Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Friday. Abington/Bensalem photos provided courtesy of John Marasheski.
SOL National Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 5, PENNSBURY 1
It was a historic day for the Tigers, who notched their program’s first win over Pennsbury in two decades.
“I’m so proud of them,” coach Lisamarie Belmonte said. “We played as a team today. All nine on the field plus the girls on the bench all played together as a team. They never let up. It was awesome to watch them put the hitting, pitching and fielding all together.
“The girls were on cloud nine, and I told them – there’s no better feeling than picking up a big win. Pennsbury is a good team. Coach (Frank) McSherry and Dave Murphy have developed an established program over the years. To be able to pick up a ‘W’ was a huge thing for our program.”
Tori Baskin hit a pair of home runs, including a solo shot in the second inning to spot the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Her second – in the third inning with a runner on board – put the Tigers on top 3-0, and when Kailea Heston followed Baskin’s second blast with a home run of her own, the Tigers led 4-0. The two team exchanged runs in the fifth, and that would be the extent of the scoring for both squads.
“We had big hits today,” Belmonte said. “We had some great long balls today.
“It was a full team win, and we’re finally putting the puzzle pieces together and jelling together, and it’s awesome to watch it develop.”
Heston led the Tigers’ seven-hit attack with a 3-for-3 effort that included a home run, RBI and run scored. Baskin was 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBIs and a run scored.
Elle Olivero contributed an RBI, and Vanessa Tancini had a double.
For the Falcons, no player had more than one hit.
Harry S Truman (2-4, 2-2 SOL) will be on the road at Abington on Saturday at 10 a.m. Pennsbury (2-8, 2-3) will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 000 010 0 1-7-2
Harry S Truman 010 310 x 5-7-2
ABINGTON 17, BENSALEM 9
The Ghosts scored seven runs in the first two innings but still found themselves just deadlocked with the pesky Owls, 7-7. That changed in a hurry in the bottom of the third inning when the Ghosts erupted for 10 runs.
Olivia Berstein’s grand slam highlighted the frame, and Tori Brandenburger followed with a solo home run. The extra-base onslaught continued with a Brooke Clewell double.
“Everybody hit the ball well, they were patient at the plate, they made good contact – hit gaps and line drives,” coach Ellie White said.
Brandenburger had the big bat for the Ghosts, finishing the day a perfect 5-for-5 with a triple and home run. She also started and finished the game in the circle. Bernstein, who was in the circle when the Ghosts took the lead, earned the win.
“Those two really did a nice job, and we played solid defense,” White said. “Hopefully, this will carry us into tomorrow.”
Also for the Ghosts, Renee Reynolds finished the game 2-for-4.
Abington (3-3, 1-3 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Saturday at 10 a.m., and Bensalem (3-6, 1-5) will be on the road at Bristol for a non-league game on Monday.
Bensalem 016 010 1 9
Abington 3410 000 x 17
NESHAMINY 12, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1 (5 innings)
Sarah Dowalo tossed a one-hitter in the abbreviated contest, and the Redskins once again received some big offensive performances. They put three runs on the board in a first inning that was highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of Natalie Rios, her third round tripper of the week.
It was a 4-0 game heading into the top of the fourth when the Redskins plated five runs to blow the game wide open. An Alexis Watkins two-run home run highlighted the frame.
Hallie Duffy led the Redskins’ attack with a 3-for-4 day that included a double and four RBIs. Amanda Kurtz was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, and Amber Brugger was 2-for-3 with a double.
Dowalo fanned five in five innings and did not allow an earned run for the Redskins, who are fourth in the latest District One 6A power rankings.
Danielle Walters accounted for the Golden Hawks’ lone hit.
Neshaminy (11-1, 6-0 SOL) will travel to Notre Dame (N.J.) for a non-league game on Tuesday, and Council Rock South (3-3, 2-2) will be on the road at Archbishop Wood for a non-league game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Neshaminy 301 53 12-11-2
Council Rock South 000 10 1-1-2
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 9, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8
The Titans – benefitting from six walks and a hit batsman – put seven runs on the board in the top of the sixth, turning a 5-1 East lead into an 8-5 deficit.
Alyssa Catron took care of that little matter in the bottom of the inning, erasing that deficit with one swing. Her three-run home run to left center knotted the score.
“It was Alyssa Catron’s home run,” East coach Karl Knapp said of the difference in the game. “Hailey (Aspinwall) came up that inning and hit one right to the fence – the girl actually had her hand on the fence to catch it, and the same thing with Audrey (LaBouliere).
“Two shots that looked like they were going out, and both of them got caught literally at the fence. All of a sudden, Catron blasted one. That’s really what made the difference.”
