By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

The road ended Monday, June 29 for the SOL National/Bicentennial (BAL) in the fifth annual Carpenter Cup softball tournament.
The opportunity to work together with the opposition is what assistant coach Frank McSherry relishes about the tournament, which combines the Council Rocks, with Neshaminy, Pennsbury of the Suburban One League, with Bristol Morrisville and some other teams from the Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL).
“We get the opportunity to coach kids that we coach against all year long and some that we never see as coaches,” stated McSherry.
“When we see the kids the following year, they no longer see you as the enemy, which is really refreshing.”
The local girls would have fared much better in the tourney, said McSherry, if not for an infield-outfield collision in game three of opening day that led to a 6-5 loss to Delaware South.
What hurt the SOL National’s cause most, according to the coach, was losing hurlers Sarah McGowan, of Neshaminy, and Kiersten Cain, from Bristol, when the team took the field against Jersey Shore. Both pitchers headed out to Colorado Monday, June 29 to compete in a national showcase tournament out west.
Earlier in the tournament, McGowan had held the opposition scoreless in four of the seven innings she pitched in wins over Chester and DelCo. Cain didn’t give up any runs in those same matchups and was on her way to a win vs. Del-South when all hell broke loose.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, a gaffe made on a popup over second base scored both the tying and winning runs for Delaware South, which went on to win the championship.
“We could very well have walked away from Wednesday at three-and-oh,” said McSherry. “That would have put us in a better position to win.”
Before the locals were eliminated however, the girls from lower Bucks got another chance to show their stuff to the collegiate scouts who came to South Philadelphia’s FDR Park looking for their next big NCAA prospect.
The SOL National/BAL trailed early in their final game against Jersey Shore. Pennsbury junior hurler Kait Schilling got herself into trouble in the bottom of the first inning, putting a pair of baserunners on with no outs after surrendering a single to pitcher Kasey Bulman and issuing a walk to infielder Alisha Cumberton. Third baseman Leann Ventriglia got the big hit in the frame, slapping a triple that scored a pair of runs for Jersey Shore.
Schilling got the locals on the board in the top of the second inning, scoring Bristol sophomore Brooke Dugger from third base with a sac fly to centerfield. Dugger had gotten on base with a walk, went to second on a passed ball then to third on an error by opposition right fielder Ani Sasala.
Jersey Shore padded their edge in the bottom of the third inning however, getting three more runs off Schilling. Again, Kait put a pair of runners on base with no outs, giving up back to back singles to Danielle Raneri and Bulman.
Center fielder Nicole Saggiomo’s single did the most damage, pushing a pair of runs across the plate that put Jersey Shore up, 4-1. Taylor’s McDonough’s triple then put the team from the Garden State up 5-1.
From there, things got a little wild, though no further damage was done by Jersey Shore. After drawing a walk – still with no outs – Ventriglia stole second and went to third on a sacrifice before getting cut down at the plate on a ground ball tapped by Jill Martin.
Martin then stole second and went to third on an error before getting cut down at the plate going for run number six.
Cantiello came on in relief of Schilling in the fourth and got out of the inning in order even though a runner – Maggie Fermo – reached base with no outs on an error at third base by Truman freshman Tiffany Koenig. That’s because Cantiello got the first out on a sacrifice bunt by Jen Retzer and her teammates got the next when they snuffed Fermo out at third trying to grab two bases on the bunt.
The locals missed a huge opportunity in the fifth inning after putting a pair of runners on base with no outs on back to back singles by Cantiello and Jopko. Retzer got out of the jam however with no damage, striking out the side when she fanned Council Rock North junior Chloe Pinto, Calvary Christian sophomore Kelli Reichenbach (looking) and Neshaminy junior Erin Quense. The runners were left standing at second and third base when Retzer threw a wild pitch on an 0-1 count with Quense up to bat.
With one last chance to stay alive, the SOL National nearly pulled it off in the top of the seventh, scoring a pair of runs and loading the bases with just one out.
Pinto’s double scored the first run of the frame for the locals pushing home Cantiello, who’d gotten on base with a leadoff single. With one out, Reichenbach got on board on Fermo’s fielding error that also sent Pinto to third base. Jersey Shore’s next gaffe loaded the bases with Quense jamming the sacks on an error made by Bulman.
Pinto represented run number two for the locals as she scored on a shallow fly ball over second base by William Tennent sophomore Ashley Alden. But Reichenbach also tried to score on the play from second base and that was a big mistake.
She never made it, instead getting cut down at the plate ending this year’s run by the SOL National/Bicentennial.
Schilling took the loss for the locals. Cantiello pitched three scoreless innings in relief and also had a good day at the plate with a pair of singles and a run scored.
“She was a big offensive threat for us,” said McSherry. “She went 2-for-2 and she pitched three or four scoreless innings.”
Delaware South, which had edged the SOL National/BAL earlier in the tourney, went on to win the championship, downing previously undefeated Berks in a pair of 3-2 wins that both went to extra innings.
Berks had handed Del-South its only loss in a 1-0 win on Monday, June 29. But the girls from Delaware reversed the tide however on Tuesday, defeating Berks first in a 9-inning matchup then in an 8-inning battle that decided the championship.

