Bristol crushes Friends Select to win fifth straight District 1 title
FAIRLESS HILLS — For a softball team its coach insists is still in a bit of a retooling stage, Bristol has done just fine — and more.
Taking care of business in emphatic style Thursday, May 28 at Pennsbury, Bristol crushed Friends Select, 16-0, in the PIAA District 1 Class A championship game.
With the victory, Bristol captured its 20th district title in its illustrious history and its fith in a row. This came on the heels of the Warriors nailing down their 26th Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) crown the week before.
Bristol (18-3) will open in the state tournament on Monday, June 1 against Millersburg and no matter what happens there, it already has pretty much accomplished all that could be expected.
“We’re still rebuilding in a couple of areas, but these girls have come through,’ coach Mike Lalli said. “I like the way they are a bunch of fighters.’
Mark down this fight as a knockout against a Friends Select team from center city Philadelphia that came to the neutral Pennsbury field with just two losses.
When its home field at Fairmount Park is not avaiable, Friends Select practices on top of a roof in downtown Philadelhpia. In the district title tilt, it looked like the roof was on fire as Bristol ran the bases with a brazen impunity.
“We had a couple of base running mistakes early, but the idea was to put the pressure on them.’ Lalli said. “We felt if we could force them to throw the ball around, it would work in our favor.’
It wasn’t a blowout at the start as Bristol scored just one run in the first inning and two in the second.
In the first, a single by Katelyn Santana was followed by an RBI double by standout shortstop Olivia D’Emedio. The second inning included a double by Maya Alicea, a single by freshman infielder Cara Fabiano and a successful suicide squeeze by senior outfielder Marlee Sutterley. Bristol also scored a run in this inning by simply refusing to stop at any bases.
It was in the third inning when Bristol really went to work against Friends Select pitcher Zina Robbins-Maldonaldo with six runs. A walk to Santana and a single by D’Emedio opened the flood gates and later led to an RBI single by Alexis Mossbrook and a booming triple by lead-off batter Tianna Brewington.
Friends Select kept Bristol off the board in the next two innings to avoid being run-ruled in five, but that only led to a seven-run explosion in the top of the sixth inning.
D’Emedio had two hits in that frame to complete a 4-for-5 day. Also in the sixth, Alicea (three RBIs) smacked a two-run single, and Fabiano and Brewington got runs home with singles. Jade Stevens had earlier doubled as part of Bristol’s attack that included 12 singles and four extra-base hits.
