Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Wednesday.
American Conference
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 4, UPPER MORELAND 1
Jen Hammons had herself a day on Wednesday.
The Spartans’ senior pitcher struck out 10 and did not allow an earned run in a stellar outing. If that wasn’t enough, Hammons also doubled twice and drove in a run to propel the Spartans to the big win in a battle of unbeaten conference squads.
“She’s been really outstanding this year,” coach Curt Cyliax said of Hammons. “She’s a different pitcher than she’s been the last two years.
“We have a really young team, and she’s picked it up a level and put the team on her back a bit. When she gets in trouble, she gets this look on her face that she’s going to do it, and she’s been hitting the ball. Last year and this year, she’s been hitting the ball really, really well, so she’s helping herself. We have a young team and they’re making some silly mistakes behind her, but she’s really coming up big this year.”
The Golden Bears plated an unearned run in the top of the first. It turned out to be their last hurrah.
The Spartans answered with two runs in the bottom of the first, using hits by Mary Kate Smith, Hammons (double) and Gabby Gaskin. Smith scored her first of three runs on the day, and Hammons also scored.
Smith, according to Cyliax, has given the Spartans a lift at the top of the lineup this season. The sophomore leadoff hitter suffered a concussion during soccer season and was sidelined for a good portion of that season as well as the basketball season.
“Last year she was struggling at the plate,” Cyliax said. “I don’t know what has happened, but she’s getting up there and battling tough, getting on base.”
An RBI double by Hammons in the third put the Spartans on top 3-1, and they added an insurance run in the fifth for the 4-1 final.
“They’re a scrappy team, and they always give us a little bit of a headache because they do a lot of bunting,” Cyliax said of the Golden Bears. “Last year, they did five or six bunts in a row, and we couldn’t get them out and they beat us that way.
“We’ve been practicing the bunts a lot, and we’ve been trying to prep the girls a little bit. We know who’s coming back and what was effective against them last year.”
Gaskins finished the game 2-for-3 as the Spartans’ one, two and three hitters accounted for five of the team’s seven hits.
“Gabby is a freshman, and she can put it to the fence,” Cyliax said. “When I’m pitching soft toss to her, I have to jump behind the net for fear she beans me in the head. She’s just a natural.”
Cyliax also credited Smith for the job she’s been doing behind the plate.
“She’s the kid you say – ‘Where do you want to play this year?’ And she’ll say, ‘Wherever you need me,’” the Spartans’ coach said. “Mary Kate was behind the plate last year, and this year she’s matured and she seems to be calling a much better game.
“She’s come up big. Last year as a freshman she had a tough time stopping the ball, and I was calling the pitches. This year she’s taken it over. Jen gets confidence having her behind the plate.”
Springfield (3-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (4-1, 2-1) will host Cheltenham Thursday.
Upper Moreland 100 000 0 1-6-1
Springfield 201 010 x 4-7-1
UPPER MERION 18, WISSAHICKON 3 (4 innings)
Julianne Griffin roped a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning as part of a three-run uprising for the Trojans. The visiting Vikings had a definitive response in the top of the second inning, erupting for 16 runs en route to the no-doubt-about-it win.
“That must have woke the girls up,” UM coach John Whitney said of the Trojans’ three-run first. “They started hitting the ball, and they kept hitting.”
Michaela Ghanayem doubled to lead off the second, and by the time the inning was over, she had three doubles and the Vikings led 16-3. They added two runs in the fourth to bring an early end to the game.
Ghanayem led the Vikings’ 14-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort that included the three doubles and four RBIs. Abby Volpe also had a big day, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Nicole Kowalski was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Allie Moffett was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Bridget Valeri was 2-for-4 with a double.
Olivia Sborlini earned the win in the circle, allowing three hits – only one after the first inning. She fanned three and did not walk a batter.
“She knew she made one bad pitch (on Griffin’s home run) – it was an 0-2 pitch, and she said, ‘It was my bad. I can’t throw that pitch,’” Whitney said. “You have to give that kid credit, but after that, Liv shut them down.”
Upper Merion (4-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Thursday in a key conference battle, and Wissahickon (0-4, 0-3) will host Norristown.
“We have Upper Dublin tomorrow, so we better be ready for them because they’re playing good,” Whitney said. “They had a lot of young kids last year that were coming back, and Heather (Boyer) is a very good coach, so they’ll be ready to go. I know that.”
