RICHLAND >> Quakertown entered this season as the defending Suburban One League Liberty Division champions and returned most of its key players from last season. Expectations are high for the Panthers to bring home another league title.
Plymouth Whitemarsh is one of the teams with a chance to unseat the defending champs. The Colonials finished tied for second in the league last season and also bring back a bunch of key pieces.
When the rivals met in just the fourth game of the season Tuesday, Quakertown made a statement. The Panthers totaled 15 hits and picked up a 9-2 win at Veteran’s Park.
“It’s big because they’re our biggest rivals right now,” Quakertown pitcher Abbey Wagner said. “They’re always neck and neck with us, so I think putting our foot down, saying, ‘We’re still on top’ sets the point for where we’re at right now.”
“This was a really big win,” Quakertown shortstop Ava Beal added. “We were all nervous, we all knew this was going to be a tough game. We came ready to play and I just think it was a great win. Even though we had some players missing, everyone stepped up.”
Beal led the offense, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. She followed Madison Mallery’s double in the bottom of the third inning with a double of her own to tie the game, 1-1. Beal scored two batters later on Leah Schwalm’s double and the Panthers led the rest of the way.
Quakertown added three more runs in the fourth inning. Colleen Gallagher, Mallery and Beal had RBIs to extend the advantage to four, 5-1.
“You know coming in that they’re going to hit the ball,” PW coach Mike Perez said. “They always have a really solid lineup. You can try your best to keep Ava (Beal) off base – it’s a very difficult thing to do – and keep Leah (Schwalm) from crushing the ball, but that’s just what they do. We knew that they were going to have a good lineup and we were going to have to out-hit them and it just didn’t go our way today.”
Kira Jefferson’s solo home run made it 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth and four hits – including Ellie Hilton’s two-run single – highlighted a three-run sixth inning to make it 9-2.
“We’re all really close and when one person gets a hit,” Beal said, “we all just start hitting. We all just feed off each other’s energy. We’re all really close and it’s really nice.”
Wagner threw a complete game and earned the win in the circle for the Panthers (4-0, 2-0 SOL Liberty). She struck out five batters to no walks and allowed two runs on five hits. The five hits were scattered across five different innings.
“Those little diving plays that (my fielders) made and the stopped balls, catches, they were super important,” Wagner, who found success with her drop-curve and riser, said. “It means I had to throw less pitches and my arm gets less sore. They did a really good job with that.”
“(Our offense was) much-improved from last year,” Perez said. “We know what Abbey (Wagner) is – she’s such a good pitcher. I was very impressed with how well we hit the ball. We made some really solid contact. I was very impressed with their defense – that was the one part of the game that surprised me. They always have great pitching, always have great hitting, but their defense was spectacular. I thought we hit the ball hard, made good contact and it just didn’t fall.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh got on the board in the top of the first inning. Caelin Kosvitch was hit by a pitch and scored on Madison Moran’s RBI double. The Colonials added another run in the sixth inning when Sam Skivo hit a solo home run.
Moran took the loss, surrendering five runs on nine hits while striking out three batters to no walks in 3 1/3 innings. Rian Reed came on in relief and allowed four runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings while striking out three batters to no walks.
After wrapping up four games in six days, the Colonials (2-2, 1-1 SOL Liberty) are off until April 3, when they face Hatboro-Horsham.
“We started the season out four straight against really good competition,” Perez said, “just a little bit of a challenge to ourselves and see what we’re made of. This was a good one for us to gauge where we are and where we need to get to. (Quakertown is) the benchmark in the league and we know we have to get there if we want to succeed and meet our goals.”
Quakertown 9, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 100 001 0 – 2
Quakertown 002 313 x – 9
WP: Abbey Wagner 7 IP 5 K 0 BB 5 H 2 R
LP: Madison Moran 3.1 IP 3 K 0 BB 9 H 5 R
2B: PW: Madison Moran, Kalina Childers, Marrissa Perez. Q: Madison Mallery, Ava Beal, Leah Schwalm, Mary Wilkinson, Colleen Gallagher.
HR: PW: Sam Skivo. Q: Kira Jefferson.
![DOYLESTOWN — Erin Ely and Nora Luskin had the same idea: let it rip. That both Abington freshmen found themselves in the same scenario of time running down, ball in their stick and a chance to score a massive goal for their team, was interesting enough. But for each of the two first-year Ghosts to have the same confidence to take those shots and deliver was cause for elation on Abington’s sideline. Ely’s tying goal late in regulation set the stage for Luskin’s OT winner as Abington rallied to stun Central Bucks West 11-10 on Friday night. “We just have […]](https://www.timesherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LAN-L-GLAXABCBW042624-01.jpg?w=467 "DOYLESTOWN — Erin Ely and Nora Luskin had the same idea: let it rip. That both Abington freshmen found themselves in the same scenario of time running down, ball in their stick and a chance to score a massive goal for their team, was interesting enough. But for each of the two first-year Ghosts to have the same confidence to take those shots and deliver was cause for elation on Abington’s sideline. Ely’s tying goal late in regulation set the stage for Luskin’s OT winner as Abington rallied to stun Central Bucks West 11-10 on Friday night. “We just have […]")
![LOWER GWYNEDD — The more things change, the more they stay the same. Losing a senior core that led the team to the state quarterfinals a year ago, having a new coach take over, and starting seven underclassmen hasn’t seemed to slow down the Wissahickon Trojans. In a gritty, SOL American matchup that saw two-dozen combined penalty flags on the turf, Wissahickon charged past the Abington Ghosts 9-5 at home on Thursday afternoon. “It’s always been a rivalry with Abington and Wiss,” said Trojans senior Daniel Hussa, who won 11 of 15 faceoffs, had 14 ground balls and a pair […]](https://www.timesherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WissAbing2.jpg?w=467 "LOWER GWYNEDD — The more things change, the more they stay the same. Losing a senior core that led the team to the state quarterfinals a year ago, having a new coach take over, and starting seven underclassmen hasn’t seemed to slow down the Wissahickon Trojans. In a gritty, SOL American matchup that saw two-dozen combined penalty flags on the turf, Wissahickon charged past the Abington Ghosts 9-5 at home on Thursday afternoon. “It’s always been a rivalry with Abington and Wiss,” said Trojans senior Daniel Hussa, who won 11 of 15 faceoffs, had 14 ground balls and a pair […]")
![FRANCONIA – The Central Bucks South boys lacrosse team stopped Souderton’s nine-game win streak Thursday night. And the Titans feel they are just getting started. “It kind of sends the message to everybody else out in the league that we’re not messing around,” CB South senior Matthew Waltrich said. “Even though we got a few early losses in this season, we’re hot right now.” The visiting Titans jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and when the Indians responded to pull level late in the first quarter South answered back by scoring the next four to go into halftime up […]](https://www.timesherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LAN-L-BLAXCBSSOUD042524-10.jpg?w=466 "FRANCONIA – The Central Bucks South boys lacrosse team stopped Souderton’s nine-game win streak Thursday night. And the Titans feel they are just getting started. “It kind of sends the message to everybody else out in the league that we’re not messing around,” CB South senior Matthew Waltrich said. “Even though we got a few early losses in this season, we’re hot right now.” The visiting Titans jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and when the Indians responded to pull level late in the first quarter South answered back by scoring the next four to go into halftime up […]")