Labels: CR North, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, softball, Truman

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Jenn Jaeger.
Nicole Adamson.
Kelly Pinto.
Sam Dougherty.
Amanda Spadaccino.
They’re all Bristol High seniors and they’re all well aware that the time they have left as Lady Warriors is limited. They’ve been playing for Mike Lalli’s team now for the last four years, yet somehow they don’t want it to end.
“We’re all seniors and we know what time of the year it is,” stated Jaeger, the team’s shortstop. “We want to play as far into [the month of] June as we can. None of us want to see it end.”
After winning their third consecutive District One Class A softball title a little over a week ago in a 13-3 romp over archrival Christopher Dock, the Warriors had time to reflect on what has been yet another fantastic campaign.
“Every year, Dock gives us a pretty good run for our money,” explained Jaeger. “This year, our hitting just improved so much when it came to the district championship.
“We went into that game hoping for the best and everyone did what they were supposed to and that’s why we came out with a win.”
In the title tilt, freshman Kaley Crohe hit a pair of triples against the Pioneers and junior Mariah Strobele hit a bases-clearing double with the sacks jammed to put Bristol on top, 9-2, in the fifth inning. Kiersten Cain pushed Kelly Pond home with the 13th run in the bottom of the sixth, officially making the Warriors district champs once more.
After three consecutive one-run games--the sides split a pair of 2-1 contests and Bristol won the battle for the BAL championship 6-5--the Warriors had finally broke through.
“With [Dock righthander Jocelyn Hickey] pitching, we were a little more familiar with her and what she was going to throw us,” explained Jaeger. “Even though those others were such close games, in this one, we were just able to put more hits together and score a lot more runs.”
Bristol came back Thursday, May 28 and put a 22-0 spanking on Parkway West (8-9). The lopsided win at LaSalle University sends the Warriors back to states today where they get set to face District 11 winner Williams Valley 2 p.m. at Blue Mountain High School in Orwigsburg.
Against Parkway, winning pitcher Kiersten Cain was perfect in the circle, striking out 8 of the 12 batters she faced. In winning her 16th game of the year, Cain set a new record for strikeouts in a season with 182, breaking the old mark held by Stacy Bonner, who fanned 179 in a single campaign.
When Cain came into the season, Kiersten had big shoes to fill, those of the now departed Shawna Walp, last year’s BAL Player of the Year, who helped lead Bristol to the last two district title games with her pitching. Replacing her services would not be easy but Cain has shown that she is more than able.
“When I first started, we were really lucky because we had Shawna and she’s a strikeout pitcher so she was able to get many strikeouts for us throughout the year.
“Kiersten stepped up for us this year and she’s exactly the same.”
Cain has earned the same status as Walp--as BAL Player of the Year for the current campaign.
And when classmate Ashley Cantiello has stepped into the circle, Bristol doesn’t seem to lose a thing. Cantiello has won three of the games that she has started this year.
“Knowing we have two good pitchers in Kiersten (Cain) and Ashley (Cantiello), a good catcher and a good third baseman, it makes us feel that the next couple of years are going to be pretty good years for Bristol softball.”
Offensively, the players pushing runs across the plate in Bristol’s big win over Parkway included Angelica Rodriguez (3), Cantiello (2), Kaley Crohe (2), Kelee Pinto (2), Danielle Reilly (2), Cain, Morgan Cullen, Dougherty, Dugger, Jaeger, Leighann Morris, Alexis Rodriguez, Mariah Strobele and Amanda Weir.
The good news is that all of the above return to the lineup next season except for Pinto, Dougherty and Jaeger. Dugger hit a pair of triples in the contest; Reilly went 2-for-2 on the afternoon.
Jaeger explains a little about the youth movement going on with the Warriors.
“A lot of these girls have been playing travel ball for years, which makes them really good competitors,” stated Jaeger.
“When they came up, we never expected them to be exactly what we needed but they turned out to be great athletes, contributing to the team so much.
“They turned out to be a really good asset; without them, our team is not complete.”
Though they’ve won 19 games thus far, the Warriors’ season got off to a rough start on the injury front as Bristol began the current campaign without the services of Nicole Adamson and Sam Dougherty.
“We really missed Nicole’s bat in the lineup and also Sam Dougherty--she’s a very good slapper that we missed in the lineup,” stated Jaeger.
“Having them back has been such a great boost to the team.”
Both players were first team All-BAL last season and replacing Adamson at catcher would be no easy task. But freshman Kaley Crohe stepped into the lineup and forced Lalli to make a spot for her in the lineup. The coach did, positioning Adamson at DH and in the outfield upon her return and leaving Crohe stationed behind the plate.
“When Nicole got hurt, we realized we needed somebody to come in and fill that gap quickly,” explained Jeager. “Kaley ended up stepping up and doing a great job.”
“When coach put Kaley in, he realized that she was just as big a competitor and could do a good job behind the plate and batting in the lineup as a slapper,” explained Jaeger.
“Leaving her there tells him that for the next couple of years, he’s going to have a really good catcher behind the plate.”
While this group of seniors will eventually depart from the hallways of Bristol High and also the fields that line Jefferson Ave., you get the feeling the program is left in good hands.
***
NOTES: The May 28 win over Parkway West was Lalli’s 400th coaching triumph.

