Quinn’s daring dash helps to beat Episcopal

NEWTOWN SQUARE — Kayla Quinn knew in her gut that she was fast enough to score from third base.

It would be a risky move.

In the fourth inning of a scoreless game between the Inter-Ac League’s top softball team, all it might take is one run.

Quinn, Penn Charter’s senior pitcher, took her lead while her catcher, Angela Zeidler, dug in the batter’s box to face Episcopal Academy ace Alex Viscusi, the reigning Daily Times Player of the Year.

Zeidler took a big hack and popped it up to catcher Brooke Royer. A harmless out would soon turn into a track meet. Royer had to fight the fence and keep her eye on the ball at the same time. As soon as Royer squeezed her glove, Quinn was off to the races. Viscusi rushed to cover the plate, but it was too late. Quinn was safe and Penn Charter was on the board.

Mark it in your scorebooks as a sacrifice fly … to the catcher.

Quinn, who will continue her softball career at Ursnius, outdueled the amazing Viscusi, a Princeton commit, in the first of two crucial battles that could determine the Inter-Ac championship. Episcopal Academy rallied in its final at-bats, but Penn Charter held on for a 4-2 victory Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m sometimes over-aggressive,’ Quinn said, beaming with confidence. “Being a pitcher, I know that the play at home is one of the toughest you’re going to have to make. (Viscusi) wasn’t covering at first, so I just went for it. If it didn’t work out, we still would have had another runner on third. I’m confident in my baserunning abilit

The teams combined for three hits as Quinn and Viscusi flourished in the circle. Penn Charter stretched its unbeaten streak to 14 games.

“She had a no-hitter and a shutout going into that last inning, so congrats to her,’ Viscusi said of her counterpart. “We just started slow. We came out strong in the seventh inning, but it was too little, too late.’