Five SOL squads have moved on in the District One AAAA Tournament after an exciting day of second round action. Pennsbury, Hatboro-Horsham, Neshaminy, Souderton and North Penn were winners while defending district champion Central Bucks South saw its season come to an end as did Central Bucks East. In Class AAA action, Upper Merion fell to Pope John Paul II.
#1 Pennsbury 7, #16 Central Bucks East 0
The Falcons erased memories of last year’s second round exit from districts at the hands of Coatesville with a no-doubt-about-it win over the Patriots.
“It feels really good,” senior Kelsi Bunda said. “All the girls were up and ready, and they knew we could not lose. It was not going to happen.”
The win came on the heels of Monday night’s emotional win over Neshaminy.
“Last year, I think Coatesville certainly deserved to win because they outplayed us, but that week off was bad for us,” coach Frank McSherry said. “A week off is too much – I would rather play than have a bye. I think it was definitely beneficial for us that we played Monday night.”
Bunda agreed.
“We were all really excited to play Neshaminy, and after that win, we really came out strong,” the senior captain said. “Every playoff game is like playing Neshaminy.”
The Falcons opened up an early lead when they plated three third-inning runs. Mackenzie Obert, who was 2-for-4 on the day, delivered a two run single. Bunda, who had a pair of hits and two runs scored, contributed an RBI single.
“We go by the philosophy that if you score first, you’re more than likely going to win,” Bunda said. “When we get on top, we try and stay on top.”
In the fifth, the Falcons all but sealed East’s fate when they exploded for four runs. Taylor Bidlingmaier had the inning’s big blow – a two-run double. Savanna Grantham added an RBI single.
Christina Bascara led the Falcons with a near-perfect 3-for-4 effort at the plate.
Val Buehler earned the win on the mound, allowing seven hits while fanning four and walking one. It was just the second time this season that the Patriots have been shut out.
“She battled today,” McSherry said of his sophomore pitcher. “She didn’t have the stuff she had on Monday night. She wasn’t hitting her spots like she was in that game. She had to battle through some things, but she hung tough, and we made some really nice defensive plays behind her.
“She only had four strikeouts, so we had to make 17 plays behind her, and we did it without making an error.”
“Coach is always telling us defense wins game,” Bunda said. “We’re always practicing our defense, and as long as we keep everything in front and hold them to one base, we’re satisfied, but if we can do more, we’ll do more.”
For Bunda as well as her senior teammates, there’s a sense of urgency each time the Falcons take the field.
“There’s so much pressure because you want to go all the way,” she said. “I’ve spoken with D’Anna (Devine), and we’re always saying – we have to win this. We just don’t want to end the season with a bad loss like we did last year.
“It felt so good to win today. I turned to D’Anna and I was like, ‘That’s one.’”
The Falcons, who improved to 18-2, will host North Penn in a quarterfinal game on Friday while the Patriots (12-8) saw their season come to an end.
#2 Hatboro-Horsham 4, #15 Upper Darby 1
Joe DiFilippo and his Hatter softball squad breathed a collective sigh of relief after Wednesday’s come-from-behind win over the tournament’s 15th seed. It had not been the easiest of wins for the Hatters, who trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
“You know what – you haven’t played in a week and a half,” DiFilippo said. “You’ve had a whole week of rain where you were inside, and you haven’t gone against live pitchers. It might have been different if you could have practiced outside, but you were stuck inside.
“This wasn’t a game I was looking forward to. I almost would have rather played on Monday. If you play on Monday and win, you’re on an emotional high. You know you’re going to be playing the number one seed, the number two seed or a high seed, and that motivates you.
“They’re going to throw the best possible game they can at you because they know you’re a top seed, and they’re on a high from winning their first playoff game.”
Riding that high, the Royals took a 1-0 lead in the second when they plated an unearned run. The Hatters’ bats finally came to life in the sixth when they plated all four of their runs.
“Up until then, we weren’t even putting our bunts down, which usually we’re very good at,” DiFilippo said.
In the sixth, Kelsey Koelzer delivered the game’s big blow, a bases-clearing triple that plated three runs. The Hatters’ fourth run crossed the plate on a double steal of home.
“Tension was really high because we all knew we should have been winning because we just knew we were a better team than what we were showing,” junior Chrissy James said. “Our coach told us in the huddle we just had to relax and play our game, and we finally did that.
“We just wanted to win. We didn’t really care if we won by three runs. We just wanted two runs so we could get out of there.”
James, who scored a run in the four-run uprising, led the Hatters with a perfect 2-for-2 day at the plate, which included a double, but the junior infielder acknowledged that it had been a tough outing after a long layoff.