Labels: Bristol, Bristol Softball, softball

BRISTOL — The Warriors got a pair of no-hitters to sweep this Bicentennial Athletic League double-header.
In the opener, Ashley Cantiello struck out 12 MaST Charter batters en route to a no-hit 15-0 victory. Jen Jaeger homered, Cantiello tripled and Alexis Rodriguez and Kelly Pinto both doubled.
Game two featured a no-hitter and eight strikeouts by Kierstin Cain (11-2) in an 18-0 win over the Panthers. Jaeger and Angelica Rodriguez tripled in this one, while Cain and Brooke Dugger doubled. With the win, the Warriors improved to 15-2.
LINESCORES
Mast Charter 000 00 — 0 0
Bristol (14-2) 643 2x — 15 8
WP-Cantiello (4-0). LP-Trout. 2B-Alexis Rodriguez, Pinto. 3B-Cantiello. HR-Jaeger.
***
Bristol (15-2) 555 3 — 18 13
Mast Charter 000 0 — 0 0
WP-Cain (11-2). LP-Kelly. 2B-Cain, Dugger. 3B-Jaeger, Angelica Rodriguez.
***
Neshaminy mercy rules Souderton

LANGHORNE — Neshaminy posted a 14-4 mercy rule shortened win over Souderton May 14 at home improving their record to 16-2. The Redskins will wrap up their regular season against Bensalem today.
Sarah McGowan improved to 9-2 and had a big day at the plate with three doubles. Alexa Bell and Kelsey Ryan also doubled.
The day before, Neshaminy beat William Tennent, 10-1. Sam Bender raised her record to 6-0 and Sam Creamer led the attack with two doubles.
LINESCORES
Souderton 000 202 — 4
Neshaminy 460 004 — 14
WP-McGowan (9-2). LP-Parkins. 2B-Bell (N), Ryan (N), McGowan 3

Labels: Bristol, softball

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Harry S Truman head coach Gretchen Cammiso must have had a sense of déjà vu last Thursday at Pennsbury’s softball field when the Falcons won for the second time this season.
Her Lady Tigers had just tied the game at 7 runs apiece with a four-run sixth that featured a 2-run bomb by junior hurler Rachael Alligood.
“When Pennsbury took a 7-3 lead, I think everyone in the park thought the game was over,” explained Cammiso. “I just told the girls ‘there’s nothing you can do but hit,’ and they did.”
Playing in between raindrops that hovered over the skies in lower Bucks, the Falcons broke the tie however in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs in a 10-7 home triumph over their SOL National Conference rivals.
In an unusual pitching performance for her, Alligood surrendered 12 hits to Pennsbury while striking out 7 batters and walking three.
“The final score--10-7--I’m sure was not something that either team expected,” stated Cammiso.
Pennsbury also defeated Truman with 2 late-game runs the first time these two teams squared off. With this win, the Falcons clinched yet another SOL National title, their eighth consecutive Suburban One League (SOL) trophy.
Alyssa Shirley, designated hitter for Pennsbury, pushed home the winning run when she drove infielder D’Anna Devine in with a single. Lauren Rossi then kept the rally going with another single but the big blow was struck by first baseman Kirby Groves, who plated another pair of runs for the Falcons with an RBI single in the gap.
Pennsbury righthander Kait Schilling came on and retired the side for the Falcons and recorded the win. Alligood took the loss for the Lady Tigers, who fell to 9-7 overall, 8-6 in the SOL National Conference.
Groves had another big day for the Falcons with a 3-for-4 batting performance that included a double and four RBIs. D’Anna Devine and Sarah Gosselin also doubled for Pennsbury, which pushed its record to 15-3, overall, 13-1 in the SOL.
The Falcons’ only loss this season was to Abington--a 4-3 setback suffered April 29 at home. That’s a fine feat considering the fact that Pennsbury came into the season with little experience in the circle.
With the win, the Falcons also clinched a bye in the District 1 playoffs, which get underway Monday, May 18. Truman (9-7, 8-6 SOL) earned a No. 16 seed and played hot to 17th-seeded Plymouth-Whitemarsh.
Pennsbury got the No. 4 seed and will open on Wednesday, May 20 at home against the winner of Haverford, which defeated Pennridge, 2-0, in the opening round.
It took extra innings but Plymouth-Whitemarsh scored four runs in the top of the ninth to get past the Tigers May 18 in Truman’s opener.

