Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action. (Neshaminy photo provided courtesy of Jesse Garber: https://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p14111299)
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 9, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2
The Falcons collected just six hits in Thursday’s win, but four of those hits were home runs.
“We hit some bombs today,” Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry said. “We hit the ball hard a few times right at people, but we only had six hits.
“You know what, they have a couple of good pitchers, and they’re young. They’re not a bad team at all. (First-year coach) Dan Schram has them playing very well, so props to him.”
In the bottom of the second, the Falcons put an unearned run on the board, and in the third, they took control of the game with a four-run outburst. Presley Foote was safe on an error, and with two outs, Quinn McGonigle and Rowan Mulholland drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Sammy Raub, who smashed a grand slam over the left center field fence.
“Sammy hit a bomb,” McSherry said.
The Golden Hawks made it a 5-2 game with two runs in the fourth, but the Falcons got those back in the fifth, thanks to solo home runs by Caitlyn Martell and McGonigle that gave Pennsbury a 7-2 advantage.
The home-run parade wasn’t over just yet as Taylor Askey delivered a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth for the 9-2 final.
Martell was the lone Falcon with multiple hits, finishing the game 2-for-4 with a double and home run.
Ainsley McClure notched the complete game win, allowing eight hits and two runs while striking out seven and walking none.
“She did a nice job,” McSherry said of his senior ace.
Pennsbury (7-0, 6-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday, and Council Rock South (3-4, 2-3) will host Archbishop Wood in a non-league game on Monday.
Council Rock South 000 200 0 2-8-2
Pennsbury 014 022 x 9-6-1
SOL Colonial Division
NORTH PENN 8, SOUDERTON 0
Julia Shearer turned in another masterpiece in the circle. She retired 12 in a row to start the game before sophomore Kendell Clemmer drew a leadoff walk in the fifth. The Knights’ ace took a no-hitter into the sixth inning when Megan Kummery collected a two-out infield single, and Kayley York followed with a line single to left.
That would be the extent of Souderton’s offense as Shearer retired the next four batters she faced to close it out. She walked one and struck out only six but was in complete command from wire to wire.
The box score will show that Shearer was 1-for-2 at the plate with two walks and three runs scored. What it will not show is the difference maker she is on the basepaths. The junior co-captain led off the first with a single and immediately stole second. She moved up to third on Sarah Sabocsik’s bunt single, and after Sabocsik stole second, the Knights had runners on second and third with none out.
“When Julia’s on first base, I have a lefthanded batter up in Sarah, who’s really fast too,” NP coach Rick Torresani said. “We can go fake bunt, steal, we can bunt and steal. We can do so many things Julia provides, and when she gets on second base, all the ball has to do is get to the outfield on the ground, and she’s going to score.”
Shearer raced home with the game’s first run on a throw to first on a dropped third strike. Abby Burns escaped further damage, retiring the next two batters she faced, but the Knights had all the runs they would need.
North Penn added two runs in the third inning – both were unearned as the Indians committed a pair of costly errors. Again, Shearer was in the middle of the action, scoring the inning’s first run after drawing a leadoff walk. In the fifth inning, the Knights upped their lead to 5-0 with two more runs – both unearned.
In the seventh inning, Annabelle Smink drew a leadoff walk and stole second. She scored on Bri Wilmot’s single to center. With one out, Sophia Collins ripped a two-run home run to right field for the 8-0 final.
“Like I told them at the end of the game – they’re just playing North Penn softball like they did last year, and they’re continuing it into the beginning of this season,” Torresani said. “They capitalized on mistakes Souderton made, they had some timely hitting, Julia (Shearer) pitched really well, and they played some great defense.
“If they continue to do this and don’t beat themselves and play the way they are, someone is going to have to play their ‘A’ game to beat us.”
North Penn (10-0, 6-0 SOL) will host Bensalem on Tuesday, and Souderton will host Pennsbury on Friday.
North Penn 201 020 3 8-8-0
Souderton 000 000 0 0-2-3
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 14, HARRY S TRUMAN 5
The visiting Tigers scored a run in the top of the first, but the Titans were clearly unfazed, answering with five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. They added five more runs in the second and led 10-2 on their way to the convincing win.
“We played really well today,” CB South coach Kevin Rosini said. “Maddy Borowski had 10 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
“We hit the ball really well today and kept adding on runs, so I was happy with that because we’ve been off for over a week with rainouts and Easter and all that. I thought we came out and we hit the ball well. I got all 19 kids in today.”
