Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Thursday. CB South/CB East photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. CR South/CR North photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f63743818
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
Lexi Waring was in complete command in the circle, tossing a complete game no-hitter and leading the Golden Hawks to the hard-fought win over their neighboring rival.
“The rivalry between North and South is huge, and everybody really gets up to play,” Rock South coach Dan Schram said. “Time and time again, Lexi comes up really big for us. It doesn’t matter what the moment is, it doesn’t matter what the count is – she is always poised to help her team win. This was another incredible performance by her.”
Waring struck out 13 and walked a pair.
“There were a couple moments – we had a few errors,” Schram said. “In the sixth inning, North really threatened because we had two errors, and there was a walk.
“They loaded the bases, and with two outs, (catcher) Grace Stepp picked off the runner at third base. She threw an absolute laser, and it ended the inning, ended the threat. We could have gotten in a lot of trouble there if she doesn’t make that play. Grace has been such a force behind the plate, and she’s been a leader all year on this team.”
The Golden Hawks scored a run in the bottom of the first. Kaylie Walters singled to lead off the frame and eventually scored a run that stood as the game-winner on a Rock North miscue.
Rock South added an insurance run in the fourth inning. With one out, Ameerah Wheet was safe on an error and stole second. She scored when Shannon Williams delivered a clutch two-out single to right field.
The Indians managed just four hits off Rock North pitcher Olivia Schwindlein, who struck out five and walked three.
“Olivia Schwindlein pitched a really good game, kept us off-balance the whole game,” Schram said.
Rock North Susan Yee also had high praise for both pitchers.
“Lexi Waring pitched a phenomenal game for CR South,” Yee said. “She was absolutely in command from start to finish.
“Olivia pitched very well for us today, pitching a complete game four-hitter with no earned runs. Unfortunately, our defense just wasn’t as crisp as it needed to be, and you can’t play teams as strong as CR South and make any mistakes because they are going to capitalize. They are well coached, and they play hard. They deserved the win today, and I believe they are going to make noise in the playoffs.”
Schram tipped his hat to his coaching counterpart.
“We’ve got to remember how far North has come in one year,” Schram said. “North is battling Pennsbury, battling all the best teams. A couple good bounces went our way today, but they were right there with us.
“Their whole turnaround as a program starts with coach Susan Yee. She has done a great job. Their school and athletic department should value having her as a coach.”
Council Rock South (12-5, 9-5 SOL) will travel to Archbishop Wood for a non-league game Friday, and Council Rock North (10-8, 7-7) will host Neshaminy on Monday.
Council Rock North 000 000 0 0-0-2
Council Rock South 100 100 0 2-4-0
NESHAMINY 9, HARRY S TRUMAN 2
The Redskins received contributions up and down their lineup in Thursday’s division win on the road. They scored four runs in the third inning and never looked back.
Leading the Redskins’ attack was Morgan Volgraf, who was 3-for-4 with a stolen base, two RBIs and two runs scored. Rachel Allen was 2-for-5 with a stolen base, run scored and two RBIs. Olivia Hughes was 2-for-4 with a home run, RBI and run scored. Hannah Cieszkowski was 1-for-1 with a walk and RBI, and Ryleigh Bilbrey was 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI and run scored. Molly Hitchen was 1-for-2 with a stolen base, run scored and one RBI. Lindsey Gorka was hit by a pitch, drew a walk and scored a run. Allie Waskie was 1-for-2 with a walk, and Grace Eppinger had a stolen base and run scored.
Bilbrey threw four innings, allowing two hits and no runs while striking out six and walking two. In a three-inning stint in relief, Molly Ambrosius allowed two hits, three walks and two strikeouts.
Neshaminy (10-8, 9-5 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Monday, and Harry S Truman (2-14, 0-14) will be on the road at Bensalem on Monday.
Neshaminy 004 302 0 9
Harry S Truman 000 002 0 2
PENNSBURY 10, BENSALEM 0 (5 innings)
Laney Freiband tossed a one-hit shutout in Thursday’s abbreviated contest, striking out seven and walking none to lead the Falcons to a win that – with three division games remaining – clinched at least a share of the division crown.
