North Penn, Hatboro-Horsham & Abington were winners in SOL softball action. NP/CB East photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE to go directly to the photo galleries.
SOL Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 5, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4
“Finish”
That one word is the theme for this year’s Knight squad after a 2017 season that saw them drop six games – all at home, and in five of those six games, they were leading going into the seventh inning.
“That’s why I have the banner (in left field) that says finish because that’s all we talked about all offseason was to finish,” coach Rick Torresani said. “I reminded the girls after the game – this was the first one we actually finished leading going into the seventh.”
Mady Volpe earned the complete game win, allowing five hits while striking out seven and walking two. The freshman hurler showed her mettle in the fourth when – with Patriot runners on second and third and one out – she struck out the next two batters she faced.
“That was huge,” Torresani said. “She’s a ninth grader, she’s been pitching really well, but today was the first day we didn’t score a lot of runs and she was under pressure.
“Against that team – I thought coming in they were going to be a hitting machine. It was our first home game, and she was nervous, but she hung in there, getting those two strikeouts.”
The Patriots put three runs on the board in the top of the third when Alyssa Catron delivered a bases-clearing double with two outs. The Knights answered with two runs in the third, benefitting from singles by Tori Chiu and Emily Groarke and a pair of Patriot miscues.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Knights evened the score when Chiu, who singled, scored on a two-out double to left field by Victoria Juckniewitz. One inning later, the Knights went on top 4-3 when Jordan Pietrzykoski, who singled to lead off the frame, scored on a two-out error.
Catron’s solo shot over the left field fence to open the sixth evened the scored 4-4. The Knights took a lead they would not lose in the bottom of the inning. Groarke led off the frame with a single, and the Knights had runners on second and third with none out after Juckniewitz poked a bunt over the head of the charging third baseman. One out later, Groarke raced home when Elia Namey lofted a sacrifice fly to right field.
“It was a strange game,” Torresani said. “Back and forth – they make a mistake, we make a mistake. They make an error, we make an error.
“It wasn’t a clean game, but it was the type of game that is going to happen early on in the season.”
The Knights – who were led by the 3-for-3 effort of Chiu – collected nine hits.
Catron accounted for two of the Patriots’ five hits, finishing the game 2-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and a run scored.
North Penn (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Haverford in a non-league game Thursday, and Central Bucks East (0-5, 0-3) will host Central Bucks West.
Central Bucks East 003 001 0 4
North Penn 002 111 x 5
SOL American Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 6, UPPER MORELAND 3
The Hatters – who didn’t play their first game of the season until Monday – have spent the week taking care of business, avenging a pair of last year’s losses that proved to be costly.
Last year, the Hatters fell to Quakertown 16-12 in the initial meeting and dropped their first game against Upper Moreland 6-2. Those losses cost the Hatters a conference crown the Panthers won.
Twenty-four hours after avenging their Quakertown loss, the Hatters defeated Upper Moreland, using a three-run sixth to break a 3-3 tie.
Mikayla Fedele earned the complete game win in the circle, allowing six hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out eight and walking three.
The Golden Bears took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Hatters answered with three in their half of the inning. The Hatters knotted the score in the fifth. And that scored stood until the bottom of the sixth.
Leading the Hatters at the plate were Maddie Yeager (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 runs) and Brittany Yeager (2-for-3, 2B, run). Grace Daniels had a double and two RBIs. Fedele and Alicia Tauber also contributed RBIs.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-0, 3-0 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (1-1, 1-1) will travel to Springfield Township on Thursday.
Upper Moreland 200 010 0 3-6-2
Hatboro-Horsham 300 003 x 6-8-2
Non-league
ABINGTON 13, UPPER DUBLIN 3 (5 innings)
The Ghosts trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom of the second when they scored four runs to go on top 5-3. A six-run third all but sealed the Cardinals’ fate in the abbreviated contest.
Olivia Bernstein was 3-for-4 with a triple, five RBIs and a run scored. The West Chester-bound senior delivered the big blow in the six-run third – a three-run triple.
“She’s really consistent at the plate and doing well,” coach Ellie White said.
Jess O’Neil was 2-for-3 with a double three RBIs and two runs scored.
“Jess is usually a lefty slapper, and she’s been hitting from the left side now instead of slapping, and she’s been doing well,” White said. “She came up with a big double today.”
Julie Burkhardt was 2-for-3 with a triple, RBI and four runs scored, and Lily Campoli was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.
Tori Brandenburger earned the win in the circle, working four innings. Bernstein threw a scoreless fifth.
Abington (1-2, 0-2 SOL) will host Cheltenham in a non-league game Friday, and Upper Dublin (2-4, 2-2) will host Springfield Township on Monday.
Upper Dublin 210 00 3
Abington 146 2x 13
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