NORTH PENN 3, CATHEDRAL PREP 0
Julia Shearer is making it look oh so easy in the circle.
On the heels of throwing a one-hit shutout in an abbreviated mercy rule win Friday, the University of Maryland bound senior tossed a seven-inning one-hit shutout, fanning 17 batters and walking none in a brilliant outing.
“She is really focused on making sure we get off to a good start,” coach Rick Torresani said of his ace.
Cathedral Prep, according to the Knights’ coach, is considered one of the favorites to represent Western Pennsylvania in the state final this spring. The Knights – behind the strong arm of Shearer – clearly have the early advantage.
The Knights put a run on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning when Caitlyn Halfpenny, who singled to lead off the inning, scored on Annabelle Smink’s sacrifice bunt. In the sixth inning, the Knights plated a run on a wild pitch, and they scored their final run in the top of the sixth on a two-out Brie Wilmot RBI single to right.
Wilmot finished the game 2-for-3 with an RBI, Casey Sokol was 2-for-4. Smink was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Gianna Cimino had the Knights only extra-base hit – a double.
St. Joseph’s University commit Jenna Wagner absorbed the loss, allowing eight hits while striking out eight and walking two.
Cathedral Prep’s lone hit was Mackenzie Moore’s two-out single in the second inning. She was the Ramblers’ lone base runner. Shearer retired 16 in a row to close out the game, striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh to put an exclamation mark on the impressive win.
The Knights, who also won a pair of scrimmages during their Myrtle Beach trip, will host Boyertown in a non-league game Thursday.
North Penn 001 001 1 3-8-0
Cathedral Prep 000 000 0 0-1-3
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 11, MOON AREA 10
The Patriots won a slugfest in Saturday’s non-league opener in Myrtle Beach, opening up 1n 11-4 lead after five innings and then holding off the Tigers’ comeback. The two teams combined for 28 hits with the Patriots collecting 15 of those off a pair of Moon Area pitchers.
Elizabeth Gray was the Patriots’ offensive catalyst out of the leadoff spot, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored. Elise Waddington was 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs while Corinn Eads was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Sara Camposano and Kayla Mitchell both had a pair of hits and one RBI.
Moon Area capitalized a pair of hits, a walk and an error to put a pair on the board in the top of the first. The Patriots made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the inning when Kaylee Masterson, who collected a single, scored on a two-out single by Eads.
In the third inning, the Patriots scored three runs to take a lead they would not lose. Gray drew a leadoff walk and Masterson followed with a single, setting the stage for a booming two-run triple to center by Waddington. Eads delivered her second RBI single of the game that plated Waddington and put the Patriots on top 4-2.
That score stood until the bottom of the fifth when the Patriots erupted for seven runs. The big blow of the inning was Gray’s grand slam to center field that put the Patriots on top 11-7. The inning also included singles by Waddington, Camposano (RBI), Ava Catron (RBI), Mitchell (RBI) and Peyton Schellhorn.
The Tigers scored two runs in the sixth to make it an 11-4 game and then made things real interesting in the top of the seventh, cutting that lead to 11-8 and then tacking on a pair of unearned runs to make it a one-run game after a costly two-out error. The Tigers had the tying run on third when the Patriots collected the game’s final out on a groundout.
Mitchell notched the win in the circle, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) in 4.2 innings while striking out nine and walking a pair. Schellhorn closed out the game.
Central Bucks East (1-0) returned to action Saturday against Cathedral Prep.
Moon Area 200 002 6 10-13-0
Central Bucks East 103 070 x 11-15-5
CATHEDRAL PREP 4, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
Later in the day Saturday, the Patriots – in a marked contrast to their 15-hit effort earlier in the day – never generated much offense off of Jenna Wagner in a loss to Cathedral Prep. The St. Joseph’s University commit scattered four singles while striking out 14 and walking just one.
The Patriots fell behind 4-0 before manufacturing a run in the top of the sixth. Gray collected a leadoff single, and one out later advanced to third on Elise Waddington’s hard ground single to left field. She scored on a bunt by Eads.
Wagner closed out the game with a 1-2-3 seventh that included a pair of strikeouts.
Mitchell, who absorbed the loss, threw four innings, allowing four hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out five and walking one. Peyton Schellhorn closed out the game with two scoreless innings in relief, allowing three hits while striking out one and walking one.
Central Bucks East is off until Monday, March 27, when the Patriots will host Boyertown in a non-league contest.
Central Bucks East 000 001 0 1-3-1
Cathedral Prep 013 000 x 4-7-0
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