A walk, hit batsman and an error allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate, and pitcher Giuliana Ruscio retired the Titans in order in the top of the seventh on three straight groundouts to seal the win.
“It would have been very easy in that game for you to cave in,” Knapp said. “Especially. Giuliana – she came back and pitched the bottom of the seventh one, two, three. With all that Giuliana went through, to come back – she got them out.”
Two pitchers who are known for their control – Ruscio and South junior Kylie Kenney – combined for an uncharacteristic 13 walks, thanks to a very tight strike zone.
“I think Giuliana had seven all of last year total,” Knapp said. “She walked in two runs, but it wasn’t her (fault).
“We also gave them runs on errors, and they made mistakes too. It should never have been a 9-8 game.”
East was led by the 2-for-2 effort of Tara Harper, who also scored three runs, and Catron’s 2-for-3 outing that included a home run, three RBIs and one run. Isabel Parker was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run.
“For us, this was just a huge win,” said Knapp, whose team opened the season 0-5. “It puts us four straight and we’re even in the league.
“We needed the win, so I’ll take it any way I can get it, but it wasn’t pretty. In the (district) rankings, we finally moved into 19th out of the 20 that are going to make it. At the beginning of last week, we were six places out of the top 20.”
When all of Friday’s results were in, the Patriots moved up to 17th while the Titans are third in the latest District One 6A power rankings.
For the Titans, who were without senior catcher Maddie McShane (illness), Nicole Pilla was 1-for-3 with a double, walk and two RBIs.
Kenney absorbed the loss, allowing eight hits and nine runs (only five earned) while walking six and striking out five.
Central Bucks East (4-5, 3-3 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday, and Central Bucks South (7-2, 3-2) will host Souderton on Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 100 007 0 8
Central Bucks East 002 304 x 9
WILLIAM TENNENT 9, SOUDERTON 8 (8 innings)
The Panthers found themselves staring at a 7-0 deficit heading into the bottom of the sixth inning after the visiting Indians tacked on a single run in the top of the inning.
“The first five innings it looked like we didn’t want to be there,” Tennent coach Deanna Myers said. “There was no energy, and it just had that feeling – why are we even here?
“I gave them a little bit of talking, and they just erupted with hit after hit, and somehow we took the win. This game showed the fight our team truly does have and showed that we really do want to win.”
It might have been easy for the Panthers to call it a day, but that apparently was not a consideration. They put a dent in the seven-run hole with three runs in the sixth and then used a four-run uprising in the bottom of the seventh to knot the score and send it to extra innings.
By this time, the Panthers had momentum, and even after the Indians scored a single run in the top of the eighth, they were calm enough to answer with two in their half of the frame to stun the visiting Indians. With the bases loaded in the eighth, Brianna Koonce lined a single to right center to score the game winner.
“This is huge,” Myers said. “Because Souderton is a great team. Their pitcher was very consistent. We caught up to her and the hits didn’t stop.
“I know last year their record didn’t show it, but this year they’re a totally different team.”
Koonce finished the day 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Senior Cassidy Hubmaster went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Freshman Megan Curtis and junior Caitlyn Mitros were both 2-for-4.
For the Indians, Jess Lepore and Alex Scheeler were both 3-for-5 with a double. Julia Kistler was 3-for-4, and Jen Klepfer was 2-for-5 with a sacrifice. Megan Hamilton was 2-for-4.
While Souderton fell out of the top 20 in the District One 6A power rankings to 23, the Panthers are ranked 16th.
William Tennent (5-5, 2-4 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and Souderton (5-3, 2-3) will host Lansdale Catholic in a non-league game on Monday.
Souderton 102 301 01 8
William Tennent 000 003 42 9
NORTH PENN 5, PENNRIDGE 4 (8 innings)
The Knights – in the midst of a rare three-game losing streak – needed a win. Badly.
It took eight innings, but they got it on Friday, rallying from a 4-2 deficit to send the game into extra innings where they won it when Paige Paciolla delivered the game-winning hit.
“We needed this,” coach Rick Torresani said. “We had three games where we had bad innings, but today was a real nice win.
“We had lost to (Central Bucks) South the other day when we were winning 3-1, and just a few bloop singles and then we misplayed a walk when the girl didn’t stop and continued to go to second. The girls were down.
“They were starting to think of last year and not being able to finish games and all that kind of stuff. Today was just huge. To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to say to them at the end of the game to try and get their spirits back up (if we had lost) because we have a big game tomorrow night.”
Amanda Greaney, who had a solo home run in the first, did her part to pick up her team’s morale, hitting her second home run of the game in the sixth inning to pull the Knights to within one, 4-3. In the seventh inning, Emily Groarke collected a two-out single, and with the Rams just one pitch away from the victory, Victoria Juckniewitz ripped a 1-2 pitch into deep center field for a double that scored the tying run.
