Archbishop Ryan, Bell toll end of Lansdale Catholic’s season in PCL final
PHILADELPHIA >> Megan Burns paced in front of the Lansdale Catholic dugout, waving her arms to get her teammates going.
Lauren Crim stood right at the end of the dugout, yelling at the top of her lungs while a teammate settled into the batters’ box. Delaney Smith, fist clenched, shouted some encouragement to the rest of the infield. Lansdale Catholic did everything it could to reignite the spark it found in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinal round but it wasn’t meant to be for the Crusaders.
Archbishop Ryan pitcher Dana Bell did what she had to and a clutch single lifted Ryan to a 1-0 win over LC in the PCL final Friday at La Salle University, ending the Crusaders’ season.
“One of us had to score at some point and unfortunately they got a little blooper off a good pitch,” Crim said. “I’m proud of every single person on this team, the seniors who’ve been through it the past four years and all the young kids who are just going to keep getting better.”
Lansdale Catholic went in seeking its first PCL softball title since the 2011 season and needed to top the No. 1 seed Ragdolls in order to supplant Bonner & Prendergast as the PCL’s representative in the District 12-4A championship next weekend. Two days after slamming 15 runs against the Pandas in the semifinals, the Crusaders knew they’d have their work cut out against Bell.
Just a freshman, the Ryan righty has been on a tear throughout the PCL postseason and kept it going on Friday. Bell struck out 11 batters, gave up three hits and walked two. Lansdale Catholic had baserunners in five of the seven innings, but never more than one and none advanced past first base.
“She had a killer rise ball and got the ball in the zone,” Burns said.
LC coach Paul Suder noted Bell’s success against most of the middle of the Crusaders’ lineup, which no coincidence, had a great game in the semifinals.
“I don’t know if you ever want to score that much and the next game face a pitcher as good as that because she sees it and takes it as a personal challenge,” Suder said. “She’s really good, really moves the ball. The middle of our lineup, she kind of dominated and it shows she knows how to pitch.
“Megan Burns did an outstanding job and in my opinion, matched her pitch for pitch.”
An error, one of five LC committed in the game, helped set up Ryan’s game winning run in the fifth inning. Shortstop Kate Ostaszewski brought home the run with a bloop single to right field, following her two older sisters in adding yet another clutch hit to the family’s lineage at Ryan.
While Bell no doubt pitched a great game, the Crusaders got just as good an outing out of Burns. The sophomore righty isn’t a strikeout machine like Bell, but Burns is a fighter in the circle and worked out of several tough spots throughout the game.
“It makes me more competitive, makes me want to work just as hard,” Burns said. “When I see her striking people too, I tell myself I can get people out to. I felt every one of my pitches was working really well today and her rise was working really well so it was a pitcher-pitcher duel.”
LC had three hits off Bell and all three came from the Crusaders’ two freshmen starters. Julia Marozzi went 2-for-3 while Kaitlyn Leshak added the third single for LC. Marozzi, who finished the season on a tear, felt the mixed emotions with the season’s conclusion.
“I’m so thankful I got to play with all these girls, I’ve only been here a year but they’ve been with me through it all,” Marozzi said. “It’s sad seeing them go and some of them cry. While I’m sad, at the same time I’m happy because we had a really good season.”
Lansdale Catholic’s lineup on Friday listed three senior starters but also contained two freshmen, three sophomores and two juniors. Losing the team’s five seniors – Crim, Smith, Rachael Harryn, Kara Fischetti and Julie Waller – is a lot to replace but there’s also a lot coming back next season.
“Crim’s always been a leader and Delaney Smith was absolutely outstanding, she stepped up and had her best year and Rachael’s always been the same quiet girl but always comes up with big hits for us,” Suder said. “That’s what made the younger kids go, their leadership and their play.”
Marozzi noted how close the team was overall, with the seniors helping the freshmen but the freshmen also finding ways to help the upperclassmen.
“I would say our defining trait was resiliency, we always come back and pick each other up,” Marozzi said. “If we were in a situation where things weren’t going well, we picked each other up and said it was going to be OK, always.”
Burns echoed that, thanking her teammates and coaches for all they taught her during the season.
“To me, I would consider it my family,” Burns said. “We really work well together, we pick each other up. Without that and telling each other to shake it off, get the next play, I don’t think we would have made it this far. Just working together is what made us a great team and got us here and I think next year will be the same thing.”
Crim finished up a standout athletic career at LC where she was a four-year started in basketball and softball and helped the girls soccer team to the PCL title game playing goalkeeper this fall. The senior, who is playing basketball at Chestnut Hill College next year, said she wouldn’t change anything about her time at LC.
While talking about the abundance of talented players coming back next year, Crim also wanted to give them a message.
“I’d say don’t take any of your four years for granted, my freshman year in softball we went to districts and states, which was awesome, but we never got to go back,” Crim said. “If I would tell them anything, don’t take any game for granted because you don’t know when it will be your last.
“I’m just so happy LC gave me the opportunity to play all these sports and I wouldn’t change a thing, so thank you to them.”
ARCHBISHOP RYAN 1, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 0
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 000 000 0 – 0 3 5
ARCHBISHOP RYAN 000 010 x – 1 4 1
2B: AR – Dana Bell. Multiple hits: LC – Julia Marozzi 2-3.
