Carpenter Cup: SOL/BAL eliminated by Tri-Cape
PHILADELPHIA >> It seemed as though as they were on their way to a game of 21.
The offenses took over, the runs came in bundles, and any time one team took the lead, back came the other, poised in the on-deck circle, ready to pounce.
“It was definitely exciting,” said Michela Coleman, a rising senior at Wissahickon High. “My nerves, my heartbeat were always up.”
Coleman and her Suburban One League-Bicentennial teammates were one run away from sending this wild one with Tri-Cape into extra innings Wednesday. But with two runners on, a pick-off play at first secured a 12-11 victory for the Tri-Cape all-stars, sending them into a 5:30 p.m. contest later that evening at FDR Park.
SOL-BAL, which had earned victories over Delaware County and Inter-AC, finished 2-2 at the 12th Annual Carpenter Cup.
“We had a hard-fought game,” said Coleman, who roamed left field for SOL, chipping in with one of the team’s nine hits. “When we were down, we came back up. When we were tied, we never put our heads downs. We always picked each other up and made plays when we needed to. We just stayed focused on the game.”
The contest was tied on three separate occasions and there were a pair of lead changes, the second of which came when Tri-Cape overcame a 10-7 deficit to draw even in the fifth then push ahead 12-10 in the sixth.
Rian Eigenmann led off that inning with a single then later scored on an error. Abbie Adirzone’s poke to right made it 12-10 Tri-Cape, ultimately providing the winning run.
SOL went down in order in the sixth but had one last chance. With two on and two outs, Bri Battavio (North Penn) kept things alive with an RBI single, slicing the margin to 12-11, but that’s as close as they would get.
Tri-Cape right hander Samantha Kemmerer held on to get the victory while Cara Fabiano (Bristol), who came on in relief, took the loss for SOL.
Tri-Cape had leads of 3-0 and 4-2 on Battavio, who got the start for SOL, but the locals countered with six runs off Tri-Cape starter Anastasia Reale and raced in front 7-4.
After Tri-Cape tied things up, SOL went ahead one last time, with back-to-back shots to the wall in left by Battavio and Taylor Marinelli — a triple and a double — helping to provide a 10-7 advantage in the fourth.
Tri-Cape had just enough left in its swing for the final push, in a wild, entertaining ride for both all-star squads.
“It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” Coleman said. “My teammates were awesome and the competition that we had was great. I met a lot of players from a lot of different townships, and hope to keep in touch with them too.”
