Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Tuesday. Abington/UM photo provided courtesy of John Marasheski.
Extra innings were the story of the day in SOL softball action. Ignoring the cold and damp conditions, three teams went into extras on Tuesday. Souderton and Bensalem both went nine innings and won by identical 4-3 scores while Quakertown and Pennridge combined for 23 runs with the Panthers eking out a 12-11 win in eight innings.
SOL National
BENSALEM 4, WILLIAM TENNENT 3 (9 innings)
With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Allison Goodman hit a solo home run to left field, and her mighty blast turned out to be the game-winner in Tuesday’s conference battle.
“That was a shot – I think it’s still traveling,” coach Dan Schram said of Goodman’s solo home run. “She’s a deserving senior that has been working very, very hard for a long time. I’m glad she’s getting the attention she deserves at this point.
“It was a very good game. Tennent has a good hitting lineup.”
Making the win even more impressive for the Owls was the fact that they trailed 2-0 heading into the top of the seventh. With one out, a pair of Panther miscues allowed Maggie Formichelli and Jess Klein to reach base. Both runners advanced on a passed ball, and Formichelli scored on Angelia Micalizzi’s safety squeeze bunt.
Another Panther miscue on Maddie Buechner’s grounder allowed a pair of runs to cross the plate, and the Owls took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
“They had us beat,” Schram said. “We got into that seventh inning, and that was a pivotal moment.”
The Panthers had an answer in the bottom of the seventh. Bella Demitto drew a leadoff walk, and Mackenzie Clee singled. An infield single by Caitlyn Mitros loaded the bases with nobody out.
The Owls collected an out on a fly ball to left, but Brianna Koonce brought the tying run across with a single. With the bases loaded, Devon Fithian lofted a fly ball to left that Chloe Munyon tracked down.
“Chloe Munyon has to dive for the ball,” Schram said. “She threw from the ground and threw a ground ball, but they didn’t tag up.”
Formichelli struck out the next batter she faced to bring an end to that threat
Neither team scored until Goodman’s solo blast in the top of the ninth.
The Panthers had a one-out base runner in the bottom of the ninth when Mitros singled. Formichelli retired the next two batters she faced to put the finishing touches on the win.
“This was big,” Schram said. “I was nervous when it was 2-0, and I’ve got to say – some teams form a mentality through adversity and some teams form a mentality from winning. I didn’t see this coming, but when the opportunity arose, they took full advantage of it, and it’s a wonderful thing to see.”
Formichelli earned the complete game win, allowing nine hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out six and walking only one.
Koonce (3-for-5, 3B, 2RBIs, run) and Jenna Cragin (3-for-4, 3B) led the Panthers at the plate.
Bensalem (3-1, 1-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Thursday, and William Tennent (1-3, 0-2) will host Quakertown Thursday.
Bensalem 000 000 301 4-8-0
William Tennent 100 001 100 3-12-4
SOL Continental
QUAKERTOWN 12, PENNRIDGE 11 (8 innings)
Staring at an 11-8 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the never-say-die Panthers rallied to knot the score and went on to win it in the ninth.
“It’s phenomenal, and that’s what I said to them after the game – when Pennridge went up 11-8, we could have very easily rolled over and died,” coach Dave Scott said. “They kept the energy up and kept battling.
“Finally in the seventh inning, we broke through on their second pitcher. They took a very nice patient approach at the plate, and we were able to push the three runs across to tie it.”
Sarah Stofik and Maddie Moyer opened the seventh with back-to-back singles.
“That’s what set the tone on for the whole inning,” Scott said. “You put the first two batters on base, and it puts a little pressure on them defensively, and that’s where you see the errors.”
The Panthers capitalized on a pair of Pennridge miscues to plate two runs. The tying run scored on Lauryn Cope’s groundout.
