Check out the results for SOL softball teams in action Thursday. To view photos of the Hatboro-Horsham/Quakertown game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
American Conference
UPPER MERION 2, CHELTENHAM 0
Something had to give when Upper Merion traveled to Cheltenham for a battle of the American Conference’s lone unbeaten squads, and it was the Vikings manufacturing a pair of runs to earn the important win.
“I told the kids on the way over – this is going to be like a playoff game,” Upper Merion coach John Whitney said. “We faced them last year. This kid (Grace DeRosa) can pitch, and that’s exactly the way it came up.”
The Lady Panthers actually held a 4-2 advantage in hits, but the Vikings had the only advantage that mattered – on the scoreboard.
“Both teams made a lot of good defensive plays,” Whitney said. “It was well played. Both pitchers pitched well. Both teams played really well. It was a clean game. Neither team gave up a whole lot. Both teams made the plays.”
The Vikings got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. Dez Kandy led off the inning with a bunt single and then proceeded to steal second and third. Abby Volpe hit a popup over second that was snared by the second baseman, but Whitney sent Kandy, who scored a run that turned out to be the game winner.
“Abby Volpe hit a ball to deep second – almost to the outfield, and the kid was going back to right center, and Dez got in,” Whitney said. “It was a little risky, the throw was off a little bit, but Dez is a very aggressive base runner, and she got in.”
In the sixth, Kandy was once again in the middle of all the action, drawing a leadoff walk.
“Before I got a chance to steal, Olivia Sborlini just ripped a shot to left center for a standup triple,” Whitney said. “That was real big.
“We actually had Olivia on third with two outs, but we couldn’t get her in. Abby Volpe came up and hit a shot between first and second, and the kid made a tremendous play at second base for them. It was a hit that she took away, and it was a great play.”
The Lady Panthers had their chances, most notably in the fifth inning when Allie Williams doubled and moved up to third on a sacrifice.
“I moved up the infield, and a ball got past my third baseman,” Whitney said. “I had moved Allie Moffet, my shortstop up, and she fired to Maddalana Ghanayem at the plate, and we got the kid at the plate.
“The kid went on contact, and with Allie up a little bit, she made the right play. She had the option of getting the out or going home. She made the right decision. She gunned the balls to Mads, and Mads made a nice tag play.
“Both teams made the right plays. We got out of a couple of jams. They had second and third one time, and Liv (Olivia Sborlini) worked out of it. They had a couple of opportunities.”
Both pitchers tossed gems. Sborlini fanned four and walked one in the shutout. Cheltenham hurler Grace DeRosa retired the first nine batters she faced and allowed just two hits.
“Good pitching stops hitting,” Whitney said. “I told the girls on the way over – we can’t give them anything. We’ve got to play ‘D.’
“We’ve gotten a little loose with our defense, but today they made all the plays as did Cheltenham. Our kids hit, but when we did hit, they made the plays. They came up with some big plays. Both teams played well.”
The Vikings upped their record to 5-0 in league play (6-2 overall) while the Lady Panthers are 5-1 in the league (6-2 overall).
“I told the girls, ‘You have to beat them twice,’” Whitney said. “They’re coming to our field late in the season for a night game, so that should be exciting.
“The way things look – I think it’s going to come down to Cheltenham and us, especially with the pitching we have. The pitchers for both teams are very good.”
Upper Merion000 101 0-2
Cheltenham 000 000 0-0
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 8, UPPER DUBLIN 5
The Flying Cardinals took a 5-4 lead into the sixth inning when the Colonials scored a pair of runs and then added two insurance runs in the seventh to earn the hard-fought win.
“It was back and forth today, but we managed to pull out the win,” PW coach Dana Moyer said. “Defensively, we made numerous errors but fought with the bats to earn the win.”
Trailing by one, senior Erin Ryan ignited the Colonials when she led off the sixth with a single. She proceeded to steal second and third, setting the stage for PW’s two-run uprising.
