Check out the results from Tuesday’s SOL openers. To view photos of the Pennsbury/Bensalem, CB South/Pennridge, CR North/Tennent and Upper Dublin/Cheltenham games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
PENNSBURY 3, BENSALEM 0
Val Buehler and Jackie Morell found themselves locked in a classic pitcher’s duel when the Owls travelled to Fairless Hills for their SOL opener.
The two teams managed just six hits combined, but the Falcons – who got four of those hits – made theirs count.
Christina Bascara’s two-run double in the third spotted the Falcons a 2-0 lead, and they extended that lead to 3-0 after Michelle George delivered a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
The Owls managed just two hits off Buehler, who fanned 13 and walked just one in a masterpiece.
“She pitched a real nice game, and again, we played well defensively,” coach Frank McSherry said. “They came out swinging the bats, that’s for sure. The first pitch of the game their kid ripped one up the middle, and (shortstop) Mackenzie Obert made a diving play and threw the kid out. That kind of set the tone defensively for us.
“That’s a good team. They’re going to knock some people off. They make a lot of noise, they cheer a lot – he (coach Dan Schramm) has them fired up.”
The Falcons are 2-0 on the young season while the Owls are 2-1.
NESHAMINY 15, ABINGTON 0 (3 innings)
Lauren Quense threw three perfect innings, fanning six as the Redskins notched an impressive win in the SOL opener. While Quense was working her magic on the mount, the Redskins’ bats were busy pounding out 15 hits.
Freshman Sarah Snider-Leonhauser led the offensive onslaught, finishing the game a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, triple and home run. She knocked in seven of Neshaminy’s runs. Another freshman – Sam Offenback – also came up big, contributing three singles and two RBIs. Senior shortstop Laura Altenburger was 2-for-3 with a two-run double.
The Redskins scored early and often, plating seven first-inning runs, adding three in the second and closing it out with a five-run third.
The Redskins are 2-0 while the Ghosts are 3-3.
HARRY S TRUMAN 16, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1
Danielle Jones led a potent Tiger attack, finishing the game a perfect 3-for-3 with a double. Jess O’Neill was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles while Jamie Rizzo also was 2-for-2 with a home run. Bridget Hunt contributed a double for the Tigers, who won their season opener in impressive fashion.
Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 9, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
It’s a whole new world for the Souderton softball team that lost all-state pitcher Liz Parkins to graduation from a squad that advanced to the state’s Elite Eight last season. They also are playing without starting catcher Mollie Burrell, who is sidelined with an injury, but if their performance in Tuesday’s SOL opener is any indication, the young Indians will be just fine this season.
“I think we really just wanted to prove ourselves,” sophomore Haley Delany said. “We are all really good players, and we really just wanted to work as a team and do it for each other and win as team.
“We just want to prove we’re still Souderton, and we still are good.”
Sophomore hurler Heather Milligan tossed a five-hit shutout, fanning five and walking two, and the Indians played some impressive defense behind her with Delany delivering the game’s defensive gem.
It came in the top of the sixth when the sophomore first baseman made a dazzling diving catch while fully extended of a foul ball between home and first.
“I just wanted to do it for the team,” Delany said. “We do it for each other. We don’t want to let each other down.”
Making Delany’s catch even more impressive was the fact that it came with the Indians holding a commanding 8-0 lead.
“You never know what could happen – she could have gotten a home run off of it, so you have to do your part when you can,” Delany said.
The Indians wasted little time taking control of Tuesday’s home opener, plating three runs in the bottom of the first.
Paige Shelly drew a leadoff walk, and Lauren Urbanski followed with a single. Sarah Derstine’s sacrifice fly plated Shelly, and after Nikki Canfield drew a free pass, the Indians pulled off a double steal with Urbanski coming home to give the Indians a two-run lead. Another run crossed the plate on Delany’s sacrifice fly, and before fans had settled in their seats, the Indians led 3-0.
“That was definitely important,” Delany said. “The past few games we struggled in getting leads, and we started in the fifth inning.
“We really wanted to work on hopping on them in the beginning and making sure they understood what we were here to do.”
Neither team generated any serious offense over the next three innings, but the Indians put the game out of reach with a five-run uprising in the fifth. Meghan Weisel got things started with a triple to the fence in right field, and she scored on a wild pitch. One out later, Urbanski doubled to center, and Derstine drew a walk. Urbanski scored on a fielder’s choice by Canfield, and two more runs crossed the plate on Delany’s double.
Milligan kept the inning alive with a single to center, and Delany came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Corrine Stiles, giving the Indians an 8-0 lead.
“The early lead was important,” coach Courtney Hughes said. “I think it settled everybody down because we were pretty hyped up.
“They stayed with it even when we were getting a little frustrated – they didn’t overly press. We said, ‘Go out and score runs,’ and they went out and scored runs. They listened well.”
Delany wasn’t the only one to throw some leather at the Bucks in the top of the sixth. Rightfielder Moira Golden came up with a running catch, robbing the West batter of extra bases.
“We’re continuing to get better with our defense,” Hughes said. “The thing is always the desire to get everything, and I think the more comfortable they get with their pitchers, the more they’re giving their hearts out for their defense.”
The Indians tacked on a single run in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to doubles by Shelly and Amanda Brush (RBI). Milligan put the finishing touches on the decisive win by retiring the Bucks in the top of the seventh.
“This is the start of the league season, the first game at home, and they were excited to show what they could do in the league and here,” Hughes said. “Just the way we came out showing our offense off the way we did – that was important.”