“We have been inside the past couple of days,” James said. “We have still been practicing hard, but it’s really different stepping on the field compared to being inside.”
Maggie Shaffer notched the win on the mound, allowing six hits while walking two and striking out eight.
Hatboro will host 10th-seeded Downingtown West in a quarterfinal game on Friday.
“They’re a good team,” James said. “I’m not going to say we’re better, but if we play our game, we’ll beat them.
“Whenever we go on the field, we have to focus a lot more than a normal game. It’s the playoffs now. It’s one and done, and that’s different.”
#4 Neshaminy 3, #20 West Chester East 1
What a difference a year makes.
Last year, Neshaminy – the district’s top-seeded team - was left reeling after falling to Owen J. Roberts in a second round district game.
“Owen J. was already a revenge game for us because we lost to them my freshman year as well, and then we lost again,” senior Courtney Clee said. “It was a real downer because of all the seniors we lost.”
There were no reruns this time around as the Redskins, showing no ill effects from their disappointing loss to Pennsbury two days earlier, took an early lead and never looked back.
“We rebounded this time much better than we did the first time we lost to Pennsbury,” Clee said. “It was a better game. Obviously, the first time we lost we were down on ourselves because of errors we made.
“This time we didn’t make as many errors, but it really came down to coaching. Chic helped us out a lot – he made us remember we couldn’t do what we did after the last Pennsbury game because the last time we came out and played Bensalem (a come-from-behind 3-2 win), and it wasn’t us. That wasn’t Neshaminy softball.
“We knew this is the time to bear down. We couldn’t let Pennsbury affect us any more than they had. It was over with.”
The Redskins rode their superb defense and the strong arm of pitcher Lauren Quense to earn the big opening round win.
“It was definitely big to get this first win under our belts, especially considering what has happened the last two years,” coach Dave Chichilitti said in reference to the Redskins’ early exits from districts. “We were a little nervous about the hangover from Monday, but it definitely benefitted us playing a game on Monday.
“Having that bye - if we hadn’t had a game this week, it would have really hurt us I think. We had a chance to knock some rust off and played very well today. Our defense was outstanding all around”
The Redskins – who did not commit an error – had several huge defensive plays.
“Laura Altenburger made a diving catch in foul territory,” Chichilitti said of his shortstop. “Julia McGovern called a beautiful game behind the plate, and all three of our outfielders made great plays.”
Altenburger was credited with seven putouts/assists.
“She was all over the place,” Chichilitti said. “She played an awesome game, and the pitching was really good.”
Quense earned the win on the mound, allowing five hits while striking out five and walking one, but it was the defense that stole the spotlight.
“I can’t even tell you how solid our defense was,” Clee said. “We didn’t have one error on the field. I don’t think anything got through.
“It was really good for us to play like that behind Lauren.”
The Redskins got on the scoreboard in the second inning. Altenburger, who led off the inning with a single, scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Brianna Guidos.
A two-run third inning was highlighted by singles from Clee, Diana Lapalombara and Julia McGovern (RBI) as the Redskins opened up a 3-0 lead. East plated its lone run in the fourth.
According to Clee, the reality that the seniors’ final high school season is winding down is starting to hit home.
“Friday will be my last home game ever,” the Redskins’ second baseman said. “I was saying the other night – everything is the last.
“It was our last time going to Abington, our last time going to Truman, our last time playing Pennsbury at Bristol. That’s why I’m really banking on everyone pulling through and getting one more win so we can keep going.”
Neshaminy will have a rematch with Owen J. Roberts in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
#6 Souderton 3, #22 West Chester Henderson 2 (10 innings)
As Liz Parkins was about to begin a post-game interview after tossing yet another gem, coach Courtney Hughes tossed her the game ball. It’s a safe bet the Indians’ mound ace has accumulated quite a collection during a remarkable senior season.
Parkins was once again the catalyst for a win that saw the Indians rally not once but twice from one-run deficits. All the while, Parkins just went about her business on the mound, allowing just three hits and no earned runs while fanning 14 and walking only one.
She did all of this on a day when – by her catcher’s own admission – the umpire was not especially generous with his strike zone.
“He was one of the hardest umpires, but Liz is stone cold out there,” said Mollie Burrell. “You never know if she’s winning by 12 or losing by 12. Her face is always the same, and that clutch hit proves she’s more than just a good pitcher.
“She’s a good player, and she makes my job fun. We work together great and have great chemistry.”
