Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Wednesday. North Penn/Methacton photos provided courtesy of Kadi Schenk. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f63743818 (Hatboro-Horsham photos provided courtesy of Diane Waeltz/HH softball)
District 1 6A second round
#1 NORTH PENN 11, #17 METHACTON 0 (5 innings)
Talk about efficient outings in the circle – this was it.
Julia Shearer threw just 45 pitches – 35 for strikes – and faced only 16 batters in Wednesday’s second round contest. She allowed just one hit in the shutout win and struck out five and walked one.
“We played good defense,” NP coach Rick Torresani said. “They tried to bunt on us early, and we just fielded the ball.
“And we hit the ball. They made a couple of mistakes, and we were able to score some runs. It was a good opening game for us. We didn’t play for a week, so it was exciting to get out there and play. The girls were excited.”
It took no time at all for the Knights to take control of Wednesday’s contest. In a first inning that featured three walks and an error, including a bases-loaded walk to Brie Wilmot, the Knights scored three runs. Gianno Cimino had a sacrifice fly to plate a run, and Casey Sokol had the inning’s only hit – a single that scored a run.
In the bottom of the second, Shearer hit a solo home to center field, and by the time the inning was over, the Indians led 8-0. Other highlights of the frame included a double by Wilmot, singles by Sokol, Bella Nunn (RBI) and Reyna Doherty (RBI).
Shearer led off the three-run third with a double, and Annabelle Smink had a sac fly. Wilmot and Sokol (RBI) also contributed singles in an inning that saw the Knights benefit from a Methacton miscue.
For the Knights, Sokol led the way with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate. Shearer was 2-for-2 with a double and home run, one RBI and two runs scored, Wilmot was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored, and Reyna Doherty was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI.
North Penn (21-0, 16-0 SOL) will host #8 Ridley on Friday at 4 p.m. in a quarterfinal contest.
Methacton 000 00 0-1-4
North Penn 353 0x 11-10-1
#18 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 6, #2 QUAKERTOWN 3
The Titans pulled off the upset of the tournament, rebounding from an early 3-0 hole to defeat a Panther squad that brought a perfect 20-0 record into the game.
“The heart these kids showed today is just amazing to me,” South coach Kevin Rosini said. “Once again, we got down 3-0. The resiliency to fight back – we got three runs the very next inning.
“I have a lot of respect for Dave (Scott) and Quakertown – 20-0 is 20-0, I don’t care in what sport. You’ve got 20-0 wins – that’s pretty good. We kept telling the kids the last two days – ‘Let’s go in and compete. If we compete, we give ourselves a chance,’ and we did. We competed.”
The Panthers – who’ve been stingy with runs allowed – appeared to be on their way to win number 21 when they scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Leah Schwalm was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and she scored when Grace Baker hit a one-out double. With two outs, Katie Muller doubled to left field, scoring Baker, and then Ava Beal singled. Muller scored on a passed ball, and the Panthers led 3-0.
The lead was short-lived.
In the top of the third, the Titans responded with three runs of their own. Camryn Lee drew a leadoff walk, and the bases were loaded after back-to-back bunt singles by Maura Fleming and Riley Theis. With one out, Steph Bendzlowicz ripped a triple to right field that cleared the bases and knotted the score 3-3.
In the top of the fourth, Addy Murray drew a leadoff walk, and then came a play that underscored Quakertown’s defensive struggles.
“One play sums up the whole game (for Quakertown),” Rosini said. “Addy Murray got a leadoff walk. Kate Muntz came up, and I kept giving her the sac bunt. She fouled the first two off and I gave it to her again.
“She put the bunt down – it was beautiful. She beat it out for a hit. The girl who fielded the throw at first base tried to throw back and pick off our courtesy runner at second base and threw it all the way to the fence, so both runners came around and scored. All of a sudden, it’s 5-3. There was no outfielder within 30 yards of the ball.
“We just kept putting the ball in play, putting the ball in play. We executed our game plan perfectly.”
Lee and Tracy were both 2-for-4 with a run scored. The Titans also threw some leather at the Panthers.
“Kate Muntz had a great catch in left field today,” Rosini said.
