Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Tuesday.
National Conference
ABINGTON 8, PENNSBURY 6
As beginnings go, it was a good one for a Ghost squad that had not beaten the Falcons since the 2009 season.
“Pennsbury is always good,” Abington coach Ellie White said. “Anytime you can beat a Pennsbury team, it’s a big deal. They don’t rebuild, they reload.”
The Ghosts – led by the three-hit effort of Amy Worek – collected 11 hits.
“We did well,” White said. “(Casey) Boltersdorf is a good pitcher, she made our hitters look silly in the first inning. The second inning she also pitched well.
“I told them, ‘You tried your way, now you’re going to do it mine. Move all the way to the back of the box,’ and they started hitting the ball because they could see it a little bit longer. They were much more patient and a little more disciplined.”
Things certainly didn’t look promising when the Falcons scored four runs in the first inning, but the Ghosts answered with four of their own in the third. A two-out walk to Jade Sowell with the bases-loaded put the Ghosts on the board. Jamie Gosselin, who had singled, scored on a passed ball, and Amy Worek delivered the big blow, a two-run single to knot the score.
Pennsbury plated a single run in the fourth and took that 5-4 lead into the top of the sixth when the Ghosts erupted for four more runs. Aubrey Cataldi got the ball rolling with a leadoff single, and Gosselin followed with a bunt single. Both runners advanced on a passed ball. Nikki Ray delivered a two-run double, and Sowell followed with a single, setting the stage for a two-run double by Worek that put the Ghosts on top 8-5. The Falcons scored a single run in the seventh, but the Ghosts would not be denied.
Worek led the Ghosts with three hits while Ray, who earned the win on the mound, Toni Washington, Sowell and Cataldi each had two hits.
For the Falcons, Dani Litwin and Link each had a pair of hits.
Tuesday’s game was the season opener for both squads.
“We didn’t have any scrimmages,” White said. “Actually, the first time we were on a dirt field was yesterday. We’ve just been trying to find spaces of land to get work done.”
Abington 004 004 0 8
Pennsbury 400 100 1 6
NESHAMINY 1, BENSALEM 0 (8 innings)
Mackensie Compton’s solo home run to lead off the eighth inning propelled the Redskins to a dramatic win over the Owls.
“It was important for us to come out and set the tone in our first game,” Neshaminy coach Dave Chichilitti said. “We haven’t had a great spring, so it was good to get the nerves out of the way and come out and start with a win, especially against a league rival with a very good senior pitcher.
“It was important to do it in the manner we did it.”
Tuesday’s SOL opener was a classic battle between veteran Jackie Morell and freshman Amber Brugger. It was Brugger earning the win. While Morell scattered eight hits and fanned four, Brugger allowed just five hits while walking one and striking out six in her varsity debut.
“It was a very good game, especially for her first one,” Chichilitti said. “It was absolutely a pitcher’s game. Jackie pitched very well, and Amber pitched very well.
“They had an opportunity where they had runners in scoring position maybe once, and we had two or three we should have capitalized on that we couldn’t. Both teams played incredible defense. There were hard-hit balls with great plays. It almost looked like a playoff game.”
Although Brugger was impressive, she is not the only pitcher on the Redskins’ roster.
“We have three very capable pitchers,” said Chichilitti of a trio that includes Brugger as well as freshman Sarah Dowalo and junior Cailyn Seely. “We didn’t get those 14 innings you get in scrimmages, so we’re still trying to sort it out.
“The way she pitched today – she certainly pitched like an ace, but we might have the luxury of having two or three aces.”
Compton (2-for-4), Sarah Snider-Leonhauser (2-for-3) and Corrine Garuffe (2-for-3) all had multiple hits for the Redskins. Kelsey Dekoyer led the Owls with a pair of hits.
