Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Friday.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 9, WILLIAM TENNENT 8
This was a gut-check win if ever there was one for a Rock South team that had lost six of its first seven games. Throw in the fact that the Golden Hawks trailed 6-0 early, and gut check might be an understatement.
“I don’t know if there’s a word I could find in the dictionary that describes how bad we needed this,” Rock South coach Frank Marino said. “I kept saying, ‘Our record is not indicative of who we are,’ and the other day I started to tell the girls, ‘At some point, if we don’t change things, we are going to become what our record states we are.’”
Twenty-four hours after falling to Pennsbury 14-2, the Golden Hawks found themselves on the short end of a 6-0 score after two-and-a-half innings. It would have been easy and even understandable if the Hawks – who brought a 1-6 record into the game – had hung their heads and said, ‘Here we go again.’
That didn’t happen. As a matter of fact, the exact opposite did.
The Golden Hawks plated four runs in the bottom of the third and went on to outscore the Panthers 9-2 the rest of the way to earn the much-needed win.
“We obviously got kicked around yesterday at Pennsbury,” Marino said. “The message has always been the same, and going into Pennsbury, we tried to ride the – ‘Hey, we’re going to snap this and what better way than to go to Pennsbury and play the undefeated team.’ That didn’t turn out too well.
“However, I think all things happen for a reason, and after that game got away from us and Pennsbury too, we both started to put in some second string players, some jayvee players, and it allowed me to take a look at some girls. In the middle of the night, I woke up – I was laying there thinking about the game today and what we could do differently. I sent a text to our team and said, ‘I thought long and hard about it, I looked at our stats, and we’re shaking it up.’”
Marino’s revamped lineup looked like a stroke of genius when three jayvee players did most of the damage for the Golden Hawks.
“They knocked in a couple of runs and had some big hits tonight, so the shakeup kind of worked, which was cool to see,” Marino said.
In the bottom of the third, the Golden Hawks scored four runs to pull to within two. Alli Kitson – one of the jayvee players who saw action Thursday – stepped to the plate and delivered a bases-clearing triple that plated three runs.
In the top of the fourth, Tennent’s Hannah Reimel hit a solo home run, her second round tripper in two days. In the fifth, Megan Curtis, who doubled, scored on a Sarah Cummins’ groundout to put the Panthers on top 8-4, but the Golden Hawks came roaring back.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Hawks plated three runs to pull to within one, benefitting from three walks and several Panther miscues.
“We had the tying run at third, and we got picked off,” Marino said. “I just felt the energy change – that was a big moment for Tennent.”
The Golden Hawks still trailed by one heading into the bottom of the seventh.
“A jayvee player, Annalyse Mills, had started the game, and I had taken her out,” Marino said. “I just had a gut feeling, and I put her back in to get another crack at the plate, and she delivered a single to start the inning.
“Another jayvee player, Lauren Paulk, I had entered the previous inning as a pinch runner, and I kept her in the DP spot. Lauren hit a triple, bringing in Annalyse with the game-tying RBI. With Lauren at third and one out, Shorty Thompson comes up. She has been struggling a little bit, and I just kept telling her, ‘Keep fighting, keep fighting.’ She had a couple of bad at-bats and was in her head, and she was able to deliver a single to center field that scored Lauren, and that was it.”
Kitson had a team-high four RBIs for the Golden Hawks. Kayla Patricelli was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, and Karley Despirito was 2-for-3 with a double. Paulk was 1-for-1 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Thompson had one RBI, and it was the game-winner.
“They didn’t quit,” Marino said. “Even the Pennsbury game that got away from us – at that point, even as frustrated as I was and as frustrated as they were, they took it on the chin, we finished and said, ‘We have 13 games left, a lot of softball left.’”
Danielle Walters earned the win in the circle, allowing nine hits and eight runs (six earned) while striking out six and walking three.