For good measure, Jocelyn Porrino doubled, and senior Susan Janfrancisco followed with her second home run in less than a week, a two-run blast that sealed the win for the Colonials. Janfrancisco finished the day 1-for-2 with three RBIs. Rachel Konowal was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and both Elena Iannuzelli and Jocelyn Porrino had doubles for PW.
Upper Dublin’s Rachel Hyman delivered a two-run home run in the third inning, and Becky Haber had a pair of hits and an RBI.
PW sophomore Ashley Yeager threw five strong innings, allowing only three hits and three walks. Freshman Haley Fink entered the game in the sixth inning and did not allow a hit in two scoreless innings of relief, fanning three.
The win was the second in as many outings for the Colonials, who improved to 2-3 in league play (2-4 overall). The Flying Cardinals are 2-4 in the league (2-6 overall).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 312 2-8
Upper Dublin 003 020 0-5
NORRISTOWN 5, WISSAHICKON 1
The Trojans gave the Eagles all they could handle, trailing 1-0 after four innings and still trailing by just one heading into the seventh.
The Eagles got on the scoreboard with a single run in the top of the first and took that 1-0 lead into the fifth when they plated a pair to go on top 3-0 before the Trojans ruined Allison Taylor’s shutout bid with a run in the bottom of the inning. The Eagles added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh.
The Trojans held a 7-6 advantage in hits. Leading the way was Andrea Mazurek with a perfect 3-for-3 performance while Jaclyn McLaughlin was 2-for-3.
Taylor carried the big bat for the Eagles, finishing the game 3-for-3 with an RBI.
The win was the first of the season for the Eagles, who are 1-5 in league play (1-6 overall). The Trojans fell to 0-5 in the league (0-8 overall).
Norristown 100 020 2-5
Wissahickon 000 010 0-1
UPPER MORELAND at SPRINGFIELD (ppd.)
Continental Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 10, QUAKERTOWN 2
The Hatters played some small ball on Thursday, capitalizing on a pair of successfully executed suicide squeeze plays in a four-run first and never looking back.
“It’s the first game we really executed like we should,” coach Joe DiFilippo said. “It’s always there, but we never lay the bunts down.”
Senior Megan Hallock got things started with a leadoff single, and Dee Moyer followed with a bunt single. Both runners advanced on a double steal, setting the stage for back-to-back suicide squeeze plays – the first bunt was laid down by Jen Cader and the second by Jayne Black, giving the Hatters an early 2-0 lead. A two-run single by Kaeli Simmons made it a 4-0 game.
The Hatters added single runs in the second, fourth and fifth to go on top 7-0 before the Panthers got on the scoreboard with a single run in the sixth. The Hatters answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Panthers plated one run in the seventh to close out the scoring.
Cader was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Hatters. Jamie Mroz was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Lexie Campbell earned the win on the mound, allowing a pair of runs while fanning four. Simmons threw one inning in relief, fanning a pair.
“Lexie did a great job,” DiFilippo said. “She gave up six or seven hits, but they never really hurt us.
“When she throws and she doesn’t walk people, she’s pretty good.”
Meghan Klee led the Panthers with a 2-for-4 effort.
The Hatters are 2-3 in league play (4-3 overall) while the Hatters are 4-2 in the league (5-2 overall).
Quakertown 000 001 1-2
Hatboro-Horsham 410 113 x-10
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1, PENNRIDGE 0
The game belonged to Kayla Ventura and Emily Mayhew. Neither pitcher allowed a run through five innings, but the Patriots plated a single run in the sixth. It turned out to be the game winner.
Sydney Badger led off the sixth with a single, and Brady Tillotson delivered a one-out single. With runners on first and second, Theresa Haug delivered an RBI single that plated the game winner. Mayhew retired the next two batters she faced, but that run was enough for Ventura, who fanned 10 in seven shutout innings.
