Lansdale Catholic chops down Archbishop Wood in PCL quarters

LANSDALE — Great pitching and timely hitting can be a deadly combination in softball, and that’s exactly what Lansdale Catholic got Thursday afternoon as the Crusaders beat sixth seeded Archbishop Wood 5-0 in the quarterfinals of the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs.

“I thought we looked really sharp,’ said LC head coach Paul Suder. “Pitching was good, defense was excellent, timely hitting, and on top of that we were very aggressive so the girls looked good.’

While Suder mentioned his team’s pitching, he may have sold it a little short.

Crusaders’ pitcher Shannon Hill was fantastic all afternoon, holding Wood to just one hit over seven innings while striking out seven.

“I just try and block everything else out and get in the zone,’ said Hill. “I really just went out there and tried my best, throw the pitch that’s called and whatever happens happens.

“I try not to focus on any stats, I just focus on going out there and doing my best and that’s really it.’

The LC ace kept hitters off balance throughout the game with a hard fastball and a late breaking change-up that Wood just couldn’t seem to figure out.

“Seventy-nine pitches, and only 19 balls from her,’ Suder said. “She’s been great for us all year; she has a great change-up so we called it early and kind of got it in their head a little bit. They only had maybe three or four good swings against her all game and she just dominated the inside part of the plate and the outside part of the plate.’