North Penn will be playing for the District One AAAA title on Thursday while Hatboro-Horsham will be fighting for the final berth in the state tournament. Pennsbury and Central Bucks South will battle it out for third place.
Jess Mower admits she might have found the idea of playing for a district title a bit far-fetched when the season started.
“I probably wouldn’t have believed it, especially since we lost the first couple of games,” North Penn’s senior captain said. “But if you asked me again in the middle of the season, I probably would have believed you then.”
The 10th-seeded Maidens will take on fifth-seeded Bishop Shanahan in Thursday’s District One AAAA title game at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (4 p.m.).
“I don’t really think it’s fully kicked in yet,” Mower said. “But it’s just so exciting to be still playing. Coach even said today that this is the first time in a long time that we’ve practiced on this date. It’s just awesome being here right now.”
Mower is the only senior in the Maidens’ starting lineup, and she is the undisputed leader of a young North Penn squad. According to the senior captain, the Maidens’ success this season has been a team effort.
“As the season went on, we just started connecting more as a team,” she said. “We’re so good as a team. If you put one person out there, they probably wouldn’t do as good, but we work so well as a team. We try and pick each other up all the time, and it’s just worked out really great.”
Coach Rick Torresani credits Mower for her role in bringing the young Maidens together.
“She’s become so close with the three ninth graders that are playing for us,” the Maidens coach said. “She has done so well with them from the beginning of the year. They come from another school, so they have to travel over to practice.
“She’s just made sure all the ninth graders have fit in well, and she’s continuing to do that, especially with Jackie (Bilotti). She’s just been unbelievable with Jackie.”
Bilotti has been the surprise of the season. The freshman hurler - thrust into a starting varsity role when Vicky Tumasz was sidelined with an injury - has been one cool customer on the mound, displaying the composure of a seasoned veteran.
Mower has played a major role in the emergence of the team’s younger players.
“I just try and keep them relaxed,” she said. “If Jackie starts throwing a lot of balls, if she gets a 3-0 count, I’ll just give her hand motions, tell her to relax, tell her to calm down. That’s how everyone else on the team is. We just all try and relax when we’re out there.”
While one top seed after another has fallen by the wayside, the Maidens – playing without the burden of lofty expectations – just kept rolling along.
“We’re just having fun,” Mower said. “I haven’t really seen anybody get that nervous in games. We don’t really tense out about it. We’re all really relaxed going into games. It’s great.”
Heading into Tuesday’s semifinal, Pennsbury was the lone team of the top four seeds to still be playing, but the Falcons fell victim to Shanahan pitcher Kate Poppe, managing just one infield single in a 4-0 loss.
The Maidens will have the daunting task of trying to generate offense against a pitcher that has struck out 42 in three district playoff wins combined. Poppe, heading to Villanova University on a full softball scholarship, has allowed just one run in districts, and that came in the seventh inning of a 5-1 opening round win over Perkiomen Valley. Poppe has given up just one hit in shutout wins over Hatboro-Horsham (1-0) and Pennsbury (5-0).
“We just want to put the ball in play,” Mower said. “We know the girl is really fast, so we just started focusing on putting the ball in play and hopefully getting on base. It will all work out.”
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Advancing to the district title game might start feeling like old hat to several members of North Penn’s softball squad. After all, junior Tehya Daneker, sophomores Erin Maher and Vicky Tumasz as well as freshman Jackie Bilotti all were part of a girls’ basketball program that advanced to the district title game.
“It’s a whole lot of fun,” Maher said. “It’s a great experience because we got to do it with basketball too.
“I think the fact that we have been in districts for softball and basketball speaks a lot about North Penn athletics, the coaches, the teams and the girls. It almost feels like déjà vu, but this time hopefully we won’t come out of it with a loss.”
“Going to the district title game back-to-back – it just feels awesome,” added Tumasz. “At first, I really didn’t know what to expect this season because we were a young team, and I didn’t know what would happen.
“Each game we’ve gotten better and gotten closer as a team, and we’ve learned to work together. We’ve just proved everyone wrong.”
