Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action in Monday’s opening round of the District One Tournament. CB East/Downingtown East photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Class 6A
#23 BENSALEM 3, #10 AVON GROVE 0
The Owls made history on Monday.
Not only had they pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round, they had notched the program’s first district playoff win in more than three decades.
“I could be wrong, but I do not think the Bensalem Owls have won a playoff game since 1988,” coach Dan Schram said. “More than anything else, I think about all the great players who have played for Bensalem over the years who never got this accolade.
“It’s always been difficult to put together a solid nine. We’ll have good players, but it’s been hard to find a total team. This is an absolute tribute to them. We’ve had teams that were good enough to go to the playoffs and had the record, but there was no formula for it. This is for everybody who’s played here before. This was a young team that is peaking a the right time, and it’s really special to watch.”
The Owls manufactured a run that turned out to be the game-winner in the top of the fourth when Lina Sponheimer, who walked to lead off the inning, scored on freshman Mackenzie Kramer’s perfectly executed suicide squeeze.
In the top of the seventh, the Owls tacked on a pair of insurance runs. Formichelli was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Destiny Howard singled. Kira Hutchinson’s groundout brought Formichelli home, and Jess Klein’s two-out single plated Howard, giving the Owls a 3-0 lead.
The Red Devils loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, but Formichelli escaped unscathed.
The Owls’ junior pitcher notched the complete game win, escaping bases-loaded jams in both the first and seventh innings.
“It was classic playoff softball,” Schram said. “Maggie starts the game, struggles a little bit, walks three batters but was able to get out of that jam.
“In the fourth inning, she turned a switch and was brilliant. The fourth and fifth were great frames for us.”
The Owls threw some leather at the Red Devils with a pair of outfielders delivering potentially game-saving catches.
“In the sixth inning, there were two well-hit balls to center field that our center fielder, Ava Knowles, just gobbled up,” Schram said. “She did a great job.
“In the seventh inning, there was a well-hit ball to left field that could have been a home run. It was driven, and Mackenzie Kramer just caught it on the run. It was one of the best catches I’ve ever seen.”
Only four players remain from the Bensalem squad that advanced to districts two years ago.
“This was really special – we had a big crowd come out, the parents followed us,” Schram said. “It was classic playoff softball.”
Both teams sat through a rain delay of close to 90 minutes before the game started.
“We wanted to play, we thought we could win, and we wanted to have that day tomorrow to rest and get back at it on Wednesday,” Schram said.
Bensalem (11-10, 6-10 SOL) will travel to seventh-seeded Haverford for Wednesday’s second round game.
Bensalem 000 100 2 3
Avon Grove 000 000 0 0
#11 NESHAMINY 11, #22 UNIONVILLE 1 (5 innings)
Kennedie Ruth allowed just one hit and one run, striking out 10 in a stellar outing in the abbreviated contest. While the junior pitcher was getting the job done in the circle, Kylee Jones stole the spotlight at the plate with a perfect 3-for-3 effort that was only a double shy of the cycle.
“It was just a complete team effort led by our five seniors,” coach Tim Quense said. “Kylee Jones had a spectacular game today.
“She was 3-for-3 with a single, triple and a long, majestic home run that went about 250 in the air. It was a bomb to right field. I was really happy for her. She really turned it on today at the plate.”
The Redskins jumped to an early lead, benefitting from some control issues to score eight runs in the first inning. Senior Kylie Siwek was hit by a pitch and Jones followed with a single. Sophomore Lindsey Gorka was also hit by a pitch, loading the bases for senior Danielle Monaco. Monaco battled in the box, resulting in a walk and the first RBI of the game. Senior Mia Barone followed with yet another walk, adding a run. Sophomore Maddie Nelson reached first safely on a fielder’s choice and was followed by junior Amanda Slabicki, who advanced to first on a dropped third strike, which allowed another run to cross the plate. Junior Carena Barr earned yet another bases-loaded walk. In Siwek’s second at-bat of the inning, she doubled to left field, plating two runs. Jones then tripled to right field, scoring Siwek and giving the ‘Skins an early 8-0 advantage.
In the fourth inning, Jones led off with a solo shot over the right field fence. Gorka followed with a single up the middle. Monaco then laid down a bunt but advanced all the way to third, scoring Gorka on an errant throw. Barone earned the final RBI of the game with a pop up to the right side.
