Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Monday. To view photos of the Pennsbury/Truman game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
WILLIAM TENNENT 7, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 6
Tennent used some seventh-inning heroics to earn the dramatic win.
With a runner on first and none out, Jackie Heim ripped a shot to the fence in left center. The lead runner – after missing second – went back to tag the bag.
“Lo and behold, she got thrown out at third,” Tennent coach Biz Keeny said.
The Panthers were unfazed, and Jocelyn Flores stepped to the plate and delivered a single to plate Heim that won it.
“We just kind of chipped away,” Keeny said. “It was really a well-played game by both teams – not a ton of mistakes.
“It can be a little tricky at our place because any ball that goes up in the air becomes a little bit of an adventure. We played fairly well and had some timely hitting and did enough of the little things to win it.”
After the two teams exchanged single runs in the first, the Panthers scored three in the third only to watch the Golden Hawks answer with two in the fourth. The Panthers took a 6-3 lead into the sixth when the Hawks scored a pair. The Hawks knotted the score in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Heim led the Panthers with a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the plate while Sara Keeny was 3-for-3. Reh was 2-for-4, and Liz Marucci added a double.
Kalisi Taufele earned the win in the circle for the Panthers.
“It’s been such a weird spring with this weather,” Keeny said. “This is the second year in a row where we went out and played our opening game and had no scrimmages and had basically one field day.
“We’re inexperienced. We had six seniors last year, so a lot of our stuff right now is learning on the run. We’re replacing some good players and playing our way through.”
Melanie Wilkinson had a pair of two-run home runs – one in the fourth and another in the sixth – to lead the Golden Hawks.
The Panthers (2-3, 1-2 SOL) will travel to Abington on Wednesday while the Golden Hawks (3-2, 2-2) is off until next Monday when they will travel to Central Bucks West for a non-league contest.
Council Rock South 010 202 1 6
William Tennent 103 110 1 7
ABINGTON 2, BENSALEM 1
Jamie Gosselin, who created havoc on the base paths all day, raced home from second with the winning run when Toni Washington delivered the game winner on the 10th pitch of a tremendous at-bat in the bottom of the seventh.
“On her 10th pitch, she nailed it right by them, and it went out to right field,” coach Ellie White said. “I figured we might as well go for the win, so I sent Jamie – she flies.
“It was a well-played game by both teams. It’s a shame someone had to lose because it was definitely one of those games that could have gone on forever. Bensalem is a good team, and Jackie Morell is a good pitcher. It was exciting.”
The walk-off win was the Ghosts third in four league games to open the season, and it was Gosselin who did most of the damage.
Gosselin led off the bottom of the first with a slap single. She stole second and scored on a Nicolette Ray single to give the Ghosts an early 1-0 lead. The Owls got that run back in the fourth, capitalizing on a pair of walks and singles by Erin McVicar and Kelsey Dekoyer (RBI). That 1-1 tie stood until the bottom of the seventh.
Gosselin finished the day 3-for-4 with two runs scored to ignite the Ghosts.
“She’s been doing that for us all season,” White said. “That kid’s a gamer. She’s super fast, she knows how to place the ball, she’s gotten really good at her power slap, so she’s been setting the tone every game for us.”
Ray earned the win in the circle, allowing just three hits while fanning six and walking three.
Abington (5-2, 3-1 SOL) will host William Tennent on Wednesday while Bensalem (4-3, 1-3) will host Truman.
Bensalem 000 100 0 1
Abington 100 000 1 2
NESHAMINY 6, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
Freshman Amber Brugger tossed a six-hit shutout, and right fielder Alexis Watkins delivered a single to plate a run that turned out to be the game winner in the bottom of the second.
According to coach Dave Chichilitti, Watkins’ RBI single could well have been the game’s biggest hit.
“That was a calming moment for us because their pitcher is a good little pitcher,” the Redskins’ coach said of freshman Elyse McMenamin. “She struck out the first four batters she faced, and it was like, ‘Whoa.’”