Labels: Pennsbury, softball, Truman

While Neshaminy lost its first league game on Tuesday (April 28) to its perennial nemesis Pennsbury, the Redskins climbed back into a tie for the Suburban One League (SOL) National Conference lead the very next day.
Neshaminy seems determined to make the battle for the SOL National crown a horse race after edging Truman, 3-2, April 29 behind a six-strikeout performance of junior Sarah McGowan.
The ‘Skins managed to catch the Falcons, who lost to Abington, 4-3, the very same day. As of today (May 1), both teams possess identical 8-1 division records.
Against Truman, shortstop Christina Udris was the hero in this one, pushing a pair of runs across the plate, including a game-winning RBI single in the seventh. The Redskins’ 3-2 win over the Tigers, their second of the season by that score, undid a first inning RBI double by Truman third baseman Courtney Tenaglia and a seven strikeout performance by Truman pitcher Rachael Alligood.
Yesterday (April 30), the Redskins padded their win total with a non-league triumph over Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC).
Trailing, 1-0, Neshaminy exploded with 5 runs in the fourth, started off with a solo home run by Undris. But it was third baseman Kelsey Ryan who carried the big bat for the Redskins in this one, going 2-for-2 including a 2-run shot she crushed over the fence later in the fourth inning.
‘Skins outfielder Sam Creamer also had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-3 including an RBI and a run scored.
Righthander Samantha Bender got the win for Neshaminy, scattering 9 hits while striking out 6 CEC batters while walking none in her fourth victory of the season.
Slapping multiple hits for the Lady Eagles were Jade McGee (2-for-3), Kelsi Jordan (2-for-3) and Cheyenne Keen (2-for-4), who scored Egan’s only run of the afternoon. Stacie DeNucci (1 strikeout) was the starter for CEC but Rebecca Maziarz took the loss for the Eagles. Conwell-Egan drops to 5-8 on the season but is no worse for wear in league play.
In Neshaminy’s only league loss of the season, Pennsbury plated three runs in the fifth on back-to-back singles by Kelsey Bunda and D’Anna Devine, an error made on a bunt down the third base line by Alyssa Shipley and a 2-run double by Falcons first baseman Kirby Groves.
Udris plated the Redskins only run of the day when she pushed first baseman Erin Quense--on board with a double--across with an RBI single. Neshaminy second baseman Courtney Clee tried to score from first on Quense’s double, but was gunned down at the plate by Lauren Rossi’s relay throw.
Neshaminy hosts Council Rock North at 3:30 p.m. today, weather permitting.
***
--Sports Editor Steve Sherman

Labels: Conwell-Egan, Neshaminy, softball

By Rick Fortenbaugh
For BucksLocalSports.com

FAIRLESS HILLS — While this might still be the year the talented Neshaminy High School softball team finally catches up to Pennsbury, it was basically more of the same when the two SONL powerhouses collided the afternoon of April 28.
Doing what it does best by raising the level of its game to match the opposition, Pennsbury (10-1) defeated arch-rival Neshamniy (9-1) by the score of 4-1 in front of a large crowd.
Neshaminy will get another shot at Pennsbury later this month, but for now, it’s the Falcons who are all alone in first place.
It’s also believed to be the 11th straight time Pennsbury has beaten Neshaminy, which is remarkable when you consider the level of the second-ranked Redskins program.
“Neshaminy is a great team, and that’s from one to nine in their lineup," said Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry, who has over 500 wins in 26 years of coaching. “For us to beat them we had to play a perfect game."
Sensing this might finally be its year, Neshaminy came out fired up and scored right away when when Courtney Clee walked and Christina Udris later stroked an RBI single in the top of the first.
In between, however, Pennsbury was able to gun down a crucial run at the plate on a double by Erin Quense, who was 3-for-4 and had more than half of Neshaminy’s five hits.
Although nobody could have realized it at the time, that would be it for the Redskins offense against Pennsbury junior righty Kait Schilling (7-0).
Facing one of the top pitchers in the area in sophomore Sarah McGowan, Pennsbury tied the game in the third when lead-off batter D'anna Devine singled, Alyssa Shirley executed a sacrifice and Lauren Rossi stroked a two-out RBI single to left field.
It was in the fifth inning when Pennsbury took control with a three-run outburst against McGowan (5-1).
It all started with a pretty one-out bunt single by No. 9 batter Kelsi Bunda. After Devine singled to center, Shirley again put down a successful sac bunt.
This worked out even better than hoped for when the ball was thrown away at first and Bunda was able to race home with the go-ahead run.
Neshaminy’s only error also left runners at second and third with out out. The Redskins almost got out of it, but one out later, Kirby Groves smashed a two-run double off the right-center fence.
That was the ball game, as Schilling allowed just one base runner in the seventh to finish up her masterpiece.
“Kait doesn’t overpower you, but she can hit her spots," said McSherry. “And every spot we asked her to hit she hit today.
“She really stepped it up for us."
Another key factor was the clutch hitting of Pennsbury seniors Rossi and Groves.
“It was outside," said Groves of the pitch she hit for a booming double. “I had two strikes on me and I just knew I had to put the ball in play. We knew this was a big game. We knew we had to really come to play."
In other words, the Falcons just did what they always seem to do in these sort of situations.
“It was the best we played all year and it was the best Kait pitched all year," said McSherry.
***
LINESCORES
Neshaminy (9-1) 100 000 0 — 1 5 1
Pennsbury (10-1) 001 030 x — 4 8 1
WP-Schilling (7-0). LP-McGowan (5-1).
2B-Quense (N) Groves (P).
RBIs: N-Udris. P-Rossi, Groves 2.

