Young additions have Upper Darby on the rise

SPRINGFIELD >> In addition to having the talent to win a Central League championship, Upper Darby is using the element of surprise to roll over teams this season.

With three freshmen in the starting lineup, they are putting the league on notice. The nucleus was in place last spring, when the Royals showed flashes of their potential.

And those freshmen? Pitcher Rebecca Sorrentino has thrown every game. Her batterymate, Lexie Witmer, has been a two-way threat with her bat and work behind the plate. Camryn Young has flourished at the most premium position on the field — shortstop — while also excelling with the bat.

All-Delco center fielder Sam Witmer, Lexie’s big sister, anticipated this could be the year the Royals developed into a top-flight Central League program again, following a few rebuilding years.

“We knew we had these three freshmen coming up, and we knew nobody knew about them,” said Sam, a junior. “We knew that, as long as we hit and played solid defense, we would (do well).”

Witmer’s assessment proved true as Upper Darby defeated Springfield, 5-2, Thursday afternoon.

Not only did the Royals stay undefeated and take sole possession of first place, they became the first Central League team to beat Springfield in nearly two years.

“It feels pretty good,” Sam Witmer said. “They’ve been the big team for two years or whatever, and now, we finally get to beat them.”

“Since Day One, we’ve wanted to beat them,” Lexie added. “We knew they were the No. 1 team.”

The Witmer girls engineered a four-run rally in the sixth inning. Erin Redden led off with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ashley Anderson. Lexie Witmer then delivered a rocket to the gap in right-center for an RBI double.  Batting cleanup, Sam Witmer  immediately followed with an RBI single to push UD’s lead to 3-0. A bout of shoddy defense permitted the Royals to tack on two insurance runs against All-Delco Springfield ace Tori DePietro, who allowed three earned runs on seven hits while striking out three.

“We had good at-bats (in the fifth inning),” Lexie Witmer said. ‘We knew, right off the bat, that she was throwing it right down the middle. Strikes, for the most part. So, we just went out and said, let’s swing at the first pitch. That’s what we did, and it just kept going.”

Sorrentino mixed offspeed offerings with a sneaky fastball that kept Springfield’s potent lineup at bay until the bottom of the sixth. She worked out of trouble after Victoria Ciasullo blasted a two-run double to cut UD’s lead to 5-2. With the bases loaded and one out, Sorrentino forced a popup and a fielder’s choice (specifically, runner’s interference) to thwart the Cougars’ rally. Springfield (6-1, 5-1) coaxed two walks off Sorrentino in the seventh before a fielder’s choice grounder ended the game.

Sorrentino and Lexie Witmer had experience working together with the Delco Rage travel organization. This year, Sorrentino became UD’s No. 1 starter while senior Erin Redden, who pitched the last two years for the Royals, moved to the infield on a full-time basis.

Before the season, Sorrentino wasn’t sure what her role would be. She never imagined being the team’s ace.

“I had no clue,” she said. “Because I thought Erin was pitching, I thought I had no chance. And then we also have Camryn, who is another one of our pitchers.”

Young gave Upper Darby (5-0, 4-0) a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice  fly in the second inning. DePietro silenced UD’s bats until the sixth inning, when the Royals churned out four runs on five hits.

“That makes me feel pretty good, as a pitcher,” Sorrentino said of the run support. “It helped me not have to worry as much.”

Sorrentino had a no-hitter brewing into the sixth. Ciasullo’s doubled happened after Nikki DePietro spoiled the no-hit bid with a single back up the middle to lead off the frame.

In other Central League action:

Haverford 4, Penncrest 0 >> Heather Lazer twirled a two-hit shutout with three Ks and no walks. Lindsay Moran slugged an RBI double and Ali Murphy added two hits and a run scored for the Fords (4-4, 4-2).

Garnet Valley 11, Marple Newtown 1 >> All-Delcos Reva Alderman and Sam Tomasetti each went 4 for 4 for the Jags. Alderman homered and drove in five runs. Allison Ferrante allowed no earned runs with six strikeouts for the win.

Strath Haven 8, Lower Merion 2 >> Lana Duda fueled the Haven bats with two triples and two RBIs. Winning pitcher Malia Calciano and Rosemary Iannello also knocked in a pair of runs.

Radnor 1, Ridley 0 >> Megan McGrath’s RBI groundout in the sixth accounteed for the game’s lone run. Radnor ace Brooke Nicander tossed a three-hit shutout with three Ks.