North Penn defeated Pennsbury to earn a spot in Thursday’s PIAA District 1 6A final. Photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for a gallery of photos.
#1-2 NORTH PENN 4, #1-3 PENNSBURY 0
Roll back the calendar to May 29, 2018.
North Penn was edged by Central Bucks South 1-0 in a District 1 6A semifinal contest that saw each team manage just two hits. Mady Volpe – then just a freshman – was just four outs away from a no-hitter when the Titans plated a two-out run in the bottom of the sixth that stood as the game-winner.
“Whew – that hurt us,” senior Jordan Pietrzykoski said of the loss. “We have a little rivalry with South, and that definitely hurt us.”
Pietrzykoski wasn’t the only one who remembered, and exactly one year to the day, the Knights found themselves playing in yet another district semifinal, this time with a new opponent.
“That loss hurt really bad, especially since it was so close and South is our rival,” Volpe said. “That really just motivated me for this season and districts.”
Not that Volpe – an all-league performer – needed any additional motivation heading into Wednesday’s semifinal showdown with the Falcons. The sophomore pitcher, who has racked up over 200 strikeouts this season, has been all business all season, and Wednesday’s outing was just another in a long list of gems thrown by the sophomore ace.
“It’s incredible working behind Mady Volpe – she’s so good that it makes us want to work harder to back her up,” Pietrzykoski said. “She works so hard, and she puts so much into it, and we just want to be there for her.
“I know anytime we get into a situation – I know Mady Volpe is going to get us out of it, and if not, someone on the defense will do it. We have a really strong defense this year.”
It didn’t take long to figure out that one run could very easily win Wednesday’s game as both pitchers were in complete command. Volpe gave up a one-out single to Carley Parsons in the first. It turned out to be the only hit she allowed all game.
“It was on a changeup I probably shouldn’t have called,” coach Rick Torresani said. “It’s probably the only one I called the whole game. I might have called another one, but that’s a young team. It’s going to be a very good team, but they couldn’t match up to her speed, and they weren’t able to really make hard contact.”
Volpe’s counterpart, freshman Ainsley McClure, was also in control and allowed just four hits through four innings – two were bloop hits just over the infield.
“I knew obviously it would be a close game because of good pitching on both sides,” Volpe said. “I knew somehow we were going to have to break it open.”
It took until the bottom of the sixth inning, but it finally happened. With one out, freshman Sophia Collins drew a walk, and Victoria Juckniewitz followed and legged out a bunt single. That brought Pietrzykoski to the plate, and the senior second baseman lined a single to center that was briefly bobbled, allowing Collins to score from second.
“I was really just trying to put the ball in play,” Pietrzykoski said. “I knew that in a 0-0 game somebody had to break it open and get it going. I figured that could be my role.”
That run turned out to be the game-winner, but for good measure, the Knights tacked on three more. Amanda Greaney singled to load the bases, and Elia Namey hit a sharp grounder against a drawn-in infield that was bobbled at short, and it was safe all around. Pietrzykoski scored on a passed ball, and Jamie Beer’s bloop single to center pushed the fourth run across.
“In the last game we played against Haverford, if they made a mistake, we were able to compound that mistake and get some runs,” Torresani said of his team’s 11-1 district quarterfinal win over the Fords. “In that inning, they walked a batter, we were able to get a hit, and we were able to add onto that.
“This team – if they don’t score earlier – is able to get some runs late. They’ve been doing that all year, and hopefully, it will continue.”
Volpe did the rest, and after allowing a one-out walk in the sixth, she retired five in a row to close it out. The freshman pitcher’s line was once again dazzling – she allowed just two hits while walking three and striking out 10. She struck out the side in both the first and third innings, and eight of nine outs in the first three innings were strikeouts.
“I’m speechless for words sometimes because she’s such a gutty pitcher and such a great kid with such humility,” Torresani said. “She keeps telling me to coach her and push her. She wants to be the best she can possibly be – never has a bad word for anybody.
“She’s such a great teammate. The kids on the team just love her. I keep telling her – ‘Don’t lose this because when things get bad and you have to turn to your teammates, they will respond and they will help you.’ I’m very proud of her.”
Torresani, like Volpe and her teammates, admitted the South district semifinal loss left a bad taste.
“These kids remembered that, and that was one of their goals this year from September on,” the Knights’ coach said. “They worked very hard since September to avenge that loss that we had. Their goal was to get to the (district) championship and then see what happens.
“Jackie Bilotti’s (district championship and finalist) teams worked really hard, but this team has worked just as hard if not harder and has the confidence.”
That confidence, according to Volpe, didn’t just happen.
“It’s a feeling that we’ve been here before and that everybody has been playing with each other for such a long time and that we’ve been through practices,” Volpe said. “We talk each other up, we get real excited before games.”
Pietrzykoski (2-for-4) and Carley DiGiuseppe (2-for-3) led the Knights' eight-hit attack.
North Penn (21-1, 11-1 SOL) will take on fourth-seeded Downingtown West in Thursday’s District 1 6A title game at Immaculata University at 2 p.m. The Knights last won a district title in 2012. In 2014, they fell in the district title game to Avon Grove and Maggie Balint.
“Especially as seniors, we want to do everything we possibly can, one last hurrah for North Penn softball,” Pietrzykoski said. “I think we have something really special this year with our team. I think this is definitely North Penn softball’s year."
Pennsbury (18-3, 12-0) will travel to Spring-Ford for Thursday’s third place game against the top-seeded Rams.
Pennsbury 000 000 0 0-1-2
North Penn 000 040 x 4-8-0
About the Author