Maddy Borowski notched the complete game win, allowing eight hits and three runs while striking out 12 and walking one.
“I’m so proud of Maddy today – how well she pitched,” Rosini said. “She controlled the strike zone. She gave up a few hits, but that’s okay. She kept us out of a big inning. They had the one inning when they scored three, but even there, they could have scored more.
“To fight back and have shutdown innings after that, to get big hitters out – they have a good lineup. That’s a good team, and to hold them scoreless the last five innings, I can’t tell you how proud I am of her today. Just amazing, just a great job.”
For the Panthers, Ava Beal was 3-for-4. Baker, Muller and Emma Hilton each had a double.
There was no mistaking the significance of Wednesday’s win for the Titans.
“We made all the plays we needed to, we got big strikeouts when we needed to, we got timely hitting when we needed to, we ran the bases well,” Rosini said. They did everything we asked them to do.
“We ran our game plan to perfection. If we do that, we’re a good team. Gosh, here we are – we’re one of eight teams left. I’m so proud of the kids today. We went on the road against a very good team. A two seed in the district, 20-0. For us to fight back from down 3-0, I just can’t say enough about our kids and how hard they played. Just the resiliency and execution they put forth – I can’t even find the words. I’m just so proud of them.
“I’ve been at CB South seven years, and besides winning the district championship game, this might be the biggest win we’ve had in our program in seven years. I can’t think of a bigger one. For us to advance and to stay alive and to guarantee ourselves a chance to get into the state tournament – wow.”
The Titans’ coach expressed gratitude for his coaching staff.
“They helped get the game plan together and executed it,” Rosini said. “We had a good day at practice yesterday. All my coaches – the jayvee coaches who came up with us today. They’re all a part of this. They kept the girls energized. Gosh, what a great win for our program.
“We have to regroup tomorrow and get ready because Friday is another big one.”
Central Bucks South will travel to #10 Haverford for Friday’s quarterfinal contest. Haverford knocked off #7 Downingtown West 6-2.”
Quakertown closed out a memorable season with a 20-1 record overall and a 16-0 record on their way to a SOL Liberty Division title.
Central Bucks South 003 210 0 6-10-0
Quakertown 030 000 0 3-8-7
#13 PENNRIDGE 5, #4 BOYERTOWN 3
The Rams have saved their best for last, winning their fifth straight game and advancing to the district quarterfinals for the first time in a decade.
“I’m just so proud of this group of girls,” coach Wendy Iadonisi said. “They really just have progressed through the season, which is exactly what you’re supposed to do. They had some rough patches early on.
“We were just telling them – it’s part of the process, trust the process because we saw a lot of good things going on. Even though we weren’t getting all the wins we wanted, we just saw a lot of good things happening, seeds getting planted. It’s nice to see they’re playing consistently right now, and that’s all we wanted to do – keep that consistency and do what we could do.”
The Rams put an unearned run on the board in the first when – after Grace Helbling hit a two-out double – the Bears committed a costly error. The Bears loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning but came up empty.
In the top of the third, the Rams loaded the bases with none out. Olivia Crognale led off frame with a single to left, Helbling drew a walk, and Reagan Bauman singled to center. The Bears recorded a force out at home for the inning’s first out, and then Ashleigh Kenworthy delivered the big blow – a single that cleared the bases with Averi Dockery racing home from first with the third run on a Boyertown miscue on the play.
“Ashleigh had a nice hit up the middle that easily scored the two runs, but the centerfielder tried to charge a little bit to get the third runner – Averi was on first at the time, and she is really fast on the bases,” Iadonisi said. “I’m not sure any other runner on our team could have scored.
“The ball got past the centerfielder and allowed us to get three runs, and Ashleigh went into second. That was kind of the game-changer right there, capitalizing on the error on the centerfielder.”
A solo home run in the third inning by Boyertown’s Alexis Laboy made it a 4-1 game. Olivia Crognale’s RBI double in the sixth gave the Rams a 5-1 lead.
The Bears put their first two runners on board in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles, and with runners on second and third and none out, Iadonisi – whose team had a four-run cushion – elected to play her infield back. It paid dividends and resulted in back-to-back groundouts to the Rams’ middle infielders. A run scored on each but prevented further damage.