Labels: Neshaminy, Pennsbury, softball

By RICK FORTENBAUGH
For Buckslocalsports.com

BRISTOL TWP., Pa. — Never play a hand of poker against veteran Pennsbury High school softball coach Frank McSherry.
After all, even when his strategy backfires he’ll probably still pull an inside straight when the last card is turned over.
Such was largely the case Friday when Pennsbury remained undefeated with a 5-3 Suburban One National League victory over Truman.
At the start of the game, McSherry elected to throw his No. 2 pitcher. This appeared to be major trouble when she walked the first four Truman batters.
Incredibly, however, Truman didn’t score because the first batter who walked was thrown out trying to steal second.
Still, with the bases loaded and just one out, McSherry decided it was time to summon No. 1 pitcher Kait Schilling to the circle. The junior righty responded magnificently with two strikeouts to get out of the jam and the game had decidedly turned in Pennsbury’s favor.
“It was a little bit of a hunch, but we need two throwers," replied McSherry when asked why he didn’t start Schilling.
“I thought Kait did a great job. She came in in a pressure situation and handled it."
Schilling would go onto finish with a five-hitter and wasn’t scored upon until the sixth when Tina Coffman singled and came home on Nichole King’s ground ball.
Truman also scored twice in the bottom of the seventh when Ashley Black hit a two-run bullet over the left-field fence, but by that time Pennsbury was working with a very comfortable margin.
Truman junior ace Rachael Alligood was not at her best Friday and was forced into one deep count after another. The end result was five Pennsbury runs on nine hits.
While the Falcons didn’t exactly rip the ball, they did do a good job of putting the ball in play and struck out only six times against the hard-throwing Alligood.
Brooke Downs had the biggest day for the opportunistic Falcons. In the second inning she helped put her team on the board with a one-hop double off the left-field fence. Downs also had an RBI single in the seventh when Pennsbury tacked on two more runs.
The middle of the Pennsbury order also produced with Kirby Groves and Rebecca Erb each collecting two hits. Groves singled in a run in the fourth.
“I thought our defense played great," said McSherry of an errorless effort. “I also like the way we battled at the plate. Alyssa Shirley set the tone right away."
In the top of the first, Shirley had a long at bat that included at least six foul balls and led to an infield single. Shirley didn’t score, but it was obvious Pennsbury was really going to make Alligood work.
All in all it was a good day for Pennsbury, which came in undefeated, but hadn’t exactly faced strong pitching to date.
“It was our first big test," said McSherry. “Rachael is a very good pitcher and we were able to have some good at bats against her."
***
FALCON FODDER: Pennsbury will make up a postponed game this morning at home against Council Rock South. McSherry is still waiting to hear if the team will have administration approval to play in the Mt. St. Dominic Tourney on a Sunday. The rained-out Conwell-Egan game will be played on a Saturday night in May.

Pennsbury (5-0) 011 010 2 - 5 9 0
Truman (4-3) 000 001 2 - 3 5 2

WP-Schilling. LP-Alligood. 2B-Downs (P). HR-Black (T). RBIs: P-Groves, Downs. T-King, Black 2.

Labels: Pennsbury, softball, Truman

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

The girls who take the field for the Bristol softball team were outscored 3-1 on opening day against Quad-A rival Neshaminy. Since then, the Lady Warriors have turned that stat on its head, outscoring their next four opponents, 50-2.
Bristol got the bats uncorked in game two with doubles by seniors Jen Jaeger and Nicole Adamson and another by sophomore Ashley Cantiello. Senior outfielder Kelee Pinto added 3 RBIs in a game that saw the Warriors up 5-2 before adding four runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.
The final: Bristol 11, Lower Moreland 2.
The Warriors easily won its second game with sophomore righthander Kiersten Cain cranking out a one-hitter and striking out nine batters in four innings.
Second baseman Amanda Spadaccino went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs. Cain was 2-for-2 herself and doubled.
Also smacking triples for the Warriors were Pinto and sophomore Amanda Weir. It all added up to a 15-0 victory March 31 at New Hope-Solebury.
On April 8 at Cheltenham, Bristol got another big game from Cain, who pitched a one-hitter, struck out 10, blasted two home runs and knocked in four runs in a 5-inning game shortened by the mercy rule. The Warriors went on to a 14-0 win over the Panthers.
Bristol got things started off in the right direction early with 4 runs in the top of the first. With a baserunner aboard, Cain hit a 2-run shot to leftfield that is still going. Cain homered again in the second, this one a single shot. Adamson followed with a solo homer of her own to left.
The Warriors pushed two more runners across the plate in the third and 6 more in the fifth. All told, Bristol pounded out 14 hits.
Head coach Mike Lalli says his team is just taking advantage of its opportunities.
“We ARE swinging the bats very well and we’re taking advantage of the other team,” stated Lalli. “If they make a mistake, we take advantage of it.”
“The scores are big but a lot of that has to do with the fact that we’re not giving up any runs either.
But it’s more than that, says the coach.
“Three of those [wins] were shutouts so that makes the scores seem that much larger.
“That’s a credit to the defense and the pitching.
It’s also not bad when you consider the Warriors came into the season not knowing who would fill positions vacated in the circle and at shortstop by the now departed Shawna Walp and Sam Hornberger. Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) First Teamers in 2008, both are now playing ball at King’s College in Wilkesbarre.
If you remember, in last year’s district championship, Walp pitched a complete game, striking out 9 batters while surrendering only two hits to help the Warriors to a 5-1 title-winning triumph over Chris Dock.
The nine Pioneer batters she fanned gave Shawna 400 strikeouts for her high school career. Offensively, Walp went 3-for-4 at the plate, recording her 100th hit of her high school career on an infield single in the bottom of the 6th inning.
When the season ended, Shawna was selected as the BAL Softball Player of the Year.
“There was concern when Shawna graduated but Kiersten has really been able to fill the void,” stated Lalli. “She’s has four pitches and she throws them all for strikes.”
While Cain has shown she is quite able to take on the majority of the pitching duties, no man, or woman for that matter, is an island. Next week, Bristol has battles at home against Villa, MaST Charter, and Chris Dock, and one the road at Plumstead Christian.
So infielder Ashley Cantiello will have to contribute to the Warriors’ pitching chores.
Bristol has a pair of games this weekend in the William Tennent Softball Invitational. The Warriors are pitted against the host team and Bensalem tomorrow and have four games next week against their BAL rivals.
While keeping the players fresh might be cause for concern, Lalli says he’s not worried how his team stacks up against its SOL National counterparts.
“I think we can do well; I think we can play with any team in the area,” stated the coach.
“We have pretty strong pitching. Our defense is not exactly where I want it to be but it’s still pretty good.
Also consider the fact that injuries to Adamson and Dougherty have limited the role both players have filled thus far. While she has seen some playing time, Adamson is still nursing a sore shoulder that has limited her time behind the plate.
Coach says he’s working Nicole back into the lineup, albeit gingerly.
“She’s getting there. She’s still not able to throw very much. She can swing, she’s just not physically able to do a lot of throwing.”
While Adamson has been out, freshman Kaley Crohe has filled in admirably for the senior.
“She’s a freshman so she has a lot to learn about playing on this level but she’s doing well,” stated Lalli. “I look forward to her doing much better than she’s even doing for us right now.”
The coach had plans to get Adamson some work in the Warriors’ April 16 battle against Calvary Christian.
“If someone tries to steal, we’ll have to tell her to let them go,” said Lalli. “But, we’ve been pretty good with keeping people off the bases, so hopefully that won’t come up too much.”
Calvary had just one hit in the game, a single and Bristol tagged the opposition for 7 runs in the first inning on its way to a 10-0 win in five innings.
Currently, no one seems to be able to keep the Lady Warriors off the base paths or cork the Bristol bats. Lalli and company hope it’s a trend that continues.

