Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Monday. Pennsbury/Tennent photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for a gallery: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f860927651m
District 1 Class 6A opening round
#11 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 12, #22 RIDLEY 11 (6 innings)
With none out and two on in the bottom of the sixth, Taylor Hooven lined a single to center field that plated a run and brought an end Monday’s District 1 6A opener.
Hooven’s hit was the sixth of the inning and 12th of the abbreviated mercy rule game for the Bucks, who owned this one from start to finish.
“The big plus was we had all three phases of the game going today,” West coach Mike Daher said. “We’ve been getting good pitching and defense, and now we got our bats going again, so that felt good.
“We had been struggling a little bit offensively. The last couple of games we played – Souderton we beat 1-0, and we hadn’t played in a week. We’ve been playing great defense across the board. We have not been making errors – we’ve been making the plays. Sienna (Lawson) has been pitching terrific, and finally today, our bats got going. That was the big plus. We really hit the ball well today.”
Sienna Lawson was in complete command, allowing just three hits – none until the fourth inning – and two late runs when the outcome had long since been decided. She struck out 11 and walked two, throwing 88 pitches – 60 for strikes.
“Sienna threw a terrific game again,” Daher said. “She was around the plate the whole time. She was on again today. She’s just been phenomenal for us all year long.
“She was hitting her targets, she was mixing her pitches, she kept the ball away from their good hitters – she did a good job doing that and just threw another terrific game. I can’t say enough about her. She’s just been a great pitcher all year long. She goes out and battles.
“She walked someone early in the game, and you can tell when she gives up a walk, she just bears down after that and often pitches her way out of stuff. She’s pitched her way out of a lot of jams this year and did it again today.”
After Lawson threw a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Bucks put a run on the board in the bottom of the inning when Ana Glemser, who lined a one-out triple to right, scored on Chloe Dryden’s sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the third, Ava Mattes was safe on an error to lead off the five-run inning, and she scored when Jill Boyle smashed her first of two triples on the day. Glemser’s single played Boyle, and Dryden and Laila Murray followed with back-to-back singles with Murray’s plating a run that gave the Bucks a 4-0 lead.
An error allowed another run to cross the plate, and Avery Rubenstein’s RBI single to right field gave the Bucks a 6-0 advantage. Boyle ripped a triple into the right center field gap to lead off the fourth inning, and she scored on Glemser’s single.
The Green Raiders broke up Lawson’s shutout bid with two runs in the fifth, and the Bucks brought an end to the game with a five-run sixth. Mattes and Boyle led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and Glemser followed with her third hit of the day – a run-scoring single. A walk to Dryden was followed by RBI singles from Murray, Gibson and Hooven – with Hooven’s bringing an early end to the game.
“Ana Glemser was 4-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs and had a great game,” Daher said. “Jill Boyle had been struggling a little bit lately, and she just broke out in a big way today. She had two triples – they were clean triples. She’s very fast, and when she hits a ball into a gap or hits a ball over an outfielder’s head, she can run a long way. She has great speed.
“Laila Murray had two hits and two RBIs. The top of our order really hit the ball well, but we got hits all through the order. We banged out 14 hits today, which was really good to see. It wasn’t just the Souderton game – we’ve gone two or three games where we struggled at the plate. I just felt like at some point we were going to come out of it, and we came out of it today really in a big way.”
Glemser was 2-for-3 with a triple, three RBIs and three runs scored, and Boyle was 3-for-4 with two triples, one RBI and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Murray was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Central Bucks West (14-5, 12-4 SOL) will travel to #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday.
“I think it will be a good game,” Daher said. “I think the two teams are fairly similar. They play good defense, and we play very good defense – that’s been our strength the second half of the season. Both teams get good pitching, and both teams can hit the ball. Hopefully, it will be a good game.