With two outs in the top of the eighth, Kylee Watson doubled to left. Tori Caputo retired the next batter she faced on a fly ball to center. It was the second catch of the inning for Lefkoski sandwiched around Watson’s double, and according to Scott, those catches were game-savers.
“The keys to the game were defensively for us – in the top of the eighth inning, Brianna Lefkoski, our center fielder, made two fantastic catches that kept the game at a point where we could battle back,” the Panthers’ coach said. “Honestly, that is what preserved the game for us and gave us a chance to win it in the bottom of the eighth.
“If she doesn’t make those two catches, we go back down again, and I don’t know if we come back. I give her a lot of credit, and it seems weird to say that when we scored 12 runs, but that really helped us.”
In the bottom of the eighth, Jenna Blair drew a leadoff walk, and Stofik doubled to left center. A throwing error on the play allowed Alexis Micucci, who ran for Blair, to race home with the game-winner.
Blair led the Panthers with a 2-for-4 effort that included a double, home run, five RBIs and one run. Her three-run home run highlighted a six-run second that put the Panthers on top 8-2. Moyer was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, and Lefkoski was 2-for-4 with a run. Cope and Halle Frederick both had a pair of RBIs. Syd Andrews doubled and scored a run.
For the Rams, who held a 15-12 advantage in hits, Watson finished the game a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, RBI and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Gianna Iadonisi was 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs, and Victoria Moscariello was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Madi Silber hit a three-run home run in the fourth to pull the Rams within one, 8-7. Makenna Patterson doubled and drove in a pair.
“They can hit the ball,” Scott said of the Rams. “They have some good power up and down that lineup.”
Quakertown (2-2, 1-1 SOL) will be on the road at William Tennent on Thursday, and Pennridge (2-1, 0-1) will host Central Bucks West on Thursday.
Pennridge 202 340 00 11-15-5
Quakertown 260 000 31 12-12-6
SOUDERTON 4, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3 (9 innings)
Things looked decidedly bleak for an Indian squad that trailed the Bucks 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh and had yet to manage hit off of West ace Kayla Gallagher.
Gallagher struck out the first batter she faced in the seventh, but Sam Nuneviller drew a one-out walk, and the Indians had a pair on board after Naila Neely was hit by a pitch. Julia Kistler collected the Indians’ first hit – an infield single that loaded the bases, but it looked as though the Bucks might escape with the win when Gallagher retired the next batter she faced on an infield fly for the inning’s second out.
A walk to Sierra Ripka pushed the Indians’ first run of the game across, and that brought Alina Skrzat to the plate. The senior catcher fell behind 0-2, and the Indians – who still trailed by two – were within a strike of losing when Skrzat lined a single to center that plated a pair and knotted the score, setting the stage for extra innings.
“She came up and got two strikes, and I told our girls – ‘The minute she swings the bat, you’re going on her swing,’ so it was essentially a hit and run, an unplanned hit and run,” coach Liz Parkins said. “Alina came up so clutch with that.”
Freshman hurler Abby Burns retired the Bucks in order in the top of the eighth, and the Indians loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning with one out, but Gallagher struck out the next two batters she faced to escape unscathed.
The Bucks had a one-out base runner in the top of the ninth but came up empty. In the bottom of the ninth, Ripka drew her second walk of the game, and Skrzat followed with a single. The bases were loaded with two outs when Burns was safe on an error. Ripka raced home with the game-winner on a wild pitch, bringing to a dramatic end the marathon contest.
“I told them at the end of the game – it took them a little longer than I would have preferred, but they fought, they didn’t give up, and it saved the game,” Parkins said. “It was a huge difference.
“I’m really proud of my team for not letting the weather get in the way because it was very brisk out there, and the wind did not let up. There was a decent amount of fly balls today, and our players attacked them really well and made the plays, which was huge because that could have gone the other way as well.”
The Indians, who stranded 10 base runners, were led by Skrzat, who had two of the team’s four hits.