Labels: Bristol, softball

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Last season at Pennsbury, nearly a dozen seniors who were coming off a state championship season took the field for the Lady Falcons. Naturally, expectations were high.
So when SOL national champion Pennsbury was ousted from districts in a second-round pairing with Upper Darby, the Falcons were devastated.
“It was heartbreaking,” senior Alyssa Becker explained. “We were all just devastated--we all wanted it so bad.”
While the bar always seems to be set high for the orange and black, the jury is still out on this year’s Pennsbury softball team.
Despite the mass exodus, Becker says the Falcons’ hopes are set high.
“I think [the bar] is still set pretty high even though we didn’t make it that far last year,” she said. “I think people look at it like it’s a newer team, so maybe the outcome will be different this year.
“We want it to be better and we think it will be.”
That group of seniors--which numbered 11--has since graduated leaving head coach Frank McSherry and staff a slew of holes to fill, with the number one void in the circle.
In addition to outgoing pitcher Jenna Berger, shortstop Nikki Cognigni, third baseman Jess Rhodunda, outfielder Dani Straub, second baseman Lauren June, and catcher Steph Morrison have all left for greener pastures.
The good news is that righthander Kait Schilling is filling in admirably for Berger, now pitching--and doing well for--Mercer County Community College (she’s 15-0 last we checked).
Still, there are others with varsity experience playing their first season at a new post. One such player is senior Lauren Rossi who has taken Cognigni’s spot at short. Senior Brooke Downs has taken Morrison’s post behind the plate. Leadoff hitter D’Anna Devine has jumped from centerfield to second base. Junior Rebecca Erb has taken up Rhodunda’s spot on the hot corner. And junior Sarah Gosselin is seeing time in centerfield.
The Falcons kicked off the season with a non-league victory over Interboro before adding a trio of SOL National triumphs over Council Rock North, Bensalem and William Tennent.
In the win over Interboro, Schilling scattered eight hits and struck out five.
All the Pennsbury scoring came in the bottom of the fifth. After a single by Devine, an error and walk to Lauren Rossi, cleanup hitter Kirby Groves came up clutch with a two-run single. Rebecca Erb also doubled for the Falcons.
Rossi is batting in the three spot with Groves hitting cleanup. In addition to supplying a lot of power at the top of the order, the two captains provide a lot of leadership.
“They know how to handle us,” explained Becker. “They’ve been on varsity since freshman year so they know what [coach] McSherry expects.”
Pennsbury easily improved to 2-0 with a 7-1 road win over the Rock. Schilling pitched a two-hitter and struck out three for her second victory of the season.
Groves doubled, knocked in two runs and had two hits along with Devine and Kelsey Bunda, who made her first varsity appearance at the plate.
Chelsea Reynolds also doubled for the Falcons.
Two more triumphs over SOL National rivals ensued. Both were lopsided affairs with a 12-2 win over the Owls and a 14-4 victory over the Panthers. So the question that comes first to mind, “is this team good enough to get back to states?”
“That remains to be seen,” stated McSherry at a recent practice. “We lost a lot of seniors so we do have a lot of varsity inexperience.
“But we also have a quality nucleus so the hope is that those kids will drive the newcomers.”
The Mount St. Dominic Invitational slated for April 10 in North Jersey might have been an indicator of where this team stood in comparison to the area softball powers.
Red Bank Catholic, Toms River East and St. John Vianney, the numbers 1, 2 and 4 teams at the shore, were scheduled to attend, as well as the host and Delaware softball power Caravel Academy.
“That would have given us an idea of what we were made of,” said McSherry. “Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.”
The tourney has been reset for Sunday May 3.
As of tax day--April 15--Becker doesn’t believe the Falcons have been truly tested either.
“Every game we’ve come out strong but I don’t think we’ve really been tested yet,” she said.
But Pennsbury has come to every game ready to do battle. Becker cites the team’s April 8 home pairing with Tennent as an example of such. The Panthers got out of the gate quickly when pitcher Ashley Alden tagged Schilling for a first-inning homer.
But the Falcons didn’t quiver over the solo shot, says Becker.
“We came back from that and we jumped on them,” she stated.
Jumped on them, yes--to the tune of eight runs in the home half of the frame.
Erb slammed two doubles and knocked in three runs. Groves doubled and drove in three runs. Devine (3 RBIs) and Lauren Rossi tripled and Pennsbury went on to a 14-4 triumph over Tennent.
The Falcons will surely get a test today when they take on the newly revitalized Truman softball team which until yesterday at Neshaminy was also unbeaten in the SOL National conference. Becker says the Tigers will be gunning for the orange and black.
“I know they want to beat us really bad,” she said. “A couple of girls have said it.”
How Pennsbury stacks up against HST hurler Rachael Alligood--who stifled the Redskins through six shutout innings--and Neshaminy’s Sarah McGowan--who struck out 16 Truman hitters--remains to be seen.
***
The Falcons’ annual pairing with Philly Catholic League rival Conwell-Egan, originally set for April 6, has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 9 at the Lower Makefield baseball/ softball complex on the field behind LMT pool.

