Three SOL schools are enjoying that ‘championship feeling’ after an exciting week of action on the diamond.
Pennsbury clinched at least a share of the National Conference title by earning a 4-1 win in its eagerly-anticipated showdown against archrival Neshaminy in front of packed stands on Tuesday night. The two district powers were the second game of a twinbill at Lower Bucks Softball Night. Morrisville faced Bristol in the opener.
Central Bucks South captured sole possession of the Continental Conference crown, thanks to its 8-4 win over Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Norristown made it official when the Eagles downed Upper Dublin 10-1 to take home the American Conference title.
Falcons keep championship tradition alive – To those who predicted that Pennsbury wouldn’t be able to maintain its stronghold on the top spot in the National Conference this season, guess again!
The Falcons defeated Neshaminy in Tuesday night’s showdown and need only a win over Truman on Thursday to capture sole possession of the conference crown.
“If you had said in the beginning of the year that we would beat Neshaminy twice this year, I would have said, ‘You’re crazy,” coach Frank McSherry said. “I just know what a good team they are from top to bottom, and I know how good Sarah McGowan is. She is one of the best pitchers.
“We played our best two games of the year against them, and that’s what you have to do. That’s the only way we win.”
McSherry has once again worked his magic on the diamond, plugging new players into holes that were left with the graduation of several key starters.
“We’re proud of what the kids have done,” the Falcons’ coach said. “We lost a number of kids from last year’s team.
“We brought back a nucleus with Kirby (Groves), Lauren (Rossi) and D’Anna Devine, so we were bringing back some quality kids, but boy, did we have some holes to plug.”
For starters, the Falcons needed a new third baseman and first baseman as well as several outfielders.
“The kids have done really, really well,” McSherry said. “The kids have really stepped up.”
And once again, when it mattered most, the Falcons rose to the occasion.
After spotting the Redskins a 1-0 lead in the first, the Falcons exploded for four runs in the third inning, benefitting from several Redskin miscues.
“We told them, ‘The team that makes the least amount of mistakes will win’ because both teams are so close (talent-wise),” McSherry said. “The kids came with some fire in their bellies, and that’s what we tried to do.”
Senior Kirby Groves delivered the big blow in the third inning, a clutch bases-clearing double that plated three runs when she got all of a two-strike pitch.
Kait Schilling took care of the rest, cruising through the final frames to earn the big win. All told, the Redskins managed just four hits.
“Kait has pitched her best games against Neshaminy,” McSherry said. “She pitched a really, really good game.
Devine and Rossi both had a pair of hits in the win while Alyssa Shirley was a near-perfect 3-for-4.
“There have been a number of kids who have really done a great job,” McSherry said.
Another player who might not find her way into the spotlight but has emphatically answered the call to step up has been senior leftfielder Alyssa Becker.
“We can’t say enough about Alyssa Becker,” McSherry said. “She was not a starter for us last year. She did a lot of courtesy running and pinch running, but she has stepped in and had some big hits for us.
“She’s done a great, great job, and she’s been a real leader. She has waited her turn, and boy, oh boy, has she made the best of her senior year.”
Talented Titans finish on top – Central Bucks South is young and loaded with talent, and so far it’s been quite a season. Coach Jenn Robinson took what many considered a risk when she kept 17 players on her varsity roster.
With one game remaining on their schedule, the Titans are 16-1. The move doesn’t sound risky any more.
“Really, I utilized all 17,” Robinson said. “If I had a girl out with an injury, I had another girl ready to step in.
“I knew keeping that bigger team was a risk because you have so many, and you don’t want to have fighting. I tried to promote healthy competition so the girls would try to work for their spots. I think it made the girls really step up. I knew we had so much talent. It was just a matter of putting it together.”
Robinson knew going into the season she had a wealth of pitching talent.
She was right.
Devon Utterback is 9-0 while Francesca Carrullo is 6-0. Both have pitched 52 innings, compiling stats that are nothing short of astonishing.
Carrullo has allowed just four earned runs in that span and boasts a miniscule earned run average of 0.54. She has struck out 80 and walked 14. Utterback has given up only six earned runs (0.80 ERA) while striking out 55 and walking 13.
“Essentially, they have split the season and won everything they’ve thrown,” Robinson said. “Our team is really behind these girls.”
Throw in the 12 innings on the mound by freshman Haileigh Stocks (0.55 ERA, 21 strikeouts, three walks), and it’s easy to understand why the Titans stand alone at the top.
“Our team is doing well,” Robinson said. “They’re rallying behind these girls.”
If there was one question mark entering the season, it was offensively since the Titans had several unproven varsity players in their lineup – their three, four and five hitters are all freshmen.
“When we first started out, we weren’t hitting fabulously,” Robinson said. “But I always said to them – if we can just get a couple of runs, we have the ability to defend those runs.”
The hits started coming after a stunning upset at the hands of Quakertown that, according to Robinson, was the result of costly errors and mental mistakes.
“It was a hard loss for our team,” she said. “That was kind of a turning point for our team. We figured out what we needed to do, and I talked a lot in practice about mentally preparing for the offensive part of our game and then keeping our defensive game in check.
“Since that East game, with the exception of our recent C.B. East game (a 1-0 win in nine innings), we have not had less than 10 hits a game. I’m really pleased with our position heading into district playoffs.”
