Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Wednesday.
SOL Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 3, QUAKERTOWN 2
Anyone who thought a Panther team with a 3-3 record wouldn’t be able to hang with the 5-0 Knights in Wednesday’s conference game hasn’t been paying attention to the recent history of this SOL rivalry. The two teams have had some classic battles, and although North Penn had the final word with its 13-2 district playoff win over Quakertown last May, the players hadn’t forgotten their 5-3 regular loss at the hands of the Panthers earlier in the season.
“Quakertown always gives us a run for our money – we knew it was coming,” NP senior Jordan Pietrzykoski said. “Their defense was really solid. We had some good hits, but we were hitting them right to them, and that centerfielder was making really good catches.”
The Panthers’ centerfielder – Bri Lefkoski – turned seven fly balls into outs, and the performance of her team’s defense was not lost on pitcher Tori Caputo.
“They played amazing defense,” Caputo said. “Especially Bri (Lefkoski) in center field – she was amazing.”
Wednesday’s game was another classic battle between the conference rivals with just one error and two walks between the two squads.
“We fought until the end – we fought like we were supposed to,” Caputo said. “How can you be upset with that if we’re battling to the very end?
“With the rocky start (to the season) we had, I think this definitely gives us an upside.”
It was Pietrzykoski setting the stage for a first-inning run with a one-out double to left. She scored when Elia Namey delivered a single. In the fourth inning, Jamie Beer singled, and Mady Volpe and Carley DiGiuseppe followed with back-to-back RBI doubles, spotting the Knights a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers had an immediate answer, scoring a pair in the bottom of the inning. A double by Sarah Stofik plated Halle Frederick, who singled. Syd Andrews brought the second run home with a slap bunt single to pull the Panthers to within one, 3-2. That’s as close as they would get.
“They played a great game and gave us everything,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said. “It’s something I’ve been preaching to the girls – everybody is going to come and play their ‘A’ game. They know a win against North Penn this year is going to give them a ton of (district) points, so they have to be ready every game.
“We haven’t played in a week, and these girls just got back yesterday from Florida, and you could see it. Mady (Volpe) pitched a great game. We relied on her and she came through.”
Volpe allowed seven hits in the complete game win while striking out nine and walking two.
Pietrzykoski (2-for-4, 2 2B) and DiGiuseppe (2-for-3) led the Knights’ attack.
“A win’s a win,” Pietrzykoski said. “We were making contact. They just had some great catches, some great defense on their side. What can you do?”
Caputo absorbed the loss, allowing eight hits while striking out two and walking none. Lauryn Cope was the lone Panther with two hits.
“We played well,” Quakertown coach Dave Scott said. “We kept our composure, and that’s the bottom line.
“I hate the fact that we lost, but if you can pull anything positive out of a loss, it’s the fact that we just played the number one team in our conference evenly.”
With the win, the Knights improved to 6-0 overall, and according to Pietrzykoski, this is no time to get complacent.
“We really have to make sure we settle in, take it pitch by pitch and just make sure we remember that any team can come back,” she said. “We just have to keep the pedal down.”
North Penn (3-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West Thursday, and Quakertown (3-4, 1-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks East Thursday.
North Penn 100 200 0 3-8-1
Quakertown 000 200 0 2-7-0
Non-league
HATBORO-HORSHAM 7, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4
The Hatters wasted little time before jumping on the Patriots. They scored five runs in the top of the first inning, and although the Patriots pulled to within one after a three-run second, the Hatters never relinquished their lead.
In the Hatters’ first-inning explosion, Kayla Tauber and Mikayla Fedele drew back-to-back walks to lead off the inning. Alicia Tauber’s double to left plated the game’s first run. Brit Hubler followed with an RBI single, and then Marissa Rapino delivered the big blow – a booming triple that plated a pair. Joyce Bloome’s sacrifice fly to left pushed the fifth run across.
The Patriots got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a Camille Larson RBI single. They added three more in the second. Highlights of the inning were a double by Isabel Parker, Sophia Lindia’s RBI single, an RBI double by Soleil Dooner and Amelia Funston’s RBI single that made it a 5-4 game.
The Hatters added single runs in the third and fourth innings for the 7-4 final.
Alicia Tauber finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, one RBI and two runs scored. Hubler was 2-for-2 with a double and RBI. Rapino was 1-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs and a run scored, and Bloome was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
For the Patriots, Dooner was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs. Taylor Molesky was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-3, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (1-6, 0-4) will host Quakertown on Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 501 100 0 7-6-1
Central Bucks East 130 000 0 4-6-0
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 13, ARCHBISHOP WOOD 3 (6 innings)
Scoring runs has not come easily for the Bucks, but it was a different story in Wednesday’s non-league game. Ebani Welsh made sure of that, ripping a pair of home runs and driving in five runs.
Welsh’s three-run home run in the second inning gave the Bucks a 4-0 lead. The Vikings plated three runs in the third and threatened to make it interesting. But not for long.
The Bucks erupted for five runs in the fourth inning and added three more in the fifth. Welsh’s two-run home run highlighted the three-run fifth. She finished the day 3-for-3 with five RBIs.
Olivia Durler was 2-for-2 while Abby Lineman was 2-for-3 with a double, home run and three RBIs. Her solo shot to open the sixth gave the Bucks their final margin of victory.
“We didn’t hit too much yesterday,” West coach Geoff Thompson said of his team’s 2-1 win over Truman. “They decided to bring their bats today.”
Kayla Gallagher and Sara Yoder split time in the circle. Gallagher, who earned the win, allowed two hits and three runs while striking out five and walking four in three innings. Yoder closed it out with three shutout innings. She did not allow a hit while striking out four and walking none.
Central Bucks West (5-2, 1-2 SOL) will host North Penn on Thursday.
Central Bucks West 130 531 13-10-1
Archbishop Wood 003 00 3-5-3
BENSALEM 8, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 0
Haley Keenan is showing absolutely ill effects from a layoff for an ankle injury. The Bensalem junior returned to the diamond Tuesday, and after hitting a home run for the jayvee, she did the same for the varsity.
In Wednesday’s win, Keenan led the Owls with a 2-for-3 effort that included a triple, RBI and two runs scored.
Dani Sharpe was the winning pitcher, allowing seven hits and no walks while striking out a pair.
“This was a good team win,” coach Dan Schram said. “Dani Sharpe pitched a good game. LC is a good hitting team.”
Bensalem (5-2, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Thursday.
Lansdale Catholic 000 000 0 0
Bensalem 101 240 0 8
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