The Falcons took a 4-0 lead into the fourth inning when they scored four runs to put the game out of reach. Taylor Askey led off the inning with a single, Presley Foote contributed an RBI double, and Ava Storlazzi singled home a run.
Askey’s 3-for-3 day at the plate with a double and two runs scored led the Falcons. Storlazzi, who reached base on all four trips to the plate, was 2-for-3 with walk, RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored. Liv Czerniak walked twice and scored a pair of runs. Naya Schubel was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Sammy Raub’s three RBIs led the Falcons.
Pennsbury (14-2, 11-2 SOL) will face Caravel Academy (Del.) in a non-league contest Saturday, and Bensalem (3-15, 1-14) will host St. Hubert in a non-league game on Friday.
Bensalem 000 00 0-1-2
Pennsbury 202 42 10-9-0
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
Maddy Borowski had a Senior Night to remember, tossing a four-hit complete game shutout to lead the Titans to a hard-earned win over their neighboring rival. She fanned 13 – which included the 100th strikeout of her career – and walked only one.
“That’s two shutouts for her against West this year – she had a no-hitter against them early in the year,” South coach Kevin Rosini said. “This win was huge. Especially after Tuesday night (a 6-5 loss to Central Bucks East) – we made that comeback against East and almost won.
“To come back tonight on Senior Night, a lot of emotions surrounding it – we knew we needed the win to stay where we are in the playoff hunt. Maddy came up huge. They had a runner on third with nobody out in the sixth and couldn’t score. They got their leadoff runner on in the seventh and couldn’t get her in. They left some runners on, but every time we needed a big out, Maddy got it. The defense made some plays behind her. It’s a nice, nice win.”
The Titans put a run on the board in the bottom of the first. With one out, Maura Fleming beat out a bunt single, stole second and third and – with two outs – scored on a passed ball.
In the fourth inning, Riley Theis had a bunt single to lead off the frame, and she scored when Steph Bendzlowicz lined a two-out double to the right field fence to put the Titans on top 2-0.
Borowski took care of business in the circle, and the big win was in the books for the Titans.
Bendzlowicz (2-for-2, double, RBI) and Fleming (2-for-3, 2R, 2SB) accounted for four their team’s five hits.
Central Bucks South (10-7, 8-6 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Friday for a non-league game. Central Bucks West (8-9, 6-8) will host Pennridge on Monday.
Central Bucks West 000 000 0 0-4-1
Central Bucks South 100 100 x 2-5-1
NORTH PENN 7, SOUDERTON 0
Julia Shearer turned in what has become a routinely excellent performance.
The University of Maryland bound senior tossed a complete game one-hit shutout, striking out eight and walking just one.
The Knights scored an unearned run that stood as the game-winner in the bottom of the second. Casey Sokol got things started with a two-out single, and the Knights had a pair on board after Reyna Doherty was safe on an error. Shearer helped her own cause with an RBI single that gave the Knights a lead they would never lose.
North Penn put the game out of reach with a four-run third inning. Annabelle Smink led off the inning with a single, and one out later Gianna Cimino was safe on an error. Sophia Orth’s single plated a run, and Bella Nunn’s bunt pushed another run across. Sokol and Shearer each had RBI singles in the inning, the second putting the Knights on top 5-0.
A two-run home run to center field by Sarah Saboscik put the finishing touches on the shutout win.
Shearer also led the Knights at the plate, finishing the game 2-for-2 with two RBIs and one run scored. Sokol was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
For the Indians, Lily Ponce singled with one out in the first for the Indians’ lone hit. Shearer retired 18 in a row after that.
North Penn (18-0, 14-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Monday, and Souderton (9-9, 7-7) will host Central Bucks East on Monday.
Souderton 000 000 0 0-1-3
North Penn 014 002 x 7-8-0
SOL Liberty Division
UPPER DUBLIN 5, ABINGTON 4 (9 innings)
Madden Reilly twice played the hero’s role in the Cardinals’ come-from-behind walk-off win over the Ghosts in extra innings, delivering clutch hits when her team needed them most.
“Late in the game, we had some kids really step to the plate and want to be ‘that girl,’” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “Madden Reilly was ‘that girl’ today who stepped up in the bottom of the seventh with two outs with Kaelin Penna on third base and knocked her in and then came up with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth and hit the ball hard, making it really tough to make a good throw home.