Nikki Wild broke the string of strikeouts with a base hit, with two outs Watkins delivered a single that brought Wild home.
The Redskins tacked on a single run in the third, and they blew the game open with a four-run fifth. Hunter Hart ignited the rally with a leadoff triple, and Sophie Beretski delivered the inning’s big blow – a three-run triple.
In a winning effort, Brugger fanned four and walked one. McMenamin scattered nine hits while fanning seven.
“Both freshman pitchers pitched really great,” Chichilitti said.
Corrine Garuffe and Beretski both had a pair of hits to lead the ‘Skins. Beretski had a double and triple.
Neshaminy (6-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Pennsbury in a key SOL contest Wednesday while Rock North (2-3, 2-2) will host Abington on Friday.
Council Rock North 000 000 0 0
Neshaminy 011 040 x 6
PENNSBURY 8, HARRY S TRUMAN 1
The Falcons collected just seven hits but turned those hits into eight runs, scoring three runs in the second and four in the third to take control of the game. Marguerite Salamone hit a solo home run in the fourth before the Tigers plated a single run in the seventh to break up the Falcons’ shutout bid.
Casey Boltersdorf allowed just three hits while fanning eight in a winning effort in the circle.
Mia Pitt was the lone Falcon with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI. Dani Litwan and Maddie McQuaid both had a double.
Pennsbury (2-2 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Wednesday while Truman (2-4, 1-3 SOL) will be at Bensalem.
Harry S Truman 000 000 1 1
Pennsbury 034 100 x 8
Continental Conference
PENNRIDGE 4, SOUDERTON 3
The Lady Rams picked up their first conference win of the season in walk-off fashion on Monday. Brianna Geary lead off the seventh with her second single of the game, and Morgan Labs followed with a single.
“Both runners advanced on a passed ball, and Grace McGinley had an eight-pitch at-bat and hit a ball up the middle to score the run,” coach Paul Koehler said. “I know it’s cliché sometimes, but it was definitely a team effort. I used all 14 players on my roster, and everyone contributed in some fashion.
“It was an exciting game. We did not play our best defensive game of the year, but we fortunately were able to play defense when we had to and score runs when we had to. I told the kids, ‘We finished one run ahead, and that’s all that matters.’”
The Indians plated a run in the top of the third, but the Lady Rams knotted the score with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Pennridge took its first lead in the fifth. Alyssa Hughes led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Larissa Motts. On a sacrifice bunt, Motts advanced from first to third and scored the go-ahead run on a groundout.
The Indians knotted the score in the top of the sixth, but a Liv Campbell’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning put the Lady Rams on top 3-2. The Indians scored the equalizer in the seventh on a Dayna Shelly groundout.
“They had runners on second and third, and Dayna Shelly is up,” Koehler said. “She hadn’t hurt us all game, and I’m not going to let her win the game, so I was intentionally walking her.
“My pitcher put the ball too close to the plate. She hit a ball to the second baseman. We got her out, but they scored a run. We were able to get two other groundouts to keep them to one run.”
McGinley, the Lady Rams’ DH, finished the night 2-for-3 while Geary and Julia Helbling both were 2-for-4. Helbling had one RBI.
“It was a nice win,” Koehler said. “I told the kids – ‘We’ve played good softball, and I believe we can beat this team. We just need to go play softball.’
“We used four pitchers. Every time we went through the lineup, we changed.”
Alyssa Hughes, who entered the game with a runner on board in the seventh, earned the win.
The Lady Rams (3-2, 1-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday night at Druckenmiller Park, 6:30 p.m. Souderton (4-2, 3-1) will travel to Central Bucks South on Wednesday.
Souderton 001 001 1 3
Pennridge 000 111 1 4
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 4, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
The Patriots held a 6-4 advantage in hits, but the Titans had the edge the only place that mattered – on the scoreboard, capitalizing on three East errors to plate three unearned runs. They also benefitted from six walks.
