Check out all of Tuesday’s SOL softball results.
National Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 5, BENSALEM 1
After watching Caitlin Brasier struggle in her first three games of the season, coach Gretchen Cammiso opted to give her sophomore hurler a chance to find her stride.
“I sent her down to jayvee for two games because she was really struggling with her mechanics,” the Tigers’ coach said. “She was warming up fine and at practices she looked fine. She threw every inning of every game last year as a freshman.
“I said, ‘You’re pitching two games on jayvee. Even if you pitch awesome in the first one, you’re definitely getting two. Something is not right. We need to get you in a game where there’s no pressure on you.’
“Today was her first game back with us, and she pitched really well.”
Brasier scattered five hits while fanning four and walking two.
“After the first inning, she struck out the last batter for the third out, and she came off the field and said, ‘I’m back,’” Cammiso said. “She knew she was struggling. Luckily we have some backups that were able to come in and get wins.”
The Tigers broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the fifth and added two more in the seventh to earn the big win. In the fifth, Tiffany Koenig delivered an RBI double while freshman Jess O’Neil added an RBI single. In the seventh inning, O’Neil contributed an RBI double.
Koenig, O’Neil and Bridget Hunt led the Tigers with two hits each.
With the win, the Tigers improved to 2-0 in league play (3-3 overall) while the Owls fell to 0-2 in the league (2-2 overall).
“Bensalem has been getting better and better each year,” Cammiso said. “The thing that was still holding them back was pitching. This year they have a pitcher that’s not dominating, but she’s a good little pitcher that throws strikes, and they play decent defense. They’re definitely a much improved team.”
The win was the third in a row for the Tigers.
“When we started off 0-3, we played Hatboro, CB South and Archbishop Ryan,” Cammiso said. “I wanted to schedule good teams early on. Good teams like that would expose our weaknesses, and that way we would know early on what we had to work on.”
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 6, WILLIAM TENNENT 5 (9 innings)
Sparked by a four-run fifth inning, the Golden Hawks battled their way to the extra-inning win. Becca Dougherty earned her second win of the season on the mound.
“She did a real nice job for us again,” coach Matt McGovern said. “She got us out of some tough spots and battled.”
Freshman Amanda Sharp, who also sees action on the mound but found herself in right field, delivered the game’s big blow – a three-run home run in the fifth inning.
“It was a line drive down the left field line that just kept going and going,” McGovern said. “She’s quick and got around the bases. That was a huge, huge lift for us. That really got the girls going.”
Sharp led off the ninth inning with a single to left and stole second. She moved up to third on Alexis Diehl’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Morgan Riehl’s one-out grounder.
“This is a huge win for us,” McGovern said. “Right now we’re 2-4 and we equaled our win total of last year.
“We wanted to improve upon last year’s record obviously, but we’re just looking to compete and stay in games and play solid defense and put the ball in play. We did all of those things today. We faced a little bit of adversity, and when times were getting tough, the girls bonded together, and it was definitely a team effort today.”
The Golden Hawks are 1-1 in league play (2-4 overall) while the Panthers are 0-2 in the league (3-3 overall).
The Panthers suffered a setback when pitcher Nikki Alden was forced to leave the game because of an injury.
“Pitcher Nicole Clark fought hard but our offense could not get the job done,” coach Erika Lee said.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 12, ABINGTON 8
The Indians exploded for five runs in the second and two more in the fourth to go on top 7-1 before the Ghosts erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth to knot the score. The Indians answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a lead they would not lose.
Dom Pinto had a big day at the plate for the Indians, contributing a pair of hits – including a home run – and driving in four runs. Pitcher Hannah Mumber helped her own cause with three hits – including a double and triple – while driving in one run and scoring two. Bailey Bigler had a pair of hits and scored two runs.
Rachel Holden had a pair of hits for the Ghosts, including a solo home run.
Mumber earned the win on the mound , allowing five hits while fanning eight and walking seven.
The Indians remain perfect on the season, upping their SOL mark to 2-0 (5-0 overall). The Ghosts are 0-2 in the league and 3-4 overall.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 5, PENNRIDGE 0
Freshman Jackie Bilotti tossed a one-hit shutout, fanning seven and walking none to earn the win over the Rams. The Rams’ lone hit came on a ground ball down the third base line that deflected off the third baseman’s glove.
“Jackie pitched a really great game,” coach Rick Torresani said. “She doesn’t have a lot of speed, but she has good movement, and she spotted her pitches really well today.
“Both of our pitchers came two weeks late because of basketball. Vicky Tumasz got hurt, and everything has been on Jackie.”
The Maidens’ coach went on to laud the defensive effort of third baseman Megan Curley, who was sidelined all of last year.
“They tried to bunt, they tried to slap, and there were a couple of hard-hit ground balls between her and short that she cut off and threw the girls out,” Torresani said. “She just made some really, really nice plays.
