Greaney’s home run, 4 RBIs help North Penn top Souderton to stay perfect

FRANCONIA >> Amanda Greaney got a pitch she liked and proceeded to send it a long way.

“I think I was behind in the count, I think I had two strikes on me, I was thinking protect the plate,” the North Penn softball junior catcher said. “And then there was one — I like outside pitches and it was a little outside low and I took it.”

Greaney connected on no-doubt-about-it home run, the ball sailing comfortably over the fence in left-center field for a three-run blast in the top of the sixth inning — the homer the last hit for the Knights as they stayed perfect on the season with a 7-1 SOL Continental Conference victory over host Souderton Tuesday afternoon.

“As I made contact with the ball, it felt really good off the bat,” Greaney said. “But again, in my head I’m just thinking, before I even hit the ball I’m thinking ground ball to the right side scores a run. That’s always what I think before I go up to any at-bat is just put the ball in play.”

Greaney collected an RBI single in the second and finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs as North Penn (12-0, 7-0 conference) plated two runs in the first two innings to go up 4-0. Souderton loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth, but Mady Volpe limited the Indians to just a run in the inning while Greaney gave North Penn the six-run cushion in the sixth.

“I told them be ready Tuesday to come out because Souderton’s going to want to beat you, as every team is,” Knights coach Rick Torresani said. “And they came out and they came today and I don’t want to say workman-type thing, but anymore it’s getting like that. It’s just like ‘OK, game time, let’s go.’”

Victoria Juckniewitz was 2-for-3 and scored three times while Jordan Pietrzykoski went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored as North Penn’s top three hitters — Juckniewitz, Pietrzykoski and Greaney — combined for six of the team’s nine hits.

“It was a whole team win,” Greaney said. “We all worked so hard. Everyone that was on the field did their part and we all got that win together.”

Alina Skrzat went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles for Souderton (6-4, 3-4), which had its two-game win streak snapped. The loss was the Indians’ second this season to North Penn, having fallen 11-0 in five innings March 25.

“They came out swinging and it’s easy to get down when they come out like that but the one thing that this team has shown time and time again is they don’t give up, they keep fighting,” Souderton coach Liz Parkins said. “They did push that run across and even ‘til the bottom of the seventh we had runners in scoring position.

“That’s the thing, North Penn, they’re an excellent hitting team. So, we played well, we made adjustments at the plate, we laid off some of Volpe’s high pitches but overall North Penn’s just a really good team.”

The Indians had a chance to get back into the game in the fourth when they loaded the bases with no outs after Skrzat and Abby Burns singles and a Riley York walk. Volpe struck on the following batter but Katie Huber’s RBI sacrifice fly to center brought home Skrzat’s courtesy runner Megan Kummery. Volpe, however, kept Big Red to just a run by ending the inning with a strikeout swinging.

“I just wasn’t spinning my riseball enough,” Volpe said. “I think that was really hurting me and I wasn’t really staying focused but I just got through. My teammates calmed me down.”

Volpe struck out the side in the fifth and went on to collect seven of her 13 strikeouts in the final three frames. The sophomore right-hander gave up one earned run on five hits and three walks in the complete-game win.

“Definitely off-speed (was working), trying to mix in riseball — it was too high but whatever,” Volpe said. “I really worked in my curveball today which was something new I didn’t really work that in a lot this season.”

Souderton starting pitcher Burns took the loss, the freshman righty giving up seven runs — five earned — on nine hits in a complete-game effort. She walked four, hit one batter and struck out five.

Souderton stays in SOL Continental play for its next game, a visit to Central Bucks West 3:45 p.m. Thursday. North Penn hosts Lansdale Catholic 3:45 p.m. Friday.

North Penn jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead Tuesday with two runs in the top of the first. Juckniewitz led off the game with a single to right center with Pietrzykoski following with a base hit up the middle. With one out, Elia Namey drew a walk to load the bases for Jamie Beer, who ripped a single down the first-base line to score both Juckniewitz and Pietrzykoski.

The Knights doubled their advantage in the second. Lizzy Stark started the inning with a walk, went to second on a Gianna Costello sacrifice bunt then took third as Juckniewitz reached on an error. Pietrzykoski’s ground out plated Stark while on the next at-bat Greaney singled up the middle to score Juckniewitz for a 4-0 lead.

Juckniewitz and Pietrzykoski opened the sixth with consecutive singles to put two runners on for Greaney, who crushed her three-run homer to extend the advantage to 7-1.

North Penn 7, Souderton 1
North Penn        220 003 0 — 7 9 1
Souderton          000 100 0 — 1 5 1
WP: Mady Volpe 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 13 SO.
LP: Abby Burns 7 IP 9 H 7 R 5 ER 4 BB 5 SO 1 HB.
HR: NP-Amanda Greaney.
North Penn: Greaney 2-4, 4 RBI, R; Victoria Juckniewitz 2-3, 3 R; Jordan Pietrzykoski 2-3, RBI, 2 R; Jamie Beer 2 RBI.
Souderton: Alina Skrzat 2-3; Katie Huber RBI.