“She was making contact all game, but the hits just weren’t falling, so she and I had a brief conversation about keeping things simple – see ball, hit ball, and she let her skills take over,” Parkins said. “She came up clutch and I am so proud of her. She stepped up in the senior leadership role she has, and she executed perfectly.”
Burns earned the complete game win, allowing four hits and three runs (all unearned) while striking out eight and walking none.
“Abby stepped up – she’s gotten better and better every game,” Parkins said. “I think she’s now settling into the role and just coming out in attack mode.
“I’m really proud of how well she threw today and she went the distance and threw the full nine.”
Gallagher also went the distance and threw well enough to win on most days, allowing just four hits while striking out 14 and walking seven.
Souderton (3-1, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Thursday, and Central Bucks West (3-1, 1-1) will be on the road at Pennridge Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. contest.
Central Bucks West 100 200 000 3-4-2
Souderton 000 000 301 4-4-2
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 6, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2
The Titans needed a win. Plain and simple.
And 24 hours after a 10-0 mercy rule loss to Perk Valley, they got the bounce-back win they needed, downing the archrival Patriots.
“This was monstrous – after getting 10-runned yesterday,” South coach Kevin Rosini said. “After the game, I said to them, ‘That’s the best win I’ve seen since I’ve been here,’ and somebody said – ‘What about our district game last year?’
“I corrected myself, but considering where we were yesterday and how we felt when we left – to come out and fight and play like I know we can, this was a big win. This was huge for us. We feel so much better. Now we just have to keep carrying it over. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
Kylie Kenney’s pitching line tells the story of this one. The Bryant University commit allowed just three hits in the complete game win while striking out 12 and walking only two.
“She was fantastic,” Rosini said. “She didn’t throw a lot of pitches, the defense played well. She was on her game today, she was great. She mixed her pitches up really well.
“Once we got a lead, she just started mowing people down – getting quick outs, getting the strikeouts. You could see the team’s confidence just soar. She and Lex (Ortman) are our leaders. They’re it. When they go, we go, and today she went. I was very happy with how it turned out.”
The Patriots plated a run in the bottom of the first, benefitting from a walk and a two-out RBI single by Amelia Funston. The Titans answered with a three-run third. Olivia Robinson led off with a single, and when Maddie Rowley followed with a double, the Titans had runners on second and third. Tara Tumasz singled to drive in a run that knotted the score, and one out later, Nicole Pilla lofted a pop fly down the line that was tracked down by the second baseman. Rowley raced home with the go-ahead run on the play. A Patriot error allowed another run to cross the plate, and the Titans led 3-1.
Robinson delivered a one-out RBI double in the fourth that gave the Titans a 4-1 advantage. That lead was trimmed to two when pitcher Camille Larson ripped a solo home run in the fifth.
South pinch hitter Kate Hammond led off the top of the sixth with a single, advanced to second on an error and scored on an error. An RBI single by Kate Hines gave the Titans their final margin of victory.
Robinson led the Titans with a near-perfect 3-for-4 day at the plate that included a double, RBI, run scored and stolen base. Rowley was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, and Tumasz was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
For the Titans, Funston was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
For the Patriots, Larson, who absorbed the loss, and Soleil Dooner split time in the circle
Central Bucks South (2-3, 2-0 SOL) will host Souderton on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (0-3, 0-2) will travel to North Penn on Wednesday.
Central Bucks South 003 102 0 6-11-0
Central Bucks East 100 010 0 2-3-3
SOL American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 4, ABINGTON 2
It had been a long time since Upper Moreland and Abington squared off on the softball diamond, and the Golden Bears didn’t give the Ghosts the warmest of welcomes in their first season in the SOL American, notching a 4-2 win.
“We played Abington years ago in the playoffs and we used to scrimmage them, but this is the first time we’ve seen them in a while,” coach Scott Ludlow said. “It was a really nice win.
“We did a lot of little things. We got really good pitching and played solid defense. We managed to get some key outs in some spots, the kind of things you have to do to win the 4-2 games.”
