL softball results.
National Conference
BENSALEM 13, HARRY S TRUMAN 7
Bensalem exploded for 19 hits and 13 runs as the Owls notched their first win over their neighboring rival in six years.
“This is the biggest win we’ve had so far this season,” coach Dan Schram said. “With my kids, it’s not a matter of if, it’s when, so a win like this usually symbolizes more than just a win.
“What we’re really seeing is we’re going up to the plate, and we’re being very aggressive. We’re realizing that we can battle and we can win any game. We were a little sloppy on defense, but if you get that run support and keep pounding when you’re up to bat, it’s going to happen for you.”
The two teams were tied 3-3 after one inning, and it was a 4-4 game after three. The Owls erupted for five runs in the fourth, but the Tigers game back to make it a 9-7 game after five innings. The Owls kept scoring runs, plating two in both the sixth and seventh innings to earn the big win.
Isabel Hansbury led the Owls’ offensive onslaught with a 4-for-5 effort that included a home run, three runs scored, three RBIs and two stolen bases. Tatyana Keshanech was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and one RBI. Jenny Campbell was 3-for-5 with a double, triple, two runs and two RBIs, Victoria Hall was 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, and Shannon McVicar was 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
“We were just aggressive, very aggressive,” Schram said. “I’m very, very proud of my kids, and I think we will finish the season very strong.”
Jackie Morell earned the win on the mound.
“She did a great job,” Schram said. “She gives us a chance to win every time out. She’s wise beyond her years. As a freshman, she does not get rattled.”
While the Tigers saw their record drop to 5-4 in league play (6-8 overall), the Owls improved to 3-6 in the league (8-6 overall).
ABINGTON 18, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8 (6 innings)
The Ghosts avenged an early season 12-8 loss at the hands of the Indians by earning a resounding win in Monday’s rematch.
“Rock North is a very good team, and to beat them 18-8 is just huge,” coach Ellie White said. “We haven’t beaten them since 2009, so it was nice to see these kids experience beating them.”
The Ghosts collected 11 hits but also capitalized on 12 free passes.
“The kids were disciplined at the plate,” White said. “They did what they were supposed to do. They waited for the strikes. They saw that their pitcher was (struggling), and they took advantage of it.
“They have a great hitting team. North hit the ball well.”
The Indians scored five runs in the fourth to go on top 5-3, but the Ghosts exploded for nine runs in the fifth to all but seal the Indians’ fate.
For the Ghosts, Angie LaMaina contributed a pair of two-run doubles – one in the sixth inning and another in the seventh to finish with four RBIs. She also scored three runs. Sophomore first baseman Rachel DeCarlo delivered an RBI double in her first at-bat and scored a run. She had another double later in the game, this one driving in a pair.
“She helped us a lot,” White said. “We also had some nice defense behind Lizzie Lloyd.”
Lloyd, a freshman, is coming back from an injury, and she pitched her first complete game of the season.
The Ghosts are 3-6 in league play (7-8 overall) while the Indians fell to 4-5 in the league (7-5 overall).
WILLIAM TENNENT 10, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 4, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3
‘Craziness.’
That’s how Souderton coach Courtney Hughes described a season that has been a wild and unpredictable roller coaster ride for the Indians. Twenty days after losing to the Titans 14-1 in an abbreviated contest, the Indians stunned the Continental Conference’s top squad in Monday’s rematch.
Making the Indians’ huge win even more remarkable was the fact that it came on the heels of their most devastating defeat – a 9-8 loss to Central Bucks West in a game they led 8-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
“After our loss to West on Thursday, this is a huge pick-me-up, and we needed it,” Hughes said. “This really could propel us into Wednesday’s game against Hatboro-Horsham. We’ll see what happens.”
Hughes made an interesting lineup change for Monday’s showdown, giving Erelle Sowers her first career start against a high-powered Titan lineup.
“We started a different style pitcher than we did in our previous game, and she was very effective,” the Indians’ coach said. “They were popping up and over-swinging.
“She did a fantastic job. I was really proud of her. She was nervous, but she got through her nerves. She did her job for four innings, and we brought Meghan (Weisel) in, which is a change in speeds, and they really complimented each other well. She shut them down.”
Sowers tossed four innings to earn the win while Weisel earned the big save.
South took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, capitalizing on a pair of walks and a two-out, two-run double by Hallie Bilker. Souderton answered with a four-run uprising in the bottom of the inning.
After the Indians put their first two runners on board, thanks to a walk and a hit batsman, Alex Zeigler hit a ball to third, but the Titans had no play, and the bases were loaded.
A successful suicide squeeze bunt by Corrine Stiles plated the Indians’ first run, and the second run came home on a wild pitch, knotting the score. A throwing error on Sarah Derstine’s hard hit ball to short allowed two more runs to cross the plate, and just like that, the Indians led 4-2.
South got one of those runs back in the fifth, but after that Weisel slammed the door on the Titans. Her most impressive inning came in the seventh when she retired the Titans’ three, four and five hitters in order to close out the game.
Both teams managed just three hits in a game that saw the Indians use yet another new defensive lineup with the loss of second baseman Paige Shelly to an injury. Hughes moved Stiles from behind the plate to second base and gave Ziegler a start behind the plate.
