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GLENOLDEN — Two years ago, Sara Smith was on the mend, perhaps feeling a little left out as she watched her Interboro teammates play the sport she loves.
After working back to full health last spring, the senior has thrived in the pitching circle while sharing time with junior Julia Bergen, who earned the start in Monday’s District 1 Class 5A tournament opener against Gwynedd Mercy.
“I had an injury my sophomore year, in my back, and didn’t pitch at all,” Smith said. “It’s been really nice this year. I feel like we both can depend on each other.”
That was the case Monday when Smith relieved Bergen in the fourth inning, then proceeded to shut 11th-seeded Gwynedd Mercy down. Smith was excellent as she pitched the final four innings of No. 6 Interboro’s 10-3 victory.
Interboro travels to fifth-seeded Marple Newtown in the district quarterfinals Wednesday. First pitch is at 7 p.m.
“As a senior, seeing the community come out and be very supportive of our team, it’s really great,” said Smith, who gave up no hits while striking out eight. “This (game) was really fun.”
Mare Nagle led the Bucs with a 3-for-3 performance. The fleet-footed shortstop recorded her 100th hit as a high schooler, with two triples and three RBIs. The second triple was a poke beyond the reach of the first baseman, Nagle turning what would’ve been a single for most players into a three-bagger.
“She is the catalyst,” coach Dave Wilson said. “When she goes, we go … and she usually goes. She makes things happen for us.”
Interboro’s first three hitters – Nagle, Summer Burrell and Ava Rudolph – combined for four hits, three runs scored, five RBIs and a stolen base.
“We were coming out with speed right from the get-go,” Wilson said. “That’s why I put all three of those kids at the top – they’re my three fastest runners. We were trying to cause as much havoc as we could on the bases and it seemed to work.”
Olivia Bulovas provided thump in the middle of the order, blasting a two-run homer in the second inning to give the Bucs a 3-1 lead. It was all Interboro the rest of the way.
“We just had good pitch selection,” Bulovas said. “They had a good pitcher, and we had to be smart.”
The Bucs broke the game open with four runs in the fourth inning. Ava Magee led off with a walk and Maddie Gonzalez doubled. Erin O’Shea knocked in a run when she reached base on an error, then Nagle ripped a two-run triple for her milestone hit. Randolph grounded out to drive in Nagle with the Bucs’ ninth run.
Alexa Weiss tripled and scored, while Abby Howard added a sacrifice fly for Gwynedd Mercy. Jenna Morrison singled and scored.
Interboro and Marple Newtown have recent history. Last year the Bucs eliminated the Tigers in the first round of the district playoffs, a convincing 7-1 win. The Tigers avenged the loss last Tuesday when they defeated the Bucs in walk-off fashion, 10-9.
“I think it will be good to get them again on a dry day this time. Last time we played them it was raining,” Smith said. “I think everyone on the team wants revenge. And it’s just emphasized even more now that it’s the playoffs.”
In the District 1 Class 6A tournament:
Central Bucks West 12, Ridley 2 >> The 22nd-seeded Green Raiders were no match for the No. 11 Bucks, who pounded out 14 hits en route to a mercy rule victory in six innings.
Ridley leadoff hitter Caitlyn Senkow smacked an RBI triple. Makenzie Fagan added a run-scoring single. Ryleigh Hagerty had the only other hit for the Green Raiders (11-9).
CB West’s first two batters, Jill Boyle and Ana Glemsar, combined for seven hits, six runs scored and four RBIs. Glemsar finished 4-for-4 with a pair of triples, three runs and three ribbies. Sienna Lawson hurled a six-inning complete game with six strikeouts.
