Phoenixville, Pottstown softball team up for pediatric cancer fundraiser

POTTSTOWN >> The true winner was the cause: To raise funds to help deal with pediatric cancer.

Pottstown hosted Phoenixville in a Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division softball game Thursday afternoon. The event was held as part of a benefit fundraiser by the two schools to help fight pediatric cancer.

Pottstown coach Jon McKee and Phoenixville coach Grace Henderson spearheaded the project, which they hope will become an annual event. McKee is in his first season in charge of the Trojans while Henderson is in her second season with the Phantoms.

Phoenixville wound up winning the game, 19-2, in four innings.

“I received an email in late winter from Go4theGoal asking if we were interested in having a fundraising event,” said McKee.

The two teams wore yellow shoelaces for the cause. The money from purchasing those shoelaces will go toward the fundraiser for pediatric cancer.

“Jon gave me a call to see if we wanted to participate,” said Henderson. “We said yes. It is kids helping kids. We are looking forward to having it every year.”

Gold bracelets are also being sold to help raise money for the cause. Along with those sales projects, people can donate money toward pediatric cancer on line.

The project is taking place in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Any local school in those states can help raise money for the fight against cancer.

“We have started our own web page,” said McKee. “People can go online to help with the cause.”

Members of the two squads got together for a team photograph following the contest. A banner telling the story of Go4theGoal was at the center of the picture.

Kendall Brown drove in five runs on three hits to lead Phoenixville to the victory.

Brown, a left-handed batter, ripped a three-run triple to left-center field in the first inning and a two-run double to left-center in the third inning. Brown finished the day 3-for-3 with one run scored and the five runs batted in.

Phoenixville scored seven runs in the first, six in the third and six more in the fourth. The Phantoms (6-7 PAC, 8-7 overall) totaled 14 hits.
Pottstown scored both of its runs in the second inning.

Maggie Duncan singled on a 1-2 count to plate Courtney Gable with the first Phantom run. Maggie Duncan ended the day 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI.

Gable was the winning pitcher in the contest. She went three innings, allowing two runs on threats, striking out two and walking one. Brown started the game for Phoenixville and worked one inning with zeroes across.

Caitlyn Mattingly and Kat Kincade combined on the pitching duties for Pottstown.

Katie Rutledge was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI for the visitors. Emma Rakowski went 1-for-3 with a triple, two runs and two RBI.

Defensively, Phoenixville did not commit any errors while Pottstown made four errors.

McKayla Hampton (double), Mary Gerry and Devyn Lopez had hits for the Trojans.

Phoenixville turned a double play,engineered by Rutledge, in the second inning. Phantom center fielder Hayden Perrone made an outstanding diving catch in right-center field to take a hit away from Gianna Epps in the third inning.

Epps, Pottstown’s senior shortstop, snagged a line drive off the bat of Lauren Hall in the second inning. She also caught one off the bat of Gable in the fourth.

Trojan third baseman Gerry, a junior, had several fine pickups on balls hit by Susan Duncan and Rakowski.

For more information on Go4theGoal, go to http://www.go4thegoal.org