Maggio’s double, Markle’s pitching lead Pottsgrove past Pope John Paul II

POTTSGROVE >> Pottsgrove’s Shauna Maggio had been looking for a pitch on the outside corner.

Fortunately for the Falcons, she got what she wanted.

Maggio connected with a pitch in her sweet spot, blasting a shot to deep left-center field to plate the eventual game-winning run as Pottsgrove snapped a two-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over upstart Pope John Paul II Wednesday afternoon.

“I like the outside corner and it (the pitch) was painted right there,” Maggio said detailing her plate approach in the bottom of the sixth inning. “It looked perfect to me.”

Maggio’s game-deciding double in the bottom of the sixth inning was the capper to a must-needed win for a Falcons squad that had dropped their last two decisions by a combined score of 13-0. It also served as a thank you to the stellar pitching effort from Rayna Markle, who dazzled in the circle with eight strikeouts.

“Getting this win was big,” Maggio said. “Our energy and confidence had been down the last couple of games because we’ve been losing, but today our energy was really good, our team played really well and Rayna pitched a great game for us.”

Maggio finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored while Jay Dinnocenti added three hits and an RBI in the win. Rachel Cherubini, who finished with two hits, gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead in the fifth after rocketing a grounder that ricochetted off the PJP third baseman and into foul territory, allowing Savannah Wilson to score.

PJP’s Alex Szpindor finished with two hits in the loss, her single in the top half of the sixth tying the game at 2. Amanda Butera had one hit and one run scored, same with Grace Harvey. Ashley Remmington had one hit and one RBI.

Szpindor took the loss in the circle. She allowed seven hits while striking out two and walking one.