Labels: Pennsbury, softball

Morrisville pushed runs across the plate early and often yesterday in a 16-2 rout of Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) rival Calvary Christian.

Leading 6-2 after three innings, the Lady Bulldogs plated eight more runs in the fourth frame.

In a game that took place at the Somerton Youth Organization ball fields, the big hit was crushed into centerfield by catcher Alina Sierra.

The Morrisville backstopsman hit a two-out bases-clearing double with sacks jammed that put the ‘Dawgs on top 12-2.

Morrisville plated two more runs in the frame and two more in the fifth on its way to a mercy rule-shortened five inning win.

With it, the unbeaten Bulldogs pushed their record to 4-0 overall, 3-0 in the BAL Constitution Division.

In a four-game stretch thus far, Morrisville has outscored its opponents, 56-11. Casey Hollopeter got the win in the circle for the Bulldogs.
--Sports Editor Steve Sherman

Labels: Morrisville, softball

The Pennsbury High School softball team easily improved to 2-0 yesterday (March 31) with a 7-1 win over Suburban One League (SOL) National rival Council Rock North.
Righthander Kait Schilling pitched a two-hitter and struck out three for her second win.
First baseman Kirby Groves doubled, knocked in two runs and had two hits along with second baseman Deanna Devine and Kelsey Bunda, who made her first varsity appearance at the plate.
Chelsea Reynolds also doubled for the Falcons, who will host Bensalem tomorrow afternoon.
123 456 7 - R H E
Pennsbury (2-0) 300 022 0 — 7 9 0
CR North (0-3) 001 000 0 — 1 2 3
WP-Schilling (2-0). LP-Lewis (0-3). 2B-Groves (P), Reynolds (P). RBIS: P-Groves 2, Erb, Gosselin.
***
Bristol 15, New Hope 0
NEW HOPE, Pa. — Mike Lalli’s Warriors easily won their second game with sophomore righthander Kierstin Cain cranking up a one-hitter and striking out nine batters in four innings.
Second baseman Amanda Spadaccino went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs. Cain was 2-for-2 herself and doubled.
Also smacking triples for Bristol were senior Kelee Pinto and sophomore Amanda Weir.
123 4 - R H E
New Hope 000 0 - 0 1 3
Bristol (2-1) 725 1 - 15 10 0
WP-Cain (2-1). LP-Yanishevsky. 2B-Cain. 3B-Pinto, Weir (B), Spadaccino (B).
***
Truman 8, Council Rock South 2

HOLLAND — The Tigers got back on track in style for their second victory of the season.
Rachel Alligood scattered six hits and struck out five for the win. Alligood was also on fire at the plate with a 4-for-4 day and an RBI.
Ashley Black singled and doubled, while Courtney Tenaglia was 3-for-4 and knocked in two runs.
123 456 7 - R H E
Truman (2-1) 030 121 1 — 8 14 0
CR South (0-3) 011 000 0 — 2 6 0
WP-Alligood (2-0). LP-Shaffer. 2B-Black (T), Young (CRS). 3B-Tenaglia (T). RBIs: T-Van Schaik, Alligood, Koenig. Tenaglia 2.
***
Conwell-Egan 12, Cardinal Dougherty 2

