Check out the recaps for SOL softball teams in action Thursday.
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 5, BENSALEM 3
Council Rock North held its Autism Awareness game at Bensalem.
“It was a really cool thing,” Rock North coach John Engelhardt said. “We have a manager – his name’s Connor Milligan – that operates our scoreboard, and Dan also has Mia in his dugout.
“It was a good battle. Dan (Schram) is as good a coach as anybody. They’re a really good team. They’re going to make the playoffs this year, and they should, so that’s exciting for them. We’re happy just to be fighting for another day. We control our own destiny even being 6-9, and all we can ask for is a shot.”
The Owls plated an unearned run in the third and took that lead into the fifth when the visiting Indians got on the scoreboard. Rachel Lorence and Lauren Begg opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Lorence scored on a passed ball, and Begg raced home on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Julianna Shields.
“The big thing that happened – and I hope she’s okay, but when Begg went hard to the plate, their catcher, Angelia Micalizzi – her arm got caught, and she went down in severe pain and had to be removed from the game,” Engelhardt said.
In the sixth, a pair of Owl miscues allowed the Indians to put a pair on board. Lorence’s two-run single highlighted the frame, and the Indians led 5-1.
“Bensalem had played clean up until that point,” Engelhardt said.
The Owls tacked on two runs in the sixth but would get no closer.
Begg earned the win, allowing four hits and three runs (one earned) in six innings. Jenna Khantizian – just back in action after suffering a concussion – threw a scoreless seventh to close it out.
“It was nice to get Jenna back out there,” Engelhardt said. “She really hasn’t pitched in three weeks, and she’s been telling me that she feels good.
“She’s been in big time spots before, so this was nothing new to her. She was in control. She looked good. To have two pitchers with the experience – it should help us in the next week.”
For the Indians, Lorence was 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, two RBIs and two runs scored. Begg was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run. Khantzian was 1-for-3 with a double.
Council Rock North (6-9, 2-8 SOL) will travel to Scranton for a non-league doubleheader Saturday against West Scranton and Holy Cross. The Indians are 28th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings in what will be a 24-team field. Bensalem (9-7, 3-7) – ranked 12th – will host Council Rock South on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Council Rock North 000 023 0 5-8-5
Bensalem 001 002 0 3-4-3
WILLIAM TENNENT 9, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3
The Panthers broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fifth and added five more in the sixth. The Golden Hawks suffered a setback when they lost pitcher Danielle Walters to a back injury with one out in the fourth inning. The Golden Hawks’ ace had allowed just two hits and one run while striking out five and walking none during her stint in the circle.
Tennent scored eight late runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined.
“Coming in tonight, we had suffered a tough loss against South earlier in the year,” coach Rich Clark said of an early second 9-8 loss to the Golden Hawks. “The girls were real fired up for this game, and the adrenaline was going.”
If the Panthers needed an additional boost, they got it when Caitlyn Mitros led off the first with a solo home run.
“That was huge and kind of set the tone there,” Clark said. “They played well the rest of the night.
“They ran the bases well and had good fundamentals and capitalized on the other team’s mistakes. That’s an ingredient for wins.”
The Golden Hawks plated a run in the third to tie the score when Allison Kirschner, who singled, scored on an error. That 1-1 score stood until the fifth when Sarah Cummins reached base on an error to open the inning. Anne Clark followed with a single, and then it was Mitros delivering an RBI double. Megan Curtis was hit by a pitch, and Brianna Koonce followed with an RBI single. The Panthers led 3-1 when Hannah Reimel lofted a sacrifice fly to center field.
Jenna Craig led off a five-run seventh with a double. Pinch hitter Maxine Fairall came off the bench and singled.
“That was huge,” Clark said. “That got everybody pumped up, and they just started hitting the ball.”
Anne Clark followed with an RBI single. Hannah Reimel and Mackenzie Clee also contributed RBI singles in the inning.
Clee earned the win, allowing seven hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out three and walking two in 6.1 innings. Curtis closed it out.
William Tennent (9-9, 3-7 SOL) – 21st in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will host Cheltenham in a non-league game Friday, and Council Rock South (10-7, 8-3) will host Archbishop Wood in a non-league game on Friday.