“I’ve had injuries this season like no other,” said Hughes, who is still without veteran Mollie Burrell behind the plate. “Sarah Derstine keeps making good plays at shortstop. Corinne Stiles made a couple of heads-up plays at second base, and Alex is doing a fantastic job. We have people stepping up, and our infield is doing a great job.”
While the Titans (11-2, 8-1 SOL) suffered their first league loss, the Indians improved to 4-5 in league play (5-7 overall).
NORTH PENN 1, PENNRIDGE 0
In another Continental Conference war, the Maidens rode the shutout pitching of freshman Jackie Bilotti to earn the important win. The rookie hurler scattered five hits while walking none.
The Maidens got on the board in the first inning when Alexa Gable scored on a Michele Holweger base hit. Bilotti made that 1-0 lead stand. She received an assist from her defense when Gable threw out a Ram base runner at home plate in the first inning. That play loomed large when the two teams combined to score just one run.
The Maidens improved to 6-3 in the league (9-5 overall) while the Rams fell to 3-6 in the league (6-9 overall).
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
Heather Lutz delivered an RBI single in the first inning, and Emily Wrenn contributed a pair of RBIs in the fourth. Chrissy James led the Hatters offensively with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate.
While the Patriots fell to 4-5 in the league (6-7 overall), the Hatters once again own a share of the conference’s top spot with an 8-1 record (13-1 overall).
American Conference
WISSAHICKON 7, NORRISTOWN 5
The Trojans needed a sixth inning rally to earn a win over the pesky Eagles on Monday, and the American Conference’s top squad has found itself in some tough battles recently in conference play.
“It’s the first time I’m in it, and the way it’s set up - it’s pretty nice,” coach John Bilella said. “The competition for each team is kind of level, which is good.
“It really holds the kids’ interest because nobody really gets blown out.”
The Trojans received a pair of big hits to win in the sixth. Kellie Gillman delivered an RBI triple, and Rachel Philbin followed with an RBI double. It didn’t look as though the Trojans would need any late-game heroics when they opened up a 5-1 lead after five innings, but the Eagles put four runs on the board in the top of the sixth, and suddenly, things got real interesting.
“In the last three or four games, teams have made comebacks against us,” Bilella said. “We’d like to get a marker and just skip the fourth or fifth innings.
“I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s four games now that we were comfortably leading with a three or four-run lead, and all of sudden, we’re behind or they pull up even with us. It’s good for the competition.”
The Eagles were led by the two-hit, four-RBI performance at the plate of Sammi Kidd, who tripled and also drew a walk. Monica Levins had a triple.
Philbin (2-for-3, two runs scored, two RBIs) led the Trojans. Katie Ziegler added a double and two RBIs.
Ziegler earned the win, allowing seven hits while fanning 10 and walking one, and Bilella tipped his hat to her batterymate, rookie catcher Ashley Anderson.
“She never caught in competition ball with someone as fast as Katie,” the Trojans’ coach said. “She had a little hard time in the beginning, but being relatively small as far as numbers are concerned, we just don’t have that many players.
“She’s been hanging in there and just doing a fantastic job. We didn’t bat her the first four or five games. We just let her catch and said she should concentrate on that. Her arm’s gotten better. She’s scooping balls. Katie’s not very easy to catch – almost six-foot and a lefty is very hard to catch because the ball is spinning in the opposite direction. She puts her heart and soul into catching, and she doesn’t get enough recognition.”
On the mound for the Eagles, Brianna Kennedy, who absorbed the loss, gave up eight hits while walking three and striking out three.
While the Eagles fell to 3-4 in league play (5-8 overall), the Trojans improved to 7-0 in the league (9-1 overall).
UPPER MERION 4, UPPER DUBLIN 3
Nothing has come easily for the Vikings this season, and that was the case again in Monday’s win over the Flying Cardinals. Upper Merion led 4-2, but Upper Dublin made things real interesting by plating a run in the sixth.
“We needed a win,” coach John Whitney said. “We’ve been struggling all year with our fielding. Our hitting has not been bad, and Nikki Ross has done a great job pitching, but we’ve averaged anywhere between three and six errors a game.”
The Vikings had just one error on Monday to five for the Flying Cardinals.
“We played well defensively today,” Whitney said. “We’ve started out most games over the last four or five games down 3-0 or 4-0 after the first inning because we’ve thrown the ball around, and you just can’t play like that.
“I told the kids until we straighten that out we’ll continue to struggle. Today they did a lot better. We didn’t hit as well as we could, but at least we played defense, which was a good thing.”
Sarah Schunder and Nicole Priest both contributed doubles for the Vikings, who were led by Priest’s 2-for-3 performance. She also had an RBI and scored a run.
For the Flying Cardinals, Kristin Ganderton was 2-for-3 with an RBI while Rachel Matricardi was 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Ganderton absorbed the loss, allowing just two earned runs while fanning six and walking one. Ross was the winning pitcher, scattering four hits while fanning four and walking two.
According to Whitney, it’s been an interesting conference race.
“The only team that seems to be a cut above is Wissahickon,” the Vikings’ coach said. “With Ziegler – it’s a big help, but even in a couple of games, they clawed their way out.
“I talked to Heather (Boyer) today, and we said it seems as though everyone is just trying to stay above water and Wissahickon is a little above that. Two through six you don’t know what you’re going to get from day to day.”
While the Flying Cardinals fell to 3-5 in league play (6-7 overall), the Vikings improved to 4-3 in the league (5-4 overall).
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