Batterymates Laughlin and Jenkins putting charge into Ridley

RIDLEY TWP. >> Ridley senior Jade Laughlin is one of those softball players who is comfortable playing just about any position on the diamond.

Put her at shortstop, third base, outfield … wherever, it doesn’t matter.

“She’ll play anywhere,” Ridley coach Chris Bush said.

Over the last few weeks, the senior captain has been behind the plate, catching All-Delco pitcher Leigh Ann Jenkins.

“I used to catch (Jenkins) last year,”  Laughlin said.

No kidding.

“Jade caught a little bit her sophomore year and did a little bit of everything last year,” Bush said. “This year, she’s filled in and she’s been excellent.”

Heather Bogardus, Ridley’s center fielder last spring, was Jenkins’ primary batterymate entering the 2016 campaign, until injury sidelined Bogardus.

So, who better to call on than Laughlin?

Needing a win in a bad way Thursday afternoon in hosting one-win Marple Newtown, Laughlin and Jenkins were on top of their games in leading the

Green Raiders to a 6-2 victory.

Batting leadoff, Laughlin went 2 for 4 with a home run and scored twice. Jenkins authored a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

“We definitely needed to come out and win this today,” Laughlin said.

The speedy Laughlin broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the third inning with a solo homer, a bullet to left field.

“When she gets on base, she can do a lot of things,” Bush said.

It was redemption of sorts for Jenkins, who laughed off allowing a homer to MN’s Sarah Meier on the very first pitch of the game.

“I didn’t really care because I knew we were going to score runs, anyway,” said Jenkins, who gave up two runs (one earned), two walks and two singles following Meier’s leadoff dinger — which barely eluded the glove of left fielder Jessica Tait.

Needless to say, Jenkins settled in. Of the first nine hitters she retired, eight came via the strikeout. Jenkins is throwing a harder fastball this year, which she credits to time in the weight room.

“It’s something I’ve been working on a lot, getting stronger,” she said.

It’s been a weird year for Jenkins and the Green Raiders, who have been mired in a win one/lose one trend for the last couple of weeks. They responded from a 6-1 loss to Springfield, the reigning Central League champions. In that game, Jenkins allowed just five hits, all of which were singles. Jenkins had “one of those games,” as Bush described it, against Garnet Valley earlier in the year, a 17-6 loss.

But there’s no doubt that Jenkins is one of the best pitchers in the county. She has more shutouts (four) this year than anyone else.

“Ever since she was in the eighth grade, you could see that she was a special talent,” Bush said. “I think she’s getting more and more mature in a lot of ways, especially mentally and just in-game-wise. She’s really moving in the right direction, which is great for us.”

After winning its first six games, Ridley stumbled down the stretch in 2015. With a 5-4 record, the Green Raiders hope the opposite effect will occur this year. They are galvanized by their inconsistent start, and believe they are rounding into form.

“We definitely have room for improvement,” Laughlin said. “I feel like we’re just that close to hitting our peak, and once we hit our peak,  we’ll start going.”

Ridley evened the score at 1-1 in the second inning when Jenkins blooped a double into left field. Courtesy runner Jodi Eisenhuth stole third base and scored on a sacrifice fly by Tait.

After Laughlin’s leadoff bomb, Ridley scored twice more in the third, thanks to a pair of Marple errors. A string of four straight singles in the fourth inning led to two additional runs for the Green Raiders. Julia Buckley and Alissa Higgins both had RBI singles.

The only sign of trouble appeared in the sixth inning when Jenkins attempted to nab a runner at third base  but misfired, allowing Alex Hammonds to score the Tigers’ second run. After the error, Jenkins got Caitlyn Spencer to bounce out to third baseman Kaci Smith for the second out and the Raiders got out No. 3 on a rundown play between third and home.

Elsewhere in the Central League:

Upper Darby 11, Radnor 1 >> The Royals keep mowing down their Central League opposition, improving to 10-0 overall (9-0) with a rout of the Raiders.  

Lexie Witmer (double) was 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Erin Redden also banged out three hits, while All-Delco Sam Witmer and Ashley Anderson both doubled and drove in two. Winning pitcher Rebecca Sorrentino and Brooke Jones had two hits apiece.

Haverford 12, Strath Haven 2 >>Ali Murphy led the Fords (7-4, 7-2) at the dish by going 4 for 4 with four runs scored.  Lindsay Moran was 3 for 4 with an RBI double and two runs scored, while Lauren Meyer crushed a bases-loaded double. Heather Lazer pitched the first three innings for the win.

Malia Calciano homered for Strath Haven.

Springfield 18, Lower Merion 3 >> Ashley Scarpato was impossible to get out. She paced Springfield’s 23-hit attack by going 4 for 4 with a triple and six RBIs.

Hannah Sweeney was 3 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Lauren Quinn added three hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Tori DePietro struck out five in a complete-game performance, and was 4 for 4 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Garnet Valley 19, Harriton 7 >> All-Delco Reva Alderman blasted her county-high eighth home run of the season and had four RBIs to lead the Jaguars (6-3, 6-3) to their sixth consecutive victory. All-Delco Sam Tomasetti added two doubles and five RBIs in support of winning pitcher Audrey Shenk. Every Garnet Valley player had at least one hit.

In the Catholic League:

Cardinal O’Hara 6, Archbishop Ryan 4 >> Breanna Hickey was 4 for 4 with two RBIs as the Lions snapped Ryan’s 33-game Catholic League winning streak. O’Hara (7-1, 6-0) put a four-spot on the board in the first inning against the host Ragdolls.

Emily Loomis legged out a double, knocked in a run and scored twice. Annemarie Banes had a double and an RBI, and Lexie Cervella finished 2 for 3 with a run scored. Mary Pat Brough (three earned runs, four Ks) was the winning pitcher.

In the Del Val League:

Interboro 10, Academy Park 0 >> Bridget Bailey was dominant from the pitcher’s circle, striking out 14 of the 18 batters she faced.

Hayley Wittorf had a memorable varsity debut, collecting two hits and two RBIs. Emily Gavin was 3 for 4 and Amy Huddell chipped in two hits and two RBIs.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 2, Baldwin 1 >> With the bases loaded and the Churchwomen clinging to a one-run lead with two outs in the seventh, Sandy Warthol entered in relief of starter Grace Smith to close the door on EA’s third victory. Arianna Pompei and Claire Smith accounted for EA’s only two hits off Baldwin ace and Newtown Square resident, Sami O’Keefe, who recorded 10 strikeouts. Pompei’s sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning proved to be the difference.

In nonleague action:

Christian Academy 12, Lincoln Leadership Academy 1 >> Lindsey Haseltine’s solo homer in the fifth broke a 1-1 tie and the Crusaders never looked back, scoring 10 more runs in the frame.

Grace Gormley and Carli Sitkowski (three RBIs) also homered for TCA (5-1), while Carley Ryle and Annika Soderberg (two RBIs) each had two hits. Maddi Dutton pitched a pair of no-hit innings with three strikeouts to get the win.

In the Catholic Academies:

Nazareth 27, Sacred Heart 24 >>  The Lions came within a field goal of forcing overtime. They scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth  — after Nazareth plated seven in the top half — but allowed the visitors to score six runs in the seventh. Isabella Chen hit for the cycle in the loss, going 4 for 6 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Ally Schell had a three-hit day with a grand slam, a triple, six RBIs and four runs scored. Agnes Freind went 3 for 4 with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored.

In the Ches-Mont League:

Coatesville 10, Sun Valley 0 >> The Vanguards were limited to two hits over five innings. Mackenzie Lewis and Amber Michael each singled in the loss.