Bensalem 000 000 00 0
Neshaminy 000 000 01 1
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 12, WILLIAM TENNENT 7
For the second time in as many days, Elyse McMenamin was impressive on the mound for the Indians, and this time the freshmen hurler received plenty of offensive support.
McMenamin threw two scoreless innings to open the game, and after the Indians took a 9-0 lead in the top of the third, coach Jess McDermott decided to give her backup pitcher some work.
“All of a sudden it was 9-5, so I had to go back to Elyse,” the Indians’ first-year coach said.
McMenamin walked the first batter she faced off the bench, and the next batter – Marissa Govan – hit a two-run home run.
“It was on an ‘oops’ just like yesterday on an 0-2 pitch,” McDermott said. “I told her – the faster it goes in, the faster it goes out.
“The girl that hit it had been fouling her off the whole day, so I knew if she made a mistake, she would send it.”
After that, McMenamin was untouchable. In 4.2 innings, she allowed just two hits and fanned 13.
Another freshman also came up big. Taylor Briggs, who was in the lineup as designated/flex player, delivered a two-run home run in a four-run second and also had a double, finishing the day 3-for-4 in an impressive debut performance.
Marissa Gergel was 3-for-3 with a double, and Nicole Rounsavill contributed a double while Haley McMenamin was 3-for-4 with three slap hits.
“Our bats came alive today,” McDermott said. “Today we got (to Tennent) early, and all we did was work on small ball and our hitting.
“We haven’t been outside, and I said to the girls – playing North Penn, they’re so good, and such a good game really helped us prepare for William Tennent today.”
Sarah Keeny and Govan led the Panthers with three hits each.
CR North is 1-0 in SOL play (1-1 overall) while the Panthers are 0-1 in the league (0-2 overall).
Council Rock North 045 021 0 12
William Tennent 002 302 0 7
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 10, HARRY S TRUMAN 2
The Tigers exploded for 12 hits, seizing control of a close game with nine runs over the final three innings.
“After all those non-hits yesterday, we hit from the opening pitch to the end,” said coach Greg Heydet, whose team was coming off a 1-0 win over Upper Dublin in eight innings. “We had nothing to show for it for four innings.
“We were hitting the ball hard off (Jess) O’Neil. She had eight plays as a pitcher. We hit it right at her, and she made every one of them. She’s a great defensive fielder.”
Amanda Sharp was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Jackie Schneider was 2-for-4 with three RBIS, but stealing the spotlight for the Hawks was Delores Bowers, who was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. The junior outfielder delivered a two-run triple to highlight a two-run seventh.
The two teams exchanged runs in the first inning, and Truman plated a single run in the second. The Tigers took that 2-1 lead into the fifth when the Golden Hawks scored three runs. They added four more in the sixth and closed it out with a pair in the seventh.
“After playing yesterday and not hitting with 10 Ks, they came out with a vengeance today,” Heydet said. “Honestly, this lineup could do that. We have that much power, and they came out – boom, from the start.
“Truman is a good team, and O’Neil is one of the best pitchers in the league. I like what happened today.”
Stephanie Andreoli earned the win on the mound, allowing seven hits while fanning eight.
Council Rock South 100 034 2 10
Harry S Truman 110 000 0 2
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, QUAKERTOWN 2
Emma Dryden has shown a flare for the dramatic in recent outings. It was her two-run blast in the seventh that propelled the Bucks to the come-from-behind win over the Panthers. Her home run came on the heels of hitting a three-run home run in the seventh inning of West’s loss to Bristol one day earlier.
Tuesday’s game was an uphill battle for the Bucks, who manufactured a run in the first only to watch the Panthers respond with two of their own in the bottom of the inning to go on top 2-1, benefitting from bunt singles from Spenser Gray and Tara Baglivo.
“They were slapping the ball all over the place, and we were poorly prepared for it,” West coach Jim Taylor said. “We haven’t been outside, and we haven’t seen it.
