SOL Softball Wrap (4-20-12)

The William Tennent/Abington game featured an interesting reunion. Check out all of Friday’s SOL results.

National Conference

WILLIAM TENNENT 13, ABINGTON 8
Erika Lee called it ‘a cool moment in time.’
By any description, Friday night’s SOL game at Klinger Middle School pitting the Panthers against Lee’s alma mater was an unforgettable experience, especially since the Ghosts are still under the guidance of Lee’s former coaches, head coach Ellie White and assistant coach Ron Pelberg.
“I have been friends with coach White and Ron since I left Abington,” Lee said. “To me it was just great to come full circle and see them and play against them.
“They were two of the best coaches I’ve ever had. How often does a player come back and actually get to play against the coach they played for? To me, it was just a great overall experience, and it was really special.”
Winning, according to Lee, was secondary on this night.
“It felt good to win, but at the same time I was just happy to be there, to be honest,” the Panthers’ first-year coach said. “It was a great experience.
“For me, I want my kids to play well and believe in themselves. If we win, that’s awesome, but it was just a cool moment in time. All of my successes – coach White is a part of it, and she always will be. She took care of me. Softball saved my life, and she was a big part of that. Ron’s done a lot for me too. They both took good care of me when I was in school.”
Lee inherited a nickname from White that has stayed with her to this day.
“I played hard and was always dirty, and she started calling me ‘Dirt,’” Lee recalled. “At first I was like, ‘For real, coach? You’re calling me Dirt,’ but now I love it.
“A lot of people from women’s softball don’t even know my first name. I played on her women’s softball team, and I didn’t have a chance. From day one, she was like, ‘This is Dirt.’ I was like, ‘Ok, I guess this name is not going anywhere,’ so I embraced it.”
Lee, a 1999 Abington graduate, admits she has patterned her coaching style after White’s.
“The thing I loved about her as a player was she always made me feel like she believed in me,” the Panthers’ coach said. “I think that’s a lesson I’ve learned and I’ll always take with me.
“That’s one thing I’m trying to instill in my players – that I believe in them and that they should believe in themselves.”
The Panthers rewarded their first-year coach for her belief in them with a hard-fought win.
“It was a nice win,” Lee said. “Our girls came out and hit the ball really well.”
Nikki Alden had another big day for the Panthers, finishing the day 4-for-4 at the plate with a home run and earning the win on the mound.
“She pitched really well,” Lee said. “They have girls that will put the ball in play, and they have girls who will hit for power.
“They were very well coached as always, so she had to throw hard. She was fired up and ready to go.”
Kaitlyn O’Toole contributed a home run, and third baseman Elise Wood was 4-for-4. Whitney Delagol had a triple.
“Elise had a great defensive game,” Lee said. “Everyone played really well.”
The Panthers scored a single run in the first, three more in the third and two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to go on top 8-0 before the Ghosts exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning.
“We had one slip-up inning,” Lee said. “Our girls had some errors, but Abington just kept putting the ball in play. They were hustling, and they were making things happen. It was a really good inning for them, and it definitely made the game very interesting.”
The Panthers answered with five runs in the sixth to seize control, opening up a 13-7 lead before the Ghosts tacked on a run in the seventh.
“I have to give credit to Rachel Holden,” Lee said of the Ghosts’ shortstop. “She played an outstanding game. She hit the ball well, and she fielded well. She had a great game.”
Both teams are 2-4 in league play. The Ghosts are 6-6 overall while the Panthers improved to 7-5, and on this night, the student defeated the teacher in what promises to be an interesting rivalry for years to come.
“It’s so funny – I would say things to my players, and I would think, ‘Oh my god, that’s what she would say to me,’” Lee said. “A lot of what I do is an extension of what they taught me.
“It was really cool for me. I really enjoyed it. Win or lose – I’m sure I’ll play them a bunch more times, but the relationship I have with them will always be strong, and it will always be fun to see them and play them.”