‘That clutch hit’ Burrell referred to might well have saved the day for an Indian squad that could not solve the mystery of freshman pitcher Lauren Butts. Through eight innings, they managed just four hits, and they appeared to be in serious trouble when the Warriors, benefitting from a pair of costly errors, plated an unearned run in the top of the ninth.
Parkins led off the bottom of the frame, and in a moment that seemed to say, ‘We’re not losing like this,’ she ripped a leadoff double into the left center field gap, breathing life into a struggling Indians’ offense.
“When we were down, we realized it could be our last game, and it was like, ‘No, this isn’t happening,’” Souderton’s senior mound ace said. “One thing coach has been saying in preparation for playoffs is – ‘Go out with a fight. Don’t just roll over and die. Go out fighting.’”
The Indians showed they had plenty of fight. Lauren Urbanski followed with a bunt single, putting runners on first and third with one out, and when the Warriors’ elected to gun down Urbanski attempting to steal second, pinch runner Erelle Sowers scampered home with the tying run.
The Indians had knotted the score, but they weren’t exactly home free, and with the international tiebreaker in effect, the Warriors plated an unearned run in the top of the 10th inning. It could have been worse, but with a Henderson runner on third and one out, Parkins came up with a huge strikeout and then coaxed a harmless ground ball to second for the inning’s final out.
“I honestly thought they were going to get more out of that,” Parkins said. “When something like that happens, I try to get in my zone, stay focused and work on every pitch.”
Trailing 2-1, the Indians once again had to battle back. Meghan Weisel, who led the Indians with three hits, could not get a bunt down but more than made up for that by delivering a two-strike single to center, putting runners on the corner with none out.
“I got a good (bunt) down before, but when I didn’t get the bunt down and had two strikes on me, I just realized I had to get a hit or at least make contact and move the runner,” said Weisel, who had a bunt single in the sixth. “I knew I had to move the runner.”
Sophomore Sarah Derstine followed with a single to left, and just like that, the scored was deadlocked 2-2.
“We knew what she had,” Derstine said of Butts. “We knew she had a drop and a really good change, so we were definitely looking out for that.
“When we got in the box, it was just about being patient, and in the end, we seemed to catch on. We weren’t really talking a lot today, and that’s been a big problem with us. Once one (good) thing happened, it pumped us up.”
A walk to Burrell brought Brittany Beebe to the plate with the bases loaded and none out. The senior first baseman’s sharp grounder to the drawn-in second baseman was bobbled just briefly, and Weisel was ruled safe at the plate with the game winner.
“We said to them - even on a bad day, you don’t give up,” Souderton coach Courtney Hughes said. “There were a lot of ways we could have put our heads down.
“I don’t know –we probably had five errors in this game, and we could put our heads down after any one of those and after any one of the scores that we gave them, and thankfully, they didn’t. They kept battling back.”
The Indians – after collecting four hits through the first eight innings – had five in the final two. The layoff, according to Parkins, may have had something to do with that.
“Sarah and I were talking in practice yesterday how we hated not playing in a week, especially after those two weeks when we had four games a week,” the senior hurler said. “Now that we’ve had a game, hopefully we’ll do really well from here on out.”
The Indians will host Spring-Ford in Friday’s quarterfinal round. The Rams upset third-seeded Bishop Shanahan 4-2 on Wednesday.
“This is really big, especially after not making the playoffs since my freshman year,” Parkins said. “It’s not like we make the playoffs every year. We were saying on Friday – we have to cherish it and try to go as far as we can.”
#10 Downingtown West 3, #7 Central Bucks South 2
Eight runners left on base – most in scoring position. Twelve harmless pop-outs, including three to the catcher for the third out of the inning.
Those numbers certainly don’t tell the whole story of the Titans’ loss, but they do paint of a picture of the team’s offensive futility.
“You can’t win when you leave eight players on base,” coach Jennifer Robinson said. “That was our downfall today.”
The Titans had a runner on third in the first inning, they had runners on second and third in the second, they had a runner on second in third, they had runners on first and third in the sixth, and in the seventh, when the Titans plated both of their runs, they had the tying run in scoring position.
The Titans did not have a runner on base in only one inning – the fifth.
“I could basically summarize our game – put runners on, advance on a wild pitch or fielder’s choice, and we would pop up to end the inning,” Robinson said. “That was the entire progression.”
All told, the Titans managed five hits, only one of them timely as Lauren Klepchick – who had a pair of doubles – accounted for her team’s only runs when she delivered a two-run double in the seventh.
Going into the seventh, the Titans were staring at a 3-0 deficit. Kim Rowe was hit by a pitch to open the inning, and one out later, Carley Dudek delivered a single. After a fly ball to shallow right for the inning’s second out, Klepchick came through with a two-run double. The game ended on – you guessed it – a harmless popup to short.