Council Rock South 001 000 2 3-7-3
William Tennent 100 035 x 9-12-3
PENNSBURY 13, HARRY S TRUMAN 3 (5 innings)
The Falcons took a 1-0 lead into the third inning when they erupted for four runs. They duplicated that output in each of the next two innings to bring an early end to the game.
“Our kids really hit,” coach Frank McSherry said. “We struck out three times, but we had 16 hits. We were pounding the ball.
“They came out fired up because Truman came fired up. We told them ahead of time, ‘These kids can flat out hit. You’re going to have to make plays,’ and we did. We didn’t commit any errors and they put the ball in play a lot. What was cool was when they scored we answered back.”
The win clinched at least a share of the Falcons’ first crown since 2014 when they shared the title with William Tennent. A big game against Neshaminy on Tuesday stands between the Falcons and sole possession of the conference crown.
“There’s no time to celebrate right now,” McSherry said.
Casey Glynn led the Falcons’ hit parade, finishing 4-for-4 with a double, home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. Her three-run home run highlighted a four-run third that put the Falcons on top 5-0. Carley Parsons was 3-for-4 with four runs.
Caitlyn Martell was 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and a run scored. Her RBI single in the first spotted the Falcons an early 1-0 lead. The Falcons’ freshman shortstop hit her first varsity home run in the third inning, a solo shot. She also had a two-run single in the four-run fourth. Karli Haines was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Kaylie Capriotti had a double.
For the Tigers, Chrissy Huhn (2-for-3) and Grace Pool (2-for-3) had multiple hits while Elle Olivero doubled.
Ainsley McClure earned the win, allowing nine hits – three infield hits – and three runs with four strikeouts and no walks.
Pennsbury (14-0, 11-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Friday for a non-league game. The Falcons fell to second in the District 1 6A rankings behind Spring-Ford. The Rams are 19-0. Harry S Truman (8-10, 4-7) – 23rd in the power rankings – will host William Tennent on Monday.
Harry S Truman 000 21 3-9-1
Pennsbury 104 44 13-16-0
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3, NORTH PENN 1
Kylie Kenney’s impressive pitching line will show that she threw seven innings in the complete game win. What it won’t show is that the Titans’ senior ace spent the visiting half of every inning throwing behind her team’s bench. In other words, Kenney never stopped throwing.
“It’s a cold day, and I just wanted to keep warm and stay consistent between innings,” she said. “That’s how I stay consistent in games too.”
And consistent Kenney was, scattering five hits and allowing only a third inning run. She struck out seven and walked three to earn the Titans’ biggest win of the season, solidifying the defending district champions’ spot at 14th in the latest power rankings.
“Kiley was just awesome today,” South coach Kevin Rosini said. “She stuck to our game plan, she executed it perfectly, she got ahead of the hitters, she made them swing at her pitches. I’ve said it all year – there’s nothing wrong with her. She’s pitching just fine. She just has to work ahead. When she does, you see the results today.”
The win also knocked the Knights from the ranks of the undefeated.
“It’s amazing to win against North Penn,” Kenney said. “We broke their winning streak obviously, but again, it’s just another game to us. We have two more (games) coming, and we’re running for districts. That’s all that matters to us right now.”
Kenney wasn’t the only hero in this one. Fellow captain Alexa Ortman celebrated her 18th birthday by contributing at the plate and in the field. It was her sliding catch with two outs and two on in the seventh of Elia Namey’s sinking line drive to center that turned potential trouble into a game-ending catch.
“For a split second, I thought maybe to wait back and just let it bounce back to me, but then I saw it stayed up a little longer,” Ortman said. “I was like, ‘I can catch it.’ I wanted that ball. I wanted that play.”
“I was like – thank god,” Kenney said of Ortman’s catch. “That girl can hit. I was trying to paint the outside corner, and she got a piece of it obviously, but Alexa made an amazing catch to end the game.”
The Knights got on the scoreboard first with a run in the third when freshman Sophia Collins, who drew a leadoff walk, stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch.
North Penn sophomore Mady Volpe cruised through the first three innings, retiring all nine batters she faced – striking out six. Ortman singled to center to lead off the fourth, and back-to-back bunt singles by Rebecca Brennan and Tara Tumasz loaded the bases.
“When Lex got on in the fourth inning, I said, ‘Let’s play for one and see what happens,’” South coach Kevin Rosini said. “Rebecca had such a good bunt. Now I’m going to get greedy – let’s play for two. We got a break there.”