“It’s important to have those kids that are willing to step up in big situations and convert. That’s going to be good experience for these guys going into the playoffs, which is exciting because we needed that, and we needed to be tested. I’m glad Abington brought their ‘A’ game to us today and really threw everything in the book at us to give us that challenge.
In the bottom of the ninth, Maddie Small led off the inning with an infield single and reached third on a bunt single by Rayla Kratchman. Kaelin Penna was then intentionally walked to load the bases and bring the force out into play. The Ghosts got an infield fly for the first out, but then Reilly came up and hit a hard infield ground ball and the throw to the plate was high, scoring Small for the walk-off win.
Two innings earlier, the Ghosts trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Kaelin Penna reached base with a one-out single, stole second base, advanced on a groundout by Garrison, and scored on a two-out RBI single by Madden to extend the game to extra innings.
“Abington gave us everything we could handle today,” Boyer said. “They were really, really tough out there. Their pitcher (Danica Santiago) did a good job of using the outside and keeping us a little bit off-balance.
“It was one of those things -we did not play well defensively, which allowed Abington to take extra bases, which they do well, so for them to be resilient enough, poised enough to fight back with two outs in the bottom of the seventh was important.”
Early on, UD scored in the second inning when Kaitlyn Small, who led off the inning with a triple to right field, scored on Anna Levin’s RBI sacrifice fly to left field.
Abington answered back in the top of the third when Liz Hippel reached base with a leadoff single to left field. After a groundout and strikeout, Natalie Broskley reached base on an infield error, and both runners scored on a second infield error.
UD answered with two more runs in the bottom of the frame. Kyla Garrison reached base on an error and was replaced on the base paths by courtesy runner Emeline Bell. Reilly singled to left field, but a misplayed ball and errant throw allowed both Bell and Reilly to score on the play.
In the top of the sixth, Natalie Broskley led off with a single, which was followed by a walk to Leanna Schenk. Broskely scored on an error, and Schenk later scored on an RBI single by Lauren Everitt to give the Ghosts a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. The stage was set for the Cardinals’ comeback.
“This is going to bode well for the next few weeks as we start to play some really competitive softball,” Boyer said. “As we face PW and Hatboro next week and then hopefully get a couple of playoff games, we’re going to be playing good softball, so we need to be in those pressure situations and know we can convert. That was good experience today. For the girls to also know, they have each other’s backs – they were able to pick each other up, and that’s important.”
Kya Garrison went the distance in the circle, allowing four hits and four runs (one earned) while striking out 13 and walking three in nine innings.
Upper Dublin (13-5, 10-4 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday, and Abington (4-13, 4-10) will host Upper Merion in a non-league game Friday.
Abington 002 002 000 4-4-3
Upper Dublin 012 000 101 5-8-5
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
In a classic battle between a pair of Liberty Division powers, it was the Colonials scoring three runs in the third inning to earn the win.
Molly Moore notched the complete game win, allowing five hits and one run while striking out 12 and walking one. She also stole the spotlight at the plate.
“As you’d expect with a divisional game versus Hatboro-Horsham, this was an absolute battle,” PW coach Mike Perez said. “Molly and Alyssa (Tooley) both pitched awesome and deserved to win the game.”
The Hatters scored a run in the top of the first, stringing together three straight one-out singles by Tess Kearney, Abby Waeltz and Amaya Lundy (RBI).
That 1-0 lead was erased in the third inning. Joslyn Perez led off the frame with a single, and one out later Caelin Kosvitch drew a walk. Both runners scored when Moore lined a double to center field. Sam Skivo followed with an RBI single that gave the Colonials their final margin of victory, 3-1.
“We were able to string together a few hits together, highlighted by Molly’s two-run double and Sam’s single to knock Molly in,” Perez said. “As we near the end of the regular season, we told the girls this would be a playoff atmosphere and we were able to come out on top.”
Tooley pitched well enough to win most days, allowing just four hits and three runs while striking out 11 and walking four.