Ridley 000 020. 2-3-2
Central Bucks West 105 105. 12-14-0
#15 PENNSBURY 11, #17 WILLIAM TENNENT 1 (5 innings)
The Falcons’ bats once again came out smoking, pounding out 13 hits in five innings in the mercy rule win. With Monday’s 11-run offensive output, the Falcons have surpassed 200 runs scored for the season.
“It speaks for pitching across the board,” Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry said of his team’s offensive output. “There are select gems like old school pitchers out there, but it’s not like where every team had a solid, solid number one, but we do hit, there’s no doubt about it.”
For the Falcons, Liv Czerniak once again earned the win in the circle, allowing just four hits and one run (unearned) while striking out one and walking one.
“She has some spin on her ball, and she’s throwing a lot of ground balls, which is good,” McSherry said. “She doesn’t get many strikeouts, but our kids have played pretty decent defense. She has settled things down for us on the mound.”
The Falcons scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Ava Storlazzi led off the inning with a single and stole second. She moved up to third on a groundout. Anna Evanchik was hit by a pitch and immediately stole second on the back end of a double steal with Storlazzi racing home. Jaylynn Rodweller’s RBI single put the Falcons on top 2-0.
A seven-run second inning began with Bella Morales singling to left field, and that was followed by singles by Storlazzi and Naya Schubel (RBI). After a fielder’s choice, Sammy Raub hit an RBI single. Rodweller lined a run-scoring single to right, and then it was Czerniak lining a single to right that plated a run. Jenna Thompson’s single brought another run in for the Falcons, and an error also played a role in the seven-run inning.
Storlazzi was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, an RBI and a run scored. Schubel had another productive day at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, home run, RBI and run scored. Her solo home run to left field to lead off the fifth brought an early end to the contest.
“She is on fire,” McSherry said of Schubel.
Rodweller was 2-for-2 with two RBIs, and Thompson was 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Thompson had a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Czerniak also was 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
Pennsbury (14-6, 11-5 SOL) will travel to #2 Council Rock South for a second round contest Wednesday. The two teams met twice during the regular season. Rock South won the initial meeting 3-0, and Pennsbury got revenge with a decisive win in the second.
William Tennent 001 00. 1-4-4
Pennsbury 270 11. 11-13-3
#20 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 4, #13 NESHAMINY 2 (8 innings)
It looked like runs were going to come easily when the Titans and Redskins both scored two runs in the first inning, but that 2-2 score stood until the top of the eighth.
That’s when the Titans rallied for a pair of runs to eke out the upset win over the Redskins.
“I’m just super happy,” CB South coach Matt McLaughlin said. “Today was my first head coaching playoff win, so that was awesome, but it was so cool because – even in the moment, I only cared that the girls won for themselves.
“As a head coach, you don’t really care. You just want them to win for them. Just to see my two seniors, both of whom were in the game – and to know that the next pitch could be the last pitch they see ever because at the end of the game – one hit and we could lose this game. It went our way this time.”
The Redskins left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, coming up just short after mounting a two-out rally that began with a single from Zahmira Coppola-Miller. Alleigh Waskie was given an intentional walk, and when Morgan Leonhauser lined a single to left, the bases were loaded, but Riley Theis – who notched the complete game win – calmly retired the next batter she faced for the game’s final out.”
Theis allowed seven hits and two runs while striking out three and walking three in eight innings.
“I’ve known this girl since she was seven years old,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve watched her grow up. She doesn’t have the Bella Nunn strikeouts and stuff like that, but what she has – you talk about high pressure pitches. Unless it was down the middle, the umpire did not call a strike, but both pitchers had to deal with that. This girl kept her composure, pitched eight full innings and it’s a team win, but literally, this kid had ice in her veins. I’m so happy for her.”
The Titans managed just three hits off Neshaminy’s Molly Ambrosius.
“The crazy thing is – it’s the best we’ve hit the ball the entire season,” McLaughlin said. “I’m talking missiles –missiles straight at people. I kept saying to my assistant coaches – ‘None of these balls are finding holes. This is not a good sign.’ Kudos to their outfield, which was insanely good tonight.