The Redskins were led by Jones, who was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Siwek, Gorka and Monaco all contributed hits. Siwek, Monaco and Barone each had two RBIs while Slabicki and Barr each added one.
“It’s interesting because every day it’s somebody else who’s stepping up and leading the offense,” Quense said. “We started the season off – we had 7-10 days of tryouts and practice and then we were into the season.
“The players were trying to figure out who the coaches were and the coaches were trying to figure out who the players were. We’ve gained each other’s trust, and we’re in sync. I think we’re playing our strongest ball right now. They’ve jelled, they all get along, they all pull for each other. It’s fun coaching this group of kids.”
Neshaminy (15-5, 12-4 SOL) will travel to No. 6 Ridley for Wednesday’s second round contest.
Unionville 000 10 1
Neshaminy 800 3x 11
#14 WILLIAM TENNENT 7, #19 WISSAHICKON 6 (8 innings)
Mackenzie Clee was going home, one way or another.
The William Tennent senior co-captain had seen her team go from a three-run lead to a 5-4 deficit in one half-inning. The Panthers’ speedy leadoff batter led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. A sac bunt and heads-up running by Clee got her to third base, and when Meg Curtis put a ball in play up the first base side, Clee was off and running.
She beat the tag at home, tying the game to extend the game and set the stage for a dramatic finish.
“It was soft off the bat and on the right side, so I just decided ‘I’m going’ and ‘there’s no reason for me not to get home right now,'” Clee said. “We needed the run so I just booked it home.”
Sophomore Giselle McLaughin’s two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth erased another one-run deficit, sending the Panthers to their first district playoff win since 2015 and avenging a loss to the Trojans earlier this season.
It was also redemption of sorts for McLaughlin, who had started the day 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before stepping into the batter’s box with one out, a runner at third and trailing by a run. She needed one swing to make up for it, belting a pitch just over the fence in right field to bring home two runs and win the game.
“I had to elevate my hands higher because I was under every pitch,” McLaughlin said. “When I went up to bat there, I had my hands at my ear and that really helped.”
Wissahickon got off to a good start with senior pitcher Emma Clayborne driving in Luca Penna with an RBI double to take a 1-0 lead before Clee escaped the jam and stranded two runners.
The Panthers came right back, with Clee leading off with a walk and scoring on an RBI single by Curtis. Curtis was forced out on a fielder’s choice, but first baseman Lainey Scolese delivered an RBI double to score Gigi DeMito for a 2-1 edge.
DeMito, Tennent’s sophomore catcher who also calls pitches, would add onto the lead in the bottom of the fifth when she came through with a two-out, two-run double that made it 4-1.
“I think we showed that we have what other people think we don’t,” DeMito said. “Honestly, we’re kind of like underdogs and nobody expects us to win so we came out and did it today. We proved ourselves.”
Just three outs separated the Panthers from advancing when the seventh inning began, but the Trojans refused to go down quietly. Emmi Fox, who began the season as a JV infielder, led off with a double to kick-start a four-run Wissahickon inning that was aided by a handful of miscues in the field from the Panthers.
A pair of runs came in on a single by Penna. A single by Danielle Ciliberto allowed the tying run to score, and an infield error gave Penna the room to score to complete the comeback for a 5-4 lead. Clee, who pitched the entire game, limited any further damage, but it was now the Panthers staring at their final three outs.
“No one kept their heads down,” DeMito said. “Nobody stayed down the entire game, if they made a mistake, they just brushed it off.”
Clee’s hustle on the bases was the spark in the inning, but Tennent had no trouble getting energy from its dugout, which was lively and loud from the opening pitch.
“A lot times we’re asking for them to get up and cheer, but no one had to say it one time today,” Clee said. “It was great. Once we made the mistakes in the field, we knew we had to come back and hit but needed each other to do it.”
After the Trojans sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh, Fox got to lead off for the Trojans again to start extra innings and had the same outcome with a leadoff double. The outfielder went 3-for-4 on the day and scored the go-ahead run when Penna again delivered an RBI single later in the inning.
William Tennent was again down to its final three outs heading to the bottom half of the eighth. Designated player Katie LaPlaunt worked a leadoff walk and was lifted for flex runner Ella Mednick. Senior Sarah Cummins stepped in for what would be the strangest at-bat of the day.
Cummins flared a ball into right field that just missed the fielder’s glove before bouncing in. While the first base umpire ruled a hit, Cummins touched the bag but then turned back for the dugout while Mednick advanced to second and eventually third on the throw in.
