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RIDLEY TWP. — Maddie Gordon knew she didn’t need a home run when she strolled to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday. The senior center fielder had to keep it simple.
“We had no outs, runner on third. I could have hit it anywhere, but I knew I wanted to stay up the middle,” Gordon said.
Gordon stepped into the batter’s box with confidence. Caitlyn Senkow, who started the inning with a double, provided encouragement from third base. When Conestoga’s Kiera Norton delivered the pitch, Gordon stayed level with her swing and hit an RBI single over the head of the second baseman. Senkow crossed home plate, and Gordon was mobbed by teammates at first base.
The 3-2 walk-off was Ridley’s biggest of the season.
“I’m super excited for my team because (Conestoga) has such a good record this year and they are a really good team,” Gordon said. “I knew that I didn’t need a big bit, I just had to choke up in that situation.”
Entering play Monday, Conestoga (13-2, 12-2) had won nine straight games and was in second place in the Central League, one loss behind Haverford. Ridley (8-9, 7-7) has been battling adversity during a rebuilding season. The Green Raiders needed a signature victory as they make their district playoff push. Coming into the week they were in 25th place in the District 1 Class 6A standings, with the top 24 teams qualifying for the tournament.
“I think a win like this pumps us up,” said Gordon, who will attend Penn State in the fall. “We know we are sitting around 25th or 24th place for playoffs, so I think this win should definitely get us a lot of points. We have a big game at Garnet Valley next week, too, so we’ve got to keep it going.”
Ridley almost didn’t need Gordon’s heroics, but the Pioneers rallied with two outs and nobody on base in the top of the seventh. Drew McKenzie reached base on a two-base error and came home to score the tying run when Janie Lofland hit a blast down the left-field line for a double. Ridley pitcher Gemma Taggart coaxed a fly ball for the third out, limiting the damage and setting the stage for a walk off.
Taggart was excellent in the circle. She pitched all seven innings, allowing only two hits and no earned runs. The Pioneers’ high-powered offense had averaged 11.7 runs per game over their nine-game winning streak, but Ridley’s junior ace kept them at bay.
“We couldn’t have done it without her,” Gordon said. “I think that Gemma and our defense all-around was great. We have really worked hard on our defense in practice and I think it paid off. I am super proud of everyone. This was a team win.”
Ridley coach Brooke Roark has been pleased with her team’s work ethic and desire to improve, even if it has taken a little longer than anticipated. It’s easy for high school kids to lose focus when the school year is winding down and summer is right around the corner. But the Green Raiders have continued to get better and grind out every game, win or lose.
“I’ve been trying to get them to recognize their potential this whole season,” Roark said. “It’s been rough. Each game felt like we weren’t fully bringing every piece together. Today, it felt like everything was there. We played such great defense, we had 10 hits … it was incredible. It’s funny because we left a lot of runners on base, but we stuck with it, we didn’t give up and we came out on top. It was a big win for us.”
Ridley scored quickly against Conestoga starter Mary Crowley, who pitched the first 3.1 innings. Bree Benedetto doubled in the bottom of the first. Gordon and Ryleigh Hagerty followed with back-to-back walks, loading the bases for Carly McCarron, who drove in Benedetto with a sharp single to left field.
‘Stoga tied the game at one in the fourth when Marisa Francine scored on a throwing error. Ridley went back in front in the fourth when McCarron scored on a grounder off the bat of McKenzie Sheppleman.
McCarron, Senkow, Benedetto and Addison Najmola all had two hits for the Green Raiders.
In other Central League action:
Garnet Valley 8, Upper Darby 0 >> Anna Sareyka (four RBIs), Zoey Rogers (three runs) and Alaina Sareyka each notched three hits for the Jaguars. Rogers legged out a triple, while Anna and Alaina Sareyka each doubled.
Ashlyn Thompson threw a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts.
Julia Blankley had a double for the Royals.
Marple Newtown 11, Radnor 0 >> Amanda O’Keefe set the tone at the top of the order for the Tigers, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Nicole Semerjian went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Jordyn Hannold and Grace Corner each added two hits and two RBIs, while Kaylen Hushen finished 2-for-2 with a triple and two runs scored.
Ava Kelly pitched a five-inning complete game with four strikeouts.
Springfield 10, Penncrest 4 >> Ava Craddock crushed two home runs and had three RBIs to lead the Cougars. Adrianna Maccario went 2-for-3 with four ribbies. Winning pitcher Payton Feeney, Ryleigh Frye (two runs) and Kayla Frye (two RBIs) chipped in two hits apiece.
Bella Green had two singles for the Lions.
Haverford 16, Lower Merion 1 >> Maya Hubley, Sam Wolf and Madie Culbertson each belted a home run to lead the Fords over the Aces.
Maddie Scarpato tripled and drove in four runs. Olivia Carter was the winning pitcher.
