North Penn and Upper Moreland were winners in SOL softball action Wednesday.
NORTH PENN 7, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2
The streak has ended.
For four straight years, the Titans had won the initial meeting between the two schools, but on Wednesday, it was the Maidens who had the final say, winning for the first time in the early season SOL meeting between the two schools since 2011.
“This is huge,” coach Rick Torresani said. “We have lost to them three or four years in a row in this game coming in, and I told the girls it was going to be tough.
“They always play us tough at home, and if we jumped out early, that would be beneficial to us, and that’s what we did.”
The Maidens exploded for five runs in the second inning to all but put the game out of reach. Katie Beer contributed an RBI single, but it was Tori Chiu delivering the big blow, a three-run double that cleared the bases. Armed with a 5-0 lead, pitcher Bri Battavio took care of business, limiting the Titans to a single run in the fifth and another in the top of the seventh.
By that time, the Maidens – thanks to Kariam Bou’s two-run double in the bottom of the fifth – led 7-1.
“South has come back on us before,” Torresani said. “The good thing about today – when they scored a run in the top of the fifth, we came back and scored two in the bottom.”
Battavio earned the complete game win, scattering five hits while fanning two and walking seven.
“Bri throws fast but she has a hard pitch” Torresani said. “If she’s going to walk a few, that’s okay as long as you can get out of it.
“That’s what she did. She had to wait for Jackie (Bilotti) to leave to get her chance. She was a little nervous today, but I was really pleased. She averages about 63-64 (mph). She has really improved.”
Bou (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs), Beer (2-for-3, RBI) and Melanie Lauro (2-for-3) led the Maidens’ eight-hit attack.
Alexis McConnery absorbed the loss for the Titans.
North Penn (1-0) will host Central Bucks East next Tuesday while Central Bucks South (1-1) will host Abington in a non-league contest on Friday.
Central Bucks South 000 010 1 2
North Penn 050 020 x 7
UPPER MORELAND 5, HARRY S TRUMAN 4
The Tigers appeared poised to knot the score when Haley Carter led off the bottom of the seventh with a double, but with the tying run on base, UM pitcher Amber O’Connor found a way to escape unscathed.
She coaxed a fly ball to shallow left out of the next batter she faced for the inning’s first out and then received a major assist from centerfielder Christina Kane, who flagged down a screaming line drive for the second out.
“My centerfielder made a great running backhanded catch,” UM coach Scott Ludlow said.
O’Connor put an exclamation on the win by notching a strikeout for the game’s final out. O’Connor allowed seven hits and three earned runs while walking three and fanning four in the complete game win.
The Golden Bears went on top 1-0 in the top of the first, thanks to an RBI single by Maddie Mull. A three-run third that included a pair of unearned runs gave the Bears a 4-0 lead.
The Tigers cut that lead in half when Stephanie Wolf slammed a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and it was a 5-4 game after the Tigers added a run in the fifth, but the visiting Bears held on for the win.
“I’m very pleased,” Ludlow said. “It’s our first real time on the diamond seeing live pitching after our one scrimmage wasn’t played.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but they didn’t play like it was their first game of the season. I was happy with our offense. They had some opportunities, but we made a couple of nice plays late to pull it out. It’s good to win one early like that.”
Mull finished the game 2-for-3 with three runs scored, and O’Connor was 2-for-4. Chloe Tice was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Upper Moreland (1-0) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh for Thursday’s SOL opener. Harry S Truman (0-1) will host Council Rock South.
Upper Moreland 103 100 0 5
Harry S Truman 001 021 0 4
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