Following a series of discussions, the umpiring crew eventually ruled Cummins out but Mednick stayed at third. All the while, McLaughlin stood on deck.
“I kept going through my head, I was really nervous,” McLaughlin said. “I was just standing there nervous the entire time. If she was out or safe, it didn’t matter, I needed to score the run on third because it was the most important run.”
With a single swing, she did just that and more.
“We’ve picked each other up in other games, but not as much or the way we did today,” McLaughlin said. “That was really important throughout the entire game.”
“Our girls never got down,” Tennent coach Rich Clark said. “After giving up the lead in the seventh, they came right back to tie the game, sending it into extra innings. In the eighth, we fell behind again. When we came up in the bottom half, we looked up at the scoreboard and they were like, ‘Hey it’s only one run – we can do this.’
“To see the look on Giselle’s face as she rounded the bases after hitting the walk-off two-run homer, that was just priceless. This was truly a game where everybody on the team contributed. And when that happens, great things happen. Right now they are on a nine-game winning streak and their confidence is thru the roof. They feel like the can play with anyone.”
The Panthers’ coach credited the Trojans.
“Wissahickon is a strong team – one through nine they are dangerous,” Clark said. “Earlier in the season, we lost to them pretty bad (13-2), but that was after a three-week hiatus due to Easter break and quarantine. We knew if we played the way we have been playing we could compete with them. Kenz performed her magic as usual on the mound constantly getting out of jams. Wissahickon put a lot of girls on base.”
William Tennent (14-4, 11-4 SOL) will face No. 3 Hatboro-Horsham in Wednesday’s second round. The Hatters handed the Panthers an 8-4 loss on May 4 in SOL crossover play.
Wissahickon closed out its season with an 11-10 record, 11-5 in SOL play.
Wissahickon 100 000 41 6-10-1
William Tennent 200 020 12 7-8-4
#16 SOUDERTON 2, #17 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1
In a game where hits were at a premium (the two teams combined for all of five hits), it was a freshman coming off the bench to deliver the game’s biggest.
Kendall Clemmer’s one-out single in the bottom of the seventh in a tie game put courtesy runner Olivia Plinke in scoring position. A miscue on Gail Hartman’s infield grounder allowed the Indians’ courtesy runner to race home from second with the game-winner, giving the Indians the hard fought win.
“She hit really well for JV this season,” Souderton coach Carol Atkinson said of Clemmer. “I brought her up to travel for districts.”
Perhaps no one was happier to see Clemmer deliver than junior pitcher Abby Burns, who drew a one-out walk in the seventh and was replaced by Plinke.
“That was amazing,” Burns said. “I have never been so grateful for that child. She is the best. I love having her on varsity with us. She’s so sweet, a great kid, and I can’t wait to keep playing with her the next several years.”
The Indians got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth without collecting a hit. Megan Kummery and Riley York drew back-to-back walks to lead off the inning. Both advanced on a wild pitch, and Kummery scored when Ryan Zimmerman lofted a sacrifice fly to left field.
The Colonials got that run back in the top of the fifth when Molly Moore reached first on a dropped third strike and scored when Emily Caffrey lined a double to right field. That 1-1 score stood until the bottom of the seventh.
“We said, ‘Just shake it off, move on, get the next play, we’ll be fine,’” Burns said of the miscue that cost the Indians a run.
The Indians were fine, thanks to Clemmer’s heroics and an unearned run in the seventh as well as Burns’ glittering performance in the circle. The junior pitcher allowed just three hits and one run (unearned) in seven strong innings, striking out 12 and walking none.
So does Burns enjoy nail biters like Monday’s win-or-go-home contest?
“Yes and no,” she said. “I really feel the stress sometimes because I feel like the pressure’s on me, but it’s good to know I have defense behind me I can trust. I know our bats will come around.”
No one delivered a bigger defensive play than Souderton center fielder Sierra Ripka, who came up with a spectacular diving catch of a sinking line drive that had base hit – and possibly extra bases – written all over it.
“That made my day – that was the best catch of the season so far,” Burns said. “That was really impressive, really exciting. I’ve seen her do crazy things in the past, so that wasn’t too out of the ordinary for her, but it was still an amazing play and really exciting.”
Monday’s game was a far cry from the early season non-league meeting between the two teams.
