North Penn fell to Avon Grove in Thursday’s district title game. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#2 AVON GROVE 4, #9 NORTH PENN 2
MALVERN - Losing didn’t seem like an option.
Not after the Maidens’ first six hitters all made contact against sophomore standout Maggie Balint in the first inning of Thursday’s district title game at Great Valley.
Not after the Maidens plated two runs off the gifted pitcher, who brought a miniscule 0.46 earned run average into Thursday’s game.
A 2-0 lead for a Maiden squad that had limited its last three opponents to just three runs combined seemed like more than enough against a Red Devil squad best known for its pitcher, not its hitting.
But the tone of the game changed in a hurry in the bottom of the first when the Red Devils – thanks to a two-run home run by Alyssa Herion – tied the score. The Maidens collected just two hits over the final six innings and were never really heard from again. Their dream of a district title went up in smoke when the Red Devils plated two runs in the sixth to capture the coveted district crown.
“I’m still in shock right now,” Herion said. “The fact that we battled to get here and the fact that we actually achieved it is just mind blowing. I wouldn’t want to be with any other team. It’s definitely a great feeling.”
It was no secret that Herion was Avon Grove’s most dangerous hitter, and the Maidens found out just how dangerous in the bottom of the first. After the first two batters were retired on strikeouts, Balint was hit by a pitch for the sixth time this season, and that brought Herion to the plate.
The Red Devils’ cleanup batter turned on an outside pitch and hit a laser shot over the left field fence, knotting the score 2-2.
“I honestly was thinking single - I was thinking ‘I need to get on base. That’s my job,’” the Red Devils’ cleanup batter said. “When I had the fullcount, I was thinking I’m going to walk, but this nice pitch came in my favorite location, and I pulled it. I definitely knew it was gone. It was a great feeling, especially in a district championship game.”
Herion’s blast negated an impressive first inning for the Maidens that began with Erin Maher looping a single to left that was bobbled momentarily, allowing the Maidens’ leadoff hitter to get to second. One out later, Maher scored when Jackie Bilotti singled to center. An error on Vicky Tumasz’s sharp grounder to the pitcher put runners on the corners, and the Maidens led 2-0 when Becky Christoffers lofted a sacrifice fly to right field.
“They got two runs in an inning, and we are not used to that,” Herion said. “When I hit the home run, I think it sparked us – hey, we can get just as many runs in an inning as they did. We are just as good.
“I think we were lacking in confidence, and I think that just boosted everyone’s confidence and definitely was a game changer.”
The Maidens had their share of base runners. Maher, who reached base three times, drew a leadoff walk in the third and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Balint returned the next three batters she faced – the first on a strikeout, the next on a popup and the third on a groundout.
In the fourth, Meghan Curley grounded a one-out single to left, and an error on Nicole Schussler’s bunt put runners on the corners with one out. Again, the Red Devils escaped unscathed.
In the fifth, Maher was safe on a one-out error, and Lauren Schwartz legged out a bunt single. A popup to the catcher and strikeout ended that threat. In the bottom of the inning, the Red Devils had their first an only scoring opportunity since the first, and they made the most of it.
Emma Daly legged out an infield single to open the inning and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt. Allie Volko’s double to the left field fence plated Daly, and an error opened the floodgates for another run to come home when Emilee Beck hit a bloop single to right.
A two-run lead was more than enough for Balint, who allowed just one base runner the rest of the way. That came in the seventh on an error to open the inning. Balint retired the next three batters she faced, recording her seventh strikeout for the game’s final out.
“The first inning we came out aggressive and we scored two runs early,” Tumasz said. “We knew we had to avoid their pitcher and catcher hitting-wise. There was miscommunication, and she (Herion) hit a bomb.
“I don’t think any of us were nervous. We heard a lot about her. We knew what she had. I think we faced better before. She’s incredible, but we just had to put the ball in play. If we play them again, we’ll be ready for them.”
Tumasz and Maher were playing to become the first North Penn athletes to capture district titles in two team sports in the same year, and Maher admits she thought it was a definite possibility when the Maidens took an early 2-0 lead.