“In fall ball last year, she was fielding a bad-hop ground ball that hit her in the eye, and she was out of school the whole year. For her to come back and play that position again and do as well as she’s doing, it’s just unbelievable. She’s a tough kid.”
While the Rams fell to 0-2 in the league (3-4 overall), the Maidens improved to 2-0 in the league (3-2 overall).
“We’re very young,” Torresani said. “We only have one senior in Jess Mower, and I knew early that we might not start off that well, but as the season progresses, I’m counting on these kids to really come together and play some good softball like they did today.
“It’s going to take them a little bit of time to develop their team personality, but they’re good softball players, they get along, and I think by the end of the year, we’ll be playing our best softball.”
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 14, SOUDERTON 1
Haileigh Stocks had a monster game on the mound and at the plate. The senior hurler fanned six and did not walk a batter. Souderton’s lone run was unearned. She helped her own caused with a grand slam in the second inning. She also had a triple.
Stocks received plenty of support from her teammates. Morgan Decker, Kristyn Marinelli and Hallie Bilker each also had two hits with Marinelli and Bilker each contributing triples on a day that saw the Titans pound out 13 hits.
The tone for the game might well have been set in the first inning when – after the Indians collected two quick outs – the Titans scored three runs.
Souderton’s Sarah Derstine accounted for her team’s only RBI and had one of the Indians' four hits along with Paige Shelly, Meg Weisel and Haley DeLany.
The Titans upped their record to 2-0 in league play (4-1 overall) while the Indians are 1-1 in the league (2-3 overall)
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, QUAKERTOWN 1
Jenn Toland delivered a clutch two-run single with two outs in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie and propel the Bucks to the dramatic win. Cassie Zanolini led the Bucks offensively with a 2-for-3 day at the plate and two runs scored. West managed just four hits but committed only one error.
The Panthers collected four hits off winning pitcher Maggie Miller and did not commit an error.
Outstanding defensive plays were made by Quakertown shortstop Maddie Mulhall and centerfielder Courtney Derstine.
The Bucks evened their SOL mark at 1-1 (4-3 overall) while the Panthers fell to 0-2 in the league (1-5 overall).
HATBORO-HORSHAM 10, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2
Maria Spinosa delivered a two-run home run while Heather Lutz was 2-for-2 with a double, triple and two RBIs. Kelsey Koelzer was 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI. Maggie Schaffer allowed no earned runs in six innings on the mound to earn the win, fanning three.
The Hatters remain perfect on the season, improving to 2-0 in SOL play (6-0 overall). The Patriots fell to 0-2 in the league (2-4 overall)
American Conference
UPPER MERION 14, UPPER DUBLIN 6
The Vikings exploded for 17 hits and turned a 3-2 lead into an 8-2 lead with a five-run fourth inning that was highlighted by a two-run double from Sarah Schunder and a two-run single by Nicole Battaglio.
Schunder (triple), Battaglio (home run) and Anna Blackwood led the way with three hits each while Krista Wellington (home run) and Jenny DeSimone (double) each collected two hits.
“Sarah has been swinging a good bat for us the whole season, and the pitching and defense has been pretty good,” Viking coach John Whitney said. “The bats haven’t been as good as I’d like them to be, but the girls finally actually hit the ball good today.
“Sarah is one of the few girls that came out hitting this season – Sarah, Battaglio and Caitlyn Milke have been swinging the bats early. As a team, we weren’t where we wanted to be, but today they hit the ball hard. It wasn’t the greatest playing conditions – it was windy and nasty.”
Ashleigh Sharp led the Flying Cardinals with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and two runs scored. Rachel Hyman was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Nikki Ross earned the win on the mound while Kristen Ganderton, who fanned nine, walked one and allowed zero earned runs, absorbed the loss.
The Vikings upped their record to 2-0 in league play (3-1 overall) while the Flying Cardinals fell to 1-1 in the league (2-3 overall).
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7, UPPER MORELAND 3
The Colonials used a team effort to earn their first win of the season. Their offense was sparked by the three-hit effort of sophomore catcher Susan Janfrancisco, who collected two singles and a double while contributing one RBI and two runs scored. Junior Jordan Katz was 1-for-2 with a sacrifice and one run scored. Corinne Watson and Michelle Taunton also collected RBIs for PW.
Erica Miller earned the win on the mound, working seven innings.
The Colonials are 1-0 in league play (1-3 overall) while the Golden Bears fell to 0-1 in the league (0-7 overall).
WISSAHICKON 1, NORRISTOWN 0
Katie Ziegler did it all in Tuesday’s win, scattering four hits while fanning nine and walking just one to earn the win on the mound. She also contributed a pair of hits, including a triple and scoring the game’s only run. Merdith Byrne had the game’s only RBI.
The Trojans are 1-0 in league play (3-0 overall) while the Eagles fell to 0-2 in the league (1-6 overall).
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