Upper Merion 0160 2 18
Wissahickon 300 0 3
CHELTENHAM 3, NORRISTOWN 2
A three-run fourth inning uprising by the Lady Panthers proved to be the difference in Wednesday’s conference game. The Eagles answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough as Cheltenham held on to earn its first conference win.
Highlights of the three-run fourth included a single by Vita Blair-Kraybill, Marissa Custer’s RBI single and an RBI groundout by Izzy Picone. All three of the Lady Panthers’ runs were unearned
Blair-Kraybill led the Lady Panthers with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate.
Stephanie Orman’s 2-for-3 effort – which included a pair of doubles – led the Eagles. Mya Humphries tripled in the seventh, but the Eagles could not bring her home.
Megan Smajda earned the win in the circle for the Lady Panthers, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out five and walking two.
Orman absorbed the loss, allowing five hits while fanning seven and walking none.
Cheltenham (2-4, 1-2 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Moreland on Thursday, and Norristown (2-4, 0-3) will travel to Wissahickon Thursday.
Cheltenham 000 300 0 3-5-2
Norristown 000 200 0 2-5-3
Continental Conference
QUAKERTOWN 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 2
By Kyle Morhardt for SuburbnaOneSports.com
The Hatboro-Horsham Hatters hosted Quakertown in an important league game for both teams. The Hatters, coming off a tough road victory against Central Bucks East, looked to continue their momentum at the start of the league season. Quakertown had suffered a road loss to defending champions North Penn in its previous game.
Quakertown scored the first runs of the game in the top of the second inning as Ryann Kemmerling and Tara Baglivo both hit RBI singles. Quakertown extended its lead off of a solo homerun in top of the third by Maddie Moyer.
The Hatters managed to pull to within one with single runs in the fourth and the sixth through an RBI single by Deanna Moyer and an RBI double by Bridgette Schaffer respectively. Quakertown sealed the win with a run scored off of an error by the defense in the seventh.
“This is huge,” Quakertown coach Rich Scott said. “The way this league is – every win is big.
“We just beat each other up. Every game is like a playoff game – it comes down to the last pitch. This conference is just crazy.”
Baglivo, Wilkinson and Kemmerling each finished with two hits to lead the Panthers. Schaffer’s 2-for-3 effort led the Hatters.
Alyssa Wilkinson earned the complete game win for Quakertown, allowing just three hits while striking out five.
“She has been doing a fabulous job for us all year,” Scott said. “She’s been hitting her spots, she’s been striking batters out, and she’s fielding her position. She’s been playing great.
“Against North Penn, she threw 74 pitches and 54 were strikes, and all of their runs were unearned.”
Taylor Scuibba and Kaeli Simmons split time in circle for Hatboro-Horsham, racking up four and two strikeouts respectively. Quakertown (5-2, 3-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham (5-3, 1-3) will host Central Bucks West Thursday as well in an effort to get some league wins under their belt.
Quakertown 021 000 1 4-7-1
Hatboro-Horsham 000 101 0 2-3-3
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 18, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
Add Wednesday’s game between the neighboring rivals to the list of strange and unusual games this season. The Patriots took a 6-0 lead into the top of the seventh when they exploded for 12 runs.
There were offensive heroes galore for the Patriots, who pounded out 15 hits off a pair of Titan hurlers. Brady Tillotson (3-for-5, 3 RBIs, one run) and Nicole Tracy (3-for-5, 3 RBIs, 3 runs) led the Titans’ hit parade. Hailey Aspinwall (2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBIs, 3 runs), Tara Harper (2-for-4, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 2 runs) and Alyssa Catron (2-for-4, 2 doubles, 3 runs) also turned in multi-hit performances. Audrey LaBouliere contributed a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Theresa Haug and Kayla Ventura each had a single and RBI, and the duo also split time in the circle. Haug allowed one hit in three scoreless innings to open the game, striking out one and walking none, and Ventura, who notched the win, threw four scoreless innings to close it out, allowing three hits while fanning seven and walking one.
Central Bucks East (4-1, 3-1 SOL) will be on the road at Quakertown on Thursday, and Central Bucks South (3-3, 1-3) will travel to Souderton.