“For Victoria to get that double off the center field fence on a 1-2 count – that was just amazing,” Torresani said.
In the eighth inning, Jordan Pietrzykoski singled and moved up to second when Jamie Beer laid down a sacrifice bunt. A miscue allowed Courtney Neal to reach base safely, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch, setting the stage for Paciolla.
“She hit a line drive that the shortstop jumped in the air and got her glove on it, but it dropped for a single to drive in the winning run,” Torresani said. “It was awesome.”
Juckniewitz also hit a home run – her blast highlighted a two-run fourth. She finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Greaney was 2-for-3 with two home runs, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Freshman Mady Volpe earned the complete game win, allowing eight hits and four runs in eight innings, striking out 14 and walking just two.
“She pitched a great game,” Torresani said. “Pennridge is good hitting team, and the kid that hit the homer – she just happened to not hit her spot on one pitch, and the wind was blowing out.”
For the Rams, Emily Hegan was 2-for-4, and Ally Motts was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, RBI, and run scored. Skylar Hengeveld added a home run and two RBIs.
Kailyn Bell took the loss for the Rams, allowing eight hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out seven and walking three.
North Penn was seventh in the latest District One 6A power rankings and Pennridge was third.
North Penn (6-3, 4-2 SOL) will be on the road at Owen J. Roberts on Saturday at 7 p.m., and Pennridge (6-2, 3-2) will host Council Rock North on Monday in a non-league contest.
Pennridge 000 211 00 4-8-5
North Penn 100 101 11 5-8-0
SOL American Conference
QUAKERTOWN 7, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1
The Panthers put four runs on the board in the first, and after the Colonials scored a run in the third, the Panthers answered with three more runs to close it out.
Nikki Vanelli led the Panthers’ 12-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort that included a solo home run and two RBIs. Maddie Moyer was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Halle Frederick was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored, and Jenna Blaire was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
For the Colonials, Kamryn Kropinski was 2-for-3 with a double out of the leadoff spot. Allison Beusoleil also had a double.
Tori Caputo earned the complete game win for the Panthers, allowing six hits and one run while striking out eight and walking one. Beusoleil took the loss for the Colonials.
Quakertown is 15th in the latest District One 6A power rankings.
Quakertown (7-2, 5-1 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-3 SOL) will be on the road at Norristown for a non-league game on Monday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 001 000 0 1-6-1
Quakertown 400 120 x 7
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 13, WISSAHICKON 1 (5 innings)
The Spartans took the suspense out of Friday’s conference game in a hurry, erupting for eight runs in the second inning and scoring in each of the next three innings in the abbreviated contest.
Gabby Gaskin had a big day at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort that included a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Mikayla Quinn was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and three runs scored, and Jessica Kaercher was 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
Also contributing multiple hits for the Spartans were Sam Wynne (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), Sydney Zimmerman (2-for-3, RBI, run) and Chloe Morales (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 3 runs).
Hannah Sebenick notched the win, scattering five hits and allowing one run. She struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
Springfield Township (4-3, 3-3 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (0-7, 0-6) will be on the road at Cheltenham on Monday.
Springfield Township 081 22 13
Wissahickon 000 10 1
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 4, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 2
Angelina Sherba is on a bona fide tear. The West senior stepped to the plate with the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning and ripped a two-run home run that plated Emma Cooper, who’d been hit by a pitch. Kayla Gallagher retired the visiting Crusaders in the top of the seventh and another win was in the books for the Bucks, who won their third straight game this week.
“It’s awesome,” coach Geoff Thompson said. “Three in a row – the girls are happy, I’m happy.
“We’re getting awesome pitching, the defense is really coming around, and all three games this week, it’s come down to the last inning, and we’re getting key hits, so it’s working out for us.”
Earlier, in the second inning, Julia Perez led off with a double and then scored on a Maddie Leathebarrow single. The Crusaders took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third, but the Bucks got that one back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a walk and an RBI double by Perez.
That 2-2 score stood until the sixth when – after Emma Cooper was hit by a pitch – Sherba worked her magic at the plate, delivering the game winner.
“She’s on a tear – she’s having a heck of a season,” Thompson said.
Perez led the Bucks with a perfect 3-for-3 effort with two doubles and an RBI. Leathebarrow was 2-for-3 and Kayla Gallagher also had a pair of hits on a day that saw the Bucks collect 10 hits.
Sherba also threw the first four innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out six and walking one. Gallagher closed it out and notched the win, allowing three hits in three shutout innings while striking out four and walking five.
Central Bucks West (4-3, 2-3 SOL) will host Archbishop Wood on Monday in a non-league contest.
Lansdale Catholic 002 000 0 2
Central Bucks West 011 002 x 4
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