Offensively and defensively, Morgan Decker has been a freshman phenom. In addition to anchoring the infield at third base, the freshman cleanup batter is hitting at a .500 clip with seven doubles and eight RBIs.
“There’s a lot of pressure on her,” Robinson said. “Against C.B. West, we were down an inning, and she came up with a runner on third, and she hit her in. She just gets the job done all the time.
“It’s been so thrilling to have her.”
The Stock sisters – junior Taylre and freshman Haileigh – also have provided some serious offensive punch. Taylre is hitting .405 with two doubles, four triples and one home run and a team high 11 RBIs. Haileigh is batting .306 with five triples and one home run.
“They have been so consistent,” Robinson said.
The Titans have seven freshmen on their roster this season.
“That was a very tough decision for me,” Robinson said. “Seven is a lot, but they have all contributed. I’m just trying to develop a core group, and I feel like they have gained a lot from this experience, and they have stepped up and contributed. They’re eager to work hard and go out there and give it their all.
“I really do feel we’ve gained a lot by keeping them, and they’ve given back a lot as well. I’m very, very fortunate.”
Success is hardly anything new to the fledgling C.B. South program. In five seasons, the Titans have won three championships – 2005, 2006 and 2009.
“I said at the beginning, ‘We want to win the league,’ and we were all on the same page about that,” Robinson said. “I’m so thrilled with how things turned out, and I’m really very proud of them.
“We were a good team to start the year, but I think we’ve become a better team as the season progressed, and my expectations have been exceeded in how far we’ve come.”
While the Titans boast tons of youth on their roster, they have a jayvee team that has lost just one game this season and is atop the league standings.
Eagles soar to title – Shauna Byrnes admitted that winning a league title wasn’t one of her goals for her Norristown softball squad this season.
“We wrote down a list of goals,” the Eagles’ senior co-captain said. “Surprisingly, that was not one of them. I guess it completely slipped our minds.”
“Our first goal was just to win a district game,” senior co-captain Kim Detwiler said.
Life in the American Conference has been very good to the Eagles, who no longer have to deal with the likes of defending state champion Hatboro-Horsham, Souderton, Central Bucks East and West – all members of the Continental Conference.
The keys to the Eagles’ success under first year coach Jon Kandrick, according to Detwiler, are simple.
“We hit the ball,” she said. “And we’re such a family. When we’re laughing and having fun, everything just clicks.”
After Wednesday’s title-clinching 10-1 win over Upper Dublin, Kandrick awarded game balls to Detwiler, Byrnes and junior pitcher Daisy Foster.
“As we were going down the line congratulating individual efforts after the game, I came to Shannon Melito and said how great a game she had played, and if I had another game ball, I would give it to her,” Kandrick said. “Without hesitation, Kimmy Detwiler unselfishly gave Shannon her game ball on behalf of the team.”
It is a perfect example of the camaraderie of this Eagles’ squad under the leadership of Byrnes and Detwiler.
“My captains were huge for our team,” said Kandrick, who also credited assistant coaches Jess Kriegner and Nick Palmerio for their role in the team’s success. “They’re just a great asset to our program.”
A key to the Eagles’ season was their ability to put runs on the scoreboard. All told, they scored 175 runs, averaging 9.2 a game. They allowed just 52 (2.7 a game). They have seen the mercy rule go into effect seven times – twice because they were winning by 15 runs after the third inning.
In Wednesday’s win over Upper Dublin, the Eagles pounded out 15 hits. Sophomore Gabbie Berry led the way (3-for-4, double, triple) while Shannon Melito was 3-for-4. Maggie Creciun, Foster and Detwiler each had a pair of hits with Creciun and Detwiler both contributing doubles.
In the seventh inning, Byrnes delivered a dazzling running catch of a line drive that had extra bases written all over it. Shari Lynn Kluth also had a big catch in the outfield.
“What I continue to tell the girls is we play Norristown softball,” Kandrick said. “You hit the ball, you play good defense, and you back up your pitchers.
“Daisy had 11 strikeouts today – awesome, awesome. It’s her high for the year, and you can tell she’s having fun. As a first-year varsity pitcher, this game’s going to go a long way for her.”
Foster allowed just five hits in a winning effort on the mound.
“It just feels amazing,” she said. “At the beginning of the year, I never thought the team would do what it did.
“This being my first year as a varsity pitcher, I can’t describe the feeling. It’s amazing.”
Kandrick admits that winning a title may have exceeded even his optimistic goals.
“I knew I had talent,” he said. “Did I think we would go through our league with only one loss? No, but we had talent, and we played great defense.”
The Eagles closed out the regular season with a 16-3 record overall and a 13-1 record in league play - good enough for an unexpected conference crown.
“It feels awesome, completely awesome,” Byrnes said. “Our coaches always tell us, ‘If you come and play Norristown softball, you’ll win ball games.’ That’s what we try and do all the time.
“We always try and have fun and be ourselves – that’s Norristown softball.”
“We’ve been waiting for this for four years,” Detwiler said.
On Monday, the second season begins for all three squads. All three teams hope the success of the regular season is simply an omen of good things to come in the post-season.
Time will tell!
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