The Whippets managed just three hits off senior Fran Carrullo, but they made those hits count. They scored a single run in the first when – after a pair of strikeouts and a two-out single - clean-up Sydney Robey hit a ball well off the plate for an RBI double.
“We tried to pitch around her,” Robinson said. “She’s just a good hitter.”
The Whippets didn’t manage another hit until the sixth when they scored two more runs, capitalizing on a pair of two-out walks and a single. Both runs scored when – while attempting the tag at home – the ball was knocked out of the catcher’s glove, and the Whippets led 3-0. The Titans never could get over the hump.
Just like that, a season of great promise had come to an end for a Titan squad that returned the nucleus of last year’s district championship squad that advanced to the state title game. This year, the Titans – who lost four regular season games – never found the magic that seemed to surround them last season.
“It was tough,” Robinson said. “We met after the regular season. I think something had to be said – we almost had to let the burden of the losses go.
“It’s not like our team to go through the losses we had this season, and we didn’t know how to handle the losses. The girls didn’t know how to react.”
For those who think the Titans weren’t a marked team this year – consider only the fact that four of the five teams that defeated South during the regular season lost their very next game. The North Penn Maidens downed the Titans and then fell to Quakertown in their next game. Hatboro fell to Souderton after one of its wins over South. Pennsbury downed the Titans but lost to Council Rock North in its next game, and Souderton saw its 11-game winnings streak come to an end at the hands of Central Bucks East in the Indians’ first game after defeating South.
“I told my team – you have to realize to those teams beating us was like their World Series,” Robinson said. “It was tough because everyone wanted us so bad.
“I think girls who are good players felt more pressure, and we didn’t know how to respond to it all the time. I didn’t know how to respond to it. When we lost, it wasn’t like we were losing 10-0. They were close games, and we were playing good teams. People were so up to play us, and we haven’t had to deal with that kind of pressure.”
The Titans closed out the year with a 13-6 record.
“I didn’t think it was going to end today, but our team had a rougher time this year trying to get past the hurdles,” Robinson said. “It’s tough.
“After the game, you don’t have great words. Fran has been a four-year starter and has done such a good job. I just told them, ‘You guys are great players.’ I didn’t want anyone to leave there hanging their heads. We have a lot to be proud of. Although this is not the way we thought our season should have ended, I wanted it to be on a high note in terms of the effort we put out even when we faced tough competition.”
#8 North Penn 10, #24 Interboro 0 (5 innings)
Sophomore Michelle Holweger delivered a two-run home run in the second inning and finished the day a perfect 2-for-2 with two walks, four RBIs and two runs scored. It was her two-run blast in the second that spotted the Maidens a 4-0 lead and sent them well on their way to the big win in a game that was halted in the fifth when the mercy rule went into effect.
Stephanie Kulp was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored as the Maidens’ offense, sometimes silent in the second half of the year, came to life.
“Yesterday at practice we worked a lot on hitting, and I think we just all went up there really focused and disciplined at the plate while also being aggressive,” Kulp said. “It felt great.
“ We had to go out there giving 100 percent, knowing that this could be your last at-bat, your last play or even our game.”
Kellianna Bradstreet had the starting nod on the mound but struggled with her control, walking six in her first game action in well over a week.
Bradstreet was relieved by freshman Vicky Tumasz, who allowed three hits and fanned one in three scoreless innings of relief. Tumasz earned the win.
“We had a scrimmage, but it wasn’t the intensity of a playoff game,” coach Rick Torresani said. “After watching Interboro play Haverford, I felt that we had to go in with an attitude that – no matter what the layoff was – this was a softball team that was going to compete with us, no matter if they were the 24th seed or the ninth seed.
“The kids came out and competed from the very beginning. That was my one fear that they’d think – oh, it’s the 24 seed, it’s Interboro – we’ll be able to beat them, no matter what. I’ve had other teams do that, but these kids did not do that.”
The Maidens will travel to Pennsbury on Friday to face the top-seeded Falcons.
“I’m really excited,” Kulp said. “I think we can compete with everyone out there, and I think it’s really going to show what North Penn is all about playing the number one seed.”
A key, according to Kulp, will be the team’s mindset going into the game.
“I think it helps when our team is really upbeat and has a lot of energy,” the senior centerfielder said. “I think it keeps everyone going the whole game, and we definitely need to be hitting on Friday.”
District One Class AAA
#10 Pope John Paul II 6 #7 Upper Merion 0
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