Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action. (Photo provided courtesy of Neshaminy softball)
SOL National Conference
NESHAMINY 3, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
Kennedie Ruth would have been forgiven if she had asked for the night off. After all, the freshman hurler was coming off a nine-inning game against West Chester East 24 hours earlier that saw her throw 125 pitches, and Thursday night’s game was her third game in as many days.
Ruth didn’t want the night off, and she tossed a gem, allowing just three hits while striking out 10.
“I really considered not starting her tonight,” coach Dave Chichilitti said. “Her mother and I had a long discussion before the game. She said, ‘She’s saying she’s okay, coach.’ She went out there, and she was a pitbull again.”
Asia Barnard singled to lead off the game, and she scored on Olivia Fee’s double. Liana Jones followed with an RBI single, and the Redskins led 2-0. They added a run in the fourth, thanks to a single from Ruth and Emily Siwek’s RBI double.
Ruth had two hits to lead the ‘Skins, the lone player on either side with more than one hit.
Thursday night’s game – coordinated by John Sherno – was played at Middletown Athletic Association.
“It was the first time they ever had a high school game at their field – it was pretty cool,” said Chichilitti, noting the game had a special moment. “Council Rock North was so nice – they let our special needs manager bat in the seventh, and she got a hit.
“It was a great moment. A ton of respect for their coaches and players.”
Neshaminy (13-3, 9-1 SOL) – the seventh seed in the District 1 6A rankings – will host William Tennent on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (4-9, 1-8) will host Calvary Christian Academy in a non-league game Monday.
Council Rock North 000 000 0 0
Neshaminy 200 100 x 3
PENNSBURY 4, WILLIAM TENNENT 1
Ainsley McClure kept a dangerous Panther lineup under wraps in a strong outing, allowing six hits and striking out seven in the complete game win.
“She really did a nice job of keeping them off balance, and we played some tough defense,” coach Frank McSherry said. “Carly Parsons made some great plays in right field. She got some jumps on popups that looked like they were going to fall in for base hits. She really played well.”
The Falcons got on the board in the second, thanks to Sierra Daley’s two-out RBI single. In the fifth, Karissa Turk, who singled, scored on a fielder’s choice by Carly Parsons to put the Falcons on top 2-0. They added two more runs in the sixth with Casey Glynn scoring the first on a suicide squeeze.
“It was a highlight reel play at the plate,” McSherry said. “She went backdoor slide and went wide. She missed the plate, the catcher lunged for her, she scrambled back and dove and touched the plate.”
An error allowed the Falcons’ final run to cross the plate. The Panthers scored their only run in the bottom of the sixth when Hannah Reimel, who doubled, scored on a single by Brianna Koonce.
“It was one of those games where you just scratch runs out,” McSherry said.
Pennsbury (11-0, 9-0 SOL) – the top seed in the District 1 6A rankings – will travel to Souderton for a non-league game on Friday, and William Tennent (6-7, 4-6) – the 20th seed – will be on the road at Pennridge for a non-league game on Friday.
Pennsbury 010 012 0 4
William Tennent 000 001 0 1
SOL Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 2, QUAKERTOWN 1
For the second time in as many games this season, the Panthers – and pitcher Tori Caputo – gave the Knights all they could handle.
Quakertown fell to North Penn 3-2 in the initial meeting, and this time around it took a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the seventh by Jordan Pietrzykoski for the Knights to plate the game-winner and eke out the win.
“It was just a very well-played game,” Quakertown coach Dave Scott said. “Both teams pitched well and played solid defense.
“It really was an old school pitcher’s duel. Ultimately, we just came up a bit short. Tori Caputo really battled today.”
Caputo retired the first two batters she faced in the seventh, but a hit batter kept the inning alive and brought Pietrzykoski to the plate. The Hofstra commit delivered.
Runs and hits were hard to come by for both teams. The Knights put a run on the board in the first when Victoria Juckniewitz led off with a single and scored on Jamie Beer’s two-out single.
The Panthers evened the score in the fourth when Sarah Stofik, who singled, scored on the throw when Maddie Moyer doubled. That would be the extent of the scoring until the bottom of the seventh.
Juckniewitz’s 2-for-3 with two runs scored led the Knights. Moyer was 3-for-3 and Stofik was 2-for-2 to lead the Panthers.
Mady Volpe earned the complete game win, allowing five hits and one run while striking out four and walking three. Caputo allowed five hits and two runs while striking out one and walking three.
North Penn (14-0, 9-0 SOL) – the second ranked team in the District 1 6A power rankings will host Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league game Friday, and Quakertown (8-7, 5-5 SOL) – the 22nd seed – will travel to Bangor for a non-league game.
