Check out Tuesday’s SOL softball results.
National Conference
BENSALEM 5, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
Dan Schram had a plan when he set up a tough non-league schedule for his squad – a stretch that was capped with back-to-back SOL contests against National Conference powers Pennsbury and Neshaminy, and after an 0-5 start, the Owls got in the win column on Tuesday with an impressive victory over the Panthers.
“We have been playing tough competition, but it paid off though, so we could win these games we need to win,” the Owls’ coach said. “It’s scary when you lose that many games.
“I feel we have a better team this year than last, but losing can be as infectious as winning, so I was really glad to get one on the board. They’re a good team. They’re going to get their win.”
Isabel Hansbury was the offensive star for the Owls, finishing the day 2-for-4 with an RBI double in a four-run first and an RBI single in the second when the Owls tacked on an insurance run. Erin McVicar was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot. Jackie Morell was 2-for-3 with a double and walk.
Morell also turned in a gem on the mound, allowing just two hits while fanning two and walking none.
“She was flawless,” Schram said of Morell’s 69-pitch masterpiece. “This game was important to us.
“(Tennent) is one of the pack of really tough teams that will try to contend for the third spot in our division. We played that tough schedule so we’re prepared to battle them, to battle the CR Norths and the Trumans. I’m hoping the dividends come and this is something we will build on.”
Nikki Alden, who absorbed the loss, accounted for Tennent’s only two hits.
Tuesday’s win came on the heels of a 3-2 loss in extra innings to Hunterdon Central on Monday.
“That was kind of a turning point game,” Schram said. “We just didn’t get the timely hits.
“The big thing with coaching is that sometimes you’ve got to be able to judge not the performance you see but the potential. I knew we had the potential, and that’s the reason I made that schedule. It didn’t go exactly like I wanted it to, but overall, I’m proud that we sustained and got through it, and now hopefully we will be on the right track.”
The Owls are 1-2 in league play (1-5 overall) while the Panthers fell to 0-3 in the league (1-5 overall).
NESHAMINY 9, ABINGTON 0
Lauren Quense was all but untouchable in Tuesday’s win, allowing just two hits while fanning 18 and walking two.
The Redskins scored all the runs Quense would need in a four-run first and iced the win with five more runs in the third inning.
Julia McGovern was 1-for-4 with a three-run double. Quense was 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, and Jen Walker contributed a two-run single.
The Redskins are 3-0 in league play (4-1 overall) while the Ghosts fell to 2-1 in the league (3-2 overall).
Continental Conference
HATBORO HORSHAM 11, PENNRIDGE 8 (10 innings)
Heather Lutz has a flair for the dramatic.
After sending a ball to the fence in deep left field to end the eighth inning with a runner in scoring position, the Hatters’ gifted lefthander lined an 0-1 pitch over the right field fence for a grand slam that put her team on top 11-7 on its way to the big win.
Lutz, it seems, got exactly the pitch she was looking for in her final at-bat of the night.
“I always crowd the plate, and the whole entire game, every single at-bat – the first pitch was outside, and because I was so close to the plate, they tried jamming me inside,” said Lutz. “That’s my favorite pitch to hit, and on that one, I just got the bat head out there as quickly as I could and hit my home run.
“I was so excited. I was way overdue.”
Lutz as well as teammate Maria Spinosa (two RBIs), Carlie Johnson, Nicole Casagrand and Emily Wrenn each collected a pair of hits to lead the Hatters. Paige DeCew and Brianna Gery led the Rams with two hits each.
“This means a lot to us, especially when we came out and beat (Central Bucks) East and didn’t get the respect we needed,” Lutz said. “I feel like we’ll get more respect now, which means a lot to us.”
The Hatters, benefitting from a four-run fourth that included a pair of Ram errors, appeared to be in command when they opened up a 7-3 lead, but the Rams clawed their way back into the game. A two-run home run by Brooke Labs to straightaway center field and an Emily Mayhew double highlighted a three-run fifth for the Rams that made it a 7-6 game. An RBI single by Alison Horne in the sixth knotted the score.
“These are two very good hitting teams,” coach Joe DiFilippo said. “You’re going to have to throw a very good game to stop these two teams.
“These two lineups will put runs on the board.”
DeCew worked her magic in the top of the seventh after the Hatters loaded the bases with none out, coaxing a grounder to third for the inning’s first out and then fanning the next two batters she faced.