FAIRLESS HILLS — The Eagles busted into the victory column with this six-inning Philadelphia Catholic League victory.
Freshman righthander Stacie DeNucci fired a two-hitter and struck out 10. Brianna McInnis tripled and drove in three runs. Cheyenne Keen also doubled for the Eagles.
123 456 - R H E
Cardinal Dougherty 002 000 — 2 2 2
Conwell-Egan (1-2) 320 070 — 12 6 0
WP-DeNucci (1-2). LP-McMahon. 2B-Keen (CE). 3B-McInnis (CE).
***
Neshaminy 8, Abington 5

ABINGTON — This was a bit of a scare as the Redskins (3-0) were forced to storm back from a five-run deficit.
The big inning found Neshaminy scoring six runs in the top of the fifth. Kelsey Ryan had a huge hit there when she doubled home the tying run and then later scored the go-ahead run.
In the sixth inning, Christina Udris poked a two-run single. She, Erin Quense, Brittany and Brianna Guidos all had two hits.
Brianna Guidos also got the save in relief of Sarah McGowan (two strikeouts).
“We couldn’t do anything for the first four innings and then once we started hitting, it didn’t stop," said Neshaminy coach Kathleen Mullins. “I was proud of the comeback."
123 456 7 - R H E
Neshaminy (3-0) 000 062 0 — 8 12 1
Abington (3-0) 101 300 0 — 5 6 0
WP-McGowan (2-0). LP-Wendel. 2B-Ryan (N). RBIs: N-Clee, Quense, Udris 2, Ryan 2, Brianna Guidos, Brittany Guidos. A-Wendel 2, Gregorio, Gordon.

Labels: Bristol, Conwell-Egan, CR North, CR South, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, softball, Truman

By Rick Fortenbaugh
Staff Writer

LANGHORNE — This was one of those season openers that went pretty much as expected.
The preseason favorite in the Suburban One National League, the Neshaminy High School softball team got its season off to a positive start yesterday by beating Bristol, 3-1.
As for Bristol, even though it lost it was a positive in the sense the Class A squad showed it can very much play with one of the top teams in the area.
In fact, Neshaminy is arguably as good a team as Bristol will see during the regular season until it runs into Notre Dame in late May.
“We lost to the best,” said a philosophical Bristol coach Mike Lalli, whose team will be right back in the heater when it hosts Christopher Dock in a key Bicentennial Athletic League game Friday.
“We’ll be fine.”
After showing a lot of promise as a freshman, Neshaminy righty Sarah McGowan came out firing yesterday by striking out four batters in the first inning and 11 overall before departing for reliever Brianna Guidos in the seventh. Many of the strikeouts were off an effective change.
McGowan yielded just one hit and would have had a shutout working if Bristol hadn’t scored in the sixth on a single by Kierstin Cain and two Redskin errors.
“Sarah has improved a lot,” said Neshaminy coach Kathleen Mullins. “She had knee surgery during the off season to remove a tumor. She says it doesn’t hurt and it looks like she can push off a lot better.”
Another good-looking sophomore pitcher, Cain (six K’s) took the loss for the Warriors, but also wasn’t very far away from throwing shutout ball.
Neshaminy’s initial run came in second when a lead off single by Kelsey Ryan and a sac allowed a run to score on the first of Bristol’s two errors.
Bristol’s second error was also a killer as Neshaminy took advantage of it to score twice in the bottom of the third.
Courtney Clee’s hard lead-off single to center started that uprising and was followed by a Bristol error with two outs. This kept the inning alive and Ryan delivered with a two-run single to center.
A junior third baseman. Ryan was 3-for-3 on the day and had half of Neshaminy’s hit total. Clee had two hits as well batting out of the second spot in the order.
“We’re missing our catcher Nicole Adamson, who is a big part of our team,” said Lalli. “We’re not sure what going on there. She tore something and is supposed to find out what’s going on today (yesterday). Our leadoff hitter (Sam Dougherty) also just started practicing a few days ago.
“We’ve been banged up the pre-season, but other than the two errors I thought we played pretty well today.’’
Against a lot of teams those miscues wouldn’t have mattered. Against a team like Neshaminy, Bristol would have needed to play a near perfect game.
****
LINESCORES
123 456 7 – R H E
Bristol (0-1) 000 001 0 — 1 2 2
Neshaminy (1-0) 012 000 x — 3 6 3
WP-McGowan (1-0). LP-Cain (0-1). RBIs: N-Ryan 2.

FAIRLESS HILLS — It was a close call, but the Pennsbury High School softball team was able to get its season off to a winning start by downing Interboro yesterday, 2-1.
Kait Schilling was the winning pitcher as she scattered eight hits and struck out five.
All the Pennsbury scoring came in the bottom of the fifth. After a single by Deanna Devine, an error and walk to Lauren Rossi, Kirby Groves came up clutch with a two-run single.
Rebecca Erb also doubled for Pennsbury.
LINESCORES
123 456 7 – R H E
Interboro (1-1) 100 000 0 — 1 8 3
Pennsbury (1-0) 000 020 x — 2 4 0
WP-Schilling (1-0). LP-Schwartz. 2B-Schwartz (I), Erb (P). RBIs: I-Sharpless. P-Groves 2

Labels: Neshaminy, softball