Neshaminy defeated Pennsbury to cap an undefeated SOL season while several SOL other schools notched important wins. Check back for action photos of the Neshaminy/Pennsbury game in the Photo Gallery soon.
NESHAMINY 2, PENNSBURY 0
Diana LaPalombara talked about ‘living in the moment’ after Tuesday night’s scintillating 2-0 win over Pennsbury, and what a moment it was for the senior leadoff hitter and her Redskin teammate, who completed their season sweep of the Falcons in front of packed sidelines on the annual Softball Night in Bristol.
“We make the moment,” LaPalombara said. “Everyone is cheering you on and even cheering against you, and you just have to take all that energy, and you have to play your best game if you can.”
LaPalombara provided the offensive highlight of the night, sending a rocket over the center field fence to lead off the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie and give the ‘Skins all the runs they would need.
“It felt great,” she said. “To see that pitch come and my swing and follow through and to hear it off the bat - it was overwhelming almost. I just knew I had to give it my all, and that was the hardest swing I could have possibly given. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
With Quense and Pennsbury’s Val Buehler locked in a classic pitcher’s duel, that run loomed large.
“As soon as the game started with three outs and three outs for both teams, I thought that whoever scored first was definitely going to be stronger,” LaPalombara said. “We kept it in our mindset to stay focused and relax. That was the most important thing – staying relaxed throughout this whole entire game.”
While LaPalombara provided the offensive spark, Quense created a masterpiece of her own on the mound. After issuing a leadoff walk and one-out single in the first, Quense allowed just two hits the rest of the way, tossing a nifty three-hit shutout against a hard-hitting Falcon squad that touched the Redskins’ ace for four solo home runs in a 6-4 Neshaminy win earlier this season.
“They’re a very good hitting team,” Quense said. “It’s a battle every time. My team is always there for me 120 percent – win or lose. The other day I had a rough patch, and my team has backed me up 100 percent. We all play for each other – we don’t play for ourselves, and I think that takes us past some very hard obstacles.”
The Redskins tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Jen Walker led off the inning with a line single to left and scored on rightfielder Farryl Groder’s putout at first of Selina Alicea, who hit a sharp liner to right.
That was more than enough for Quense, who received an assist from catcher Sam Offenback in the bottom of the seventh. After Quense walked the Falcons leadoff batter, the Redskins’ catcher dug a pitch out of the dirt and fired a strike to Julia McGovern at second for the tag of the runner attempting to advance.
“That was huge,” Quense said. “Having a person like her behind the plate – as a pitcher, that’s what you want. She’s got fire, she’s got everything you need back there.
“For her to do that sets the mood, sets the tone, especially in the bottom of the seventh.”
Quense did the rest, fanning the next two batters she faced to put an exclamation point on a win that clinched sole possession of the National Conference crown for the ‘Skins.
“Our senior year – this is it for us,” LaPalombara said. “We’ve been playing Pennsbury forever. We know those girls, we’re friends with them. For us to win it outright my senior year, I don’t have words for it honestly.”
“It was an awesome game,” coach Dave Chichilitti said. “It was well-played by both teams. Both teams played a clean game.”
The Redskins’ coach went on to laud the performance of Quense.
“She came out in the first inning, and she ran into a little trouble,” Chichilitti said. “From that point on, her and I were clicking. She was clicking with her catcher, and she was firing on all cylinders.
“She was throwing the ball extremely well tonight, and our defense made the plays behind her. She made them hit her pitch, and it resulted in easy plays for her defense, and our defense executed.”
While the Redskins celebrated their big win, none of them had forgotten a similar scenario last season that saw them follow their big win over the Falcons to capture a share of the conference crown with a second round exit from the district playoffs.
“Our mindset after winning this game – all of our excitement is here tonight, but in the future, we need to progress, we need to get better,” LaPalombara said. “No matter what, we’re never going to be satisfied.”
“We’re really happy, but we’re not satisfied,” Quense added. “Yes, they’re our rival, and they’re a hard team to play, but we’re so coming out ready for the next game.”
While the Redskins closed out the regular season with a perfect 14-0 mark in league play (17-1 overall), the Falcons (15-3, 11-2) return to action on Wednesday when they will travel to Abington.
“They deserved to win this game,” coach Frank McSherry said of the Redskins. “They scratched out a run, Diana (LaPalombara) had that big blow, and they made all the plays defensively, and Q pitched a great game.
“You have to forget about this game. We have to come back and play tomorrow. What the really good teams do is make the next team pay, and that’s what we’ve got to do – think about this game, and Abington’s going to bite you. It just made our road in the playoffs a little tougher.”
Extra Innings: Groder came up with a defensive gem in the third inning, turning a fly ball to right field into an inning-ending double play when she gunned down the Redskin runner at the plate…after the Redskins gathered for a quick postgame celebratory photo, Quense took the time to pose for a photo with eight-year-old Penelope, who herself aspires to one day be on the mound in that annual rivalry game. Quense assured the Levittown youngster that she would come back in 10 years to see her pitch. “That’s the stuff I live for,” Quense said. “You give back to the game.”
ABINGTON 6, BENSALEM 1
The Ghosts are looking to play the role of spoiler down the homestretch, and they put a damper on the Owls’ playoff run with Tuesday’s win. The win avenged an early season 10-2 loss at the hands of the Owls.
“This is a huge win,” coach Ellie White said. “We know we can’t get in the playoffs, so we’re doing everything we can to end the season with pride.”
Lizzy Lloyd turned in a gem in the circle, allowing just three hits while walking two and striking out three.
“I’ll tell you what – Lizzy was in the zone,” White said. “We played some defense, and we did some really good things. It was nice to see it finally pay off.”
Lloyd helped her own caused with a two-out, two-run single in a four-run fifth inning. Raechel Holden’s solo home run highlighted a two-run seventh inning for the Ghosts. The Owls plated their only run in the sixth.
For the Ghosts, Jamie Gosselin was 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Angie LaMaina reached base three times with a single and two walks.
The Ghosts are 5-8 in league play (8-10 overall) while the Owls fell to 7-6 in the league (8-9 overall).
UPPER MERION 11, CHELTENHAM 7
The Vikings rebounded from Monday’s loss to Upper Dublin to earn a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Panthers. The Vikings, who trailed 6-1, scored seven runs in the sixth inning and added three more in the seventh.
Anna Blackwood led the Vikings with three hits, including a double. Olivia Sblorlini, who earned the win in the circle, delivered a single and triple, and Dez Kandy added a pair of hits.
The Vikings closed out the league season with a 12-2 record (13-4 overall) while the Lady Panthers fell to 5-9 in the league (7-11 overall).
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, PENNRIDGE 2
Nothing comes easily in the Continental Conference, and the Patriots – 24 hours removed from their disappointing loss to CB South – earned a come-from-behind win in Tuesday’s contest, thanks to a clutch two-out, two-run triple by Carla Ruscio in the fourth inning that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
The Patriots got on the scoreboard in the first inning, sparked by singles from Jess Haug, Allie Chase and Julie Schoenewald (RBI). Pennridge answered with two runs in a second inning that included an RBI single by Haley Taylor and a sacrifice fly from Paige DeCew to give the Rams a short-lived 2-1 lead.
Julia Schoenewald was 2-for-3 with a triple while Brooke Labs led the Rams with a 2-for-4 day at the plate.
The Patriots closed out league play with a 10-4 record (14-4 overall) while the Rams are 8-6 in the league (12-7 overall).
- Log in to post comments
