Three SOL teams were winners in District One AAAA play, and Upper Moreland won in Class AAA. To view photos of the Upper Moreland/Gwynedd Mercy game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Class AAA
#9 UPPER MORELAND 7, #8 GWYNEDD MERCY 6
What a difference a week makes. And several key players.
Last Thursday, the Golden Bears – minus pitcher Amber O’Connor and first baseman Jenn Freeman (Physics trip) – fell to Gwynedd Mercy 9-1 in a regular season finale that basically determined which team would receive the home field advantage in Wednesday’s district opener.
The Monarchs had the home field on Wednesday, but the Golden Bears had their full roster, and that made all the difference in the world. O’Connor earned the complete game win, and Freeman delivered a two-out hit that proved to be the difference in the game.
“I loved the mental approach of the team,” coach Scott Ludlow said. “We just had a completely different mental approach today.
“Last week we came off the 21-20 game against Upper Merion the day before. Having Freeman, having Amber changes our team. It was a tremendous effort all the way around.”
The Golden Bears got on the scoreboard in the top of the first when Allie Miller – who collected a two-out single and then stole second – scored when Freeman was safe on an errant throw. The Monarchs got that run back in the bottom of the inning and added a pair in the third to go on top 3-1.
But not for long.
In the top of the fourth, O’Connor lined a single to center that got by the outfielder for a two-base error. Chloe Tice walked and immediately stole second. The bases were loaded after the Monarchs did not make a play on Brianna Byard’s bunt.
The Monarchs elected to throw home on Nicole Drummond’s grounder to short, but the throw sailed over the catcher’s glove, allowing a pair of runs to cross the plate and knot the score.
One inning later, Miller led off with her second hit of the day, and Freeman was safe on an error. Alison Creighton followed with a big hit to plate Miller, and a second run raced home on an errant throw to the infield, giving the Bears a 5-3 lead.
“We definitely prepared ourselves offensively for the way she pitches on the outside,” Creighton said of Gwynedd pitcher Anna Gillespie. “We warmed up in a batting cage and knew what she was going to throw, and we got her speed down, which was really important.
“After the first or second at bat, we already knew what was coming.”
In the sixth, the Golden Bears upped their lead to 7-3. Drummond opened the inning with a single, and with two outs, the Bears had a pair of runners in scoring position for Freeman, who delivered a clutch two-out single to right.
The Monarchs benefitted from a pair of Bear miscues as well as two walks and a single to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth. With a runner on second, O’Connor snared a line drive off the bat of Alyssa Myers for the inning’s final out.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Monarchs had runners on second and third with two outs, but O’Connor coaxed a ground ball back to the circle out of the next batter she faced and flipped the ball to first for the game’s final out.
“I can’t stress what a different team we are with Amber on the mound with her composure out there – the line drive she caught in the sixth inning to end it and the ground ball she got in the seventh to finish it,” Ludlow said.
The win was the program’s first in the postseason for close to a decade.
“It was a really good team win,” Creighton said. “We had good defensive plays and really good offensive plays.
“All around, it was a really good win.”
“It means a lot,” Freeman added. “It was a total team effort. Everyone contributed, everyone hit, everyone made defensive plays.
“Coming into this game, I knew we had a shot. I’m not ready to end being a Golden Bear.”
Upper Moreland (11-8, 9-5 SOL) will face top-seeded Chichester on Friday.
Upper Moreland 100 222 0 7
Gwynedd Mercy 102 003 0 6
Class AAAA
#1 NESHAMINY 8, #16 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 0
Freshman Amber Brugger picked up her first district playoff win in style, scattering four hits and walking one while striking out three in a complete game shutout win.
“That’s all you have to do – throw strikes and hit your spots,” coach Dave Chichilitti said.
The Redskins set the tone for this one early, plating three runs in the bottom of the second and never looking back. Mackensie Compton delivered the big blow with a two-out, bases-clearing double. Earlier in the frame, Sarah Snider-Leonhauser doubled, and the ‘Skins also benefitted from a walk and a Cougar error in the inning.
“That was very big,” Chichilitti said of taking an early lead. “I knew we were going to hit when I looked at their pitcher – she’s not throwing smoke, and she’s not too slow. She looks like the perfect speed.
“We had the bases loaded with two outs, and it was like, ‘We need a hit here. One hit here might win the game,’ and it was enough, especially with how we played defensively.”
The Redskins turned a pair of double plays – Sophie Beretski turned an unassisted DP on a grounder to short, tagging second and gunning down the runner at first.
“Hunter Hart made a diving catch on a line drive and threw a girl out at first,” Chichilitti said of his second baseman. “There were some really great defensive plays.
“Sophie and Hunter both had a ton of putouts.”
An RBI double by Corrine Garuffe in the third put the Redskins on top 3-0. They scored in every inning but the first on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
Garuffe was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Snider-Leonhauser also was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. All told, the Redskins pounded out five doubles with Beretski and Sam Offenback also contributing doubles.
Neshaminy (19-2, 13-1 SOL) will host ninth-seeded Owen J Roberts in a quarterfinal game on Friday.
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Neshaminy 031 211 x 8
#3 NORTH PENN 5, #14 WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 3
The visiting Golden Knights collected seven hits, the Maidens managed just one. Negating that advantage for Rustin was the fact that sophomore hurler Caela Abadie walked 10 batters and hit a pair.
“The kid’s a good pitcher,” coach Rick Torresani said. “She throws a riser, just like the kid from Avon Grove (Maggie Balint).