“It was hands down the best we’ve played all year long defensively. Defensively, our girls were amazing, but offensively, it doesn’t show. Tonight, what made me happy was how well we hit the ball.”
The Titans got two of their hits when it mattered most in the top of the eighth. Camryn Lee led off with a double to center field, and Ella Wheeler followed with a single to left. With a pair on board Bendziowicz’s ground ball got through the infield for an error that allowed Lee to score the go-ahead run. Wheeler tagged up and scored when Maddie McClintock flew out to left field, and the Titans had a 4-2 lead despite the Redskins turning the fly out into a double play.
“The last time we played them, the game was paused 11-11, and I got our girl thrown out at home plate by the left fielder, so here we are in a tie game in the top of the eighth inning, and our best hitter is up and one of my fastest runners is on second base,” McLaughlin said. “Ella (Wheeler) smokes a single to left field, and here comes Cam around third base, and I’m halfway down the line, and I just throw the brakes up, and she dives back into third safe because the throw was so perfect.
“I learned my lesson. I’m not letting this girl throw me out again when we have no outs, have two people on base, and the winning run’s on third base, so I gave her the brakes.”
The Redskins loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but the Titans would not be denied, earning the huge win when third baseman Bendziowicz fielded a grounder and fired to first for the inning and game’s final out.
“I screamed out – ‘Who wants the ball? You’ve got to want the ball,’ and the ball’s hit in the 5-6 hole,” McLaughlin said. “I thought my shortstop was going to make the play, but Steph comes flying across, grabs it and throws it across and makes the play.”
Earlier, in their two-run first, the Titans capitalized on two walks and an error to load the bases for McClintock, who delivered a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the inning, Lily Mormello singled with one out and Coppola-Miller drew a two-out walk. Both runners scored on Waskie’s line drive double to left, knotting the score 2-2. That score stood until the eighth inning.
Waskie was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, the lone player for either side with multiple hits.
Central Bucks South (12-9, 9-7 SOL) will travel to #4 North Penn for a second round game Wednesday while Neshaminy closed out its season with a 13-8 record overall. The Redskins were 11-5 in the SOL.
Central Bucks South 200 000 02. 4-3-0
Neshaminy 200 000 00. 2-7-3
#16 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 9, #17 AVON GROVE 8
Things looked decidedly bleak for the Indians when Avon Grove put three runs on the board in the top of seventh to go on top 8-5, but the Indians refused to lose, staging a remarkable rally in the bottom of the inning and winning in walk-off fashion when Zoe Hardy lined a single to center that scored Chelsea Seiler for the fourth and biggest run of the inning.
“This was a really good game between two good teams,” Rock North coach Susan Yee said. “We knew going in that Avon Grove is not your typical 17 seed. They only have six losses on the year, and four of those came to undefeated Downingtown West and to Downingtown East, whose only loss is to Downingtown West. They have pitching, they have hitting, and they play the game with class, and should be commended on a great season.
“Our girls just came to the field today with a refuse to lose attitude. It really was a sight to see. There is nothing more you can say beyond ‘these girls have heart,’ and they believe in themselves. They believe in each other. They believe if they each just do a job, not put too much on themselves as individuals, every member will step up in their own time when we need it, and that’s exactly what they did today. Liv (Schlindwein) pitched her heart out on a very hot day, the girls worked hard behind her, and Lucy (Mills) came into the game in the clutch and just shut things down completely. Throughout the entire game. the girls were talking to each other and making offensive adjustments, and it really showed as our girls all hit each pitcher they faced better the second time through the order.”