“Again, the seventh inning – it was like our seventh inning curse, getting runners on, but our defense stepped up and got the outs when we needed it,” Iadonisi said. “We had a nice enough lead, and we felt Grace had the strength in the circle to get the outs for us. We didn’t care about giving up the runs.”
Leading the Rams’ six-hit attack were Kenworthy (2-for-4, RBI) and Olivia Crognale (2-for-4, 2B, RBI).
“Ashleigh Kenworthy’s second hit came with two strikes – she’s really making great contact for us,” Iadonisi said. “Olivia Crognale had an RBI late in the game too. She was hitting the ball well.”
Helbling scattered five hits – three through the first six innings – and allowed three runs while striking out 15 and walking two.
“She pitched really well,” Iadonisi said. “Her ball was moving really, really well today.”
Pennridge (15-7, 10-6 SOL) will travel to #12 Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday for a district quarterfinal contest.
Pennridge 103 001 0 5-6-0
Boyertown 001 000 2 3-5-3
#12 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, #5 SPRING-FORD 3
Things didn’t look all that promising for the Colonials when they headed into the sixth inning on the short end of a 3-0 score. The idea that the defending state champions would allow that advantage to slip away on their home field didn’t seem all that likely, but that’s exactly what happened.
The Colonials turned four hits and a walk into four runs and a lead they would not lose on their way to the upset win. The players, it turns out, never lost faith.
“They were so loud the entire game, they were excited,” coach Mike Perez said. “We had a great practice yesterday, the bus ride up was great. Spirits were great, and we were hitting. We were making good contact, but it just wasn’t falling in. We knew if we just kept going – eventually it would start falling in. We only had one strikeout to that point, so we were making pretty good contact.
“Kalina (Childers) came up in the top of the sixth and got her first hit of the day after a couple of good at-bats. We just started feeling good and rolled from there. We were getting hits – we had seven runners left on in the first five innings. We were getting runners on – we just couldn’t get them around. We finally got over the hump.”
Childers grounded a single to left field to lead off the sixth, and Rian Reed followed with a line single to center. A walk to Madison Moran loaded the bases. Jenna Yablon’s single to center plated a pair, and Joslyn Perez followed with an RBI single to right field, knotting the score.
“Our eight- and nine-hole hitters again came through for us,” Perez said.
Yablon scored the go-ahead run when Marissa Perez lofted a sac fly to right field.
The Rams had a pair of one-out baserunners in the bottom of the sixth, but PW ace Molly Moore retired the next two batters she faced, and in a one-two-three seventh, Molly struck out the first two batters she faced, and the big win was in the books when the next batter lined out to center.
“Molly just kept going in the circle,” Perez said. “We have a lot of returning players from last year, so they have a nice little bond. A lot of them have been playing together since they were real young, and they do a really great job of picking each other up.”
Moore scattered seven hits in the complete game win, allowing three runs (two earned) while striking out 12 and walking one.
Reed led the Colonials’ 10-hit attack with a 3-for-3 effort and one run scored. Seven players had one hit each.
“We’ve been working really hard, practicing,” Perez said. “There were several bumps in the road towards the end of the year that were painful. We’ve always talked about – it’s only really a loss if you don’t learn from it. I’m happy they chose now to learn from it.
“The Upper Dublin loss (1-0 in 10 innings) was tough for us at the end of the season, and we had talked as a team how we have to use that as a positive, learn from that and know we don’t want to have that feeling anymore. While it hurt in the moment, I think it was a nice turning point for our girls and their confidence and their drive. This is a talented group – I tell them all the time – I’d bat 11 or 12 girls because that’s how deep we are. It’s tough sometimes to pick which nine to throw in a game. I trust them all 100 percent.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (16-6, 12-4 SOL) will host #13 Pennridge in Friday’s quarterfinal contest.
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Spring-Ford 002 100 0 3-7-0
#6 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 1, #11 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
Rachael Schumann silenced the Golden Hawks’ bats and did not allow a hit in Wednesday’s complete game shutout win, striking out 10 and walking two.
Despite the ending, there was a lot to like about the season.
“It was another good season and a step in the right direction,” Rock South coach Dan Schram said. “We will miss our seniors, and we will be back at it next year.”