The Maidens recuperated from an 0-2 start out of the gate to play their best ball as the season progressed. Torresani pointed to the Maidens’ 10-9 win over Souderton in a game they trailed 9-0 as a turning point.
“That game showed this team what it could do,” the veteran coach said. “No one gave us a shot from the beginning of the year.
“This team has just molded itself and found its personality. We as coaches found who we felt deserved to play and what position to be in the batting order, and they have strung it together. They have been real close. I keep telling the kids before games, ‘Talent doesn’t win games. Heart does.’ These kids have just developed that heart to want to win and never give up.”
“Coach always says that you need to play from the heart,” Tumasz said. “We have three main goals each game, and that’s timely hitting, solid defense and good pitching. The past couple of games that’s what we’ve been doing.”
The Maidens will need all three phases of their game working in Thursday’s title game when they take on Bishop Shanahan. If the past two weeks are any indication, they will be ready.
“We have been pumped for these past few games,” Maher said. “Every time we pass each other in the hallway we high five. We’re yelling, ‘Are you ready?’ We are super pumped.”
#5 BISHOP SHANAHAN vs #10 NORTH PENN at Plymouth Whitemarsh (4 p.m.)
North Penn
- 16-7 overall, 9-5 SOL
- Finished third to Central Bucks South and Hatboro-Horsham in Continental Conference
- Won 9 of 12 games to close out regular season and eight of last nine games
- Defeated 23rd-seeded Ridley 5-0 in opening round district game and downed #7 Downingtown West 4-2 in the second round. In the Maidens’ win over Downingtown West, senior Jess Mower was a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles, and freshman Jackie Bilotti earned the win on the mound.
- Eked out a 1-0 win over conference rival Central Bucks East in Friday’s quarterfinal. Bilotti tossed a shutout, and another freshman – Becky Christoffers - delivered a sacrifice fly to plate the game winner in the seventh.
- The Maidens jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning and never lost their lead en route to a 4-3 win over sixth-seeded Central Bucks South. Freshman Jackie Bilotti earned the win on the mound. Vicky Tumasz and Jess Mower led the offense with two hits each.
- North Penn has earned its first state playoff appearance since 1985.
Players to watch: Jess Mower (Sr., catcher), Michelle Holweger (Jr., second baseman), Alexa Gable (Jr., leftfielder), Erin Maher (Soph., centerfielder), Jackie Bilotti (Fr., pitcher)
Bishop Shanahan
- 10-3 overall
- Opened season with 10 straight wins
- Won 17 of 18 before dropping a pair of games to close out the regular season
- Defeated #12 Perkiomen Valley 5-1 in second round in a game that featured a whole lot of pitcher Kate Poppe, who fanned 15 and helped her own cause with a two-run home run. Alyssa Lewis and Erica Slamm also hit home runs.
- Shanahan’s 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Hatboro-Horsham on Friday also was the Kate Poppe show. The Villanova-bound hurler struck out 17 and allowed just one hit.
- Poppe was once again the story in Shanahan’s 5-0 upset of top-seeded Pennsbury in Tuesday’s semifinal. The senior mound ace allowed just one hit while fanning 10. The Eagles plated three unearned runs in the second. That was more than enough for Poppe, who has been untouchable in the postseason.
#3 SPRING-FORD vs #4 HATBORO-HORSHAM at North Penn (4 p.m.)
(Playback game for fifth and final state playoff berth.)
Hatboro-Horsham
- 20-2 overall, 12-2 SOL
- Continental Conference co-champions with Central Bucks South
- Defending district and state champion
- Defeated #13 Upper Darby 3-0 in second round in a game that saw Maggie Shaffer toss a two-hit shutout and sophomore Daria Edwards deliver a two-run homerun.
- The Hatters managed just one hit as they fell to fifth-seeded Bishop Shanahan 1-0 in Friday’s quarterfinals. Eagles’ mound ace Kate Poppe fanned 17 and drove in the winning run.
- Won nine of 10 before falling to Shanahan on Friday.