Highlights of the five-run first included an RBI single by Abby Magliaro to go on top 2-1. Grace Motley had a two-run double in the inning, and Brielle McDonald also had an RBI double in the first inning.
There were offensive heroes galore for the Titans. Magliaro was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and one RBI. Motley was also 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and three RBIs. McDonald was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Marlena Hacker – in her first game action after being sidelined for two weeks with a hamstring pull – was 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in the second inning. She scored a run and had three RBIs. Suzie Williams had a double and two RBIs.
Maddy Borowski notched the win in the circle, allowing four hits and striking out 10 in 5.1 innings of work.
“This is a good win for us because we have a lot of games in a short amount of time in the next week-and-a-half,” Rosini said. “I’m happy with that. This puts us at .500. It’s a good win. Now we get ready for Avon Grove on Saturday.”
For the Tigers, Teyana Towner was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
Central Bucks South (3-3, 2-3 SOL) will host Avon Grove in a non-league game on Saturday at noon. Harry S Truman (2-6, 2-6 SOL) will host St Hubert on Monday.
Harry S Truman 110 030 0 5-4-2
Central Bucks South 553 001 x 14-16-3
NESHAMINY 4, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
Amanda Slabicki stole the spotlight in the circle and at the plate.
The senior hurler scattered three hits, struck out 11 and walked only one in the complete game shutout win. For good measure, she also delivered a two-run single in the top of the sixth to put the Redskins on top 4-0.
Earlier in the game, in the top of the second, Rileigh Bilbrey singled and Kennedie Ruth drew a walk. Both runners advanced on Alleigh Waskie’s sacrifice bunt, and both players scored on Carena Barr’s clutch two-out double to left. That 2-0 score stood until the top of the sixth when Slabicki drove in a pair.
Neshaminy (6-3, 4-3 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. contest. Central Bucks West (2-6, 1-5) will be on the road at Bensalem on Friday.
Neshaminy 020 002 0 4-10-0
Central Bucks West 000 000 0 0-3-1
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
UPPER DUBLIN 7, UPPER MORELAND 1
Chloe Foster is nothing if not resilient.
Twenty-four hours after suffering a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to William Tennent in nine innings, the UD senior – who struck out 18 in Wednesday’s loss- was back in the circle, and this time she got the well-deserved W.
“She’s really starting to find her groove, which is nice,” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “She started the season off a little unpolished – she was battling an injury, and she was doing the best she could, but she wasn’t 100 percent.”
Thursday’s win came on the heels of three games in four days.
“On Monday, we played in that hideous weather, and I don’t know how she did it, but she managed to throw strikes, bare down and just get it done, so we could get enough runs to close the game and get out of there,” Boyer said. “Then she came back with that heroic effort yesterday against William Tennent. That was the kind of game you don’t want to see anybody lose because it’s played well.
“Eighteen strikeouts, and what the line score doesn’t show were some of the unbelievable defensive plays she made off the mound too. You get an effort like that from your pitcher, you’ve got to find a way to win. We’ve been inconsistent with the bats, which is frustrating because we spend a lot of time on hitting. They hit well in practice. They just need to convert that confidence and that repetition into games. When you have four freshmen in the lineup, you’re going to have those growing pains, and we knew that. It was nice to see it start to click today a little bit, and Chloe is one of them. She started hitting the ball like she can, which was exciting to see because she’s been struggling at the plate.”
Foster showed no signs of struggling on Thursday. The Flying Cardinals’ ace was 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Madden Reilly was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Brianna Kesslick was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Paige Foley scored two runs.
In Thursday’s win, Foster scattered six hits and allowed one earned run while striking out seven and walking five in seven innings.
“So now she’s thrown 143 pitches (Wednesday), less on Monday because we were in an abbreviated game and then today to come back and throw another 110 – it was just, ‘Okay, ho hum. Here we go,’” Boyer said.
Foster will have an opportunity to recuperate since Upper Dublin is on its Disney break for the senior class trip.
Upper Dublin (3-7, 3-5 SOL) is off until next Thursday when the Flying Cardinals will travel to Cheltenham. Upper Moreland (2-5, 1-3) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Monday.
Upper Dublin 011 500 0 7
Upper Moreland 000 000 1 1
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