“It was good to see Danielle (Walters) – she had a nice day and hung in there,” Marino said. “As far as being in the rain, I know she was frustrated, I know it’s not been the greatest start for her, but she stayed in there and she battled. All in all, it was a great win. It was great to see some jayvee players step up in big moments and deliver big hits for us when we needed it.
“Looking up at the scoreboard, it’s 6-0, the rain’s coming down, and you’re just not feeling too good about yourself by any means. They showed me a lot today by hanging in there and taking one inning at a time. We were excited.”
For the Panthers, Curtis led the attack with a 3-for-4 effort that included a double and RBI. Reimel was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, RBI and two runs. Devon Fithian and Brianna Koonce each added a double.
Council Rock South (2-6, 1-4 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman Tuesday, and William Tennent (2-6, 1-5) will host Harry S Truman on Wednesday.
William Tennent 123 110 0 8
Council Rock South 004 030 2 9
SOL American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7, HATBORO-HORSHAM 4
The Colonials remained unbeaten in conference play with a huge win over the Hatters. The win – according to coach Dana Moyer – was the first ever for her program over the perennial SOL power.
“It was a nice win today, a nice win,” the Colonials’ coach said. “I’m super proud of them. They definitely earned that win today.”
The Colonials took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Emma Carney, who doubled, scored on Hannah Suh’s single. The Hatters answered with a pair in the bottom of the inning. Singles by Marissa Rapino and Joyce Bloome set the stage for a two-run double by Kendal Leitner that put the Hatters on top 2-1.
The Colonials took a lead they would not lose in the third when freshman Lauryn Kane hit a two-run home run to center field that plated Jennifer Byrne, who led off the inning with a single.
They added three more runs in third. A two-run double by Byrne highlighted the inning, and the Colonials tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Byrne collected her second double of the day, driving in a run that give PW a 7-2 lead.
“She had a great day,” Moyer said of Byrne. “She had a great day in center, she had a great day all around. She had a rough day yesterday (against Upper Dublin), and it was not like her, so to see her bounce back really showed a lot of maturity.
“She’s a gamer, and I know she gets upset with herself when she’s not playing well. To see her come back and do something really great – we talked about it before. We need to bring our ‘A’ game against that team every single time, and everyone from top to bottom really brought it.”
The Hatters put a pair of runs on the board in the seventh, thanks to a two-run double by Alicia Tauber.
“They’re a great hitting team,” Moyer said. “They get their money’s worth at the plate, and they’re well coached with Joe (DiFilippo).
“It’s something I know – I always have to bring my ‘A’ game, the girls have to bring their ‘A’ game, and they really did. The defense – the infield was phenomenal today. I’m super proud of the girls.”
Byrne led the Colonials with a 3-for-4 day at the plate that included a pair of doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored.
For the Hatters, Tauber was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, and Leitner was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Kristen Myers was 1-for-3 with a double and run scored.
Senior Allison Beausoleil earned the win in the circle, allowing eight hits and four runs (unearned) while striking out one and walking two.
“Allison did a nice job,” Moyer said. “She didn’t have all her stuff today, but she battled.
“She’s composed, and she gets out there and works hard. You wouldn’t know if we were down by 10 or up by 10. She just went out there and played her position.”
Grace Daniels absorbed the loss for the Hatters.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-1, 5-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Monday in a battle of the conference’s unbeaten squads, and Hatboro-Horsham (5-4, 4-2) will travel to Abington on Monday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 012 301 0 7-9-0
Hatboro-Horsham 020 000 2 4-10-1
Non-league
NORTH PENN 4, HAVERFORD 3
Mady Volpe wanted the ball when the Knights traveled to Haverford for a non-league battle between a pair of top 10 District One 6A teams. Forget the fact that she’d thrown every pitch in the Knights’ 1-0 win in 11 innings over Central Bucks West 24 hours earlier, the sophomore hurler did not want to sit this one out.
Volpe earned the complete game win, allowing nine hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking three.