- Regrouped to rout Methacton 13-0 in an abbreviated five-inning game in Tuesday’s playback. Val Sadowl (double, home run, three RBIs), Chrissy James and Nicole D’Andrea (2 RBIs) each collected two hits for the Hattters, who pounded out 14 hits. Maggie Shaffer tossed the abbreviated shutout.
Players to watch: Maggie Shaffer (Sr., pitcher), Val Sadowl (Sr., shortstop), Jackie DiPietro (Sr., centerfielder), Chrissy James (Sr., second baseman), Nicole D’Andrea (Sr., designated hitter), Heather Lutz (Jr., rightfielder), Nicole Casagrand (Jr., first baseman) Maria Spinosa (Jr., third baseman), Daria Edwards (Jr., catcher), Jenn Cader (Fr., leftfielder)
Spring-Ford
- 19-3 overall, 16-2 PAC-10
- PAC-10 regular season champion
- Lost to #12 Perkiomen Valley in PAC-10 Tournament
- Defeated #14 West Chester East in second round, sparked by the five-hit shutout of Haleigh Williams and Bri Kofer’s RBI single in the first inning. Williams also had a pair of hits in a game that saw the Rams twice leave the bases loaded.
- The Rams turned in an uncharacteristically shaky performance in Friday’s 8-0 quarterfinal loss to CB South, committing three errors and collecting just two hits.
- Rallied for two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to turn a 3-0 deficit to a 4-3 win over Central Bucks East in Tuesday’s playback game. Bri Kofer was 3-for-3 with a two-run single in the sixth. Haleigh Williams worked three innings in relief to earn the win.
- Lost three of last six games
#1 PENNSBURY vs. #6 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH at Wissahickon (4 p.m.)
(District One AAAA third place game)
Pennsbury
- 21-2 overall, 13-1 SOL
- National Conference co-champions with Neshaminy
- Defending district and state runner-up
- Only losses came at hands of Immaculate Heart Academy (April 14) and Neshaminy (May 16)
- Defeated Pennridge 1-0 in second round in a contest that saw Val Buehler toss a three-hit shutout and freshman Dani Litwin deliver the game-winning hit.
- Needed eight innings to defeat ninth-seeded Methacton 2-1 in Friday’s quarterfinal. Suzanne Swanicke, just back after a bout with bronchitis, delivered a two-out double in the eighth and then scored the winning run when Michelle George delivered a clutch single.
- Managed just one hit – an infield single by Suzanne Swanicke with two outs in the seventh – in Tuesday’s 4-0 semifinal loss to Bishop Shanahan.
Players to watch: Val Buehler (Jr., pitcher), Mackenzie Obert (Jr., shortstop), Jess Greenwald (Jr., second baseman), Christina Bascara (Jr., third baseman), Suzanne Swanicke (Jr., first baseman), Michelle George (Jr., centerfielder), Farryl Groder (Soph., rightfielder)
Central Bucks South
- 21-2 overall, 12-2 SOL
- Continental Conference co-champions with Hatboro-Horsham
- Swept season series with 10th-seeded North Penn, eking out a pair of 3-1 wins in tightly-contested games
- Defeated #11Wissahickon 4-0 in last Wednesday’s second round. The Titans were led by the four-hit, nine-strikeout effort of Haileigh Stocks and the two-hit, two-RBI performance of Hallie Bilker.
- The Titans pounded out nine hits and benefitted from three errors (resulting in three unearned runs) to earn an 8-0 win over third-seeded Spring-Ford in the quarterfinals. Lauren Klepchick led the Titans with a 3-for-4 day while Hallie Bilker drove in three runs with a bases-clearing triple. Haileigh Stocks allowed just two hits in the shutout.
- Titans never led in their 4-3 loss to North Penn in Tuesday’s district semifinal. Morgan Decker led the Titans with a pair of hits.
Players to watch: Haileigh Stocks (Sr., pitcher), Morgan Decker (Sr., third baseman), Lauren Klepchick (Sr., catcher), Hallie Bilker (Jr., rightfielder)
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