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WARRINGTON – The eighth grade softball team at Tamanend Middle School must have been something very special last year.“We were pretty stacked,” Central Bucks South freshman Morgan Decker said.
Were they ever!
Decker is one of four members of that Tamanend squad that is now playing for South’s varsity squad, and these rookies are anything but fringe players. Haileigh Stocks, Decker and Lauren Klepchick are batting three, four and five respectively for the Titans. The fourth, Michelle Gessner, is a reserve infielder.
“They’re good – that’s why they’re on our team,” senior Nicole Rodi said matter-of-factly.
If it seems as though the rookies might be feeling the heat now that the post-season playoffs are here, guess again.
These young ladies are fearless.
In Friday’s District One AAAA quarterfinal showdown against Neshaminy, it was Decker who delivered a two-out single that plated the go-ahead run in the fifth inning. Klepchick followed with an RBI single that gave the Titans some insurance as they held on to win by a 3-1 score, earning not only a spot in the district semifinals but also a berth in the PIAA Tournament.
It is the first time in the program’s short history that the Titans have advanced to the state tournament.“This means so much,” Rodi said. “We were waiting for it last year, and it just didn’t fall. This year, every person on this team really wanted to win.
“Our next goal is winning districts, but we’re really happy we got to states. It’s (my) senior year. This would have been my last game, so I’m so happy it’s not over yet.”
While a pair of freshmen delivered the big hits, it was a sophomore and junior who again worked their magic on the mound for the Titans. Sophomore Francesca Carrullo threw the first four innings and Devon Utterback the final three.
Together, they allowed just four hits while fanning 12, and when Utterback – who recorded the win – notched a strikeout for the game’s final out, it was Carrullo who was the first person to dash onto the field as the two pitchers leaped into each other’s arms in celebration.
“They always come up big for us,” coach Jenn Robinson said of her two pitchers. “You can see they have a ton of support behind them. There were a couple of mental mistakes that led to physical mistakes, but as always, their leadership and their discipline is what helped us overcome those mistakes.”
On the other side of the field, the Redskins were left to deal with the disappointment of watching a season of high expectations end much too soon.
“It’s really disappointing,” Redskin junior Alexa Bell said. “Especially in the beginning of the season, we had really high expectations. Pretty much our whole team is back from last year, and for a lot of us, it was our third year.
“We just knew we had the potential to go so far, and it’s so disappointing to get one game away from states and then lose on one of the worst games we played all season. We had an awesome season, but nothing went our way today.”The Redskins committed seven errors, including back-to-back errors on the first two Titan batters of the game. It was uncharacteristic of a Redskin squad that brought an 18-2 record into the game.
“I told them it will come down to defense, and whoever makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win, especially in playoffs,” Neshaminy coach Kathleen Houser said. “We gave this (game) to them, just like we did our other two losses.
“They were putting the ball in play all day, and as long as we made the plays, we were fine. I don’t mind going out as long as we play a good game, but I don’t think we did that today.”
Redskin hurler Sarah McGowan escaped a potential jam after the Titans put their first two runners on board in the first, but she wasn’t as fortunate in the third.
With two outs and nobody on base, Haileigh Stocks and Decker drew back-to-back walks. A pair of errors on Klepchick’s routine grounder allowed Stocks to race home, giving the Titans a 1-0 lead.
“Routine plays killed us,” Bell said. “We beat ourselves.
“Our warm-up was good, our practices were good, but we just came up short. The errors we made cost us the game. I think it was a little nerves, but I think it was mental. The three games we lost this year, we had our one bad inning. When one thing goes wrong, it’s contagious.”It was a brand new ballgame after the Redskins answered with a run in the fourth. Erin Quense drew a leadoff walk and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Christina Udris. Bell grounded an RBI single to right, and the two teams were deadlocked.
“We were all up again, and we knew we could do it,” Bell said. “We definitely had our confidence back.”
So apparently did a young Titan squad.
Shaina Steigerwalt led off the fifth with a line single to center, and although she was erased on a forceout, the Titans were off and running. With a runner on second and two outs, Decker stepped to the plate and hit a blooper over the infield that plated the go-ahead run.
“Whenever you hit one of those, you think, ‘Wow, this could be caught. There’s a definite chance I could be out,’” she said. “It stinks to know you didn’t get all of it, but luckily, it dropped.”
While Decker was in the on-deck circle, Rodi approached the freshman clean-up batter and gave a brief pep talk.
“They’re really supportive,” Decker said of the upperclassmen. “She just said, ‘This is your time. Go get them.’”
Decker moved up to second when her single was misplayed in the outfield, and she raced home on Klepchick’s single to right field, giving the Titans their final margin of victory.“In big games like this, I just know in my head not to be over-stressed,” Klepchick said. “I just have to keep my head down on the ball and just swing.
“We played as a team, and I’m really proud of the way everyone played. This first year has been a lot of fun. I have enjoyed every second of it.”
The Redskins put a pair of two-out runners on board after Brittany Guidos and Jackie Franzen delivered back-to-back singles. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, but Utterback slammed the door on that potential rally with a huge strikeout.
“We have awesome pitchers,” Rodi said. “They always hang in there with us, and they pick everybody up. We could not ask for better pitchers.
“We all pick each other up when we need to. There’s no one who’s the star every day. There’s always somebody who gets the key hits or makes the big plays.”
While the Titans prepare for a date with Owen J. Roberts in the semifinals, the Redskins, who lose just one senior – Franzen – to graduation, must look toward the future.
“We’re looking forward to next season already,” Houser said.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3, NESHAMINY 1
Neshaminy: Jackie Franzen c 4 0 1 0; Courtney Clee 2b 3 0 0 0; Erin Quense 1b 2 1 0 0; Christina Udris ss 2 0 0 0; Alexa Bell rf 3 0 1 1; Kelsey Ryan 3b 3 0 0 0; Sarah McGowan p 3 0 0 0; Samantha Creamer cf 3 0 1 0; Chelbie McDonald pr 0 0 0 0; Brittany Guidos lf 2 0 1 0. TOTALS 25 1 4 1.
Central Bucks South: Shaina Steigerwalt lf 4 0 1 0; Molly Hare 2b 3 1 0 0; Haileigh Stocks dp 2 1 0 0; Morgan Decker 3b 2 0 1 1; McDonald pr 0 1 0 0; Lauren Klepchick c 3 0 1 1; Fortier cr 0 0 0 0; Nicole Rodi rf 3 0 1 0; Taylre Stocks 1b 3 0 0 0; Mel Molnar ss 3 0 1 0; Francesca Carrullo p 3 0 0 0. TOTALS 26 3 5 2.
Neshaminy 000 100 0-1
CB South 001 020 x-3
E-CB South 3, Neshaminy 6. LOB-Neshaminy 7, CB South 7. SB-Hare. SAC-Udris, Guidos.
IP H R ER BB SO
Neshaminy
McGowan (L) 6 5 3 1 2 2
Central Bucks South
Carrullo 4 2 1 1 2 6
Utterback 3 2 0 0 0 6
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