Ortman raced home on a groundout to the right side by Katie Hines, and with two outs, Olivia Zoolalian delivered the big hit, doubling to deep right to plate a pair.
“She has so much pop,” Rosini said of Zoolalian. “She’s been in a slump lately, and for her to get that hit, everybody took a deep breath over here and said, ‘Hey, you know what, we can beat this team.’”
“I knew I had to step up for my team,” Zoolalian said. “It was an outside pitch, and that was what I was expecting.
“I started struggling at the end of the season, so I really needed that hit.”
The Knights put a pair on board with one out in the bottom of the inning. Kenney slammed the door on that threat with back-to-back strikeouts. With one out in the seventh, Victoria Juckniewitz was safe on an error, and Jordan Pietrzykoski singled. Pietrzykoski was erased on a forceout, setting the stage for Namey’s riveting at-bat and Ortman’s clutch play.
The loss – according to Amanda Greaney – was not the worst thing that could happen to a Knight squad that clinched sole possession of the conference crown two days earlier.
“Winning 16 games in a row, it’s tough to keep going with that mentality – we’re undefeated and we want to stay undefeated,” the Knights’ junior catcher said. “The fact that we lost – now we have a fresh start. We don’t have any pressure on us. Let’s just go and win.”
“I can’t remember the last undefeated team that won a district or state (title),” coach Rick Torresani said. “I remember Parkland coming in here in ’15, and we beat them 2-1 on a walk-off. Their coach said – which I told the girls, ‘Best thing that ever happened to us. We forgot how to lose.’ Sometimes you need that loss to remind you what got you to where you were with the streak.
“We still won the conference, we’re still going to be a high seed in districts. We’ll go from there.”
Volpe – who celebrated her 16th birthday – struck out 14 in another dazzling performance. She allowed five hits – four in the fourth inning. Two of those five hits were bunts. She did not walk a batter.
As birthday gifts go, Ortman rated this one a 10.
“We came into this one just ready to play,” Ortman said. “We’ve had this rivalry for years, and we just wanted to go out with a bang. They all wanted to get the win for my birthday, so that was nice.”
Central Bucks South (10-7, 8-3 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a non-league game Monday, and North Penn (16-1, 10-1) – third in the District 1 6A power rankings – will be on the road at Great Valley for a non-league game Friday.
Central Bucks South 000 300 0 3-5-3
North Penn 001 000 0 1-5-1
QUAKERTOWN 5, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
The Bucks and visiting Panthers battled to a 1-1 tie after eight innings. In the top of the ninth, the Panthers erupted for four runs. Tori Caputo – who earned the complete game win – retired the Bucks in order in the bottom of the inning to close it out.
“This was a nice win for us,” Quakertown coach Dave Scott said. “CB West threw a couple of very good pitchers at us.
“I told the players to just keep grinding and we’d figure things out offensively, and they did. We finally broke it open in the ninth.”
Caputo scattered seven hits and allowed one run while striking out four and walking only one.
The Panthers won it with a one-out rally that began when Abby Schwartz, Sarah Stofik and Maddie Moyer collected back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases. LauraRose Morelock’s sacrifice fly to center pushed home the go-ahead run that turned out to be the game-winner.
“Laura Morelock is a talented freshman who continues to improve,” Scott said.
After Halle Frederick delivered an RBI single, Jenna Blair drew a walk. Lauryn Cope’s two-run single gave the Panthers their final margin of victory.
The Bucks plated their only run of the game in the bottom of the first. Ebani Welch led off the inning with a single and stole second. She scored on Abby Lineman’s two-out single.
In the top of the third, the Panthers evened the score. Brianna Lefkoski drew a leadoff walk and moved up to second on a sacrifice by Syd Andrews. Two outs later, Sarah Stofik delivered an RBI single. That 1-1 tie stood until the ninth.
Stofik’s 3-for-5 effort with a double, RBI and run scored led the Panthers’ 11-hit attack. Schwartz and Moyer both were 2-for-3 with a run scored.
“Sarah Stofik and Maddie Moyer continued to lead us offensively,” Scott said. “Tori Caputo was solid in the circle.
“Overall, it was a very important win for us against a good team.”
Sara Yoder, who absorbed the loss, and Kayla Gallagher split time in the circle.
