Quakertown came up just short in Thursday’s District 1 6A title game, and North Penn notched a walk-off win in Thursday’s third place game. Check the recaps. Photos of the Quakertown/Downingtown West game provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f860927651
District 1 6A title game
#1 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 7, #3 QUAKERTOWN 5
“Our kids are battlers.”
In just four words, Quakertown coach Rich Scott – his pride unmistakable – effectively described his squad that put its name in the program record books on Thursday. No, the Panthers didn’t win a District 1 6A crown – that honor went to a 24-0 Downingtown West squad that was every bit as resilient as the Panthers.
But the Panthers – playing in their first ever district title game – certainly gave the Whippets all they could handle, matching them best shot for best shot but coming up just short in an evenly matched and entertaining
district title game at Spring Ford High School.
“They battle each inning,” Scott said of his squad. “Down 2-0, I wasn’t really worried. I kept telling them every inning – ‘We have to shut them down, shut them down’ because I knew we were going to score some runs. We have some hitters too.
“Unfortunately, the first couple innings we hit the ball right to them. They made some good plays. They got a couple breaks, we didn’t get the breaks. They’re a good team, but our team battled them. I was very proud of them.”
The biggest loss the Panthers suffered was not the game itself but rather seeing senior Cadence Lewis – their center fielder and cleanup batter – carted off the field in the bottom of the sixth inning. She went down with a knee injury after tracking down a ball hit to the fence.
“She’s our starting center fielder, she’s a big leader on this team, and it’s hard to lose somebody like that, especially when you know you still have to go on,” said sophomore Ellie Hilton, fighting back tears.
Earlier in the game, sophomore third baseman Kira Jefferson took a shot in the face on a bad hop grounder but remained in the game.
“When Kira first got hit, I think we all were really scared,” Hilton said. “Then when Cadence got hurt and it was more serious than taking a few minutes, it really scared everybody.”
Lewis was the center of an emotional postgame scene and was supported by teammates when the Panthers – after accepting the silver medals – gathered for a team photo.
“That hurt, that took us down a little bit,” Scott said of seeing Lewis go down.
The game itself didn’t start on the most promising note for the Panthers. Emma Ahlborn doubled to center field on Abbey Wagner’s first pitch of the game, and Lillian McLaughlin followed and lined a single to center, putting runners on the corner.
McLaughlin stole second, and the Whippets had runners on second and third with none out, and while both runners scored on sacrifice flies to give the Whippets an early 2-0 lead, it could have been a whole lot worse.
“I told myself – ‘It’s just the beginning of the game, no big deal,’” Wagner said. “We’ve come back many times before, so I was confident that we would come back. I didn’t let it bother me because we still had the rest of the game. I try to stay calm and just forget it happened.”
After Carter retired the first seven batters she faced, Wagner bunted and was safe at first on an errant throw. Ava Beal’s two-out single put runners on the corners, and after Beal stole second, the Panthers had a pair of runners in scoring position but came up empty.
Wagner, meanwhile, retired eight in a row after the first two hits, striking out three, but the Whippets struck again in the bottom of the third. With one out, Ahlborn hit her second double in as many at-bats, and McLaughlin singled. Lizzie Kern followed with an RBI single, but Jefferson – despite taking a nasty shot in the face on a grounder to third – threw home for the tag at the plate that limited the Whippets to one run in the inning and a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, the Panthers’ bats came alive. After Leah Schwalm was safe on an error, Lewis singled to right, and Hilton’s line single to right plated Schwalm. Wagner’s sharply hit line drive eluded the Whippet center fielder, rolling all the way to the fence for a two-run triple that knotted the score 3-3.
“I have a lot of confidence in our team,” Hilton said. “I knew it was still early in the game (when the Whippets took the lead). We still had a lot of innings left, and I’m very confident in Abbey and her pitching. We usually peak in the fourth or fifth inning, and we
did.”