“In the back of my head, I was thinking, - if we can just hold this, we can play a defensive game,” Maher said. “We saw that ball go over, and it was like, ‘This is not going to be a defensive game.’
“All of their (district) games – almost every single one of their runs was unearned. Coming in, we had played 11 straight games of fantastic, solid defense, and we thought that would be our strong point and that we could battle it out – put the ball in play. We came out here hitting, and we thought the game plan was switching. Unfortunately, we didn’t stick to the other half.”
“We had our chances, but we didn’t do the fundamental things correctly,” Torresani said. “We had the suicide squeeze set up, and we popped it up. We did it twice.
“I told them – we didn’t do the fundamental things. We had them beat and we should have beaten them. We just made some mistakes we shouldn’t have made and we haven’t been making. I just told them to refocus and come back ready for the third season.”
The Maidens (17-7, 10-4 SOL) will return to action on Monday when they will face District 12 champion Archbishop Ryan.
“I think this was a good lesson for us, in a sense,” Maher said. “It just shows we’re not perfect. We were pretty clean throughout districts, and we had all of our mistakes today, and that was unfortunate when a trophy was on the line.
“We’re definitely more determined.”
North Penn 200 000 0 2-4-1
Avon Grove 200 020 x 4-4-5
#3 SOUDERTON 9, #4 SPRING-FORD 5
The Indians pounded out 12 hits off a trio of pitchers on their way to a win in Thursday’s third place game at North Penn.
“There were a lot of singles stringing together to create RBIs,” coach Steph Rummel said. “We had really good at-bats today. They got it done with their bats.”
The Indians erased a 2-0 deficit with a four-run fourth. Angie Carty and Paige Shelly opened the inning with consecutive singles that were followed by back-to-back walks. The second – to Haley Delay – pushed a run across. Dayna Shelly’s sacrifice fly knotted the score, and RBI singles by Missy Wiley and Morgan Yoder put the Indians on top 4-2.
The Rams made it a 4-3 game with a single run in the fourth, but the Indians had an immediate answer. Erelle Sowers singled, and Amanda Brush drew a walk, setting the stage for a three-run blast by Dayna Shelly to put the Indians on top 7-3. That lead grew to 8-3 before the Rams scored a pair in the sixth.
“We actually had a pretty good game,” Rummel said. “There were a couple of communication problems, but they came together.
“This was definitely a confidence booster. I don’t feel we played badly against Avon Grove (in a 3-1 loss), and I don’t think there was anything to hang their heads about. We did come back and play the way we needed to play to win the game. They showed they had confidence by the way they played.”
Sowers, who earned the win, had a pair of hits, including a triple. Paige Shelly was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI, and Dayna Shelly was 2-for-2 with a walk, double and home run. Wiley was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The Indians (17-5, 11-3 SOL) will face the District 3 champion in an opening round state game on Monday. Their opponent will be determined on Friday night when Cumberland Valley will face Lower Dauphin in the title game.
Spring-Ford 101 102 0 5
Souderton 004 311 x 9
Class AAA
#1 SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 12, #4 UPPER MERION 4
When Tuesday’s game was halted because of weather in the fourth inning, the Vikings found themselves staring at an 8-3 deficit. Things didn’t improve a whole lot when play resumed Thursday as the Vikings saw their season come to an end.
Despite the outcome, coach John Whitney was thrilled with his team’s performance in a season that saw the Vikings capture a share of the SOL American Conference crown and also win their first playoff game in his tenure.
“Our two senior captains did a great job,” Whitney said of Gabby Sborlini and Maddalana Ghanayem. “We took another step with what we need to do as a young team and that’s win a playoff game, but we’ve got to get better from there.
“It was big beating Nazareth. Springfield-Delco just played very well. They hit very well. We helped them a little bit, but they had very good hitters, and they earned it. They’re a very good team.”
The Vikings (15-7, 13-1 SOL) had opportunities to get on the scoreboard.
“We had the bases loaded and we had second and third two times today,” Whitney said. “We just needed a hit.
“The kids didn’t quit. I was proud of the kids. They kept playing.”
Upper Merion will lose its two senior captains but returns seven starting sophomores.
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