The Hatters, who had a 5-4 edge in hits, were led by the 2-for-3 effort of Lundy, who also had an RBI.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-5, 11-3 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin Monday, and Hatboro-Horsham (11-6, 11-3) will host Methacton in a non-league game Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 100 000 0 1-5-0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 003 000 x 3-4-1
QUAKERTOWN 16, WISSAHICKON 6 (5 innings)
The Trojans struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first. The visiting Panthers – who clinched sole possession of the division crown with Thursday’s win – had an emphatic answer in the top of the second, putting 12 runs on the board to put the game out of reach early.
Highlights of the 12-run second included doubles by Maya Hellyer and Katie Muller (RBI) as well as an RBI triple by Emma Hilton.
There was a long list of contributors for the Panthers, who were led by the 3-for-3 effort of Carli Maha with four RBIs and three runs scored. Hellyer was 2-for-3 with a double, and Cadence Lewis was 2-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and two runs scored.
Contributing one RBI each were Ava Beal, Emma Hilton, Skyler Williams and Mary Wilkinson.
Three pitchers combined for the win in the circle.
Quakertown (18-0, 14-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Monday, and Wissahickon (4-14, 3-11) will be on the road at Abington on Monday.
Quakertown 0-12-4 0-0 16-14-1
Wissahickon 200 04 6-6-5
SOL Freedom Division
UPPER MORELAND 4, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 3
Liz Santry’s two-out single drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning, and the Golden Bears survived a scare in the bottom of the inning to eke out the win.
“I know Heather (Gehlhaus) and knew when she took the position at Springfield that they would become a force to be reckoned with, and they are,” UM coach Melanie Martino said of the Spartans’ coach. “We knew we needed to be ready to play today.”
Santry’s game-winner in the top of the seventh broke a 3-3 tie and plated Haleigh Woodman, who had walked to lead off the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Spartans loaded the bases, thanks to one-out singles by Ashley Jenkins and Joce Davis sandwiched around a UM miscue. The Golden Bears came up with a big defensive play, getting the second out on a pickoff of a Spartan baserunner and then closing it out with a popup to the second baseman for the game’s final out.
Earlier, the Golden Bears scored a pair in the top of the fourth to break a scoreless tie, and Emily West’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning made it a 2-1 game.
Alyssa Wiley drove in a run in the top of the fifth to give UM a 3-1 lead, but the Spartans got one run back in the bottom of the fifth. Taylor Schulz hit a two-out double, and her courtesy runner – Camryn Licolli – scored on an error. In the bottom of the sixth, McKayla McKeever’s single plated Davis, who doubled to lead off the inning.
Wiley’s 2-for-4 day at the plate led the Golden Bears.
For the Spartans, Jenkins was 3-for-4 with a double and run scored. Davis was 3-for-3 with a double and run scored. Taylor Schulz was 2-for-4 with a double, McKeever was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and West was 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Upper Moreland (9-8, 7-7 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Monday, and Springfield Township (8-9, 6-8) will host Lower Moreland on Monday.
Upper Moreland (9-8, 7-7 SOL)
Upper Moreland 000 210 1 4
Springfield Twp 000 111 0 3
LOWER MORELAND 13, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 3 (6 innings)
It was a full team effort on Senior Night for the Lions as they defeated New Hope-Solebury. The host Lions opened up a 5-0 lead before their visitors put a run on the board. They brought an early end to the game in the sixth inning.
Every player in the lineup reached base at least one time, and every player scored at least one run. The seniors combined for five hits and eight runs, but sophomore Sophia Azzarano had the big hit in the fifth inning with a three-run blast that hit the top of the fence and bounced over. It was her second homerun in two games.
Natalie Shiloni and Nikki Sahl each went 2-for-3 at the plate, and Liz Neeld had one double and three stolen bases.
For the New Hope Lions, Kaylee Harris and Izzy Elizondo each were 2-for-3 on the day, and Ann-Cha Arnould, an exchange student from Belgium, had her first hit of the season.
Neeld was in the circle for Lower Moreland, giving up five hits and striking out four.
Lower Moreland (7-11, 5-9 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Monday, and New Hope-Solebury (2-12) will travel to South Hunterdon Regional (N.J.) on Friday for a non-league game.
New Hope-Solebury 000 102 3-5-3
Lower Moreland 311 134 13-9-3
WILLIAM TENNENT 22, CHELTENHAM 2
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