Hurter, Boyertown advance to PAC championship, prevail in extra innings over Spring-Ford

ROYERSFORD >> It’s Ella Hurter’s last chance at another PAC title.

Hurter, the 2023 Mercury All-Area Player of the Year, missed last season’s PAC Final Four as her top-seeded and defending champion Bears fell to last year’s champions, Owen J. Roberts, in the semifinals.

Hurter made up for lost time in a big way Monday, striking out 17 batters as No. 4 Boyertown upended No. 1 Spring-Ford, 1-0 in eight innings.

Junior catcher and cleanup hitter Kyra Neiswender knocked in Lindsay Mathias with a two-out single in the top of the eighth for the decisive margin.

For seven innings, Hurter was matched pitch-for-pitch by Spring-Ford junior and starting pitcher Jessica Fliszar (eight innings, one earned run, four strikeouts).

Hurter said her approach never changes, regardless of the score or the opposing pitcher’s performance.

“The game in general fires me up,” she said. “But today, I just wanted to keep it at 0-0 and keep giving my team an opportunity to get the win.”

Boyertown’s Hailey Schildt (28) hits against Spring-Ford during a PAC semifinal at Spring-Ford on May 13. (Courtesy MJ McConney)

Boyertown finally took advantage of those opportunities in the top of the eighth inning. Rielynn Carey led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by leadoff hitter Jenna Fox.

Lindsay Mathias appeared to give the Bears the lead with a double down the left-field line, but the runner from second base missed home plate, and SF’s Fliszar made a heads-up play by making the tag when most thought the play was over.

“It’s my job to back up that play,” said Fliszar, “and when I saw her miss home, fortunately I was there.”

Spring-Ford pitcher Jess Fliszar delivers to the plate against Boyertown during a PAC semifinal at Spring-Ford on May 13. (Courtesy MJ McConney)

But after an intentional walk to Hurter, Neiswender took a 1-0 pitch to left field for the game-winning hit, scoring Mathias from second.

Neiswender is a jack-of-all-trades for the Bears, playing 3-4 different positions and able to fill in anywhere the team needs her, including sharing pitching duties with Hurter.

“I feel like playing different positions gives me an advantage when I’m catching, because it helps me to know the strike zone really well,” she said.

“But there’s still something special about getting the big hit. I’m behind the plate, I see everyone else hitting the ball, so it helps me to know what to look for. It was my job to keep my team pumped up and put the ball in play.”

Fliszar also batted cleanup for the Rams, gathering one of the team’s two hits on the day. She had nothing but compliments for her opponent in the circle, Hurter.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s on us to get the big hits,” she added. “They got that timely hit, and when one run is all it takes, we need to get that hit.”

Hurter’s pitching led Boyertown to the regular season title a year ago, but a car accident right before the postseason resulted in a broken tailbone and the end of her season.

Fortunately, rest was the only prescription for healing, and the senior pitcher was able to return for the 2024 campaign.

Monday was a chance to avenge a loss for her teammates and a missed opportunity for Hurter personally.

“Now, we’ve got our opportunity (in Wednesday’s championship game) to come all the way back from last year,” said Hurter.

Boyertown’s Lauren Homa catches the ball at second base against Spring-Ford during a PAC semifinal at Spring-Ford on May 13. (Courtesy MJ McConney)

Hurter’s shutout effort featured only five SF baserunners — a pair of hits (Fliszar and senior Nicole Cecconi), a sixth inning walk, and two early errors.

Spring-Ford (15-5) will open next week’s District 1-6A tournament at home on Monday against an opponent to be determined.

Boyertown had scoring opportunities in the first, third, and fifth innings, but Fliszar struck out the side in the first and got outstanding defense the rest of the way, led by left fielder Brooke Haring (five putouts) who caught a couple of Boyertown fly balls at the warning track.

But in the eighth inning, Neiswender finally broke through — saving the day for the Bears and giving her pitcher closure on last year.

Next up for victorious Boyertown is the PAC final against Perkiomen Valley right back at Spring-Ford on Wednesday.

Once again, the margins will be tight, as the Bears and Vikings split a pair of games in the regular season. Boyertown bested PV 2-1 on April 15, but the Vikings returned the favor 4-2 on May 2.

“Going into Wednesday, it’s huge for us to know we’re capable,” she said. “We took out the top seed, and now we just need to play good softball again.”