“We know how to set up a defense for a slap, but it was the first time we saw them, and it’s not guaranteed they’ll slap on us until the second or third time around. We defended it better as the game went along, but we were fortunate to only to give up two runs.”
The next five innings belonged to the respective pitchers and their defenses as neither team scored.
“Both teams played really clean defensively, which surprised me with the weather and neither team being outside,” Taylor said. “We’re very young, but that has been an improvement for us because we haven’t given too many away.
“We’re very happy with the defense. They seem to be moving to the right place, the outfielders are hitting the cutoffs. No one is making spectacular plays, but they’re doing the little things that keep runners from advancing.”
The Panthers took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning. With one out, Brie DeYoung, a swing player for the Bucks, collected a one-out pinch single. She was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Casey Taylor. That set the stage for Dryden, who turned on a one-strike pitch and hit a two-run home run over the center field fence to give the Bucks a lead they would not lsoe.
In the bottom of the inning, the Panthers put their first runner on board on a two-base error. Freshman pitcher Angelina Sherba did the rest, fanning the next three batters she faced to close out the game.
Sherba allowed just four hits in the complete game win while fanning 10 and walking one.
“She was really good today, the best I have seen her in the three games so far,” Taylor said. “She was dialed in. You take away the first inning where they start out with the two bunt singles – she really had them off base the rest of the day.”
Dryden led the Bucks offensively – finishing just a triple shy of the cycle with a single, double and home run. Abby Morrison added a pair of singles.
The Bucks are 1-0 in league play (2-1 overall) while the Panthers are 0-1 in the league (1-1).
Central Bucks West 100 000 2 3
Quakertown 200 000 0 2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 7, PENNRIDGE 6
Theresa Haug had herself a day on Tuesday, earning the win on the mound and delivering the game-winning hit in the top of the seventh to break a 6-6 tie. Haug relieved Kayla Ventura in the fourth inning.
“She threw a lot of pitches yesterday,” East coach Erin Scott said of Ventura’s shutout performance again Tennent. “In the past, we always worried when it was cold out – with (Haug’s) grip on the ball, she’s kind of struggled with that, but she stepped up huge coming in today.”
The Patriots appeared to be on their way to an easy win after plating a single run in the first and adding three more in the second to go on top 4-0. The Rams had other ideas, scoring five runs in the fourth to go on top 5-4. They led 6-4 only to watch the Patriots score two runs in the sixth to knot things up. They won it with a single run in the seventh when Brady Tillotson, who collected a single and moved up to second on a passed ball, scored on Haug’s bloop two-out single to left.
“We just tell each other – keep your confidence up, we have each other’s backs, and we know we can come back and win,” Haug said of her team’s mindset after the Patriots fell behind. “This was big.
“Since we have such a young team, we realize we can overcome things and work together and come back and win.”
Haug’s game winner came after she fought off several two-strike pitches.
“Once the passed ball happened and Brady got to second – I kind of didn’t pay attention that there were two outs.
“I kind of cleared my mind, just focused on getting on base. Once I had my hit and Brady scored, it was a great feeling.”
The Patriots, who pounded out 15 hits, were led by the two-hit efforts of Anna Careghini (two doubles), Tillotson (two runs scored), Haug (RBI, run scored), Nicole Tracy, Ventura (double, RBI, run scored) and Audrey LaBoulliere (RBI).
With the come-from-behind win, the Patriots are 2-0 on the young season.
“I just have to say – I’m really proud of the kids,” Scott said. “We’re really a young team, and I think they really came together.
“We had a couple freshmen really step up. They’re really coming together and meshing early in the season. We’re learning things about them as coaches, and they’re learning things about each other. It definitely feels great to come away with a win.”
For the Lady Rams, Briana Gery was 2-for-4 with a double, Grace McGinley was 1-for-2 with two RBIs, Natalie Babik was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs and Liv Campbell was 1-for-2.
