Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Thursday. To view photos of the Neshaminy/Tennent and Upper Merion/PW games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
WILLIAM TENNENT 12, NESHAMINY 10
Biz Keeney called Thursday’s game a ‘bashfest.’ By any name, it was a hitter’s dream. Both teams slugged a pair of home runs on a day that confirmed no lead is ever safe.
“I thought we battled,” said Keeney, whose team trailed 9-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. “What a stark contrast a week makes. Last week we played a 2-0 game (a win over Pennsbury). I think it’s a credit to our kids – we can play a tight game or we can play a wide open game.
“You have to show up, you have to play, and you have to compete. That’s the part I like about this group. We compete.”
Nikki Alden, who earned the win on the mound, got the ball rolling when she roped a three-run home run in the first inning, but it was sophomore Jackie Heim’s two-run blast in the sixth inning that won the game. In between, the Redskins received a solo home run from sophomore Sophie Beretski in a two-run fourth, and teammate Sam Offenback hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning to put the Redskins on top 9-4.
“Clearly both teams can hit,” Keeney said. “It wasn’t a matter of either team was going to strike each other out.”
The momentum turned in Tennent’s favor in the bottom of the fifth. The rally began innocently enough when Casey McMahon lined a one-out single to left. A hit batter set the stage for leadoff batter Sara Keeney, who singled to load the bases.
A run crossed the plate when Heim drew a bases-loaded walk, and that brought Alden to the plate with the bases still loaded. The senior slugger hit a line shot that was snared in left field. The runner from third tagged and raced home, easily beating the throw, but disaster struck for the Redskins when the throw back to third base sailed into left field, allowing two more runs to cross the plate. Just like that, it was a 9-8 game.
“That to me changed the complexion of the game,” coach Keeney said. “We go from a 9-5 game to a 9-8 game on a sacrifice fly.
“From a standpoint of the game, it was a situation where we were just kind of hanging on to all of a sudden we’re back in the game. The best part of that was I did like our aggressiveness on the bases, trying to pick up the extra base.”
The Redskins plated a run in the sixth to go on top 10-8, but a putout at the plate on a double steal attempt prevented further damage.
In the bottom of the inning, the Panthers took the lead for good, plating four runs. Highlights of the inning included singles by freshman Marissa Govan and Keeney (RBI) and Heim’s two-run home run.
“Our kids want to compete, and I think that’s what I saw today,” Keeney said. “I don’t think there was any panic – up 3-0 or down 9-4. We’re pretty even keel all the way.
“I thought the bottom of our order did a great, great job. Kerri Ledford was 1-for-2, but she got hit on the foot and was on base two times. Casey McMahon scored two runs. I think it really came down to a couple of plays here and there that turn a game like that.”
Neshaminy received two-hit performances from Jen Walker, Mackensie Compton (double), Nikki Wild (double), Hunter Hart and Offenback (double, home run). For the Panthers, Heim and Keeney both finished with three hits with Heim driving in four runs and Alden, three. Keeney added a pair of hits.
“Both teams have pretty complete lineups,” coach Keeney said. “There’s no Lauren Quense or Val Buehler to bale teams out this year. This league doesn’t have that.
“On any given day, I truly think anybody can beat anybody. I don’t think you could say that very often about this league.”
The Panthers stand alone at the top of the National Conference with a 3-0 mark (5-1 overall) while the Redskins fall to 2-2 in the league (5-2 overall).
Neshaminy 032 221 0-10
William Tennent 300 144 x-12
HARRY S TRUMAN 8, ABINGTON 5 (9 innings)
Truman freshman Steph Wolf delivered a grand slam over the left field fence with one out in the fifth inning, turning a 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 lead. The Ghosts came back to tie it in the bottom of the inning, but the Tigers refused to be denied, winning their first game of the season with three runs in the ninth inning.
“This was huge for us to get a win,” coach Gretchen Cammiso said. “We have struggled to play a complete game.
“Some days we hit well but had eight errors. Other games, we played well on defense, but we were striking out 13 times. I put a little pressure on them yesterday with a before practice speech. We usually tend to play pretty close games at Abington regardless, and they came out focused today.”
Kelsey Hackdart opened the ninth by drawing a walk, and Jess O’Brien followed with her second bunt hit of the day to put a pair on board. Wolf followed with a bloop single over second, driving in the go-ahead run. An infield single by Cheyenne Jones sent another run across the plate, and the Tigers added an insurance run when Olivia Lavertu delivered a sacrifice fly to left to give her team an 8-5 lead.
O’Neill did the rest, retiring the Ghosts in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win.
“Jess O’Neill has pitched for the last two games and has pitched really well,” Cammiso said. “She’s a really good presence on the mound.
