North Penn emerged victorious in Tuesday’s District One AAA semifinal round.
HORSHAM - Jackie Bilotti is a warrior.
Plain and simple.
The North Penn junior isn’t the biggest or strongest pitcher, but she just might be the toughest. Give her the ball, and she will compete. Bilotti is also a tough out at the plate, a fact that has been underscored during yet another impressive postseason run by the Maidens.
In Tuesday’s District One AAAA semifinal against Spring-Ford at Hatboro-Horsham, Bilotti had a pair of hits – including a key hit in the Maidens’ three-run sixth, and she also allowed just five hits while notching the win in the circle in North Penn’s 3-1 win.
“She’s been doing amazing, amazing,” junior Becky Christoffers said.
“She’s been carrying us a lot of the way through these playoffs,” senior Meghan Curley said.
Christoffers and Curley made sure that Bilotti would be a winner on Tuesday, delivering clutch two-out hits in a three-run sixth to propel the Maidens to a win that vaulted the team into Thursday’s district title game against Avon Grove. “Honestly, it’s proving everyone wrong,” Christoffers said. “At the beginning of the season, we were favored to go as far as we could, coming back with so many players - knowing we could do it and just having confidence all the way through the season.”
The Rams had pounded out 26 hits and scored 17 runs in their two preceding district wins over Council Rock North (10-6) and Pennsbury (7-6), but any thoughts that Tuesday’s semifinal would be a slugfest were put the rest early. The Maidens managed just two singles through five innings while the Rams had four, and neither team had come close to scoring.
“We haven’t faced pitching – not that it was slow, but it’s not Nikki (Alden), and it’s not the kid from (Central Bucks) East,” coach Rick Torresani said. “We were hitting the ball hard. We were just hitting it at people.”
All that changed in the sixth. Lauren Schwartz got things started when – with one out – her bunt was misplayed. Bilotti followed with a single off the pitcher, bringing an end to Jenna Lee’s day in the circle.
Amber Sergas retired the first batter she faced, but with two outs, Christoffers lined a RBI single to right field, putting the Maidens on the scoreboard. While facing a new pitcher is a challenge to some, it wasn’t to the Maidens’ number five hitter.
“As a batter, I don’t look at the pitcher,” Christoffers said. “I just look at the pace of the ball. I don’t really look at the motion because the motion can throw you off.
“I knew that runners were in scoring position and somehow I had to bring them in and do anything I could to bring them in.”
With runners on second and third, Curley looped a single over first that brought both runners home and gave the Maidens a 3-0 lead.
“Becky came through, and we got the runs we needed,” Torresani said. “You just survive and advance.
“I knew Jackie was hopefully going to hold them, and I knew we were going to break through. These kids have been working too hard, and they were hitting the ball too hard, so I was hopeful we would break through.”
In the bottom of the sixth, Spring-Ford’s Jaycie Loomis hit a solo home run over the centerfielder fence to make it a 3-1 game. Bilotti elected to pitch around cleanup batter Megan Kern, who had earned five walks in the Rams’ win over Pennsbury.
“We definitely heard about her,” Bilotti said. “We knew she was probably going to be the best hitter on the team.
“I didn’t really pitch to her the last time she was up. We know how hard she can hit the ball, and we were definitely going to make the rest of the team beat us.”
Bilotti retired the next two batters she faced on a popup and then line drive - both to Curley at third. The Maidens’ junior hurler put the finishing touches on a one-two-three seventh by collecting her third strikeout of the game.
“She was mixing it up and hitting her spots,” Torresani said of Bilotti. “They just couldn’t sit on one pitch. That’s what she did all day.”
As for Bilotti’s contributions at the plate, the Maidens’ coach was not surprised.
“She was batting .435 coming into districts and then she hit the two home runs in the first game,” Torresani said. “She had two hits the last game, so she’s been really hitting the ball. I’m proud of her because she’s not just a pitcher, and she’s our best base runner.”
The Maidens (17-6, 10-4 SOL) will face Avon Grove in Thursday’s district title game at Great Valley (3:30 p.m.).
North Penn 000 003 0 3-5-0
Spring-Ford 000 001 0 1-5-2
AVON GROVE 3, SOUDERTON 1
The Indians got a firsthand look at much-ballyhooed pitcher Maggie Balint, and coach Steph Rummel, for one, was mighty impressed with the sophomore sensation.
“That girl throws thunder,” the Indians’ coach said. “She throws really good. When I say really good, she would probably easily be the top D-II pitcher right now.
“I know she probably doesn’t have as much movement as she needs for college, but she just throws so hard. Sometimes when she’s 0-2, she really pumps up for one, and it just flies. I have never seen a high school girl throw that hard, ever.”
Steph Rummel – formerly Steph Denlinger - knows a little about Division II softball. The former first team All-American holds the NCAA Division II career home run record with 79, shattering the previous mark of 62. Rummel, a Souderton grad, set that mark during a spectacular four-year career at Kutztown (2006-09).
The Red Devils plated an unearned run in the third, capitalizing on an error, walk and groundout.
That lead grew to 3-0 in the fourth when they once again benefitted from a Souderton miscue as well as back-to-back doubles to score two runs.
In the fifth, the Indians broke up Balint’s shutout bid. Morgan Taylor singled and moved up to second on an error. Savannah Bostwick laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Angie Carty’s single put the Indians on the scoreboard.
That would be the extent of the Indians’ offense against Balint, who allowed two hits, struck out 10 and walked three.
Souderton senior Erelle Sowers allowed just two hits and one earned run.
“She did great,” Rummel said. “It stinks because she is throwing so well.
“It was such a fast game because the other pitcher was so good and Erelle was holding them down. There weren’t many baserunners, so we couldn’t really help her out as much as we should have.”
The Indians (16-5, 11-3 SOL) will face Spring-Ford in a battle for third place at North Penn High School Thursday (4 p.m.).
Souderton 000 100 0-1
Avon Grove 001 200 x-3
Class AAA
#1 SPRINGFIELD-DELCO 8, #4 UPPER MERION 3
Tuesday’s game pitting the Vikings against the top-seeded Cougars was suspended because of thunder and lightening in the fourth inning with the Cougars on top 8-3. Play will resume on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Class AA
#2 SAINT BASIL 4, #3 SPRINGFIELD-MONTCO 1
The Spartans saw their season come to an end in Tuesday’s semifinal round of the District One AA Tournament when they fell to St. Basil. The game turned in the fourth inning when the Spartans had the bases loaded with nobody out but couldn’t push a run across. St. Basil scored three in the bottom of the inning. It was more than enough to earn the win and a date with Christopher Dock in Thursday’s title game.
Springfield 000 001 0-1
Saint Basil 000 301 x-4
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