Liz Nase threw two and a third innings, allowing four runs on nine hits with one strikeout and two walks. Meghan Bauer absorubed the tough loss, giving up three runs (only one earned) in 4 2/3 innings. She had four strikeouts and one walk while allowing six hits. Three of East's six hits came in the seventh inning.
"It was a great job by Meghan in her first varsity appearance," Pennridge coach Paul Koehler said.
Central Bucks East 130 002 1 7
Pennridge 000 510 0 6
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 5, NORTH PENN 3
The Titans had not been on a field all spring, but they made their visit to the ball park at North Penn a good one.
“I said to my assistant coach – we (didn’t hit well) in the gym, and I was wondering how it was going to translate, but even some of our outs today were hard hit,” CB South coach Dan Hayes said. “We swung the bat real good.”
The Titans took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Maddie Bieber drew a walk, and freshman Makaela Simons singled to left, setting the stage for freshman Alex Deleon to deliver an RBI double.
That 1-0 lead stood until the seventh when the offenses for both teams suddenly came to life. Kaylee Richard reached first on a base on balls to open the top of the inning for the Titans, and she scored on Taylor Marinelli’s double to the fence. Maddie Decker was walked, and then it was Meghan Bradley roping a two-run double to left. It was a 5-1 game after an RBI single by Simons.
The Maidens made things interesting in the bottom of the inning. Nicole Yanni led off the inning with a solo home run on an 0-2 pitch, her second in as many days.
Two walks, a dropped third strike and a double by Bri Battavio made it a 5-3 game.
“With the bases loaded and the tying run at second, their girl hit a shot to right field – I thought it was going to be right at our rightfielder,” Hayes said of Bieber. “She came running in to get it and had to jump and made a nice leaping catch.
“It started raining and getting cold, and we were struggling. We fielded the ball okay, but the ball was hard to grip.”
Decker earned the win on the mound, allowing six hits while walking three and fanning four. Jackie Bilotti absorbed the loss, allowing nine hits while walking four and striking out four.
Marinelli (2-for-4), Decker (2-for-2) and Simons (2-for-3) led the Titans offensively. Bilotti had a pair of hits to lead the Maidens.
The Titans are 1-0 on the young season while the Maidens are 0-1 in the league (1-1 overall).
Central Bucks South 000 100 4 5-9-0
North Penn 000 000 3 3-6-1
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 2, NORRISTOWN 0
Rebecca Matricardi pitched well enough to win in Monday’s heartbreaking 1-0 loss in eight innings to Council Rock South. Twenty-four hours later, she tossed another gem and this time earned the win, shutting out the visiting Eagles on five hits while striking out eight and walking one.
"We are a VERY young team this year," said UD coach Heather Boyer, whose starting lineup against Norristown featured five sophomores and two freshmen. "However, despite our young age, the girls have really been playing well early in the season.
"Rebecca Matricardi, in particular, has demonstrated a lot of composure on the mound. She worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning against Norristown, and that was after throwing seven-plus innings with 10 K's against CR South the day before.
"Some of Rebecca's success is attributed to her work ethic in the offseason, but another component is that her sister Rachel – our lone senior and four-year starter – is also her catcher, so there is a special chemistry between the two batterymates."
The Flying Cardinals plated the only run Matricardi would need in the first on an RBI groundout by Erin Gallagher, who finished the day 1-for-3. She also delivered a two-out RBI single in the third to plate an insurance run for the Cardinals. Jackie McMenamin scored both runs for the Cards, and Sarah Tannenbaum was 1-for-3 with a double.
"I've been impressed with how a number of our younger players have demonstrated poise and resiliency, and more importantly, how quickly they have come together as a team," Boyer said. "I'm very excited for the potential this team has, and I'm really looking forward to working with them."
The Cardinals are 1-0 in conference play (1-2 overall) while the Eagles are 0-1.
Norristown 000 000 0 0
Upper Dublin 101 000 x 2
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