ROYERSFORD — Marple Newtown coach Mike Snow was convinced in March that his team was far from ordinary. He knew that his Tigers had all of the makings of a resilient ballclub that feared nothing.
The Tigers were playing a spring break game in Myrtle Beach when catcher Grace Corner was run over at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was a brutal collision. Instead of allowing the tying run to score, Corner somehow held on to the ball for the final out of a season-opening victory.
“Grace got leveled, the (runner) was called out at the plate and we won the game,” Snow said. “So, I knew the team had a lot of fight in them. They go out there, play their game and find a way to win. It’s been a whole lot of fun to watch.”
No. 3 Marple Newtown enjoyed its best – and toughest – win of its season Wednesday afternoon at Spring-Ford, capturing the District 1 Class 5A championship via a 4-2 win over fourth-seeded West Chester East.
The victory marked Marple Newtown’s first district title in softball since 2006.
“This run has been amazing. It’s a fantastic group of girls to be around,” Snow said. “We’ve had ups and downs, but our downs, we’ve learned from them. Now we’ve been able to get on a run here at the end. We’re winning close games and building more confidence. … We played Interboro twice, beat them 10-9 (in the regular season) and came back and won 3-2 (in the district semifinals). That just builds so much confidence, you know you can do anything. .. They just say it’s our nine versus their nine, let’s go win the game. And they battle all of the time.”
The game ended in typical Marple Newtown fashion. Throwing caution to the wind, Amanda O’Keefe made an incredible diving catch at shortstop and stepped on second base for the unassisted double play. East’s Lauren McGuire, who led off the seventh inning with a double, was caught in no man’s land.
“It was nerve wracking today, but I knew after the first few innings that we had it. We were going to win,” O’Keefe said. “I’m so happy we could win this together. We’ve been with each other every step of the way and we made it all the way here. It’s been great.”
Sophomore pitcher Maggie Coupe navigated a hard-hitting East lineup to throw a complete game. She scattered eight hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out two. The Tigers won all three of their district tournament games by one or two runs, and Coupe has kept them in every one.
“She has gained a lot of confidence since last year when she was a freshman on varsity and new to the team,” Corner said. “She gained more trust in her teammates and definitely gained a lot of confidence in herself.”
Coupe and Corner have been on the same page throughout the season.
“Maggie’s pitching great in her second year as a sophomore. She’s done a fantastic job,” Snow said. “Grace continues to call a great game as catcher. There are not many catchers in the area who call their own game, do all the game prep, and she puts in the time and we reap the rewards for it.”
Coupe had plenty of help from her fielders. Center fielder Jordyn Hannold made a tumbling catch to preserve the Tigers’ 3-2 in the fourth inning. In the third inning, O’Keefe fielded a grounder, stepped on second and fired to first baseman Madi Coll for a double play.
“We all work well under pressure. Even if we’re down in the last inning, it doesn’t matter,” junior Mia Dalessandro said. “Everything is worth it.”
The Tigers grabbed the early lead against East pitcher Rebecca Opperman in the first inning. After the first two hitters were retired, Corner reached on an infield single and courtesy runner Allison Collins swiped second base. Hannold then smacked a line drive RBI single to put the Tigers ahead.
Demitra Thompson and Gianna Pettinelli had back-to-back, run-scoring ground balls to give the Tigers a 3-1 advantage in the third. Marple got a big insurance run in the fifth. Thompson reached on a single, stole second and scampered home on Kaylen Hushen’s single to right-center field.
Marple Newtown (19-4) will host a first-round game in the PIAA Class 5A tournament Monday, taking on the third-place team from District 3.
“We made it this far, and honestly, I am really proud of all of us,” said freshman Nicole Semerjian, the Tigers’ best power hitter and run producer. “We all deserve this and I am happy how far we’ve come together.”
