Carpenter Cup: Berks blanks SOL/BAL
PHILADELPHIA >> The brief intermission in between games was about the only interruption in Berks/Lancaster-Lebanon’s hitting display Tuesday afternoon.
Berks, coming off a 7-2 win over Tri-Cape, kept right on rolling, scoring nine runs in the first two innings en route to a 10-0 win over Suburban One League/Bicentennial Athletic League to force SOL/BAL into a must-win game Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Carpenter Cup action at FDR Park.
It’s not over for SOL/BAL, which earned victories over Delaware County (6-5) and Inter-AC (13-2) to begin play on Tuesday. Following the loss to Berks, coach Heather Boyer’s message to her team was simple: “have a short memory.”
“Come back fresh and be ready to play two tomorrow,” said Boyer, who coaches Upper Dublin High. “In the first game, we had a good, come-from-behind, dramatic win, and then really pounded the ball in the second game.
“Berks County is strong — one through nine and then some. And conversely, we did not hit. And you can’t score too many runs when you don’t put the ball in play.”
SOL/BAL (2-1), seeking its first Carpenter Cup crown since 2012, hopes to win at 3 p.m. against an opponent to be decided Wednesday morning and then play again at 5 p.m. Wins there would advance the team to a 9 a.m. contest Thursday.
Berks had five hits in the first inning, one of which was a chopper through the right side of the infield by cleanup Delaney Baker, scoring a pair for a quick 2-0 lead.
Halle Kisamore followed with another hard-hit chopper — this one through to center — to build the lead to 3-0. Brittany Hook’s blooper to center made it a 4-0 margin, and then Gabby Willman provided the climax, smacking a triple to right center to give Berks a 6-0 lead against SOL starter Bri Battavio (North Penn).
A double by Savanna Kolenda and a single by Hanna Garber stretched the Berks advantage to 8-0 in the second, and Kisamore followed up with another RBI single, making it 9-0 after two.
Meanwhile, Hook would allow little comeback hopes for SOL, as the right hander went four innings, allowing just one hit — a single by Audrey LaBouliere (CB East) — while striking out five and walking none.
Cara Fabiano (Bristol) pitched four shutout innings for SOL, but Berks countered with hard-throwing right hander Sabrina Ryan, who finished up what Hook had started. Ryan threw three shutout innings for Berks, allowing just one base runner — Courtney Neal (North Penn) drew a walk to lead off the seventh.
Berks/LL (3-0) advances to a 1 p.m. game Wednesday with a chance to lock up a spot in the championship game on Thursday.
