CR North & Neshaminy picked up wins in SOL softball action Saturday.
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4, BRISTOL 3
The visiting Indians edged the Warriors, breaking a 3-3 tie with a run in the top of the sixth to eke out the non-league win Saturday.
“Today’s game between CR North and Bristol was a special one in so many ways,” Rock North coach Susan Yee said. “For Bristol, the game paid tribute to former player Gabbie Devine (who lost her battle with leukemia) and raised money for the Gabbie Devine Scholarship Fund while for CR North, our team got to celebrate a very special milestone.
“Senior captain Molly Sheehy collected the 100th hit of her high school career when she stroked her 33rd hit of the season in the top of the seventh inning.”
Sheehy’s 3-for-4 day at the plate led the Indians, who had 14 hits.
“It was so great to see Molly achieve this milestone,” Yee said. “She is such a hard worker, and she truly is a very dangerous hitter. She is the first player to achieve this milestone since I took over coaching at CR North, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
“Molly fought through a back injury her entire junior season and still put up good numbers to keep her in the hunt for her 100, but now that she is fully healthy she’s been prolific and a huge catalyst for our team’s success. We are also extremely lucky because when you have a hitter like Molly with a team leading .559 batting average and the constant threat of the long ball, teams tend to consider the intentional walk to limit her at-bats, but Molly has been getting her swings this season because junior co-captain Sierra Klein has been protecting her with a 1.168 OPS and a team-leading 10 extra base hits.”
The two teams went into the sixth inning tied at 3. Chelsea Seiler led off the inning with a single and moved up to second on Hailey Edelman’s sacrifice bunt. Zoe Hornstein followed with a two-out single, and Seiler scored the go-ahead run when Olivia Schlindwein singled, giving the Indians a 4-3 lead.
“Today’s game was a true test of our team’s fortitude,” Yee said. “Bristol is a really good team. They have good pitching, solid defense, and dangerous bats. We weren’t exactly on top of our game, which usually spells disaster against a team like Bristol, but the girls all rallied together to fight for the win and picked each other up each time we stumbled throughout the game.”
Earlier in the game, Bristol took a 1-0 lead that stood until the top of the fourth. Sheehy led off the inning with a line single to center, and Klein followed with a double to center. One out later, Sheehy scored on a groundout, and Hailey Edelman delivered a clutch two-out double that plated Klein. Zoe Hornstein’s RBI single to right gave the Indians a 3-1 lead.
The Warriors plated an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth and evened the score 3-3 with a run in the fifth before the Indians won it in the sixth.
“The bottom of our lineup really came up big for us today with Zoe Hornstein and Liv Schlindwein going a combined 5-for-6 and contributing two of our four RBIs,” Yee said. “We really are blessed in the fact that we don’t have an easy out in our order, and in tight games like today, it makes a huge difference. Case in point, our 6-9 hitters had all 4 four of our RBIs today.”
In addition to Sheehy, Hornstein was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Contributing two hits each were Taylor Gearhart (2-for-4), Klein (2-for-4, 2B, R), and Schlindwein (2-for-3, RBI).
Schlindwein started and threw five innings to earn the win, allowing five hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out seven and walking three. Lucy Mills earned the save with two shutout innings in relief. She did not allow a hit and struck out one.
“We are also blessed in the fact that we not only have two strong pitchers, but our pitchers are great friends and always have each other’s backs,” Yee said. “Nobody cheers louder for the pitcher in the game than the pitcher in the dugout, and the comfort they give each other that they have one another’s back and neither has to put it all on their own shoulders is huge.
“Once again, that made all the difference in the world today when Liv had 7 Ks through the first five innings but started to get timed a little, Lucy was able to step in and close it out for her by throwing hitless sixth and seventh innings.
“In general, I just couldn’t be prouder of the team effort our girls exhibited today, from the girls in the dugout charting pitches and relaying in signs to the catchers warming up our pitchers to Molly driving in her 100th hit, everybody played a hand in the group as a whole coming out on top.”
Council Rock North (11-7, 7-7 SOL) will travel to Pennridge for a crossover game Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Council Rock North 000 301 0 4-14-2
Bristol 100 110 0 3-5-0
NESHAMINY 10, CONESTOGA 2
The fifth inning was the difference in this one.
Conestoga took a 2-1 lead into the fifth when the Redskins exploded for eight runs to seize control of the game on their way to the non-league win.
“We went through a little rough patch last week, but we had a little reset and are back on the right track,” Neshaminy coach Sarah Martoccio said.
Conestoga brought a gaudy 14-1 record into Saturday’s game while the Redskins had lost three of their last four games during a tough stretch that came on the heels of a five-game winning streak.
The Pioneers got on the board first with a run in the top of the first, and that lead stood until the bottom of the third inning when Olivia Hughes smacked a solo home run to center field, knotting the score 1-1.
Conestoga answered with a run in the top of the fourth to go on top 2-1, a tenuous lead that was erased and then some in the fifth. Jill Rickards grounded a single to left to open the inning, and Erica Dalton was safe on a fielder’s choice. An intentional walk to Hughes loaded the bases with none out.
Lily Mormello’s ground single to center field plated a pair, and with one out, Zahmira Coppola-Miller was safe on a dropped third strike on a passed ball that allowed Hughes to score. A walk loaded the bases for Morgan Leonhauser, who smashed a grand slam home run that put the Redskins on top 8-2.
The Redskins weren’t finished yet. Kendall McCafferty followed with a single, and with two outs, Dalton doubled to left to plate McCafferty for a 9-2 Neshaminy lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mormello hit a leadoff triple to right, and she scored on Morgan Volgraf’s single to left for the 10-2 final.
“Today was really important game against a good team, and we set the tone early with Olivia Hughes starting the game with a double and putting us on the board in the third with a solo home run,” Martoccio said. “They intentionally walked her to load the bases in the fifth, and Lily Mormello came up huge with a two-run single. Later that inning, Morgan Leonhauser sealed the deal with a grand slam. Both of our pitchers – Molly (Ambrosius) and Ellie (Miller) – had great outings today, and we are really excited for the weeks to come.”
Ambrosius started and earned the win in the circle, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out five and walking two. Miller did not allow a hit in two shutout innings to close out the game.
Contributing multiple hits for the Redskins were Hughes (2-for-3, HR, RBI, 2R), Mormello (2-for-3, 3B, 2 RBIs, 2R) and Rickards (2-for-3, R).
Neshaminy (12-6, 10-5 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham for a non-league game on Monday.
Conestoga 100 100 0 2-5-0
Neshaminy 001 081 x 10-10-2
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