NESHAMINY 10, HARRY S TRUMAN 3
The Redskins notched their fourth win in five days on Friday, and once again Lauren Quense excelled. The sophomore hurler tossed seven innings to earn the win on the mound, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out six. She also delivered a clutch home run in a seven-run fifth inning that saw the Redskins erase an early 3-0 deficit.
Sam Offenback and Laura Altenburger followed Quense’s home run with base hits, and Jen Walker drew a free pass. Carly Coleman’s sacrifice bunt was misplayed, and freshman Sara Snider-Leonhauser made it hurt, ripping a bases-loaded triple.
Julie McGovern finished the day 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Coleman also had a pair of RBIs.
The Tigers were led offensively by Bridget Hunt (2-for-3). Danielle Jones drove in a pair of runs.
Quense finished a remarkable week 8-for-12 with 11 RBIs and two home runs. She also earned four wins on the mound, throwing a total of 24 innings and allowing just four runs on 15 hits while fanning 40 batters.
The Redskins upped their record to 5-0 in league play (9-0 overall).

COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 6, BENSALEM 4

Continental Conference

NORTH PENN 2, SOUDERTON 1
Rick Torresani admits that he got a bit emotional in his team’s post-game huddle on Friday.
“This team has been through a lot lately,” the Maidens’ coach said. “We lost our first three games, and people weren’t very nice to them because it was not typical North Penn.
“I told them just now that yesterday was my 250^th win, and if there was anybody I would have wanted it to have happened with it was these guys. I wasn’t going to say anything, but after this win and everything they’ve gone through, I wanted to let them know how much I cherish it.”
It was a freshman pitcher – Jackie Bilotti - and some dazzling defense that allowed Torresani to win number 251.
“For a freshman, Jackie’s composure was just unbelievable,” Torresani said. “This was a typical Souderton-North Penn game. No matter how the teams are doing, it’s always a good game, and that’s the way it was today.”
There wasn’t a whole lot of hitting by either team, and the Maidens benefitted from the Indians’ lone error of the game in the fourth inning when Erin Maher’s fly ball to the outfield was lost in the sun for a two-base error.
“Center field is the worst for the sun,” Souderton coach Courtney Hughes said. “It’s our home field, and we work on sun balls all the time because we know it happens. No matter how much you practice it, when it happens in a game, it still hurts.”
The error came with two outs, and the Maidens made the Indians pay. Alexa Gable followed with an RBI single to center, and Jenn Halcovage hit an RBI double into the gap in left center, spotting the Maidens a 2-0 lead.
“I told them before the game - usually in these games somebody makes a mistake, and whoever makes that mistake, something happens after that to cause them to (lose),” Torresani said. “That’s what happened today. She lost it in the sun – we got on, we got the clutch hits to get the two runs in, and Jackie held it.”
The Indians got one of those runs back in the fourth when Megan Weisel, who led off with a triple down the right field line, scored on Lauren Urbanski’s sacrifice fly to right field.
The Indians managed just one hit the rest of the way – that came when Corinne Stiles singled to right field with two outs in the fifth inning. Bilotti retired the last seven batters she faced, putting an exclamation mark on the win by fanning the final batter of the game.
“This meant a lot to everyone on my team,” Bilotti said. “We really wanted to win.”
“We have a really young team, but it’s pretty cool because I have a really good defense behind me. I feel confident even when they get a hit off me.”
The Maidens’ defense was showcased on more than one occasion in Friday’s win. In the third inning, shortstop Jenn Halcovage made a diving catch on a short popup that had trouble written all over it. In the seventh, second baseman Michele Holweger robbed the Indians of a base hit when she fielded a ball in the hole and fired to first for the second out.
All told, the Indians managed just two hits off of Bilotti.
“Going into the season, our offense is what we counted on to be our strength, and that’s why we’re having some trouble in some of these close games because our offense isn’t doing what we expected,” Hughes said. “That’s something we’re going to keep working at because we need it if we’re going to make it through this league. If we don’t have the offense, we’re going to have these types of games.
“I give kudos to that pitcher. Being a freshman, she just came in – no fear, and even that last inning, she just threw very well. She was better than our offense today.”
Gone are the nerves of stepping into a varsity role after sophomore Vicky Tumasz was sidelined with an injury.
“My first game I pitched I was really nervous,” Bilotti said. “Now I’m not as nervous any more. I know my infielders can do it, and I’ve gained a lot of confidence.”
While the Indians fell to 3-3 in league play (4-5 overall), the Maidens upped their league mark to 5-1 (7-3 overall).
“I said to the girls, ‘Let’s see what happens at the end of the year rather than the beginning of the year. Let’s move gradually up,’ and that’s what they’re doing,” Torresani said. “They’re taking their time, they’re becoming a team, they’re finding themselves, and they’re playing great defense.”
Megan Weisel and Heather Milligan combined to toss a gem of their own for the Indians, allowing just four hits and no earned runs.

