SOFTBALL: Souderton on a roll, area teams approaching final week
A softball season is a marathon, not a sprint.
So if a team starts out hot, or if it comes out of the gates a little slow, it doesn’t necessarily show how the entire season is going to go. For Souderton, the year began with Big Red yo-yoing between wins and losses.
On April 22 in a nonleague game against Lansdale Catholic, the Indians switched some things up in the lineup and they’re been on a roll ever since. Souderton has won seven of its last eight games and six straight in the SOL Continental after Thursday’s walk-off win against North Penn.
So, what’s gotten into Souderton?
“I couldn’t tell you,” pitcher Alex Scheeler said. “I guess we just clicked as a team and it’s been a chain reaction.”
Souderton’s lone setback in the streak was a 15-10 loss to probable district No. 1 seed Neshaminy. But the Indians followed that up with a big 3-2 win over Council Rock North, getting a gritty pitching effort from Scheeler and a couple big hits from senior outfielder Angie Carty.
Another major catalyst has been the bat of senior third baseman Missy Wiley. Wiley had an off day Thursday, but came into the game on a tear, hitting several home runs and driving in plenty of runs.
The lineup change has helped in the field defensively as well as offensively. Senior Dayna Shelly has taken over catching duties, allowing Bri Neely to take her spot in left field. First baseman Jen Klepfer moved to right and had a huge outfield assist in a 5-3 win over Hatboro-Horsham in the next game after the LC win. Gigi Kehler took over at first base after starting the season behind the plate.
Earlier in the season, Carty and senior second baseman Savannah Bostwick talked about the importance of the first inning for Souderton. Slow starts had plagued the team early in the schedule, but the lineup shift seemed to put the team in the right place on both sides of the plate to get off to faster and better starts.
Souderton was ranked 12th in the latest District I AAAA power rankings released May 8. Big Red finishes the season with a home game against Quakertown and a road game at CB East. It will also try to find time to make up its annual game with Christopher Dock, which was washed out by Friday night’s rain.
TICE IS NICE
As a catcher, being given the task of calling the pitches is a sign of responsibility.
Upper Moreland backstop Chloe Tice is one catcher who’s earned that role for her team. What’s surprising is that Tice is doing it as just a sophomore. But Golden Bears coach Scott Ludlow saw enough of Tice in her varsity time last year to know she had the makeup to handle it.
“She’s a tremendous defensive catcher, I brought her up last year halfway through and that was a thing that really stood out,” Ludlow said. “She was a little raw at the plate last year, but she always had that presence behind it. She was always in the right spot, always knew what she was doing and doesn’t make too many mistakes back there and that’s all you can ask for.”
Tice has been a big part of what Upper Moreland is doing this year, both defensively and from her No. 6 spot in the batting order. Despite being the smallest player in UM’s starting lineup, Tice has pop in her bat but can also do anything asked of her depending on the situation.
Calling pitches is an important job, but so is being a calming influence on the other half of the battery. Tice and No. 1 starting pitcher Amber O’Connor have built up quite a connection and Tice usually knows just what to say to her pitcher.
“Sometimes you want to throw a ball in the dirt and to have the confidence in your catcher to keep it there, she’s a very calming influence,” Ludlow said. “We called for her last year but we talked to her about doing it in the preseason. She has a good head on her shoulders, she gets the game and knows how to work batters.”
Tice was excited to take the extra responsibility behind the plate this season. She said her prowess for blocking balls is just a natural feel, but she’s been working to get back to her high standard after hurting her leg last season.
In order to prepare for her expanded role, Tice did a little bit of research.
“I’ve been watching a lot of college games and seeing what the catcher does,” Tice said. “When I’m out there, I watch the batter, how they swing and what they can and can not hit.
“I think it helps a lot, just to have someone you can trust behind the plate.”
Upper Moreland, the No. 5 seed in the Class AAA power rankings, has a big game at Upper Merion next week as well as a league game with Upper Dublin that has to be made up.
FINISH STRONG
Cheltenham opened this season a very different team than it had ended the year before.
Gone was a deep and talented senior class, including a dominant pitcher, Division I first baseman, a college outfielder and solid starters at shortstop and third base. In came a lot of young players and inexperience reserves to fill in the considerable gaps.
