Spring-Ford tops OJR, 4-2, advances to PAC-10 Final
ROYERSFORD >> He had no troubles putting Maggie McConney in the leadoff spot entering the PAC-10 semifinal against Owen J. Roberts.
After her performance Tuesday afternoon, it’s easy to understand why Spring-Ford head coach Tim Hughes felt the way he did.
McConney, the team’s primary clean-up hitter, relished in her new role, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored as the Rams used a three-run third inning to eliminate the Wildcats, 4-2.
“Maggie led off for us last year and she did a phenomenal job,” Hughes said. “We kind of moved some things around, but it was an easy choice (to put her leadoff) because she’s a good leadoff hitter.”
Hughes’ magic over the lineup card was proven Tuesday as the Rams received hits from top-to-bottom, their No. 5-8 hitters each contributing a hit in the win that saw OJR have the tying runners on base in the top of the seventh.
“Everybody did well,” Hughes said. “Hats off to Owen J. for coming back … It was a fantastic game and well coached. Jen is doing a great job and the kids did fantastic.”
Spring-Ford, the PAC-10 runner-up a season ago, will face the winner of Perkiomen Valley and Boyertown in the PAC-10 Final Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Ram Park.
Sam Lindsay was superb in the circle, allowing four hits and one earned while striking out four and walking two. Her variety of pitches and ability to work up and down the strike zone proved critical — especially with adverse conditions in the outfield from consistent drizzling rain — as she only allowed four balls enter the outfield grass.
“She pitched well,” Hughes said of the freshman pitcher. “We had a game plan coming in on what we wanted to do and how we we were going to accomplish it, and it’s nice when it comes to fruition, it really is.”
“Sam Lindsay pitched a great game for them,” OJR head coach Jen Beaver said. “She was putting the ball over the plate and she kept our girls off balance.”
Owen J. Roberts, which won four of its last five games to advance to the playoffs, was led by Brianna Smith’s two-hit performance. Darby Stuart added a double in the seventh to cap off a rally that fell just short, Lindsay getting out of a two-out, one-on jam by getting the next two Wildcat batters down via strikeout and a groundout.
“I think Spring-Ford played a great game today,” Beaver said. “They came out and they hit the ball. They’re a well-coached team and they’re going to do well in the final and the district playoffs coming ahead.”
Didn’t take much evidence to make that conclusion.
After Smith’s double brought home Casey Walker with a double down the line to make it 1-0, Spring-Ford wasted no time answering via an Abby Files single to center that plated McConney to make it 1-1.
A silent second inning was replaced by an eruption in the third. McConney led the frame off with a double down the left-field line before a walk to Megan Kern and Files sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third with one out. Lindsay promptly helped out her own cause with a sacrifice fly to center to score McConney before Sophia Cinti’s RBI single to right made it 3-1. Jess Della Guardia capped off the momentous inning with a triple down the left-field line to score Cinti, giving the Rams a 4-1 lead.
It was more than enough.
NOTES >> Della Guardia, Keira Walton and Jules Hughes all had singles in the win for the Rams. … Spring-Ford defeated OJR 6-5 in last year’s semifinal before falling to Perk Valley 7-0 in the final. … The Rams last title was in 2013.
