Bristol softball bounces Phil-Mont Christian in short order
BRISTOL BORO – Entering their matchup with Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) rival Phil-Mont Christian Academy, believe it or not, Bristol hadn’t hit a home run.
The Lady Warriors – who hit 15 homers last year – waited until their 10th win of the season but Bryanna Vearling (2-for-2) ended the drought Wednesday afternoon (April 27), hitting a looping 2-run shot over the left field fence that put Bristol on top, 4-0. The big hit by Bryanna sparked the Warriors in a 17-0 mercy-ruled triumph over the visiting Falcons in just two-and-a-half innings of play.
“Last year, we hit a bunch of home runs and this year, for some reason, we’ve hit a power outage,” explained Bristol head coach Mike Lalli.
“We’re scoring runs but we’re not hitting the long ball very well. Hopefully this is a good start and will get us going in that direction from here on out.”
Facing P-MC starter Savannah Pennix, who suffered control problems throughout the contest, Vearling was staring at a 3-0 count when she drilled the ball over the left field wall.
“On a three-and-oh count, we normally only wait for a perfect pitch,” added Vearling. “The pitch was right down the middle. I got under it a little but it definitely was a perfect pitch for me to hit.”
Before the first inning was over, the Warriors sent 16 batters to the plate and scored seven more runs. Bristol strung eight hits together in the inning including four that went for extra bases.
Senior Desiree Franchitti (2-for-2) slapped the first ball for extras, an RBI double that scored leadoff hitter Tianna Brewington. Before the inning was over, Franchitti had herself another RBI on a run-scoring single over second base that put her team on top, 7-0.
Also slapping RBI singles in the frame were Cara Fabiano, Kate Santana and Vearling.
The big hit came with two outs and the sacks jammed. That’s when first baseman Jade Stevens crushed a bases-clearing double to left field that put the Warriors up, 11-0.
Bristol got two more run-scoring singles from Brewington and Alexis Mossbrook (2 RBI) in the second inning. The rest of the runs scored on walks that came with the sacks jammed and another came on an error on a dribbler tapped to third base by Tiana Nelson.
The Warriors were the benefactors of 11 walks issued by the Falcons. Facing a pitcher who had trouble locating the strike zone isn’t exactly the best way to perfect your swing, however. Vearling tells a little about Bristol’s approach at the plate in a game like this.
“It’s hard because you have to keep yourself focused and wait for the perfect pitch, said Vearling who started in center field. “You don’t want to swing at crap because you’re also bettering yourself in playing these games.
“You have to focus on yourself and make yourself better because really, it’s the only option you have.”
Defensively, Fabiano (2-0) earned her second win of the season, striking out six of the nine batters she faced. A sophomore, Cara allowed only one hit and did not walk any.
“The challenge is staying focused and keeping your head in the game,” stated Fabiano.
“You know you’re better than the other team but you want to make it challenging for yourself.
“You want to challenge yourself to be the best you can be because you going against a team that you know is beatable.”
The Warriors want to remain focused because they are hosting BAL power Christopher Dock on Friday, April 29 and taking on Suburban One National League rival Neshaminy on Monday, May 2.
Holding eight of Bristol’s 10 pitching wins in her back pocket, Vearling will most likely get the start. She says she got over-excited the last time she faced the Pioneers.
“I lost myself in the first inning up at Dock,” explained Bryanna. “Eventually, I came back and started pitching the way I know how to pitch.
“My mentality for Friday is to keep my head in the game and not worry about anything else.
The last time the sides squared off, Vearling settled down to get the win after giving up a pair of runs in the first inning to Dock. For the game, a 7-2 Warriors’ win, Bryanna struck out five batters and hit a triple. Fabiano, who came on in relief, struck out three batters and was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
With eight games left, only five of which are against BAL opponents, Bristol is only trying to get better before the end of the regular season, which comes May 17 at home against Morrisville.
“We just try to help the younger players improve themselves for the betterment of the team,” said Vearling. “Once we get to the playoff games, the mindset is completely different because we’re playing teams that we’re not going to 10-run rule.
“We’re actually going to have to keep our heads in the game so we’re fixing all the little things like tucking your glove.”
Entering their battle with the Falcons, the Warriors outscored their last two foes, Faith Christian and DelCo Christian by a combined score of 30-1.
Bristol hasn’t triumphed in all of its games by such lopsided scores, however. The Warriors’ seventh win of the season was a 2-1 victory over Calvary Christian.
Lalli thinks his team will see the Cougars again in districts. And he likes the way the Warriors stood up to the challenge that Calvary presented.
“Bryanna threw a 3-hitter and we made every play,” the coach said. “But we hit a lot of balls right at people.
“We’re pretty confident that if we play them again, we’re going to put more runs up than two.”
Against Phil-Mont, Stevens led the run-scoring attack with four RBI. Vearling added three while Franchitti and Mossbrook added two each.
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
Bristol 17, Phil-Mont Christian 0
(April 27 at Bristol)
PHIL-MONT 0 0 0 – 0 1 1
BRISTOL 11 6 X – 17 10 0
MULTIPLE HITS: B — Desiree Franchitti 2-for-2, Bryanna Vearling 2-for-2; P-MC — none.
EXTRA-BASE HITS: B — Franchitti 2B, Vearling HR, Jade Stevens 2B, Hailey Sweeney 2B; P-MC — none.
RBI: Tianna Brewington, Franchitti 2, Cara Fabiano, Vearling 3, Stevens 4, Kate Santana, Alexis Mossbrook 2, Kendall Lewis, Harley Blosser.