Samantha Marasheski smacked a solo home run to lead off the first, spotting the Ghosts an early 1-0 lead.
“She hit it through a gusty wind – I can’t believe it got out,” Ludlow said.
The Golden Bears got that run back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to an RBI single from Jackie Martino. Jocie Baumeister’s two-run double highlighted a three-run second that gave the Golden Bears a lead they would not lose.
Baumeister was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Jackie Martino was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Jenna Sadowski was 2-for-3.
Jessica O’Neill’s 2-for-3 day at the plate led the Ghosts. She doubled and drove in a run in the third inning.
Baumeister earned the complete game win, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking one.
“The top of their lineup hits, but Jocie had her good stuff today,” Ludlow said. “She gave up the leadoff home run and then a double, but she really settled in and didn’t give much else up after that. She pitched a really nice game for us.”
Upper Moreland (3-2, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday, and Abington (1-4, 1-1) will host Upper Dublin on Thursday.
Abington 101 000 0 2-4-2
Upper Moreland 120 100 x 4-6-1
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 10, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 0 (5 innings)
The Colonials scored four runs in both the second and third innings and then added single runs in the fourth and fifth to bring an early end to the contest.
Josee Tassoni led the Colonials with a 2-for-2 effort that included three RBIs and a run scored. Emma Carney was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Kamryn Kropinski singled and drove in a pair of runs. Jennifer Byrne and Gianna Fazio both had doubles and Carly Rosenberger tripled. Brooke Balkiewicz had one RBI.
Allison Beausoleil scattered four hits in the five-inning shutout, striking out five and walking none.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-1, 3-0 SOL) is off until Thursday, April 11, when the Colonials will travel to Upper Dublin. Springfield Township (0-2) will host Wissahickon on Thursday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 043 21 10-8-1
Springfield Township 000 00 0-4-7
UPPER DUBLIN 15, CHELTENHAM 0 (3 innings)
The Cardinals scored eight runs in a first inning that was highlighted by Gretchen Wolpert’s two-run home run. They added seven more in the second to bring an early end to the contest. Wolpert again was in the middle of the action, contributing a two-run double.
Wolpert’s 3-for-3 effort at the plate led the Cardinals. Brianna Kesslick was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.
Chloe Foster earned the win in the circle. She did not allow a hit and struck out five in the abbreviated contest.
Upper Dublin (4-1, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Abington on Thursday, and Cheltenham (0-4, 0-3) will host Wissahickon next Tuesday.
Cheltenham 000 0
Upper Dublin 87x 15
HATBORO-HORSHAM 11, WISSAHICKON 1
Sophomore Kayla Tauber singled to lead off the top of the first, and the table was set for back-to-back RBI doubles by Alicia Tauber and Brit Hubler. The Hatters were off and running, scoring in every inning and bringing an end to the game in the sixth when freshman Marissa Rapino delivered an RBI double.
Alicia Tauber led the Hatters' 13-hit attack with a 3-for-4 game that included a double, triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Hubler was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Kayla Tauber was 2-for-3 with two runs, and Mikayla Fedel also was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Macey Segal, who doubled, scored the Trojans' only run in the bottom of the second on a bases-loaded walk.
Grace Daniels – just back in action after a bout with the flu – earned the win, allowing four hits and one run in four innings while striking out a pair and walking five. Freshman Kendal Leitner closed out the game.
Hatboro-Horsham (2-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday, and Wissahickon (0-3, 0-2) will host Quakertown in a non-league game on Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 222 311 11-13-0
Wissahickon 100 000 1-4-4
Non-league
NORTH PENN 14, OWEN J ROBERTS 8
Call it the best move coach Rick Torresani didn’t make.
With two outs in the sixth inning and the bases loaded in a 6-6 game, the veteran coach briefly considered pinch hitting for freshman Lizzy Stark.