In turn, the Panthers have taken some lumps this season, but as the year has gone on, they’ve absolutely made strides in the right direction. Cheltenham has just three seniors this year, but they’ve both contributed plenty.
Left fielder Maddie Gianelle has been a mainstay on the SOL American all-league teams since her freshman year. She’s been the rocksteady leadoff hitter all season, keeping the same approach and preparation even in a rebuilding year.
Pitcher Megan Smajda has shown heart and toughness all year, throwing on an injured leg. Panthers coach Ron Perlstein said Smajda has an ACL injury that will require surgery, but the senior opted to put it off until after the season.
At first base, Erika Ferraro took over a new position after playing the outfield and has made plays to help keep her younger infield teammates calm and composed.
Perlstein has been very proud of his players’ work this season and all he wants is for them to continue trying to get better as the season wraps up next week. Gianelle’s younger sister Morgan, a sophomore third baseman, has built off a strong freshman season and looks like a cornerstone player for the next two years.
HEIM TIME
William Tennent senior shortstop Jackie Heim has been ripping the cover off the ball all season.
Heim, a LaSalle recruit, had a two-run homerun in a 5-4 loss to CB South earlier this week, also ripping a double and nearly sending a second one out of the park only to have a great catch steal it away. After that game, CB South’s coach paid Heim quite the compliment by saying he was glad he didn’t have to face her twice a year.
The Panthers were hanging tough in the 23rd and final spot of the Class AAAA district rankings on May 8. However, they also dropped a 10-6 loss to CR South this week before bouncing back to top Bensalem 6-4 on Thursday with Heim providing a pair of doubles.
Tennent closes the season with three league games, a make-up game at Abington, a road trip to Pennsbury and a make-up with Neshaminy. There’s also a nonleague date with CB East on the calendar, so the Panthers have ample opportunity to control their own fate for the postseason.
As long as they have Heim hitting cleanup, they’ll have a shot.
BENCHMARK NUMBERS
Wednesday night’s game for Hatboro-Horsham was time for the team to recognize its three seniors, Kaeli Simmons, Dee Moyer and Bridget Schaeffer.
With their 3-0 win over Pennridge under the lights at Hatboro Little League, the Hatters also handed sixth year head coach Joe DiFilippo his 100th win. Simmons hurled a complete game to Schaeffer behind the plate while Moyer is in the last season of a standout career that’s earned her all-league recognitions.
The Hatters are in good shape for the district playoffs, sitting No. 15 in the latest rankings. They finish up with league games against CB East and North Penn and a nonleague visit to Conestoga.
On Thursday, Upper Merion’s stellar senior pitcher Olivia Sborlini set a new school record with her 48th career victory in a 16-0 win at Springfield Twp.
Sborlini is part of a big senior class for coach John Whitney that is on its way to a fourth straight SOL American title. But this group of Vikings won’t settle for just that, not with it being their last time together.
Upper Merion has eyes on the District I AAA title and the program’s first bid to states. The Vikings will have a good start, sitting at the No. 2 spot in the latest District I power rankings.
BIG MONDAY
Monday is a big day for Archbishop Wood softball.
The Vikings will play their final game of the PCL schedule when they welcome Archbishop Ryan to the confines of Hatboro Little League. The game was supposed to be played weeks ago, but got rained out to Wednesday. A miscommunication led to a last-minute reschedule that day but the two teams hashed it out and will go at it Monday afternoon.
Wood lost a 4-1 heartbreaker to Cardinal O’Hara in 10 innings on Thursday, giving O’Hara a share of the regular season title. Now at 9-2 in the PCL, the Vikings take on Ryan, which has just one league loss and PCL Player of the Year Sarah Ostaszewski, with a chance to go for a split of second place.
It’s been a great year for Wood regardless, as either a 9-3 or 10-2 finish in league will improve on last year’s 6-6 PCL record. Sophomore pitcher Marisa Browne has been the difference maker after transferring into the program, but the Vikings can also hit the ball.
Wood’s task now is advancing past the PCL quarterfinal round of playoffs and chasing a state bid.
