Getting Groovy: Wild excellent in first district start as PV downs CR North

GRATERFORD >> Council Rock North came into Wednesday’s District 1-AAAA second round game averaging 10 runs over their past six games. 

Perkiomen Valley’s Abby Wild made sure that average went down … in a big way.

Wild was sensational in her first district start as she silenced the big bats of Council Rock North in a scintillating complete-game effort while also benefitting from the Vikings’ six-run second inning en route to a 8-1 victory in the District 1-AAAA second round.

“I was a little nervous in the first inning,” Wild said. “But usually once I get through the first I’m fine.”

There was no evidence of nerves in her pitching display. The junior showed near flawless command in the circle, working the minimum in three of the seven innings. She finished Wednesday allowing six hits and one run (zero earned) while recording eight strikeouts — 16 strikeouts in her last 12 innings pitched.

“Abby has excellent control, excellent movement and that was no different today,” Perkiomen Valley head coach Dan McLaughlin said. “I was most impressed early on when they got a couple runners on and she kept her composure and shut them down. She doesn’t get rattled out there. 

“She sticks to her game, throws the pitches where they’re called and sticks with the gameplan. It’s fun calling pitches for her because she has good movement. She can keep hitters off balance, mix it inside, outside, up and down and mix her speeds up. That’s a very good hitting team that we beat today. To do that against a team of that caliber, that’s what’s most impressive.”

The Vikings advance to the District 1-AAAA quarterfinals for the second straight season and will host the winner of North Penn and Quakertown Friday at 4 p.m. Council Rock North’s season ends after compiling a 16-win year under first year head coach John Engelhardt. Nicole Rounsavill and Lauren Begg each finished with two hits in the loss.

“Wild pitched a helluva game, she pitched a great game,” Engelhardt said. “Sometimes you just have to tip your cap and say ‘you know what, they beat us today’. That’s what they did.”

PV, anemic on offense in the team’s PAC-10 Championship loss to Spring-Ford, made up for matters as they sent out 11 batters to the plate in the tide-turning second. Noelle McCullough led the frame off with a single that was followed by a Wild walk. Ashley Bangert then made it 1-0 with a RBI single before Gillian Barrie (3-for-3, three runs) answered the next at bat with a single to center to bring home Jordan Sell to make it 2-0. Taylor Hamm then brought home Bangert the next at bat, laying down a perfectly placed bunt down the first base line to make it 3-0 before Ana Bruni capped things off in spectacular style. The senior University of South Florida commit took a first pitch fastball and slapped it to the base of the center field fence racing around the bases as Barrie and Hamm scored before sliding in safely at home to cap the momentous inside-the-park home run and give PV a 6-0 lead.

“At first I didn’t know how far it was going to go but I knew it was going far,” Bruni said. “I felt it get off the bat hard and I got excited because I’ve been working on that.

“With a strong field and knowing that you’re going to go out and get three outs every inning and give up few runs, coming in to hit we were so much more relaxed,” Bruni added about the team’s big inning. “When we all hit it’s contagious, getting up early in the game is a lot more beneficial for us.”

Wild provided the rest of the fireworks, working around a shaky fifth that yielded her only run (Madison Tomlinson single that allowed Juliana Shields to score after the right fielder misplayed the ball). She then struck out two in the sixth before adding another strikeout in the seventh, a fly ball to Barrie ending it.

“In a format like this, you have to play perfect to get to that next level, to be a district champion, to be a state champion,” Engelhardt said. “Our motto from Day 1, the wins and losses go away, the character and the person you are stays with you for the rest of your life. That’s why ­— I’ve only been coaching these girls for five months — I’m pretty emotional. It’s been the best bunch that I’ve ever coached and I’m sad that we weren’t able to bring home a championship for them because I know these girls deserve it.

NOTES >> Bruni finished the game with two hits. … Rachel Helverson had a hit and two RBI. … CRN’s Jenna Khantzian allowed one earned and four hits in her three innings of relief work. Amanda Camp took the loss.