The Golden Hawks bid farewell to Kaylie Walters and Ameerah Wheet.
Lexi Waring – who reached the 300 strikeout milestone in the bottom of the fifth – pitched well enough to win, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out nine and walking one.
Council Rock South closed out its season with a 15-7 record (10-4 SOL)
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Downingtown East 000 100 x 1-3-0
#8 RIDLEY 8, #9 PENNSBURY 4
The Green Raiders scored five runs in the bottom of the first and opened up a 7-0 lead before the Falcons got on the scoreboard with three runs in the top of the fifth inning.
In their five-run first inning, the Green Raiders benefitted from three walks with Riley Smith’s two-run home run the big blow. They added two runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth.
Pennsbury closed out its season with a 17-5 record. They were 13-3 in league play, capturing the SOL Patriot Division title.
District 1 5A second round
#1 UPPER DUBLIN 2, #9 UNIONVILLE 1
The Flying Cardinals edged a pesky Unionville squad in Wednesday’s second round contest, earning a spot in Friday’s district semifinal and punching their ticket to the state tournament.
“It’s just amazing, honestly,” senior Kaelin Penna said. “It’s what we’ve worked for the past four years, and it feels really good to have it all come together senior year.
“We have super good chemistry together – we’re like a family.”
The Cardinals also have a rookie pitcher who is fearless in the circle and admits she initially had no idea what the postseason was all about.
“I didn’t even know what we were doing,” freshman Kyla Garrison said. “I just show up and play.”
“She just does her thing,” senior Kaelin Penna said. “And she does it well.”
This is UD’s first trip to states in coach Heather Boyer’s 26-year tenure at the helm.
“I knew we were young coming in, but I knew we had kids that played competitive travel ball – they were doing what I need kids to do to build a program,” the UD coach said. “We have kids playing that competitive game for multiple summers, building confidence and getting reps.
“So I knew we had good potential, but I knew we were going to be young, so I tried to build a schedule to help build confidence early on – play competitive teams like Dock Academy who does well in their bracket, Gwynedd Mercy who always does well in their bracket – just to build confidence. I knew we would have to play the likes of PW, Hatboro and Quakertown. We got a couple of wins under our belt. Quakertown was humbling – we lost 6-0. Little by little, we started playing more competitive games, and all of a sudden, we beat PW in 10 innings. Now we believe we can beat bigger schools. We go to Hatboro, and we beat them 2-1. With each competitive game, we built a little more confidence.”
That confidence paid dividends in Wednesday’s contest that saw Unionville take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, but UD answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Madden Reilly led-off the inning with a single to center field and was replaced with courtesy runner Emeline Bell, who advanced to second on a groundout and then to third on an infield single by Kaitlyn Small. A walk to Anna Levin loaded the bases.
Unionville forced a groundout to the pitcher for the second out of the inning, preventing Bell from scoring, but Maddie Small hit into a fielder’s choice that was misplayed at second base, allowing Kaitlyn Small to score.
The Cardinals scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth when Penna led off the inning with a single to the outfield that was misplayed and reached the fence, allowing the senior to reach third. She scored on an overthrow that went out of play.
“I just kept running – I wasn’t expecting to get past second,” Penna said. “I saw my coach saying, ‘Keep going,’ and I was like, ‘I’m going to go,’ and I ran as fast as I could.”
Unionville threatened in the top of the sixth, benefitting from a pair of UD errors to put runners on second and third with none out. Garrison calmly retired the next two batters with strikeouts, and the third out was recorded as a result of an obstruction call on a pop fly to shortstop.
“Bella (Fiore), our third baseman, is always talking me through,” Garrison said. “She’s like, ‘Stay calm, just breathe.’ I just try and listen to her and stay calm because if we overreact or get all nervous, it’s going to go downhill. We just have to stay calm and expect the best.”
“We all have complete trust in her,” Penna said. “We know she’s going to get it done.”
In the top of the seventh, Unionville’s Madison Parisi led off with a double, but a line-drive out to Kaitlyn Zacharia, followed by a groundout to Garrison and finally a groundout to Penna at shortstop brought an end to the threat and the game.
