Council Rock North keeps momentum going with win over South

NEWTOWN — The May 1 softball match-up between Council Rock North and South certainly lived up to its hype. A large crowd saw two archrivals battle neck-and-neck until shortstop Sabrina Crane doubled home the winning run in the last inning to give the Lady Indians a 4-3 win.

Going into the contest, North’s head coach Chris McDermott knew how important a victory would be for her 9-3 charges. Rock had reeled off three straight wins against Nazareth, Pennsbury and Truman. They hoped to maintain their momentum and better their 5-2 SOL National Division mark.

“It was a pivotal game for us. It was a league game and I felt we had some momentum from the week. Going into the game, I felt we were evenly matched. It’s like archrivals but in a very positive way.’

Keeping their winning ways alive would require taming the bats of a Golden Hawks’ team that dealt Neshaminy its only loss of the season. Coach McDermott devised a game plan aiming to avoid any big hits.

“We knew that Phylicia Wilkov, their number four hitter, is always dangerous and can hit a home run anytime. The same is true for Melanie Wilkinson. We knew when they’re up, they weren’t going to see anything to send. I was fine with walks. The real high outside or wide pitches or drop curves but nothing in the strike zone. That was out of complete respect for their power and athleticism.’

To implement her strategy, Coach McDermott planned to use both of her ace pitchers. Freshman Elyse McMenamin would get the starting nod. After she had gone through the lineup twice, junior Amanda Camp would come on in relief.