“This was a big game for us,” coach Rick Torresani said. “I was thinking about not pitching her, but she told me yesterday she wanted to pitch, and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m not going to tell her no.
“She labored. It was raining, and she didn’t have her normal stuff, but she’s a kid that just gutted it out, and we played really good defense for her.”
Volpe’s grit and determination were underscored in the sixth inning.
“She had a line drive come right at her in her stomach, and I was going to pull her, and again, she said, ‘You’re not taking me out of this game,’” Torresani said. “She struggled in the seventh – she gave up two runs, but she gutted it out. She’s a dream for me.”
The Knights, who managed just five hits, took a 1-0 lead in the third, thanks to an RBI single by Jordan Pietrzykoski. In the Knights’ three-run sixth, Carley DiGiuseppe had an RBI single, and Gianna Costello delivered a two-run single that gave the Knights a 4-1 lead.
The Knights are number one in the latest District 1 6A power rankings while Haverford – seventh entering Friday’s game – dropped to ninth.”
North Penn (8-0, 4-0 SOL) will cap a grueling four games in four days stretch Saturday when the Knights will host Avon Grove in a non-league game at 11 a.m.
North Penn 001 003 0 4
Haverford 000 010 2 3
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 4, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3
Grace Dryden’s two-out RBI single to center in the bottom of the seventh plated the game-winner and gave the Bucks the dramatic walk-off win.
“We don’t do things easy,” West coach Geoff Thompson said.
The Bucks – on the heels of their 1-0 loss to North Penn in an 11-inning marathon one day earlier – trailed 3-1 after five innings. They knotted the score in the sixth inning when Ella Castronuovo delivered a two-run double that knotted the score 3-3.
They won it an inning later. Maddie Leatherbarrow set up the game-winner with her single and stolen base. She moved up to third on a passed ball and scored on Dryden’s clutch hit.
Castronuovo was the lone West player with two hits.
Sara Yoder started the game, and Kayla Gallagher entered the game in the fourth after a rain delay and closed it out to earn the win, allowing no hits and two runs (unearned) while striking out eight and walking three.
Absorbing the loss for the Indians was Lauren Begg, who struck out 10 and did not allow an earned run.
Central Bucks West (6-3, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Monday, and Council Rock North (3-4, 1-3) will host Bensalem in an Autism Awareness game on Monday.
Council Rock North 100 020 0 3
Central Bucks West 010 002 1 4
NESHAMINY 12, CONWELL EGAN 2
The visiting Eagles bunched three hits and put a pair of runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. The Redskins had an emphatic answer in their half of the inning when – with a pair of runners on board – Kylee Jones delivered a three-run blast to give the Redskins a lead they would not lose.
Neshaminy scored three more runs in the second and brought an early end to the game with six runs in the fifth.
Jones finished the day 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Redskins. Rachel Kohler was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a run, and Asia Barnard was 1-for-3 with three runs scored out of the leadoff spot.
Amanda Slabicki notched the win and improved to 3-0 on the season. She allowed four hits and two runs while striking out one.
Neshaminy (8-1, 5-1 SOL) will host Souderton on Monday in a non-league contest.
Conwell Egan 200 00 2-4-2
Neshaminy 330 06 12-8-0
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 14, PENNRIDGE 4 (6 innings)
The Rams took a modest three-game winning streak into Friday’s non-league game that saw the Crusaders erupt for eight runs in the first two innings. They didn’t stop there, scoring six more over the next four and bringing the game to an early end with a single run in the sixth.
The Crusaders pounded out 14 hits off a trio of Pennridge hurlers. Their five-run second was highlighted by Kaitlyn Leshak’s two-run double. Rebecca Tiley had a monster game for LC, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. Mary Picozzi was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Julia Marozzi was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Kiley Watson was 2-for-3 out of the leadoff spot with a pair of runs scored to lead the Crusaders.
Pennridge (5-2, 3-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Pennridge 130 000 4-6-3
Lansdale Catholic 350 231 14-10-2
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