Garrison earned the complete game win, allowing five hits and one run while striking out six and walking two.
“As a coach, it’s my responsibility to do my due diligence and do my homework, so I had a lot of information, and I knew how to pitch a lot of these kids,” Boyer said. “I tried to put our defense in a situation where they could get outs.
“To Unionville’s credit, they fought to the end, and they took advantage of some of our mistakes, but Kya is great under pressure. The kid is just so poised. I feel like I’m overusing that word, but she is poised. She is tiny but mighty – she’s fierce.”
At the plate, Kaitlyn Small was 3-for-3 with a run scored while Penna was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
“It’s been a fun experience,” Boyer said. “They’ve stayed humble and focused throughout. Spring is not just coaching against your opponent. It’s coaching against the likes of prom and graduation and community study programs and all the other distractions that can come with the spring season.
“We have eight seniors that have stayed very focused, very committed. Some have very specific roles, and they’ve embraced it and they do their best at it, and that’s what made it so successful.”
Upper Dublin (16-5, 12-4 SOL) will host #5 West Chester Rustin in Friday’s semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Rustin routed #4 Mount St. Joseph Academy 17-1.
Unionville 001 000 0 1-5-4
Upper Dublin 000 110 x 2-5-3
#7 HATBORO-HORSHAM 16, #2 GWYNEDD MERCY 5 (6 innings)
The Hatters had themselves a day, erupting for 17 hits and 16 runs and rolling to a lopsided win over the tournament’s number two seed.
While that offensive explosion against a solid GMA squad may have surprised some, coach Jen Tooley was not in that number.
“Honestly, this is what I expected all season from our team,” the Hatters’ first-year coach said. “This is Hatter softball, and they displayed it today. Putting up those numbers is what Hatter softball has been, and what a time to start it in the playoffs.”
The tone for Wednesday’s win was set early as the Hatters erupted for five runs in the top of the first. Alyssa Tooley led off with a single, and she scored when Abby Waeltz followed with a double to center field.
The Monarchs elected to walk a red hot Amya Lundy, and that brought an equally hot bat to the plate in Tess Kearney, who singled to load the bases. A walk to Adriana DeLeon pushed a run across the plate, and a single by Bella Karpovich scored Lundy. Back-to-back groundouts brought two more runs home, and the Hatters led 5-0 before fans had settled in their seats.
“It truly did set the tone,” Tooley said. “We actually made a lineup change for playoffs, and instead of Amya batting four, we put her at three for that reason. Amya got walked, and we have one of our hottest hitters in the four spot in Tess Kearney.”
Gwynedd answered with two runs in the bottom of the first, but the Hatters got those two back in the top of the second that included an RBI double by Abby Waeltz and an RBI single by Karpovich.
The Monarchs scored two runs in the third to make it a 7-4 game, and they pulled to within two with a run in the fourth. The Hatters silenced any thoughts of a comeback with six runs in the fifth that was highlighted by doubles from Maddie Karpovich, Tooley (RBI) Lundy (RBI) and Kearney (RBI). A three-run inside the park home run by Lundy in the sixth closed out the scoring and brought an early end to the game.
Kearney clearly felt comfortable batting out of the four hole, finishing the game 4-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.
“She had a huge day,” Tooley said. “And she had a highlight film catch in center field. A phenomenal catch going away. It very possibly could have been going over the fence.
“We made a couple of minor changes to our lineup, and the girls were able to capitalize on that. We had eight doubles, and a lot of them were back-to-back which helped put the runners across the plate.”
Tooley was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and four runs scored out of the leadoff spot, and Bella Karpovich was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Waeltz was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs, and Lundy was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. The top four batters in the Hatters’ lineup were a combined 11-for-17 with eight RBIs and 12 runs scored.
Karpovich earned the win in the circle, allowing three hits and one run in 3.2 innings in relief of Tooley. She struck out three and walked one.
“Alyssa was struggling to find the plate,” coach Tooley said. “Bella Karpovich came in to finish it and did a phenomenal job.”
Hatboro-Horsham (14-8, 11-5 SOL) will make the long trip to #3 Oxford for Friday’s semifinal game at 1 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 520 063 16-17-1
Gwynedd Mercy 202 100 5-6-1
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