Schlindwein and Kayla Ripper led off the top of the eighth with back-to-back singles, and Taylor Gearhart followed with a single that plated Schlindwein. But the next two batters were retired, and the Indians still trailed by a pair. Seiler delivered a huge two-out, two-run single, setting the stage for Hardy’s heroics”
“When things looked grim going into the bottom of the seventh down three runs, our girls could have packed it in, but as they came off the field, every girl was saying ‘we got this, guys, we score runs all the time, this is what we do, we’ve done it before and we will do it again,’” Yee said. “There was never any point they didn’t believe they would come out on top, and that’s a really special attribute that I think has a lot to do with the leadership of our awesome seniors – Taylor Gearhart, Molly Sheehy, Evie Passanante, and Shay Barbolish.
“That final inning really showed how much these girls play for each other and trust in one another to come through for them. They all just kept saying, ‘hit singles, keep it going,’ and in the clutch, we had player after player come up and put the ball in play and do a job. Nobody was more clutch today than Chelsea Seiler. With two outs, down by two and down to her final strike, she just focused in and laced a ball into the outfield for the most clutch hit of her career.
“Freshman Sophia Mills also ran with nerves of steal in her first playoff game to score the tying run. When fellow sophomore Zoe Hardy stepped to the plate, you could just feel in the air she wasn’t going to be denied, and Chelsea ran her tail off to cross the plate with the game winner. It was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever been a part of and was 100 percent a testament of what can be done when a group of girls all support each other, trust each other, and refuse to ever give up on their goals.”
Earlier in the game, Avon Grove took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. The Indians answered with four runs in the bottom of the third. Ripper’s two-run double highlighted the inning.
The Indians upped their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Zoe Hornstein delivered a two-out RBI single. Avon Grove pulled to within one in the top of the fifth and knotted the score in the sixth, setting the stage for the dramatic seventh.
Contributing multi-hit games for the Indians were Ripper (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs, R), Seiler (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, 2R) and Schlindwein (2-for-2, 2R).
Mills won the game with two-thirds of an inning in scoreless relief.
Council Rock North (13-8, 8-8 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Downingtown West for Wednesday’s second round contest.
Avon Grove 020 021 3. 8-12-3
Council Rock North 004 100 4. 9-11-2
#12 BOYERTOWN 5, #21 SOUDERTON 1
Ella Hurter and Kyra Neiswender combined for a no-hitter, leading the host Bears to the 5-1 win over the Indians. Hurter threw 6.2 innings with Neiswender collecting the game’s final out.
The Indians scored their only run in the top of the second when McKenna Schroding drew a leadoff walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Olivia Plinke. A pair of groundouts and a Boyertown error allowed Plinke to score the game’s first run.
Boyertown plated a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run by Lauren Homa to take a lead it would not lose. The Bears added two more runs in the fifth and another run in the sixth to earn the win.
Souderton closed out its season with a 10-10 record overall.
Souderton 010 000 0. 1-0-3
Boyertown 000 221 x. 5-5-4
District 1 5A opening round
#12 UPPER DUBLIN 7, #5 UPPER MORELAND 2
A month and two days after falling to Upper Moreland 7-5 in an SOL crossover game, the Flying Cardinals avenged that loss with a win in Monday’s opening round of the district tournament.
“Obviously, there’s a little advantage and a little comfort knowing what you’re going to face and what worked well the first time we played them and what didn’t,” UD coach Heather Boyer said of facing a familiar foe. “The down side to that is the more you see a team the more comfortable they get with you too. If you faced Kyla (Garrison) enough – we mix things up quite a bit and try not to be deliberate patterns, but you can only throw so many pitches.”
Garrison – a sophomore – came up big in Monday’s win, not only earning the complete game win but also reaching a personal milestone when she notched the 400th strikeout of her young career.
“It’s very impressive,” Boyer said. “She probably knew about it – I didn’t bring it up to her. I had our captains on it just so they could make a couple of posters for the after-game celebration, but no one was talking with her about it. She is not that kind of athlete.
“She doesn’t focus on the individual accolades, she just goes out there and does her job to the best of her ability every time she takes the mound. That’s why she’s here already. It’s her work ethic, it’s her focus. She’s just locked in and does what she does and tries to do it as best as possible.”