In the first inning, the Lady Rams came up with a big defensive play to keep the Patriots off the scoreboard. Danielle Marzetti led off the game with a single but was erased at second on a fielder’s choice. Badger drew a one-out walk, and with two outs and runners on first and second, Tillotson singled to right. Righfielder Alison Horne gunned down the runner at home attempting to score from second.
The Rams, who collected five hits, had a runner in scoring position in the sixth inning when Briana Gery doubled with two outs. Ventura ended that threat by fanning the next batter she faced.
Mayhew allowed seven hits and walked one. Neither team committed an error.
Gery led the Lady Rams with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate. For the Patriots, Marzetti, Haug and Tillotson were all 2-for-3.
The Patriots improved to 4-2 in league play (4-3 overall) while the Lady Rams are 1-4 in the league (3-5 overall).
Pennridge 000 000 0-0
Central Bucks East 000 001 x-1
SOUDERTON 6, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 5
There are certainly more exciting things than a walk-off walk to win a game in the bottom of the seventh, and the Indians’ response – or lack thereof – when Katie Kehler drew a bases-loaded walk to push across the winning run in no way reflected their mood after rallying from a 5-4 deficit to eke out the win.
“It was a strange game, especially ending like that,” sophomore Dayna Shelly said. “I don’t even know. It was all kind of weird, but it ended up good.”
Shelly hit one of three home runs on the day for the Indians, but for a while, it looked like they might go to waste.
Paige Shelly – the sister of Dayna – hit a solo home run in the third inning to spot the Indians a 1-0 lead.
The Titans knotted the score with a single run in the top of the fifth, but in the bottom of the inning, Paige Shelly drew a walk, and Dayna made it hurt when she delivered a two-run home run. The sophomore slugger admitted that softball is a topic of conversation in the Shelly household.
“We’re that family that talks about softball,” said Dayna.
The Indians weren’t finished yet, and Haley Delany followed with a solo home run to give her team a 4-1 lead after five.
That lead was anything but secure. Maddie Decker led off the sixth with a home run, and the Titans tacked on three more runs to go on top 5-4. That lead held until the seventh. Angie Carty opened the inning with a bloop single to center. One out later, Amanda Brush singled, and then Dayna Shelly singled to bring the tying run across the plate.
An intentional walk to Delany set the stage for Kehler, who drew a six-pitch walk that plated the winning run.
“It was great because when you’re down like that you just want to build it back up and get it,” Dayna Shelly said.
Both teams collected eight hits in the contest, and until the seventh when the Indians collected three singles, it seemed as though it was all or nothing for the hard-hitting Indians.
“That is a problem for us,” coach Steph Rummel said. “We don’t really build hits as well as we need to.
“We do have a bunch of power hitters, but we need to build big innings.”
The Indians (6-2, 4-1 SOL) are the lone SOL Continental Conference team with just one loss while the Titans (3-3, 3-2) are one of four teams with two losses.
“It was a great game,” Rummel said. “We had a couple of errors in the field, but we came back with our bats, and that’s what we always need to work on – winning every inning.
“Every game we’re trying to build to be a better team overall. We did a great job of battling every single inning. We did not ever let down.”
Central Bucks South 0000 014 0-5
Souderton 001 030 2-6
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at NORTH PENN (ppd.)
National Conference
NESHAMINY 10, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 9
After watching his team escape with its third one-run win of the season, Dave Chichiletti summed up what has an unusual season when he said, “You hold your breath until you’re shaking hands.”
That certainly was the case again Wednesday for the Redskins who took a seemingly comfortable 9-5 lead into the sixth inning, but the Redskins’ coach admits he still felt uneasy.
“I had a weird feeling, and I told them, ‘We’ve got to claw out another run – bunt, steal a base. We need one more run,’” Chichiletti said.
Sam Offenback obliged, delivering a solo blast – her second home run of the game – to put the Redskins on top 10-5.