“We talked to them and said, ‘We’re not going to swing at anything unless it’s our pitch.’ We waited and waited until she would come down, but she just wouldn’t.”
The Golden Knights took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Maidens, benefitting from an error, three straight walks and a fielder’s choice got those two runs back in the bottom of the inning.
In the fourth inning, they took a lead they would not lose, capitalizing on four walks and their only hit of the game – a bunt single by Anna Gill – to scored three runs.
“If she was throwing strikes, I think we would have hit her because these kids can hit fast pitching, but they really stuck to what we were talking about – don’t swing at anything that’s not your pitch, and they didn’t do it,” Torresani said. “They just listened, and it was great. I was very proud because we could have swung at those pitches and popped up.
“Every single one of them – Nicole Yanni, who loves the fast pitching and loves to hit it – had three walks. She was very disciplined.”
Jackie Bilotti earned the win, allowing seven hits while striking two and walking three – two intentionally.
In Friday’s quarterfinal round, North Penn (19-2, 12-2 SOL) will host sixth-seeded Avon Grove in a rematch of last year’s title game. Avon Grove defeated 11th-seeded Downingtown West 8-3.
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North Penn 200 300 x 5
#5 SOUDERTON 6, #12 ABINGTON 4
The Indians advanced to the district quarterfinals with a hard fought win over the visiting Ghosts. The win came on the heels of back-to-back losses to close out the regular season.
“This was definitely big,” coach Steph Rummel said. “What we focused on today was just playing together as a team, and they came out doing that.
“Everybody from one through nine definitely contributed to this win just through stats and fielding. I think it was a big win, especially the way we won it with it being a full team effort.”
Dayna Shelly got the ball rolling for the Indians offensively with a leadoff double in the second inning. She crossed the plate when Katie Kehler’s hard grounder was misplayed. A walk to Missy Wiley set the stage for a two-run single by Savannah Bostwick, and the Indians had an early 3-0 lead.
The Ghosts got on the scoreboard with a single run in the third and then added a pair in the fourth to knot the score. The Indians went on top 4-3 in the fifth, capitalizing on a Morgan Yoder single, a Ghost miscue and an RBI single by Kehler.
In the sixth, Alex Gaydos drew a walk, and Nicole Link followed with a double, putting runners on second and third. Gaydos scored on an error, and Link raced home on a passed ball to give the Indians a 6-3 advantage before the Ghosts plated a single run in the top of the seventh.
Freshman Alex Scheeler notched the win in the circle, allowing five hits while fanning four.
Toni Washington accounted for two of Abington’s hits and also scored a run. No one on Souderton’s side had more than one hit.
The Indians (15-4, 11-3 SOL) will host Great Valley in a district quarterfinal game Friday. The 20th-seeded Patriots rolled to an 11-1 rout of fourth-seeded Springfield-Delco.
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#2 PERKIOMEN VALLEY 8, #18 HATBORO-HORSHAM 6
The Hatters appeared to be in the driver’s seat. They led 4-1 in the second inning with runners on second and third, and only a base hit separated them from taking complete control.
That didn’t happen, and the Vikings rallied for the come-from-behind win.
The Hatters scored enough runs to win on most days, pounding out eight hits off PV ace Emily Oltman. Bryn Griffith led the hit parade with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate that included a home run and a triple. Kyleigh Dinnien added a pair of hits. Bria Cashman had a hit and two RBIs. Jen Cader (RBI), Jaynie Black (RBI) and Dee Moyer each added a hit.
Lexie Campbell absorbed the loss in the circle for the Hatters (13-7, 7-7 SOL).
Hatboro-Horsham 130 100 1 6
Perkiomen Valley 132 020 x 8
#7 WEST CHESTER EAST 3, #23 WILLIAM TENNENT 2
The Panthers may have been a surprise entry in the field of 23 teams in the District One AAAA Tournament, but they certainly proved they belonged. Only some costly miscues separated the Panthers from earning their second upset in as many games.
“We did some uncharacteristic things that we haven’t done in two-three weeks all in one day,” coach Biz Keeny said. “You say to yourself – how can you play so well for so many games and then not play as intelligently as we played.
“That’s the most frustrating part. We had base running errors, we had some fielding errors, and at the end of it all, we’re sitting in a 3-2 game.”
The Vikings plated an unearned run in the first, and the Panthers, benefitting from a Viking error, scored an unearned run of their own in the third. West Chester East got that run back in the bottom of the bottom of the third, but the Panthers rallied to tie it with a run in the fifth when Sara Keeny, who doubled, scored on a single by Marissa Govan. East scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to win it.
Govan and Keeny both had a pair of hits to lead the Panthers, who held a 7-4 advantage in hits.
“We had base runners on, but we just couldn’t get the clutch hit,” coach Keeny said. “They made some errors too. It just wasn’t a very cleanly played game when you think of a second round playoff game.
“I always tell the kids – when you get to the playoffs, it really comes down to keeping it simple and doing it well. There were some uncharacteristic things we did today.”
The Panthers closed out the season with a 9-12 record (5-9 SOL).
“I’m real pleased,” Keeny said. “Of course, it hurts now. It always does, but when you’re a couple days away from it and say – this is where we were and this is where we ended, from a coaching standpoint, you have to be proud of your kids to accomplish in a short amount of time a great distance.”
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West Chester East 101 001 x 3
#9 OWEN J ROBERTS 5, #8 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1
The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the third and added two more in the top of the sixth before the Titans got on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 3-1 game. That’s as close as they would get as the Wildcats added two more in the seventh for the 5-1 final.
Central Bucks South closed its season with a 15-6 record (10-4 SOL).
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