In seven innings, Garrison allowed three hits while striking out 11 and walking three.
UM scored a run in the first when Steph Jones, who drew a walk to lead off the game, advanced to second on a single by Kelly Bates and scored on a UM error.
UD took a lead it would not lose with four runs in the top of the third. Jollie Sheppard led off with a single to left field, and then Maddie Smith drew a one-out walk. A single by Kaitlyn Zacharia loaded the bases. Madden Reilly singled home a run, and Garrison followed and helped her own causes with a two-run double.
Upper Moreland scored an unearned run in the bottom of the third when Claire Walton reached base on an error and scored on a single by Erin Distel to make it a 4-2 game.
The Cardinals put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh. Reilly drew a leadoff walk, and that was followed by a Garrison single. A one-out bunt single by Kaitlyn Small loaded the bases yet again. Lizzie Tambourino’s two-run single was the big blow of the inning that later saw Small score on a passed ball to make it a 7-2 game.
Garrison – who struck out 11 and allowed just four hits – put an exclamation point on the big win with a 1-2-3 seventh.
“We did not bring our best game when we played Upper Moreland in the regular season, and the girls knew that,” Boyer said. “We had talked about it. We didn’t dwell on it, which I think was important. In fact, pregame someone said, ‘’Last time, we were here…’ I said, ‘No, no, no, there’s no such thing as the last time we were here at this point. It’s today, it’s right now, a new game, a new season. You can’t go back there and think about that now. It’s in the past. You can’t do anything about it. You need to focus on what we’re doing today.’
“That was the mentality – just coming back, earning the win to prove that, yes, we do deserve to be here since we’re the 12th seed, and taking advantage of the opportunity to advance in the postseason and be one of 12 teams who are playing today and take every opportunity to move forward one day at a time.”
Offensive highlights for UD included a 1-for-3 effort by Reilly with two RBIs. Garrison was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Kaitlyn Small was 3-for-4 with a run scored.
For the Golden Bears, Kelly Bates, Distel, Kaylee Brown and Delaney Stout all recorded hits.
Upper Dublin (10-11, 6-10 SOL) advances to face #4 West Chester East on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Upper Moreland closed out its season with a 14-6 record overall and 11-5 in the SOL with a share of the SOL Freedom Division crown.
Upper Dublin 004 000 3. 7-10-3
Upper Moreland 101 000 0. 2-4-1
#7 HATBORO-HORSHAM 5, #10 HARRITON 1
Alyssa Tooley turned in a one-hit gem to lead the Hatters to Monday’s opening round win. The senior ace struck out 15, which included the 400th of her career.
“Alyssa continues to do her job in the circle,” Hatters’ coach Jen Tooley said. “Today, we were able to celebrate her 400th career strikeout. She keeps us in games.”
Harriton took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first without collecting a hit. In the bottom of the inning, the Hatters evened the score. Maya Ravi drew a leadoff walk, and Cara Neeld legged out a bunt single. A walk to Tooley loaded the bases, but instead of opening the game with a big inning, the Hatters had to settle for one run when Ravi scored on an error.
In the bottom of the third. Adriana DeLeon was safe on a two-base error and scored when Kennedy Conn doubled to left field. Sydney Cassel singled, and Conn scored when Kiersten Rimer lofted a fly ball to left field.
The inning was far from over. Ryleigh White singled to center, Gianna Salerno was safe on an error, and a pair scored when Ravi singled for a 5-1 Hatter lead that held until the final out.
For the Hatters, Ravi was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, and White was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
“Today, Ryleigh White – our sophomore DP – and Maya Ravi led us offensively by finding the holes,” Tooley said. “Everyone was making good contact today.”
Hatboro -Horsham (13-7, 11-5 SOL) will travel to #2 West Chester Rustin on for a quarterfinal game Wednesday.
Harriton 100 000 0 1-1-3
Hatboro-Horsham 104 000 x. 5-8-1
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