Shelly, who is hitting .600 after four games, was 2-for-3 while Urbanski was 2-for-4 and Weisel, 2-for-3.
The Indians evened their overall record at 2-2 while the Bucks fell to 2-3 overall.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 12, PENNRIDGE 0 (5 innings)
Coach Dan Hayes talks about the three ‘thumpers’ in the middle of his lineup. Those thumpers – seniors Morgan Decker, Haileigh Stocks and Lauren Klepchick – combined to contribute two doubles and a home run in Tuesday’s SOL opener.
Stocks also tossed a one-hit shutout on the mound, fanning eight in the abbreviated five-inning contest.
Since falling to Christopher Dock 2-1 in their season opener, the Titans have rolled to three straight wins, outscoring their opponents 34-3 in those three wins.
According to Stocks, the loss to Dock may have been the wake-up call the Titans needed.
“We just kind of thought we could show up and win, and it kind of made it a reality that we’re going to have to work hard, and it’s not going to be a cakewalk every game,” Stocks said. “We’re going to have to do the little things right - little mistakes can kill us if they keep adding up.
“We just want to go out and play hard all seven innings – not let up on any play or any pitch or any at-bat. We need to work together as a team. It’s not just one person out there. We all have to work together on every play.”
Stocks got the ball rolling for the Titans with a two-run home run over the fence in the third inning. The Titans would go on to plate seven runs in the third. They added four more in the fourth and a single run in the fifth for the 12-0 final.
Klepchick contributed a double, single and three RBIs while Jae Epstein was 2-for-4 and Hallie Bilker was 2-for-3.
The team, according to Stocks, is making an intentional effort to do things together away from the softball field as well this season.
“Not that we weren’t last year, but we’re really good friends this year,” she said. “We hang out together outside of softball. We’re trying to do more of that and just make practices fun while we’re there to build team chemistry.”
The Titans are hoping to erase memories of last year’s early exit from districts as well.
“I don’t know about everyone else, but I kind of just put that behind us – it’s already happened, and I don’t want to keep thinking about it,” Stocks said. “It just makes all of us angry.
“We know it’s in the back of our minds that we’re not going to end like that this year.”
The Titans improved to 3-1 overall (1-0 SOL) while the Rams are 3-3.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 13, QUAKERTOWN 1 (6 innings)
Maggie Shaffer is best known for her performances on the mound, but the senior hurler also got the job done at the plate in Tuesday’s SOL opener, delivering a three-run home run. Kelsey Koelzer also had a monster day offensively, going 4-for-4 with two singles, a double and home run to go along with three RBIs and three runs scored.
The Hatters remain perfect at 5-0 while the Panthers fell to 1-4.
NORTH PENN 10, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 (6 innings)
The Maidens scored in every inning but the second en route to their first win of the season in a game that was halted after six innings when the mercy rule went into effect. Sophomore Vicky Tumasz earned the win on the mound, allowing three hits in five shutout innings.
Jess Mower led the Maidens offensively with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate that included two RBIs and two runs scored.
The Maidens improved to 1-2 while the Patriots are 2-2.
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 7, CHELTENHAM 6
Ashleigh Sharp ignited the offense while Kristin Ganderton got the job done on the mound, leading the Flying Cardinals to the win in their SOL opener on Tuesday.
Sharp was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three stolen bases, and it was the speedy leadoff batter who got things started in the first inning, setting the stage for the Flying Cardinals to plate a pair of unearned runs.
“Ashleigh has been our motor,” coach Heather Boyer said. “She’s getting us jump started. I want to say in every game she’s gotten on as the leadoff batter in the game, which is exactly what we told her we needed her to do.
“Her speed has really been beneficial.”
In the third inning, Sarah Rosenbaum made her first varsity hit a memorable one, delivering a two-run home run that put the Flying Cardinals on top 4-0.
“She got all of it,” Boyer said. “I don’t know that I’ve seen a ball hit that hard in a long time. She really got all of it and put a beautiful swing on it.”
Rosenbaum finished the game 2-for-4 with one run scored and two RBIs. Teammate Rachel Hyman was 1-for-3 with a two-run single in the fourth.
The Lady Panthers were led by the 2-for-4 effort of Rita Laychock, who had a triple. Bree Hansteen was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Lesenia Santiago absorbed the loss, allowing eight hits while fanning 10. Ganderton scattered seven hits, walked a pair and struck out six in a winning effort.
“Kristin Ganderton really came on strong in the seventh inning,” Boyer said. “She did a great job the first time through the lineup, and the second time through, they started hitting her a little bit.
“Her drop wasn’t breaking the way she wanted it to, and Cheltenham made her pay. Then she settled back down. In the seventh inning, she faced their four, five and six hitters, who really can hit the ball, and she did a great job of keeping them off balance. She hit her spots and threw some beautiful changeups when we needed her to and closed the door on it.”
The Flying Cardinals led 4-0, but a three-run outburst in the third by the Lady Panthers made it a 4-3 game. The Flying Cardinals added three runs in the fourth to go on top 7-3 only to watch the Lady Panthers answer with one run in the fourth and two more in the sixth.
“We did have a couple of errors today, but we didn’t compound them,” Boyer said. “We’re improving every day. We’re trying to make fast progress, especially for a lot of the kids I have on the roster who don’t play softball all year round.
“Trying to get that experience and those game reps is difficult, but as they get more and more experienced, they definitely are quick learners.”
Both teams are 2-2 overall while the Flying Cardinals are 1-0 in league play and the Lady Panthers are 0-1.
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