The Rams had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth when they put a pair of runners on board with one out, but they came up empty. The Hatters put their leadoff batter on in the ninth, but a brilliant running catch in left by Mayhew for the inning’s first out allowed the Rams to escape unscathed.
Casagrand faced the heart of the Rams’ order in the bottom of the inning and retired the side in order, setting the stage for Lutz’s heroics in the 10th.
“That’s why she bats four for me,” DiFilippo said of Lutz. “That’s what she is there to do. She gets so much respect throughout the league – no one ever throws in the middle to her. It’s always outside.
“For her to jump on that pitch, I think she was so pumped up. You challenge my girls when they play another undefeated team, and they step up.”
While the Rams fell to 2-1 in conference play (5-1 overall), the Hatters improved to 3-0 in the league (5-0 overall).
“This conference is unbelievable,” DiFilippo said. “Nobody is going to go perfect through this conference.
“I have to beat them again. I have to play them again, and I can guarantee you we’re both not going to have zero or one loss. This conference is so wide open.”
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 12, QUAKERTOWN 6
Taylor Gallagher led the Titans with a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate. Sammi Myers doubled in the fourth inning to plate the go-ahead run for the Titans, who fell behind 3-0 when Emil Reis belted a three-run home run in the first inning. The Titans plated six runs in the fifth to seal the Panthers’ fate.
The Titans are 2-1 in league play (5-2 overall) while the Panthers fell to 1-2 in the league (2-2 overall).
SOUDERTON 11, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1 (5 innings)
Sarah Derstine (2-for-3), Dayna Shelly (2-for-3) and Haley DeLany (2-for-3) led a potent Souderton attack in Tuesday's win. Eight of nine batters in Souderton's lineup collected hits. Shelly had five RBIs on the day, three the direct result of a three-run bomb. Alex Ziegler had two RBIs while Morgan Yoder, Amanda Brush and Derstine each had an RBI. Derstine had the Indians' other extra base hit - a double.
The Indians plated one run in the first, three in the third and then exploded for seven in the fifth to bring an early end to the game. Salina Allebach earned the win on the mound, tossing a neat two-hitter with four strikeouts. The Indians played flawless defense behind Allebach.
The Indians are 1-2 in the league (3-3 overall) while the Bucks fell to 0-3 in the league (0-7 overall).
American Conference
UPPER MERION 11, SPRINGFIELD (MONDAY) 1
The Vikings took a 4-1 lead into the sixth when they exploded for seven runs to put the game out of reach. The Vikings pounded out 12 hits in the win, led by the two-hit efforts of Micaela Ghanayem, Dezerea Kandy, Sarah Schunder (triple, 3 RBIs) and Nikki Ross (2 RBIs). Ross also earned the win on the mound, allowing just five hits.
“We’re doing all right,” coach John Whitney said. “We’re getting a little better every day. We are a young team, but we’re kind of finding it slowly. We’re just taking it a game at a time.”
The Vikings improved to 3-1 in the league (3-2 overall) while the Spartans fell to 0-3 in the league (2-3 overall).
WISSAHICKON 10, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 6
The Trojans opened up a 7-1 lead and then fought off a late PW rally to earn the win. Britt Gelman and Meredith Byrne led the Trojans attack with 3-for-4 efforts at the plate. Both players also had two RBIs. Alex Comonitski was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. The trio combined to score eight runs for the Trojans, who collected 10 hits.
Emma Goodrich earned the win on the mound for the Trojans, scattering six hits.
The Trojans improved to 2-1 in the league (3-2 overall) while the Colonials fell to 2-2 in league play (2-3 overall).
CHELTENHAM 17, UPPER DUBLIN 7
The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 6-1 lead after two innings and added five more in the third. Although the Flying Cardinals were able to put three runs on the board in both the third and fifth innings, they never could make up for Cheltenham’s five-run second and third innings.
Kelly Graham led the Lady Panthers with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate, which included a double and two runs scored. Becca Simms was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and one run scored, and Jackson was 2-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and one run scored.
Upper Dublin’s Sarah Rosenbaum was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBIs. Rachel Hyman and Ashleigh Sharp both had doubles.
Gracie DeRosa earned the win on the mound, allowing seven hits while fanning five and walking four. Kristin Ganderton absorbed the loss.
The Lady Panthers are 2-1 in the league (4-2 overall), and the Flying Cardinals are also 2-1 in the league (2-2 overall).
- Log in to post comments
