Seidel, Gwynedd Mercy shut out Upper Moreland in District 1-4A semifinals

LOWER GWYNEDD >> With Upper Moreland and Gwynedd Mercy Academy both sporting 13-6 records, their matchup in the District 1-4A softball semifinals projected to be very close contest.

Gwynedd Mercy held the slight edge in total points according to the PIAA District 1 rankings, thus winning the right to host the playoff contest. With freshman Madison Seidel in the circle for the Monarchs and senior Jenna Sadowski operating on the mound for the Golden Bears, both teams boasted two of the finest pitchers in the district.

On Wednesday, they showed off their skills, but it was Seidel who bested Sadowski in the narrow duel. Riding a complete-game shutout from Seidel, Gwynedd Mercy defeated Upper Moreland, 2-0, to advance to the District One 4A championship.

In the first inning, Upper Moreland saw Seidel down two of its batters, but Brianna Hughes singled to center and stole second to put herself in scoring position. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, cleanup hitter Jackie Martino went down swinging to end the threat.

Gwynedd Mercy capitalized and took an early lead. After Hailee Weiss advanced to second off a single and a stolen base, Seidel proved her chops at the plate by ripping a hard grounder toward Hughes, which she could not handle. Weiss made her way home, tallying the first score of the game.

The second inning proved to be more of the same for the Golden Bears at the plate. Sadowski provided a leadoff single, and pinch runner Erin Shaffert made it to second after a bunt by Brigid Ounan. But Upper Moreland failed to drive in the tying run as Gabrielle Wiley and Alexis McDermott struck out to strand Shaffert.

During the bottom half of the frame, Brigid Ounan made an impressive catch in right field, but Sadowski found herself in trouble with two outs as she walked Carley Andrews on four pitches, and Liz Held bunted to move Andrews to second. Held also made it to first base on the play. Queue a wild pitch, and Sadowski was pitching with runners on second and third. But she exited the jam by forcing Weiss into a groundout.   

In the following inning, Upper Moreland was once again denied at the plate by Seidel, while the Monarchs found another way to score. Jess DiBricida singled to kick off the action in the bottom of the third. She then stole second, and Meaghan McGoldrick followed with a well-hit grounder. Jess Baumeister could not handle the throw from shortstop, though, thus allowing McGoldrick to reach second and DiBricida to score.

From then on, no more runs crossed home as Seidel and Sadowski dazzled in the circle.

Sadowski struck out the side in the fourth and recorded an easy 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. The only threat she faced came in the fifth frame when runners once again made their way to second and third. But the senior showcased her poise under pressure, striking out Lauren Slovensky to end the inning.

“She has been tremendous for us for three years now,” said Upper Moreland head coach Scott Ludlow on Sadowski. “Today, unfortunately, was the end of her high school career. But she ended on an extremely high note in terms of the way she pitched and the way she played … Unfortunately, we made a couple mistakes behind her, and it cost us a couple runs.”

Meanwhile, the Golden Bear bats were held in check by Seidel. Upper Moreland placed runners on first and second in the top of the fourth, but Kacey Emmell could only muster a groundout to second, which ended the scoring opportunity.

Seidel notched a quick 1-2-3 inning in the fifth and then gave up a lone single in the sixth before putting down three more Golden Bears.

“She threw a great game,” said Gwynedd Mercy head coach Charlie Ball of Seidel’s performance. “She kept them off with her changeups, she kept them off with the different pitches she has, and she kept their big hitters off balance.”

Upper Moreland’s last chance came in the top of the seventh, and it mounted a valiant comeback attempt.

Wiley kickstarted the effort with a hard-hit grounder that allowed her to advance to first. Following an Alexis McDermott pop out, Allison Ludlow laid down a soft bunt. Wiley easily made it to second, and Ludlow barely beat the throw to first. With the tying run on first, Kramer bunted, putting Ludlow and Wiley on second and third, respectively. The game came down to the bat of Baumeister. The junior swung on the first pitch and launched the ball to center, but it was handled by Andrews in center field, which secured the victory for the Monarchs. 

“I’ve come to understand that we really never give up. We talked about whatever was going to happen, we were going to go down with a fight,” said Ludlow about his team’s rally. “We weren’t going to roll over. I’m certainly proud of the way we fought—we put two runs in scoring position, and we were a hit away from tying the game.”

Gwynedd Mercy has now booked a trip to District 1-4A championship where it faces top seed Nazareth Academy Wednesday.

“It’s the first time since I’ve been here that we got to the district championship,” said Ball. “It feels good.”

Despite the loss, Ludlow is proud of what his team has accomplished.

“This is a really special group for me because I’ve coached many of them since they were eight or nine years old. They’re a pleasure to coach and a pleasure to be around. It’s a disappointing way to end, but I’m proud of the way we fought and I’m proud of the way the season concluded.”