Reporter/Times Herald Softball Roundup (May 14): Leitner homers twice, throws shutout as Hatboro-Horsham claims SOL Liberty title
Hatboro-Horsham 9, Quakertown 0 >> Kendal Leitner powered Hatboro-Horsham past Quakertown, hitting two home runs and also pitching a two-hit shutout as the Hatters claimed the outright Suburban One League Liberty Division title with the win Friday.
Leitner finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored while in the circle struck out 11 and gave up just one walk.
Amya Lundy and Abby Waeltz also hit home runs for the Hatters (17-1, 15-0), who earned their third consecutive SOL titles, winning the American Conference in 2018 and 2019. Waeltz was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs with Lundy going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
Marissa Rapino finished 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and a run scored while Alyssa Tooley had a double, two RBIs and a run scored as the HH won its fourth straight.
For Quakertown (16-3, 13-2) the loss snapped an 11-game win streak.
Leitner broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth with a two-run homer while the Hatters added another run in the inning for a 3-0 lead as Rapino scored in the error.
Hatboro-Horsham extended their advantage to 7-0 with four two-out runs in the fifth. Waeltz connected on a solo home run and three batters later Alyssa Tooley’s two-RBI double made it 6-0. Rapino followed with an RBI double to plate Tooley.
In the top of the seventh, Lundy and Leitner started the inning with back-to-back home run
North Penn 6, Central Bucks South 0 >> Mady Volpe and Julia Shearer combined to pitch a two-hit shutout, striking out 16 as North Penn won its 11th straight.
Volpe earned the victory in the circle, striking out 13 while giving up two hits and four walks in six innings. Shearer struck out all three batters she faced in the seventh while at the plate went 2-for-3 with two walks and two run scored.
Gianna Cimino was 2-for-4 for the Knights (17-1, 14-1 SOL Colonial) with Sarah Sabocsik collecting two RBIs.
Shearer started the top of the first with a triple and scored on a passed ball. Volpe made it 2-0 in the inning with a RBI double.
The Knights added three more runs in the sixth – two coming in on Sabocsik’s bases-loaded single while Shearer scoring on a passed ball. In the seventh, Marissa Palumbo scored on a passed ball for a 6-0 NP lead.
Marlena Hacker and CJ Haney each had a hit for Central Bucks South (7-11, 7-8 SOL Colonial), which lost its second straight.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14, Abington 0 (5) >> Molly Moore hit an inside-the-park home run during Plymouth Whitemarsh’s eight-run top of the third and pitched a two-hit, five-inning shutout as the Colonials cruised to an SOL Liberty Division victory.
Moore also doubled in finishing 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. In the circle, Moore struck out nine, walk three and hit a pair of batters as PW (11-7, 10-5 division) won their second straight.
Regan Gehman went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored for PW. Marissa Perez was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run while Marissa Dudek scored two runs.
Aneesa Rorher went 2-for-3 for Abington (7-10, 6-9), which lost its third straight.
In the top of the third, A Hannah Suh RBI single and a run after an error on Erin Caffrey’s grounder made it 2-0 PW. Suh and Caffrey both came home on Moore’s inside-the-park homer to right for a five-run lead. A Gehman RBI double and consecutive RBI singles from Carly Rosenberger and Perez put the Colonials up 8-0.
After a Gehman RBI single in the fourth, PW tacked on five more runs in the fifth. Hayley Lindley hit an RBI triple then scored as Marissa Dudek reached on an error. Moore made it 13-0 with a two-RBI double then came home after an error on a Rosenberger grounder.
Lower Moreland 4, Springfield-Montco 3 >> Hannah Klanderman scored on Natalie Shiloni’s bunt single in the bottom of the seventh as Lower Moreland earned a walk-off SOL Freedom victory.
Springfield took a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth when Chloe Morales scored on an error. The Lions, however, pulled even in the bottom of the inning on Dana Schwarz’s two-out RBI triple to right.
Klanderman kept the bottom of the seventh going with a two-out single then stole second. After an Isabella Ricciardi walk, a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third with Shiloni bunt hit bringing home Klanderman to give Lower Moreland (6-10, 6-9) its second straight win.
Taylor Schultz was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Springfield (2-13, 2-13). Morales finished 2-for-3 with a run scored while Anna Posluszny went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Liz Neeld struck out 10 in a complete-game win for Lower Moreland, giving up three runs – one earned – on 10 hits, one walk and one hit batter.
The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Schultz’s RBI single. Lower Moreland went up 2-1 in the second on consecutive bases-loaded walks by Schwarz and Sam Himmelstein. A Posluszny RBI single pulled Springfield level in the third.
