In a classic District One 6A quarterfinal contest, fifth-seeded Perk Valley edged North Penn 1-0 on Saturday. Photos provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography.
#5 PERK VALLEY 1, #4 NORTH PENN 0
No one could seem to agree on whether Abby Wild had tossed a one-hitter or two-hitter in Saturday’s District One 6A quarterfinal.
Was Emily Groarke’s grounder up the middle to lead off the third inning that PV’s second baseman couldn’t come up with on a backhand play a hit or an error?
While a consensus was never reached (although it was ruled a hit in the home and official book), one thing everyone could agree on was the fact that the Perk Valley ace was the singular reason why the defending district champions will be playing in Tuesday’s district semifinal against archrival Spring-Ford while the Knights will be battling three other squads for the fifth and final state tournament berth.
“I just wanted to win today, so I’m upset,” Bri Battavio said. “I have full confidence in my team. I had full confidence in them today.
“There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to win today. It’s really upsetting that we didn’t, but I know we’re going to make states, so you’ll probably see us playing each other again sometime.”
If the two teams meet again, the Knights will need to solve the mystery that is Wild. The Bloomsburg-bound senior fanned 12 and did not walk a batter, baffling the Knights with her impressive repertoire of pitches, which included a nasty rise ball.
“We had talked about it,” coach Rick Torresani said. “Sometimes when you go up to the plate in games like this you forget what we were supposed to do and focus on what we were supposed to do, and sometimes you’re going to swing at those pitches.
“You watch the NCAA playoffs, and those girls do the same thing. A rise ball is a rise ball, and sometimes it’s tough not to swing on.”
Ah, yes, Wild’s rise ball. The Knights can vouch for the fact that it was nigh impossible to lay off the pitch.
“Myself included – I’m a sucker for the high pitches,” Battavio said. “We all were falling for it, and we were hitting her pitch instead of our pitch. That’s what she does, and she won today.”
Battavio threw a gem of her own, scattering six hits while fanning three and walking one.
“Hats off to their pitcher – she did a great job as well,” PV coach Dan McLaughlin said. “This is the first time I saw Bri pitch. She’s definitely impressive.
“This game could have gone either way. It’s a shame one of them had to lose, but that’s the way the game is.”
The Vikings plated the only run of the game in the second when Sela Fusco, who doubled to lead off the inning, scored on Jordan Sell’s groundout to second.
The Knights’ best and only scoring chance came in the fourth after Groarke reached base and wound up on second with one out after Victoria Juckniewitz’s successful sacrifice bunt. Wild brought a quick end to that potential rally, striking out the Knights’ three and four batters.
Battavio collected a one-out single in the seventh. Wild fanned the next two batters to put the finishing touches the win.
“She’s a special softball player and an even nicer kid,” PV coach Dan McLaughlin said of his ace. “You see what she can do on the mound – someone like that with no ego, no attitude, someone who always puts the team first.
“She didn’t really get the starting job until the beginning of districts last year but never complained once, came in and did her job. She’s a blessing.”
Shutouts are hardly big news to Wild and her PV teammates. They’ve shut out eight of their last nine opponents. Top-seeded Spring-Ford is the lone team to score a run against the Vikings in that span, and that came in a 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Vikings in the Pioneer Athletic Conference semifinals.
Heading into Saturday’s quarterfinal, Wild was coming off a no-hitter in PV’s 8-0 second round district win over Central Bucks South. That came on the heels of a one-hitter in the PAC championship game, a 2-0 win over Upper Perk.
“I think we have a really strong league,” Wild said. “A couple of the bigger schools in our conference are tough games every time we play them, and that really prepares us for games like this.”
North Penn (17-5, 10-2 SOL) will host Quakertown in a playback game on Tuesday.
“They’re ready,” Torresani said. “They’re just upset – they wanted to go for a district championship.”
Perk Valley 010 000 0 1-6-0
North Penn 000 000 0 0-2-0
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