The Whippets plated an unearned run in the fourth inning to go on top 4-3, but the Panthers answered with two runs in the top of the fifth, thanks to a two-out RBI single by Lewis and a clutch run-scoring double by Hilton that gave the Panthers a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, the Whippets scored a pair to go on top 6-5, and this time the Panthers had no answer. Carter retired seven in a row to close out the game.
“They’re a good team,” Wagner said. “They’re (24-0) with no losses. They’re going to be good, and I expected a close game. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. It was going to be close.
“We’ve been in this situation before – every game we play on this field we’ve always lost for some reason. I wanted to break it, but the curse comes back.”
Lewis (2-for-3, RBI, 2R) and Hilton (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, R) led the Panthers, who collected eight hits off Carter. The Whippets’ ace had 13 shutouts during the regular season.
“We all went in a little bit nervous about her rise ball and everything,” Hilton said. “But we’re all just really selective, and I think it pays off.
“I’d like to see them again. It would be a great opportunity. I think it’s definitely pretty equal play – both are great teams.”
Quakertown (22-2, 15-1 SOL) will host District 11 runner-up Freedom in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A State Tournament. Freedom fell to Liberty 7-4 in the District XI title game.
Quakertown 000 320 0 5-8-2
Downingtown West 201 121 x 7-12-2
District 1 6A third place game
#4 NORTH PENN 5, #7 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 4
Casey Sokol’s one-out single on the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the seventh brought Gianna Cimino – who doubled – home for the game-winner and the dramatic walk-off win in Thursday’s playback game.
“We were looking to get some players some innings – I pitched Bella (Nunn) for five innings and Casey (Sokol) the last two innings,” NP coach Rick Torresani said. “We started all the seniors for the last home game on our field, so they were excited.”
The game started out with the Cougars – benefitting from three walks and an error – putting a pair of runs on the board in the top of the first. That 2-0 lead held until the bottom of the third.
Jackie Diaz drew a leadoff walk, and one out later Liv Stevens was walked. Sokol followed with a line single to center, and an error on the play allowed Diaz to score. Sophia Orth singled, and another run scored on a passed ball. Just like that, the Knights had a 3-2 lead.
A two-run home run by Lucia Giuliano in the top of the fourth put the Whippets back on top, 4-3.
Cimino led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to center field, knotting the score and setting the stage for the Knights’ seventh-inning heroics.
Cimino had a monster day out of the leadoff spot, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Sokol was 2-for-4 with the game-inning hits, two RBIs and one run scored.
Sokol earned the win, allowing one hit in two shutout innings while striking out three and walking one.
The stakes get higher on Monday when the state tournament begins for the defending state champion Knights.
“Like I told my team, ‘We won the conference, okay, great. We won the conference last year, but you ask anybody else – they don’t know,’” Torresani said. “We won districts two years in a row. You ask anybody – who won it two years ago besides us, and even my players said, ‘Let me think. Oh, we did.’ But when you ask somebody – ‘Who won the state title?’ Everybody knows that, and that’s what you’re gearing for, that’s what you’re working for.
“Yes, we were upset when we lost to Downingtown West (3-1 in the district semis), but the goal is to go to states. That’s where you want to be.”
North Penn (16-8, 10-6 SOL) will face District 3 runner-up Cumberland Valley. The Eagles were the top-ranked team in District 3 and – on paper – a far more challenging first round opponent than the Knights would have faced had they lost.
Downingtown East, meanwhile, will face District 2/4 subregional champion Williamsport, a 16-14 winner over Hazleton.
“That’s why people were saying, ‘You gotta lose, you gotta lose,’” Torresani said. “If we’re going to get there, we’re going to get there the hard way, and win or lose, I’m going to be proud that we went that way. You’re there to compete and show the girls that you can compete at any level.
“It didn’t matter who we were going to play today – we were going to play to win. That’s the way it should be, and East did the same thing. They could have not pitched their starting pitcher and thrown just anyone out there, knowing if they lost they’d get to play Williamsport.
“I was really happy about that. I even thought they might do it, but they didn’t. They played their starters, we played our starters and played a great game going into the state playoffs.”
Downingtown East 200 200 0 4-4-1
North Penn 003 010 1 5-8-1
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