Council Rock North advanced to Wednesday’s second round of the District One AAAA Tournament, the lone SOL team advancing out of the three that played on Tuesday. Photo provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of JD Photography.
The District One Tournament has gotten off to strange start for SOL softball teams. Two of Monday’s opening round games were halted due to weather. One – the Methacton at Council Rock North game – was completed on Tuesday. The other – North Penn at Central Bucks South – was postponed yet another day until Wednesday due to a fire at North Penn High School. That game will be played on Wednesday while the remainder of the teams will see action in the second round.
Eighth-seeded Souderton will host ninth-seeded Springfield-Delco. Thirteenth-seeded Council Rock North will travel to fourth-seeded Perkiomen Valley. Seventh-seeded Central Bucks East will host 10th-seeded Downingtown West while third-seeded Neshaminy will host 19th-seeded West Chester East.
#13 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2, #20 METHACTON 0
Senior Amanda Camp and freshman Jenna Khantzian combined for a shutout, leading the Indians to the opening round win in a game that was played over two days. Play was halted with one out in the top of the fifth inning on Monday due to a thunderstorm.
“Amanda Camp did what Amanda Camp does and gave us three good innings,” coach John Engelhardt said. “I thought Jenna could be effective because a lot of the girls were late on Amanda’s fast ball, which isn’t as fast as Jenna’s, so we thought we’d be able to use Jenna’s rise and fast ball.
“Jenna came in and pitched beautifully. I was kind of discouraged the game had to be stopped (Monday) because she was rolling. She came back out and she pitched well in the fifth.”
Khantzian showed her mettle in the sixth when the Warriors loaded the bases with no outs.
“You put a freshman in a do-or-die spot, and she bared down and she hit her spots and got out of that inning,” Engelhardt said. “I couldn’t be more proud of her.
“The two pitchers do the job. Their relationship and the ability to go back and forth and that they support that type of philosophy is huge because it takes the pressure off my hitters.
“We’ve averaged 10 runs the last five games with the exception of today, and it takes the pressure off my hitters because they know our pitchers are going to keep us in the game, keep that run total down so we don’t really have to put up a big number.”
Kalli Segal put the Indians on the scoreboard in the second inning when – with two outs – she blasted a solo home run.
When play resumed Tuesday, the Indians – who managed just four hits – added a run in the bottom of the fifth. It could have been more had it not been for a standout defensive play by pitcher Megan Stauffer.
“Their pitcher made an unbelievable play,” Engelhardt said. “We had runners on second and third with no outs.
“We tried to squeeze on the first pitch and didn’t get it down. Taylor Briggs hit a hot shot and the pitcher just put her glove up and grabbed it. The girl on third base was too far off the bag and they doubled us up.”
With a runner on second and two outs, Sabrina Crane delivered a clutch double to left that plated an insurance run.
That run loomed large when the Warriors loaded the bases with none out in the sixth. Khantzian coaxed a fly ball to shallow left for the inning’s first out and then struck out the next two batters she faced.
“Jenna made huge, huge growth this game,” Engelhardt said. “She did a heck of a job.
“It was all around a good team win.
“Methacton is a very good team, and other than Neshaminy, this girl was the best pitcher we’ve seen. My girls’ approach the last two days was phenomenal, but she threw a heck of the game. We came out and competed. We didn’t make any mistakes.”
The Indians’ coach pointed to a defensive play in the first inning Monday as key.
“They had runners on first and second with one out, and their girl hit a single past the second baseman,” Engelhardt said. “Elena Calibeo is our right fielder, and they tried to run on her late. Elena threw it home, and we caught them in a rundown to get out of the inning without them scoring. That changes the complexion of the game.”
Council Rock North (16-4, 12-2 SOL) will travel to fourth-seeded Perkiomen Valley for a second round game Wednesday.
“We’re a confident group,” Engelhardt said. “We feel good where we’re at. These are special girls, and any day I can keep coaching these seniors is a good day.
“That’s really our motto – fight for today and then we get tomorrow. Hopefully, we can make a run because these seniors deserve it.”
Methacton 000 000 0 0
Council Rock North 010 010 x 2
#19 WEST CHESTER EAST 4, #14 HATBORO-HORSHAM 2
Joe DiFilippo was puzzled by his team’s slow start in Tuesday’s district opener.
“We weren’t ready today,” the Hatters’ coach said. “You know what happened today – and it was both teams – you come yesterday, you’re ready to play, it pours, you go home, and you’ve got to get all up again, and we just didn’t come out sharp.
“I give them credit. They beat us. Today they were the better team.”
While it hardly seemed like cause for concern when the Vikings put two on the board in the top of the first – benefitting from an error to plate the second run, that 2-0 lead loomed larger and larger with each passing inning.
It was not a good omen for the Hatters when they loaded the bases in the fourth – thanks to back-to-back one-out singles by Brynn Griffith and Dee Moyer and an error Kyleigh Dineen’s grounder to third – but came up empty. The inning ended when Kristen Fuertes notched a huge strikeout on a called third strike.
“We just didn’t have the energy that we needed, and they jumped on top of us,” Moyer said. “We didn’t get our energy up until the seventh inning.”
By that time, the Vikings – who used four hits to score two runs in the fifth – had a 4-0 lead.
Kaeli Simmons and Dineen opened the seventh with back-to-back singles, and both scored when Brittany Hubler roped a double into left center field. That would be as close as the Hatters would get.
“I know we had it in us to beat this team,” Moyer said. “I don’t now. Any other day – we could have come out and beat them. Just not today.
“It’s really hard. I’m going to miss all these girls, and it’s tough knowing we don’t have anymore games left.”
The Hatters graduate three seniors – Moyer, Simmons and Bridget Schaeffer, who was sidelined with an injury.
Simmons moved into the circle with no outs in the fifth after Taylor Sciubba was hit by a wicked line drive on the shin. She struck out the first two batters she faced and did not allow a run in three innings.
The Hatters started four freshmen on Tuesday – at catcher, second base, third base and right field.
“We were young, and we played young,” DiFilippo said. “The future – they can make it whatever they want. They’re talented enough.”
Hatboro-Horsham closed out its season with a 13-8 record (7-7 SOL).
West Chester East 200 020 0 4
Hatboro-Horsham 000 000 2 2
#10 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 3, #23 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
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