Quakertown (9-9, 6-6 SOL) – 22nd in the latest District 1 6A rankings – will travel to Upper Merion for a non-league game Friday, and Central Bucks West (8-9, 2-9) will be on the road at Mount St. Joseph for a non-league game Friday.
Quakertown 001 000 004 5-11-1
Central Bucks West 100 000 000 1-7-2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 10, PENNRIDGE 9
The visiting Rams appeared to be in good shape when they scored three runs in the top of the seventh and took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh. It turns out they weren’t. The Patriots made sure of that, exploding for six runs to stage the remarkable come-from-behind walk-off win.
Hailey Aspinwall ignited the rally with a home run to lead off the inning. Her solo blast was followed by consecutive singles from Soleil Dooner, Amelia Funston, Bailey Schellhorn (RBI) and Camille Larson (RBI). Isabel Parker drew a walk, setting the stage for Kate Lipa’s double to center that plated two runs and gave the Patriots the walk-off win. The Patriots sent seven batters to the plate, the Rams did not record an out.
All told, the Patriots pounded out 14 hits. Dooner was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Schellhorn was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Camille Larson was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Parker was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Lipa was 1-for-1 with a double and three RBIs. Juliana Meringo was 1-for-1 with a double and two RBIs. Alyssa Catron was 1-for-2 with a double and run scored.
For the Rams, Morgan Henry was 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs. She hit a solo home run to lead off the third. Emily Hegan was 2-for-3 with a home run – a solo shot in the top of the seventh – one RBI and one run scored. Victoria Moscariello was 2-for-4 with an RBI and one run scored. Kiley Watson had a double out of the leadoff spot.
Dooner earned the win in the circle, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out one and walking two in four innings.
Central Bucks East (5-13, 2-10 SOL) will be on the road at Villa Joseph Marie on Friday, and Pennridge (9-7, 6-5) – 15th in the District 1 6A rankings – will travel to Wissahickon for a non-league game Friday.
Pennridge 401 001 3 9-8-1
Central Bucks East 000 013 6 10-13-2
SOL American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 9, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3
The Golden Bears put themselves right back in the hunt for a conference title with Thursday’s win over the Colonials. They are one of three teams – along with PW and Hatboro-Horsham – with just two losses in conference play. The Golden Bears have three conference games remaining.
“It was a good win,” coach Scott Ludlow said. “PW is a really good team. They’ve been playing really good ball this year. It’s tight towards the top of our division, and this was a big win for us going into four more games in the next four schools days.”
Jenna Sadowski stole the spotlight for the Golden Bears, earning the complete game win while also coming up big at the plate. The senior pitcher allowed six hits and three runs (all unearned) while striking out seven and walking one. Sadowski also was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs.
“She really had a nice day today,” Ludlow said. “She really had her good stuff. She had good control and had a little hop on her fastball. She had good movement She pitched really well and got a couple of big hits.”
The Golden Bears set the tone for this one early, putting a pair of runs on the board in the first. Jocelyn Baumeister led off with a double, and Bean Hughes singled. Both runners scored on Jackie Martino’s double.
UM upped its lead to 6-0 with a four-run second. Gabrielle Wiley led off the inning with a single, and Chloe Kramer walked. Baumeister’s single loaded the bases. A miscue on a ball behind second emptied the bases, and a fourth run crossed the plate when Martino singled.
“Coming off of a couple games like that, it was big to jump out on top – I think it gave us a little bit of confidence,” Ludlow said. “Jenna did a great job shutting them down in the first inning.”
The Colonials scored three in the third to make it a 6-3 game, but the Golden Bears plated a single run in the fifth. In the sixth, they tacked on two more runs. Baumeister singled, and Hughes followed with a double. Sadowski doubled to push both runs across for the 9-3 final.
Also for the Golden Bears, Baumeister was 4-4 for one RBI and three runs scored. Hughes was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, and Martino was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
Upper Moreland (11-5, 9-2 SOL) – third in the District 1 4A power rankings – will travel to Upper Dublin on Friday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-3, 10-2) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday. The Colonials are 20th in the District 1 6A rankings.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 003 000 0 3
Upper Moreland 240 012 0 9
UPPER DUBLIN 4, WISSAHICKON 3
The Flying Cardinals – or Julia Wolfe more specifically – were down to their final strike. That’s when Wolfe – with the bases loaded – delivered a two-out, two-strike single to center, scoring both courtesy runner Ally McDaid and Ellie Kelcy for the walk-off win.