Offenback’s blast turned out to be the difference in the game as the Indians plated four runs with one swing of Hannah Mumber’s bat. Rock North’s senior slugger hit a grand slam with two outs to make it a 10-9 game. Her big hit was set up by a walk, single and a two-out error.
“At the time, that run seemed meaningless,”Chichiletti said of Offenback’s solo blast. “But something in my stomach told me that we had to find a way to get another run.”
It was Offenback who provided the big blow in a seven-run first inning when she delivered a grand slam of her own.
Jen Rakita earned the win on the mound, allowing 10 hits and just three earned runs while fanning seven and walking five.
“Our three errors were really costly,” Chichiletti said. “Jenny’s line – she only gave up three (earned) runs. She walked five people which hurt us, but we made errors at the wrong time.”
Offenback, Jen Walker and Mackensie Compton led the Redskins with two hits each. The Indians were led by the two-hit efforts of Mumber, who absorbed the loss on the mound, Nicole Rounsaville and freshman Taylor Amazeen.
The Redskins are 4-2 in the SOL (7-2 overall) while the Indians are 2-2 in the league (3-3 overall).
“This league is crazy,” Chichiletti said. “On any day, any team can win. We knew that Council Rock North had some hitters, and we knew we needed to score a bunch of runs.
“We’re 7-2, and maybe there was one true softball day. We’re battling 25-MPH winds, we’re battling freezing cold. I think that’s playing into it a little, but there’s no true shutdown pitcher, and the offenses are smashing the ball around.”
Council Rock North 003 020 4-9
Neshaminy 700 201 x-10
HARRY S TRUMAN 7, BENSALEM 5
Steph Wolf and Mary Cairns both hit home runs for the second time in as many games, and their big blasts proved to be the difference in the game. The win was the first in league play for the Tigers while the Owls are still searching for their first league win.
“The way that teams are this year – any win is going to be a big win. It’s not like anyone is going to go undefeated,” Truman coach Gretchen Cammiso said. “Teams are going to get wins and teams are going to get losses. We have to start winning a little more consistently. Hopefully, this will give us a little momentum going into Council Rock North tomorrow.”
The Owls got on the scoreboard in the top of the first, plating a pair. Leadoff batter Lauren Morell, who finished the game 3-for-5 and scored three runs, got things started with a base hit.
“She was definitely a tough out,” Cammiso said.
The Tigers cut the Owls’ 2-0 lead in half when Wolf hit a solo blast in the second inning. The teams exchanged runs in the fourth, and the Tigers took a lead they would not lose in the fifth inning.
Jess O’Brien led off with a single, and after a hit batter put two runners on board, Cheyenne Jones delivered an RBI single. The big blow in the inning was a two-run home run by Cairns, and just like that, the Tigers led 6-3.
“I think the reason they didn’t get down in the first inning when Bensalem scored was because the runs were all earned,” Cammiso said. “They got their hits, and it was early in the game.
“We have done that before where we battled back offensively. As long as we don’t kill ourselves with errors – we have put ourselves in situations where we have come through with clutch hitting as long as we’re not getting too down with giving the other team outs.
“Steph Wolf coming up and hitting a home run in the second – even though it was a solo shot definitely got morale back up, and we started chipping away.”
Cairns is just a sophomore and Wolf, a freshman, and both pack some punch in their swings.
“Mary doesn’t always make solid contact, but when she does make contact, she’s a hitter,” Cammiso said. “We’ve been working on some things with Steph Wolf, and when she does make solid contact, the ball has been jumping.”
Jess O’Neill, who earned the win on the mound, was 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Jones turned in a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
The Tigers are 2-3 in league (2-6 overall) while the Owls are 0-4 in the league (2-4 overall).
Bensalem 200 101 1-5
Harry S Truman 010 141 x-7
PENNSBURY at ABINGTON (ppd.)
WILLIAM TENNENT at COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH (ppd)
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