“We have been playing around with positional things, and today things seemed to work. We got some big hits when we needed them, and the top of the order really came through.”
Rachel DeCarlo had a big day for the Ghosts, contributing a pair of home runs – a two-run shot in the third and a solo homer in the fifth. She also had a double and four RBIs. It was her home run in the fifth that knotted the score after Wolf had give the Tigers the lead.
“She came up in the ninth, and we intentionally walked her,” Cammiso said.
O’Brien and Wolf led the Tigers with three hits each. Wolf had five RBIs and Jones had two.
The Tigers are 1-2 in league play (1-5 overall) while the Ghosts are 1-3 in the league (3-3 overall).
“It could be exciting because I feel like anybody can win and anybody can lose,” Cammiso said.
Harry S Truman 001 040 003-8
Abington 112 010 000-5
Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 4, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
Erelle Sowers tossed a one-hit gem to lead the Indians to the important win. She struck out six and walked four.
“Erelle did awesome,” coach Steph Rummel said. “They had the bases loaded with one out in the fourth, and we were kicking the ball around.
“Erelle came through and had three straight strikeouts. We lost it a little bit, and it was good to have someone step up and got the job done. She was really good today. She’s a great leader, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. Hopefully, we can put her in more and more, and she can pull through for us.”
The Indians got on the scoreboard early, plating a pair of runs in the first. Missy Wiley delivered the big blow, a two-run double. Haley Delany singled and scored in the inning.
“That was really important for us because we like to work ahead,” Rummel said. “We try to win every inning and score every inning.
“It was really nice to score two runs and get a little confidence, especially after the North Penn game (a 10-4 loss Wednesday).”
The Indians tacked on a run in the third inning, sparked by singles from Dayna Shelly and Wiley as well as a costly East miscue. The Patriots got on the scoreboard in the fourth without the benefit of a hit, capitalizing on a pair of walks and errors.
In the fifth, the Indians tacked on an insurance run when Dayna Shelly tripled and scored on an error.
The Indians, who pounded out 10 hits off a duo of East hurlers, received two-hit efforts from Delany, Wiley, Dayna Shelly, Morgan Yoder (double) and Angie Carty.
Caroline Schoenewald accounted for East’s lone hit.
“We knew going in Schoenewald could hit and is also fast, so our biggest thing was trying to make sure the girls before her did not get on base,” Rummel said. “We pretty much pitched around her and didn’t give her anything good.”
The Indians upped their lead mark to 3-1 (5-2 overall) while the Patriots fell to 1-2 in the league (1-3 overall).
Souderton 201 010 0-4
Central Bucks East 000 100 0-1
PENNRIDGE 16, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 (4 innings)
Alyssa Hughes notched her first win of the season for the Rams, tossing a shutout in the abbreviated game. Haley Taylor, according to coach Paul Koehler, was “rock solid at shortstop.” She also was 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs.
Offensively, the bottom of the Rams’ lineup came up with some big hits. Bridget Casey was 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs. Alison Horne was 3-for-3 with three RBIs, and Casey Barnes picked up a hit in her only plate appearances of the game.
The Rams are 1-2 in league play (3-3 overall) while the Bucks fell to 0-4 in the league (1-5 overall).
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 4, WISSAHICKON 2
Grace DeRosa had another solid performance in the circle, scattering five hits while fanning seven to earn the win for the Lady Panthers.
“She remained strong in the late innings,” coach Ron Perlstein said. “She’s carrying us on her back, which is good.”
The Trojans went on top 1-0 in the top of the first, but the Lady Panthers answered with two in the bottom of the frame. Highlights of the inning included a triple by Rita Laychock as well as an RBI single by Nina Jackson.
The Lady Panthers added a single run in the third to go on top 3-1, and the two teams exchanged single runs in the sixth.
“Jamie Austin had a big hit for us,” Perlstein said. “She pinch hit in the bottom of the sixth and had an RBI single, which gave us a security run.
“Sophomore Madison Gianelle played well. She laid down a beautiful bunt, beat it out, and she also got a nice single and scored our third run.”
Despite the outcome, Wissahickon coach Crystalrae States was pleased with her team’s performance. The Trojans allowed just four runs after giving up double-digit runs in each of their first four games.
“It’s tough because I have a lot of young kids, and it’s my first year here,” States said. “We made a pitching change. Halle Segal was actually our jayvee pitcher, but she threw strikes.
“Our defense was pretty good. Cheltenham hit some tough balls, but my defense was able to pick them up and made some really good plays to keep us in the game. We scored early, which was exciting. I was really happy for them. They worked hard, and it was fun to see them have a chance to win a game.”
Segal, a freshman, walked just one batter.