PENNRIDGE 10, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2
Paige DeCew turned in her strongest performance of the season in Friday’s win, allowing only three hits while striking out five and issuing no walks. She did not allow an earned run in seven innings. DeCew also helped her own cause by driving in a run in the top of the seventh.
Despite DeCew’s strong showing, the Rams found themselves deadlocked with the Bucks 2-2 heading into the seventh inning. Emily Mayhew got things started in the seventh with a single, and she scored when Emily Hofmann tripled to right center.
Haley Taylor drew a free pass, and Brooke Labs singled to right to score Hofmann. Taylor scampered home on a wild pitch, and DeCew followed with an RBI single. Alicia Phillips singled, Morgan Labs was hit by a pitch and Lisa Bahmueller drew a walk to load the bases. Phillips scored on Bridget Casey’s groundout, but Mayhew tripled for her second hit of the inning, driving in a pair.
Offensive leaders for the Rams were Mayhew (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, triple), Hofmann (2-for-4, 3 RBIs, triple), Brooke Labs (3-for-4, RBI, triple) and Bahmueller (2-for-3, 3 runs scored).
The Bucks received base hits from Cassie Zanolini, Gina Schnecker and Jen Fabian.
The Rams improved to 2-4 in league play (5-7 overall) while the Bucks fell to 1-5 in the league (4-7 overall).

CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 17, QUAKERTOWN 0 (5 innings)
The Patriots pounded out 17 hits in Friday’s abbreviated contest. Caroline Schoenewald was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Kerry Schulz was 4-for-4 with three runs scored, and Allie Chase was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Jess Haug was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Julia Schoenewald finished the day 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Danielle Marzetti was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three stolen bases.
The Patriots scored two runs in the first, five in the second and then closed it out with a 10-run uprising in the fifth.
For the Panthers, Courtney Derstine was 2-for-3 with a double while Janelle Croisette had a single and Jess Cramp added a double.
While the Panthers fell to 0-6 in league play (1-9 overall), the Patriots improved to 2-4 in the league (4-6 overall).

American Conference

WISSAHICKON 10, UPPER DUBLIN 0 (5 innings)
The Trojans rode the strong arm of pitcher Katie Ziegler and some clutch hitting to earn their fourth win in league play without a loss. Ziegler allowed just two hits while fanning nine and walking two.
The Trojans scored all the runs Ziegler would need in a two-run second. They added a single run in the third, three more in the fourth and then closed it out with four runs in the fifth. Alex Comonitski contributed a double, triple and three RBIs to lead the Trojans. Ashley Anderson added a pair of hits and three runs scored while Kellie Gilman also had a pair of hits, including a triple. Rebecca Maranucci also had a triple.
Kristin Ganderon absorbed the loss, allowing eight hits and only two earned runs.
The Trojans improved to 4-0 in league play (6-1 overall) while the Flyings Cardinals are 3-3 in the league (5-5 overall).