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HORSHAM – A pounding headache took its toll on Alyssa Tooley Tuesday afternoon but the senior pitcher still came through for the Hatboro-Horsham softball team.
“Honestly, the change from it being so cold the last time we played and now it’s hot,” Tooley said. “It was hot, I was just having a headache the whole game but I think the team kind of backed me up with it cause a lot of plays in the field were made. It felt good to have them.”
Tooley bounced back from giving up a pair of runs to visiting Upper Dublin in the top of the first inning to allow just one over the final six frames. The West Chester commit, meanwhile, went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs, helping the Hatters plate four runs in both the third and sixth innings to pull away for a 10-3 SOL Liberty Division victory.
“I like hitting, I personally love it so going up the plate, I just kind of forget about pitching at all, I forget anything I’ve done,” Tooley said. “In that moment, it’s just me, the pitcher – right there it’s just that moment, I really live in the moment when it comes to hitting.”
After the Cardinals grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first, Hatboro-Horsham answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning – Tooley hitting an RBI double off the center-field fence while two batters later Madison Karpovich connected on an RBI double off the fence in left.
“Honestly the pitch was just kind of down the middle, maybe a little up,” said Tooley of her double. “So that’s why it kind of carried a little bit but it was just right there, so just felt good.”
Tooley added singles in the third and the sixth while Isabella Karpovich also posted a three-hit day, going 3-for-4 with her bases-loaded, two-RBI double breaking the 2-2 tie in the third. Kiersten Rimer followed with a two-RBI single up the middle for a 6-2 Hatters lead.
Upper Dublin put its first two batters on in both the fourth and fifth but came away with just one run in in the innings – Kyla Garrison’s RBI groundout back to Tooley with one out in the fourth to make it 6-4.
“We need to work on getting the clutch hit,” Cardinals coach Heather Boyer said. “Both pitchers went the distance today so when you start to see somebody three, four times, most pitchers don’t have five, six, seven great pitches, they’ve got two or three that they’re going to throw consistently.
“So, as hitters you have to adjust to that when you see them the third and fourth time through the lineup and hit that ball. And Hatboro did that well and we did not.”
Tooley allowed three runs – two earned – on four hits in a complete-game win. She walked six, hit a pair of batters while striking out eight.
“I know one of my pitches, my screwball was not working so I really relied on my curveball, which I usually throw it pretty hard and the spin was good,” Tooley said.
Starter Garrison took the loss for UD, giving up 10 runs – all earned – on 13 hits while walking four and striking out eight.
“She threw well,” said Boyer of Garrison. “She was mixing. We don’t throw a lot of fastballs, we throw a lot of breaking pitches, off-speed things just to try and keep hitters guessing and she did what she needed to do, you know Hatboro just made good adjustments. Tip the cap to them for good hitting.”
Tuesday’s game was the first for Hatboro-Horsham since March 26 when it edged Abington 3-2 in 11 innings. The Hatters host New Hope-Solebury 3:45 p.m. Thursday then visit Plymouth Whitemarsh 3:45 p.m. Friday.
“You can’t really do much inside, especially here you don’t really have much space but we’ve been working on hitting a lot at practice,” Tooley said. “So I really think it showed here today all the work we’ve been doing cause it’s really all we’ve been doing is hitting.”
Upper Dublin is on the road Thursday taking on Springfield (Montco) at 3:45 p.m.
Cara Neeld led off the Hatters’ half of the third with a walk while Tooley followed with a single. Garrison struck out the next two batters but Adriana DeLeon kept the inning alive by drawing a walk to load the bases.
Isabella Karpovich then dropped a double into left center to bring in two runs for a 4-2 HH lead. Rimer knocked a single through the middle to bring home two more, putting the Hatters up four.
Upper Dublin pulled to within 6-3 in the fourth but Hatboro-Horsham posted four two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth, the first coming on Tooley’s RBI single.
“It wasn’t the best hit at all, it was just like a little poke,” Tooley said. “But it felt good to get on base and knowing people are going to score from it was good.”
After a Kennedy Conn walk, Madison Karpovich, DeLeon and Isabella Karpovich each collected RBI singles to push the Hatters’ advantage to 10-3.
In the top of the first, Garrison led off the game with a walk. Courtesy runner Sarah O’Brien went to second on a groundout, advanced to third on a wild pitch then scored on Madden Reilly’s RBI infield single.
After a Lizzie Tambourino walk, Bella Fiore made it 2-0 UD with an RBI double to right.
Hatboro-Horsham 10, Upper Dublin 3
Upper Dublin 200 100 0 – 3 4 0
Hatboro-Horsham 204 004 x – 10 13 0
WP: Alyssa Tooley 7 IP 4 H 3 R 2 ER 6 BB 8 SO 2 HB.
LP: Kyla Garrison 6 IP 13 H 10 R 10 ER 4 BB 8 SO.
2B: HH-Tooley, Isabella Karpovich, Madison Karpovich; UD-Bella Fiore.
Upper Dublin: Lizzie Tambourino 2-2.
Hatboro-Horsham: Tooley 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R; I. Karpovich 3-4, 3 RBI, R; M. Karpoivch 2-4, 2 RBI. Kiersten Rimer 2 RBI.