The Titans, meanwhile, played flawless defense behind winning pitcher Maddie Decker, who struck out only two.
“We played solid defense,” coach Dan Hayes said. “(Taylor) Marinelli was really solid at third base, and in the first inning, (Maddie) Bieber caught a couple of wind-blown fly balls that were adventuresome.”
The Titans got on the scoreboard with a single run – unearned – in the top of the fourth. They tacked on three more in the sixth. Alex DeLeon delivered a clutch two-out single to plate a run, and after the inning’s second walk and an error, Maddie Bieber collected an RBI single.
For the Patriots, Theresa Haug and Audrey LaBouliere both had a pair of hits.
Kayla Venture, who threw five and two-thirds innings, absorbed the loss.
Central Bucks South (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. contest at Druckenmiller Park. Central Bucks East (3-4, 2-2) returns to action on Wednesday when the Patriots will host Quakertown.
Central Bucks South 000 103 0 4
Central Bucks East 000 000 0 0
NORTH PENN 10, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 (5 innings)
Jackie Bilotti tossed a one-hit shutout, fanning seven in the abbreviated contest that ended when the Maidens scored a single run in the bottom of the sixth.
The senior pitcher had another big day at the plate, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk. Katie Beer was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Ellie Gulick was 2-for-3.
The Maidens scored all the runs they would need in a four-run second. They scored five more in the third before closing it out in the sixth.
North Penn (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Tuesday while the Bucks (3-3, 2-2) will host Palisades in a non-league contest.
Central Bucks West 000 000 0
North Penn 045 001 10
HATBORO-HORSHAM 7, QUAKERTOWN 6
The Hatters found themselves staring at a 3-0 deficit heading into the top of the sixth when they exploded for seven runs. The Panthers made things interesting with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, but the Hatters held on for the win.
Offensively, the Hatters were led by Kylie Flagler, who was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Kaeli Simmons was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. For the Panthers, Lauren Beal was 3-for-4 with a double.
Taylor Sciubba earned the win while Lexie Campbell recorded the save.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-3, 1-3 SOL) will host Methacton in a non-league contest Tuesday while Quakertown (2-3, 0-3) will host North Penn.
Hatboro-Horsham 000 007 0 7
Quakertown 210 003 0 6
American Conference
UPPER MERION 12, WISSAHICKON 1 (5 innings)
Olivia Sborlini turned in a glittering three-hit performance in the abbreviated contest, fanning six and walking none.
“We gave them an unearned run – she should have had her third shutout in a row,” coach John Whitney said. “She’s pitching lights out.”
The Vikings scored one run in the first, added two in the second and used a three-run burst to go on top 6-0 in the third. A six-run fourth brought an early end to the game. The Trojans plated an unearned run in the fourth.
“Defensively, we’ve got some work to do,” Whitney said. “We’re still making some errors that are hurting us, and in the bigger games, I think it’s going to come back and haunt us. We have to clean some things up. The girls are doing what they have to do, but against certain teams, we’re not going to be able to have two-three errors, or we’ll end up losing the game.”
Offensively, Linda Slovek was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Riley Kontra was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, and Alyssa Adinolfi was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Danielle Antonucci was 1-for-1 with two walks, a double and two RBIs.
“The bottom of the lineup – a couple of my seniors were on jayvee, and they’re more used to that (slower) pitching, and they loved it,” Whitney said. “Our bottom four hitters picked us up big time today.”
The Vikings upped their record to 3-0 in the league (3-1 overall) while the Trojans fell to 2-2 in the league (3-3 overall).
“They’re still young, but they’re coming around,” Whitney said. “Their pitcher isn’t overly fast, but they made some errors behind her. She didn’t do a bad job. We struggle with the slower pitchers sometimes because the kids are used to the travel pitchers. The girls did a little better with that today.”
Upper Merion will travel to Upper Dublin on Wednesday while the Trojans will be at Norristown.
Wissahickon 000 10 1
Upper Merion123 6x 12
UPPER DUBLIN 2, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1
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