Quakertown 000 100 0 1-5-0
North Penn 100 000 1 2-5-0
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8, PENNRIDGE 1
There was no mistaking the significance of this week for a Titan squad that struggled out of the gate. Thursday’s win over the Rams capped a perfect week for the Titans, who won for the third time in as many games.
“I think they’ve got that confidence back – you can see it in their eyes,” coach Kevin Rosini said. “They’ve got that fight, and boy, they came out and took it to them today, especially late in the game. I’m very proud of them.”
Maddie Rowley’s RBI double in the first spotted the Titans an early 1-0 lead. The Rams came back to knot the score in the third when Kiley Watson, who doubled, scored on an error.
The Titans got that run back in the bottom of the inning after Katie Hines tripled and scored on Nicole Pilla’s RBI single. In the fifth inning, Rowley doubled but was replaced by Sophia Defebo after a collision at first base. Defebo scored on Pilla’s second RBI single of the game.
The Titans blew the game wide open with a five-run sixth. All five of the runs came with two outs. Alexa Ortman reached base on error, and Rebecca Brennan followed with a single. Sophia Defebo legged out an infield single to load the bases. Tara Tumasz cleared the bases with a double to right center field gap that put the Titans on top 6-1. Katie Hines followed with an RBI, and when Nicole Pilla delivered an RBI double, the Titans had their final margin of victory.
Pilla – who did not hit in the previous two games – made her return to the offensive lineup a memorable one, finishing 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Rowley was 2-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI and one run. Hines was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Kylie Kenney allowed six hits and one run (unearned) in the complete game win. She struck out six.
“Pennridge is a good hitting team,” Rosini said. “The top of the order can really do some damage, and she limited it.
“We had some really great defensive plays.”
In the top of the fifth, the Titans turned a bunt into a double play.
“Katie Hines took the throw at first base for the out, turned and threw to Rebecca (Brennan), our shortstop who’s covering second base, and we doubled off the runner, who rounded the base too far,” Rosini said. “They had first and second and tried bunting, and Tara (Tumasz) was all over it, got the ground ball, threw to Rebecca who was covering third and we got the out.
“The defense was great, hitting was clutch, especially late, Kiley was great. This was a big week for us. I’m very pleased. I feel good about how we’re playing.”
Makenna Patterson’s 2-for-2 effort at the plate led the Rams. Patterson absorbed the loss, allowing 11 hits and eight runs (only two earned) while striking out three and walking one.
Central Bucks South (9-6, 7-3 SOL) – 15th in the District 16A rankings – will travel to Abington on Monday for the resumption of a suspended game, and Pennridge (7-6, 5-4) – 19th in the latest rankings – will host William Tennent in a non-league game Friday.
Pennridge 001 000 0 1-7-2
Central Bucks South 101 015 x 8-11-5
SOL American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 12, UPPER MORELAND 1 (5 innings)
The Flying Cardinals turned in an impressive offensive display, pounding out 14 hits and handing the Golden Bears just their second loss in conference play.
“We knew Upper Moreland is a very good team,” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “They’re well coached, they execute well and one of the best players in softball – Brianna Hughes – is in their lineup, and she’s got protection around her too.
“We knew we had to get on them early and really just keep adding to our run total to keep the game manageable and stay in the driver’s seat. It’s helping the girls kind of peak and get hot at the right time as we move to close out the regular season. We have six games in six weekdays coming up. Hopefully, we can roll into playoffs in a really good position."
The tone for this one was set early.
“In the first inning, we put three runs on the board with two outs, and they were all legitimate hits,” Boyer said. “Earlier in the year, we struggled with that. We had PW and our second Abington game where we left 15 runners on and then 11 runners on base and just couldn’t come up with that clutch hit. Today we did.
“All those runs scored with two outs on clutch hitting. When you go up 3-0 in the first inning, you can be a little more relaxed with the lead. We added runs on in every inning except one.”
The two-out rally in the first began with Gretchen Wolpert drawing a walk. Lauren Carboni followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Korynn Bischoff followed with an RBI single, and then it was Brianna Kesslick delivering an RBI single. A third RBI single by Julia Wolf scored Bischoff, and just like that, the Cardinals led 3-0.
Bela Soriano added a two-out RBI single in the third, and Wolpert smashed a two-run home run to right field in the fourth inning. In the fifth, Meghan Muth drew a one-out walk, stole second base and scored on an RBI single by Taylor Avery. Bischoff and Wolf both recorded RBI singles in the inning as well.
Carboni finished the game 3-for-4 with a double, and Bischoff had three hits with two RBIs and three runs scored.
“Lauren Carboni continues to hit the ball hard,” Boyer said. “Korynn Bischoff was back for her first game in a long time. She’s missed the majority of the season with two separate injuries, so she came back and had three hits today.