Central Bucks East 050 100 12 18-15-1
Central Bucks South 000 000 0 0-4-5
National Conference
PENNSBURY 7, HARRY S TRUMAN 3
The Falcons celebrated picking up their first win of the season Wednesday but suffered a loss far greater than the outcome of any game when long-time volunteer assistant Joe Warne lost his courageous battle with cancer earlier in the day. Warne – who was inducted in the Pennsbury Hall of Fame last October – joined the softball program one year after Frank McSherry took over the helm in 1983. The Falcons’ coach broke the news to his players after the game.
“It’s really tough,” McSherry said. “He was a great coach.
“I came home and my wife said, ‘Joe helped you there,’ and I know he did.”
A two-run home run by Pennsbury’s Arden Rabiger in the fourth broke a scoreless tie. The Tigers got one of those runs back on a solo home run by Maria Dea in the bottom of the inning, but the Falcons were just getting started, plating two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings and adding a single run in the seventh.
Truman put two runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Stephanie Wolf hit a two-run homer for the 7-3 final.
Leading the Falcons’ 10-hit attack were Sydney Jakimowicz (2-for-5, two runs) and Sierra Daley (2-for-4).
Alyssa Hileman earned the win in the circle, striking out a career-high eight batters.
“I have to give her credit today – she hit her spots very well,” McSherry said.
Wednesday’s win came on the heels of a 17-15 loss to previously undefeated Archbishop Ryan in a contest that saw the Falcons pound out 23 hits.
“It was good for the kids,” McSherry said. “We had seven errors – we gave them too many outs. If we don’t commit those errors, we win the game.
“To be honest, I was proud of our kids. We were down by four runs a couple of times and battled back. Their kid threw pretty hard.”
Pennsbury (1-4, 1-3 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Thursday, and Harry S Truman (0-7, 0-4) will host Bensalem on Thursday.
Pennsbury 000 222 1 7
Harry S Truman 000 010 2 3
ABINGTON 9, BENSALEM 7
A six-run fifth inning by the Ghosts was the difference in Wednesday’s game between the conference rivals. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Ghosts.
“We got outscored 34-14 in two games,” coach Ellie White said of those two losses. “We were able to get our confidence back.
“Bensalem is a good team, so to get a win against them is a big deal.”
The two teams were deadlocked 2-2 after two and 3-3 after three. The Owls scored a single run in the top of the fifth to go on top by one, but not for long. The Ghosts answered with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the frame. Toni Washington – who scored twice for the Ghosts – led off the inning with a single and stole second. Jade Sowell followed with a single, setting the stage for a two-run double by Aubrey Cataldi. Kate Frank added a two-run single in the inning.
Bensalem didn’t go down quietly. A two-run home run by Erin McVictor in the sixth made it a 9-6 game, and the Owls added a single run in the seventh, but the Ghosts held on for the win.
Cataldi’s 2-for-4 effort at the plate led the Ghosts. For the Owls, McVicar and Tori Yorgey both finished the game 2-for-4.
Nicolette Rae earned the win in the circle.
Abington (2-2, 2-1 SOL) will be on the road at William Tennent on Thursday, and Bensalem (3-4, 1-3) will travel to Harry S Truman on Thursday.
Bensalem 021 012 1 7
Abington 111 060 x 9
NESHAMINY 11, WILLIAM TENNENT 0 (6 innings)
The Redskins continued to put up impressive offensive numbers, pounding out 11 hits and scoring double-digit runs for the fourth time in their last four games. Sophomore Amber Brugger tossed a three-hit shutout in the circle, fanning six.
“We played very well,” coach Dave Chichilitti said.
The ‘Skins got on the board with a single run in the bottom of the first. Mackensie Compton led off the frame with a double, and Olivia Zaino followed with a single. One out later, Compton raced home on Hunter Hart’s sacrifice fly to center.
In the bottom of the third, Compton continued her torrid offensive production with a two-run home run that put the ‘Skins on top 3-0. They added an unearned run in the fourth and brought and end to the game with a seven-run sixth.
Rebecca Dixon ignited the Redskins with a two-run home run, and with two outs, Zaino delivered a two-run triple. Hunter Hart brought an end to the contest with a two-run walk-off home run.
Zaino finished the game 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Compton was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Hart was 1-for-3 with three RBIs.
Neshaminy (5-0, 3-0 SOL) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Thursday, and William Tennent (3-3, 2-2) will host Abington on Thursday.
William Tennent 000 000 0-3-2
Neshaminy 102 107 11-11-0
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