“We didn’t play clean defense today, but it’s the resiliency piece,” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “These girls refuse to quit, which is really fun because we were literally down to our last strike.
“Julia Wolfe was 0-2, and that was after they intentionally walked Koryann Bischoff. She stepped up and was big again. She’s had couple of clutch hits in our PW rally that helped put us ahead. She was one of our kids that started our season injured, so ever since she’s come back and been healthy, she’s really helped us offensively in the lineup. It’s been really great.”
The Cardinals trailed 3-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh, Meghan Muth and Taylor Avery led off with back-to-back singles. It looked as though the Trojans might see their way out of the inning unscathed, but Ellie Kelcy singled to center to plate pinch runner Dani Lucidi. With runners on second and third, Bischoff was intentionally walked, setting the stage for Wolfe’s clutch hit.
“It’s just been very, very fun month,” Boyer said. “It’s a special group of seniors. We’ve never had chemistry quite like this, and the kids really are starting to believe in themselves and each other and just building some confidence, which is really important at this time of year.
“At this point, we are looking at the postseason, and if we keep playing well, we’ll host a home playoff game. That’s never happened in my (22-year) tenure. The few times we have made it to playoffs we’ve always traveled. It’s exciting.”
Earlier, the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first, thanks to an RBI single by Lauren Carboni. Wissahickon tied the score with an unearned run in the third and added a second run in the fifth when Ashley Radell delivered an RBI single. Siani Paige-Miller’s RBI single in the top of the seventh put the Trojans – who left the bases loaded – on top 3-1.
Avery was 3-for-4 with a run scored while Carboni was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Kelcy was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
For the Trojans, Radell was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Rory Goodrich was 2-for-4.
Chloe Foster earned the complete game win, allowing nine hits and three runs (one earned). She struck out six and walked three.
Upper Dublin (11-5, 7-5 SOL) will host Upper Moreland Friday, and Wissahickon (7-10, 6-7) will host Pennridge in a non-league game.
Wissahickon 001 010 1 3-11-0
Upper Dublin 100 000 3 4-9-5
HATBORO-HORSHAM 11, ABINGTON 1 (5 innings)
Kendal Leitner and Grace Daniels combined for a two-hitter in the abbreviated five-inning contest. Leitner threw 2.2 innings and allowed one hit and one run, striking out three and walking two. Grace Daniels, who earned the win, allowed one hit while striking out four and walking none in 2.1 shutout innings.
The Hatters wasted no time before seizing control, plating four runs in the first. Kayla Tauber, who led off with a single, scored on Mikayla Fedele’s double to left. Joyce Bloome’s two-run double to left gave the Hatters an early 4-0 lead.
The Ghosts scored a run in the top of the second, but the Hatters answered with five in the bottom of the inning, benefitting from several errors and three walks. They closed out the scoring with two runs in the fourth.
Hubler was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and one run to lead the Hatters.
Hatboro-Horsham (13-5, 11-2 SOL) will host Pennsbury in a non-league game Friday, and Abington (3-14, 3-10) will travel to Pennridge on Monday for a non-league game.
Abington 010 00 1-2-3
Hatboro-Horsham 452 0x 11-7-0
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 15, CHELTENHAM 0
Non-league
SOUDERTON 6, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 2
The Indians opened up a 5-0 lead after two innings and never looked back. The Patriots scored a pair of runs in the seventh to break up the shutout bid of freshman Abby Burns, who allowed four hits and two runs (unearned) while striking out seven and walking one.
“We jumped out to an early lead and Abby (Burns) threw well and was able to shut them down,” coach Liz Parkins said. “The team bounced back nicely from a tough loss (to Pennridge) on Tuesday.”
Jess Lepore singled to open the first and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Naila Neely followed with an RBI single. With two outs, Riley York doubled home a run, and York scored the inning’s final run on a wild pitch.
In the second, Julia Kistler singled. She scored two outs later when Alina Skrzat singled. Burns followed with a single, and York drew a walk. Klepfer’s RBI single gave the Indians an early 5-0 lead.
Megan Kummery doubled to lead off the sixth and scored on Lepore’s one-out single.
Lepore was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Souderton (10-7, 5-6 SOL) will host Dock Mennonite Academy in a non-league game at Stover Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
Archbishop Carroll 000 000 2 2-4-0
Souderton 320 001 x 6-9-2
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