“We started her as our centerfielder, and when she went down the second game of the season, I had to shuffle some people around. Taylor Avery has been doing a great job in center field, and I didn’t want to shuffle our lineup too much. I also know Upper Moreland hits a lot to the left side, and I wanted (Bischoff) there. She actually ended the game with a really nice catch – she crashed into the fence making the play. She’s a really nice outfielder. This is one of the first games where we’ve played full strength and mostly healthy.”
Chloe Foster earned the complete game win, allowing 3 hits while walking three and striking out three in five innings. Jenna Sadowski absorbed the loss.
Upper Dublin (9-5, 5-5 SOL) and Upper Moreland (9-5, 7-2) will do battle in a rematch on Monday at Upper Dublin. The Flying Cardinals are sixth in the latest District 1 5A rankings, and the Golden Bears are the third seed in the latest District 1 4A rankings.
Upper Dublin 302 25 12-14-0
Upper Moreland 001 00 1-3-3
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 12, ABINGTON 0
The visiting Colonials scored in every inning except the fifth en route to the convincing win. They pounded out 14 hits while the Ghosts managed just two.
Lauryn Kane tossed the complete game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out three and walking one in seven innings. Kane also had a monster day at the plate – she was 3-for-5 with a home run, five RBIs and two runs scored. Her three-run home run highlighted a four-run seventh. Jennifer Byrne was 3-for-5 with one RBI and three runs scored. Josee Tassoni and Carly Rosenberger were both 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (11-1, 10-0 SOL) will host Mount St. Joseph in a non-league game on Monday. Abington (3-11, 3-8) will travel to Central Bucks West for a non-league game on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 211 301 4 12-14-0
Abington 000 000 0 0-2-4
WISSAHICKON 16, CHELTENHAM 0 (4 innings)
The Trojans scored early and often on their way to the convincing win in the abbreviated contest. They received offensive contributions up and down their lineup.
Danielle Ciliberto had two hits, two walks and four runs score. Macey Segal had three walks, a single and three runs scored. Siani Paige-Miller singled, scored two runs and knocked in a pair. Kailyn Pappanastasiou was 3-for-3 with a run scored. Rebecca Selverian had a pair of hits and scored two runs.
Chloe Nunan threw three shutout innings, allowing two hits and walking none.
“She relieved Danielle Ciliberto in the first when her elbow swelled up and did a good job,” coach Mike Borkowski said.
Wissahickon (5-6, 6-8 SOL) will host William Tennent in a non-league game Monday, and Cheltenham (0-11, 0-10) will travel to Springfield Township on Friday.
Cheltenham 000 0 0
Wissahickon 228 4 16
HATBORO-HORSHAM 15, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 0 (3 innings)
The Hatters took care of business in a hurry, scoring seven runs in the first and never looking back. Kayla Tauber had a pair of hits in the inning. Her two-run triple was the inning’s big blow.
Tauber’s 3-for-3 effort out of the leadoff spot led the Hatters. She finished with two RBIs and a run scored. Kendal Leitner (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) and Megan Mills (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 runs) also had big days at the plate. Brittany Hubler was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Marissa Rapino and Kristen Myers each had one RBI.
Kendal Leitner tossed two shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out four and walking one. Grace Daniels did not allow a hit, fanned three and walked none in a scoreless inning in relief.
Hatboro-Horsham (10-4, 9-2 SOL) will travel to North Penn Friday for a non-league game, and Springfield Township (2-9, 2-8) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 753 15-10-0
Springfield Twp 000 0-1-5
Non-league
HARRY S TRUMAN 10, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 0 (5 innings)
It was a game of firsts for the Tigers. Senior Hayley Carter tossed the first no-hitter of her high school career in the five-inning contest. She struck out three and walked one.
Freshman Teyana Towner hit the first home run of her high school career. Her solo shot in the bottom of the fifth brought an early end to the contest.
Emily Merrigan’s grand slam highlighted a six-run fourth inning.
The tone for the game was set in a three-run second. Carter led off the inning with a single, and one out later, Alexia Devlin singled. Cortney Nau’s sacrifice fly plated a run, and Towner’s two-run single spotted the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
Towner finished the game 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Devlin was 2-for-3 with one RBI. Merrigan’s four RBIs led the Tigers. Mara McKeon was 1-for-2 with a double, RBI and run scored. Chrissy Huhn scored a pair of runs out of the leadoff spot.
Harry S Truman (7-8, 3-6 SOL) – 24th in the latest District 1 6A rankings – will host Interboro in a non-league contest on Monday.
Villa Joseph Marie 000 00 0-0-1
Harry S Truman 030 61 10-7-0
METHACTON 5, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3
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