“I started four freshmen and two sophomores in the infield and two seniors and a junior in the outfield, so we’re really young,” States said. “It’s still really early, and we’re trying to figure out all the pieces, but we may have found someone who can keep us in games, and that’s really important because we can score and we can play good defense.
“It was the best game we’ve played all year, and I was really happy for them.”
Brittany Gelman led the Trojans offensively with a pair of hits.
The Lady Panthers improved to 3-0 in league play (4-1 overall) while the Trojans fell to 0-3 in the league (0-5 overall).
Wissahickon 100 001 0-2
Cheltenham 201 001 x-4
UPPER MORELAND 6, UPPER DUBLIN 1
The Golden Bears picked up their second win in as many days Thursday when they downed the Flying Cardinals.
“Two good days,” coach Scott Ludlow said. “We talked before the game – one of the hardest things to do coming off a good win is following that up with another real good performance.
“One of the things I find – no matter what the score is - we seem to always be focused on what’s coming next. It was just a really big win today to keep us moving in the right direction. It meant a lot to the girls.”
Freshman Brianna Byard had an impressive debut on the mound, allowing just five hits while fanning seven and walking four in a winning effort.
“She just pitched a solid game, didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Ludlow said. “I think it gave her a lot of confidence. She came into the Upper Merion game last week and struggled with her control, but today she was solid, and we played good defense behind her.
“We’ve been doing a lot of little things right – a lot of moving runners, a lot of scoring runners from third base with less than two outs. We’ve been playing solid defensively. Yesterday and today we got some lead runs.”
Karli Lynch was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Lindsay Walder was 2-for-3, and Allie Miller had a pair of hits, including a triple.
The Golden Bears scored one in the first, but the Cardinals got that one back in the second. A single run in the third put the Bears on top 2-1, and they took that lead into the seventh when they exploded for four runs to seal the win. Lynch and Miller both contributed RBI singles in the uprising. The inning started with back-to-back bunt singles by Walder and Alexa Wister for the Bears, who scored three runs with two outs.
“We didn’t get any big hits but had a lot of little hits,” Ludlow said. “We bunted a run home from third, we scored a run on a sacrifice fly.”
The Golden Bears are 3-1 in league play (4-1 overall) while the Cardinals are 2-1 in the league (2-3 overall).
Upper Moreland 101 000 4-6
Upper Dublin 010 000 0-1
SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 3, NORRISTOWN 2
The Spartans managed just two hits but benefitted from four walks and four errors to eke out the win. They plated two runs in the first, and after the Eagles answered with a run in the second, they added a single run in the fifth and held on for the win.
The Eagles collected seven hits but could only push two runs across. Maria Sinni and Kathleen Watson both finished the day 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Kim Machalette earned the win on the mound, scattering seven hits and fanning 10. Springfield pitcher Allison Taylor absorbed the loss, fanning seven while walking four.
The Spartans improved to 2-1 in league play while the Eagles fell to 0-4.
Springfield 200 010 0-3
Norristown 010 001 0-2
UPPER MERION 11, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 (5 innings)
Olivia Sborlini stole the spotlight in Thursday’s win, delivering a grand slam in the third inning of the abbreviated game and also earning the win on the mound. She allowed just three hits while striking out three and walking one.
“She ripped that right down the line, and it went,” coach John Whitney said of Sborlini’s blast. “That kind of broke it open.”
Maddalana Ghanayem and Gabby Sborlini both added a pair of hits. Allie Moffett added an RBI double.
“My two senior captains have been doing a really good job – Maddalana Ghanayem and Gabby Sborlini,” Whitney said.
The win came on the heels of 10-0 loss to Bensalem 24 hours earlier in an abbreviated five-inning game. The Vikings returned the favor to the Colonials with Thursday’s mercy rule win.
“We didn’t have a very good day against Bensalem,” Whitney said. “I didn’t do a very good job coaching. We just didn’t field the ball.
“We just weren’t there. It was one of those days. We talked about it after the game and said, ‘Let’s put this one behind us, get back in league play.’ The girls always respond pretty well. I was quite pleased.”
The Vikings are 3-0 in league play (4-2 overall) while the Colonials fell to 0-3 in the league.
Upper Merion 027 11-11
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 00-0
UPPER MORELAND 7, NORRISTOWN 4 (Wednesday, April 9)
The Golden Bears opened up a 7-0 lead before the Eagles threw a scare into them with a four-run outburst in the seventh.
Lindsay Walder set the tone for the game when she scored on a delayed steal in the first inning, spotting the Bears an early 1-0 lead. She finished the game 2-for-3. Allie Miller also was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Amber O’Connor earned the win, allowing five hits while striking out two and walking six – four in the seventh inning.
Upper Moreland 110 010 4-7
Norristown 000 000 4-4
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