Henry’s home run helps Pennridge stay hot, top Souderton

FRANCONIA >> The Pennridge softball team continued to stay hot with a big SOL Continental Conference road win against Souderton 6-3 Thursday afternoon.

With the win, the Pennridge Rams move up to 5-1 (3-1 conference) on the season with its lone loss coming against Quakertown on April 2.

The Rams started the scoring in the top of the first inning when Kiley Watson reached first on a leadoff walk and later scored on an error to gain a 1-0 lead.

After a quick bottom of the first, the Indians (4-3, 2-3) managed to get the lead back in the second after Jess Lepore hit a bases-loaded double to left-center field to give Souderton a 2-1 lead.

However, the Rams got the lead back immediately in third after Morgan Henry crushed a two-run home run with two outs to make it 3-2.

Henry, who has been on a recent slump, was thrilled to get the lead back for her team with the big hit.

“I really didn’t hit that well in the last game,” said Henry. “With that home run, I feel back in the groove and not doubting myself anymore and not overthink everything.”

With Souderton being down by four in the bottom of the seventh, the Indians tried to make a comeback with doubles from Julia Kistler and Riley York to decrease the Rams’ lead.

Pennridge pitcher McKenna Patterson managed to get a pop out to first base for the third out for a complete-game victory. Patterson struck out four batters while giving up three earned runs.

“I feel really good about this win,” said Patterson. “I really couldn’t have done it without the help of my defense behind me.”

“I think we have the best defense that this school hasn’t seen in a while,” added Patterson.

Pennridge head coach Wendy Iadonisi was thrilled with her team’s performance to improve to 5-1 after six games.

“I feel really confident about what they’re doing when they step up on the field,” said Iadonisi. “I think they are playing very well together and it’s been building up since the beginning of the season and our goal is to continue with that.”

“I’m very proud of how Morgan played today,” said Iadonisi about Henry’s performance. “She has been on a slump recently and her home run was a nice way for her to get out of it and we look forward to seeing her hit more in the next few games.”

Souderton head coach Liz Parkins was pleased with her team’s performance despite giving up three errors on defense.

“We started off strong but with a couple miscues on defense, it can be challenging to win games with that mix,” said Parkins. “Overall our players fought hard because even when we are down, we never stop fighting.”

Abby Burns earned the loss for Souderton after giving up three earned runs and eight hits.

Pennridge looks to stay hot when it visits Lansdale Catholic 3:45 p.m. Friday. Souderton looks to bounce back from the tough loss when it travels to Neshaminy High School Monday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Pennridge 6, Souderton 3
Pennridge           102 101 1 — 6 8 0
Souderton          020 000 1 — 3 5 3
WP: Patterson 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
LP: Burns 7.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
Notable Hitters (Pennridge): Henry: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI; Iadonisi: 2-for-3; Patterson: 2-for-4
Notable Hitters (Souderton): York: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI; Lepore: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Kistler 1-for-2, 2B.