“There was a timeout, and I went to coach (Mary) Ward and said, ‘Shall we pinch hit for her?’” Toressani said. “She said, ‘No, let her go.’ Thank god I listened to Mary.”
Stark, a transfer from Northeast High School, made Ward look like a genius, turning on a full-count pitch and roping a bases-clearing double to the fence in left center to ignite an eight-run North Penn outburst.
“A 3-2 count for a freshman and to not be fazed – she hit a double, and we just had hit after hit after hit after that,” Torresani said. “With the senior leadership along with Amanda Greaney and Victoria Juckniewitz, the leadership is just unbelievable, and I could sense that – in prior years – once they tied it up that maybe we would have gotten down and had to really fight to get the win.
“With this team and the leadership, nothing seems to faze them. They just went out and said, ‘Okay, we’re going to take the game,’ and they scored eight runs.”
The Knights took a 6-3 lead into the fifth when the Wildcats – with a 7-2 win over Central Bucks South on their resume – erupted for five runs to go on top 8-6. The Knights responded with an eight-run sixth to put the game out of reach.
Senior Elia Namey’s perfect 4-for-4 effort at the plate included a walk, three RBIs and three runs scored. Jordan Pietrzykoski was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs, and Mady Volpe was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Volpe earned the win, allowing 10 hits and six runs (three earned) while striking out nine and walking three.
North Penn (4-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East Wednesday.
Owen J Roberts 020 150 0 8
North Penn 320 108 x 14
PENNSBURY 9, ARCHBISHOP RYAN 0
The Falcons had plenty of built-in excuses to lose Tuesday.
For starters, they were coming off a monster win 24 hours earlier over archrival Neshaminy. Throw in the fact that defending PCL champion Archbishop Ryan pitcher Dana Bell fanned 16 in last year’s win over Pennsbury, and the Falcons appeared to be facing a daunting task indeed.
“Murph said to them yesterday after the game, ‘You know tomorrow is set up for a letdown game,’” coach Frank McSherry said of assistant coach Dave Murphy’s message to them team. “We talked to them again today and said, ‘After a big win like yesterday, it’s so common in sports – not just at the high school level – to let down the next game, but you can’t. You can put a stamp on yourself if you come out today.’
“That kid struck out 16 of 21 outs last year.”
Bell fanned just five in Tuesday’s rematch, and the Falcons pounded the ball all over the park, scoring three runs in the third inning and never looking back.
Ainsley McClure may have been ‘the other pitcher’ when the game started, but in the end, the freshman hurler stole the spotlight, allowing five hits while fanning 13 and walking none in a complete game shutout.
“Again, she’s around the plate all the time, and her ball moves,” McSherry said. “She doesn’t throw as hard as the freshman pitcher from Neshaminy yesterday (Kennedie Ruth), and she certainly didn’t throw as hard as Bell today. There are times when she gets it up there, but she’s around the plate and pretty much stays off the middle. And she’s poised, she’s really poised.”
Offensively, freshman Caitlyn Martell was an impossible out, finishing the game 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
“Here’s how she started – single rip up the middle, single rip up the middle, double over the left fielder’s head and then she walked,” McSherry said of his freshman shortstop. “She’s lighting it up, she really is.”
In the Falcons’ three-run third, Sierra Daley and Martell singled, and Casey Glynn delivered a hit that turned out to be the game-winner – a two-run double. Karli Haines had an RBI single.
“It took us a little bit,” McSherry said. “She throws hard, but we were hitting the ball.”
In the fourth, the Falcons put the game away with a five-run outburst that included singles by Quinn McGonigle, Daley, Carly Parsons (RBI) and Haines (RBI). Martell had the big blow – a two-run double.
In addition to Martell’s perfect 3-for-3 effort, Daley was 3-for-4 and Haines was 2-for-4.
Pennsbury (4-0, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Thursday.
Archbishop Ryan 000 000 0 0
Pennsbury 003 510 x 9
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