“The last time we played them we played them to a 7-3 game,” Atkinson said of Souderton’s regular season win. “The season starts new today. Everybody knows it’s win or go home, and everybody came with their ‘A’ game
“Their pitcher (Molly Moore) did a great job knowing where to pitch us. I give her a lot of credit. A couple of times we should have sat on the change-up, but we didn’t. It was great pitching all around by both teams.
“We played them earlier in the season, and they beat up on us a little bit,” PW coach Mike Perez said. “Our team has changed a lot since then. We’ve been focused all year on making adjustments.
“We did that since the last time we played them, for sure, and even after that first time through the lineup, you saw the girls making adjustments, and it paid off with Molly (Moore) and Emily (Caffrey) getting big hits to the outfield.
“It always comes down to one more hit, one more play, and in a game like this, it’s going to come down to who’s going to make that one big play or get that one big hit.”
Moore, who kept the Indians off stride all day, allowed just two hits and two runs (both unearned) while striking out five and walking five.
“We couldn’t really figure her out,” Burns said. “We definitely struggled with the change-up today. I think they caught onto that early, and they were definitely using that against us.”
“Molly is amazing,” Perez said. “She’s only a sophomore, and we’re really excited about the next few years with her. She’s come a long way this year and has really kept us in and won us a lot of games. I’m very excited about her.
“She pitched a wonderful game. That’s a really good lineup.”
Perez loses just three seniors from this year’s successful squad.
“This is my first year actually coaching them,” Perez said. “We’ve grown so much together in such a short period. They’re great leaders, they’re great people, and they’re good students.”
Souderton (14-7, 10-6 SOL) will travel to top-ranked Pennsbury for a second round game on Wednesday. The Falcons defeated the Indians 4-2 in nine innings in a regular season meeting.
“I’m excited,” Burns said. “A little nervous, but I want another shot at them, hopefully not another nine-inning game, but I want another shot. I think it should be a good game, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 010 0 1-3-1
Souderton 000 100 1 2-2-1
#13 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 12, #20 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 2 (5 innings)
Soleil Dooner did it all in Monday’s district opener. The senior pitcher not only notched the win, she also had four hits – including a pair of home
runs, four RBIs and two runs scored. In the circle, Dooner allowed three hits and two runs in the five-inning contest while striking out five and walking none.
Catcher Amelia Funston singled home a run in the first that turned out to be the game-winner. She also had a two-run double in the Patriots’ six-run second inning.
Shortstop Alex Frenia had three hits, one RBI and a run scored, right fielder Kayla Mitchell hit a solo home run, and first baseman Elise Waddington had a pair of RBIs – one on a single and another on a sacrifice fly.
Third baseman Ava Catron had two hits and scored two runs, and leadoff batter Elizabeth Gray had three hits and scored four runs. Left fielder Mackenzie Wilson had a double and run scored, and second baseman Bailey Shellhorn led a solid Patriots’ defense that handled all 15 chances with no errors.
Central Bucks East (14-7, 10-6 SOL) will travel to No. 4 Spring-Ford for a second round game on Wednesday.
Downingtown East 010 10 2-3-2
Central Bucks East 162 21 12-15-0
#15 OWEN J ROBERTS 5, #18 HARRY S TRUMAN 1
The Tigers fell behind early, giving up a pair of unearned runs in the first and single runs in the third and fourth. They never could make up the ground they lost.
Truman plated its only run of the game in the top of the sixth when Mara McKeon, who singled to lead off the inning, scored on Emily Kerrigan’s single to center. The Wildcats got that run back in the bottom of the inning and all but sealed the Tigers’ fate.
Merrigan and Madison Kavulic both were 2-for-3 to lead the Tigers offensively.
Both teams had six hits, but the Wildcats turned those hits into five runs (only two earned). Jalecia Blackston absorbed the loss.
Harry S Truman closed out its season with an 11-10 record (7-9 SOL).
Harry S Truman 000 001 0 1-6-2
Owen J Roberts 201 101 x 5-6-1
Class AA
#8 KENNETT 2, #9 UPPER DUBLIN 0
Genevieve Ebaugh was untouchable in Monday’s district opener. The University of Maryland commit struck out 20 and did not allow a hit in an overpowering performance in the circle. Ebaugh walked just one batter. A pair of Kennett errors accounted for UD’s only other base runners.
Chloe Foster pitched well enough to win on most days, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out nine and walking a pair.
Upper Dublin closed out its season with a 9-11 record (7-9 SOL).
Upper Dublin 000 000 0 0-0-2
Kennett 010 100 x 2-3-2
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