Quakertown powers way past Upper Dublin to stay atop SOL American

FORT WASHINGTON >> For pretty much the entire season, Quakertown (10-2, 8-0 SOL American) has relied on its bats to win games, and it’s been working pretty well.
Tuesday afternoon was no different as they used three home runs from the meat of its lineup to power past Upper Dublin (8-5, 6-2 SOL American) on its way to an impressive 12-5 win.
Early on, Upper Dublin starter Erin Gallagher looked like she was poised to have a good afternoon. She worked through the first two innings to hold the Panthers to 0 runs and was keeping her team in it, but the third and fourth innings would be her undoing.
After a leadoff walk and a pair of singles brought home one run for the Panthers in the third, freshman Sarah Stofik stepped to the plate and unloaded on a pitch for a 2-RBI triple.
Stofik wasn’t done either. In the 5th, with her team leading 10-2, she got a hold of yet another one, this time though it was good for a home run.
“I was just trying to focus and get the pitch that I wanted,’ said Stofik of her at-bat. “I was able to eventually get it once I got ahead in the count and I then it was just about hitting it out.’
She finished her afternoon 3-for-5 and just a double short of the cycle. While that may seem like an uncharacteristically good afternoon for a freshman, it’s become par for the course for Stofik.
“Sarah is just a freshman and has been batting in the 7-spot for us but I moved her up to 3rd (in the order) because of how she’s been hitting it lately,’ said Quakertown head coach Rich Scott. “She’s been consistently going 3-for-3 these last couple games and that’s pretty hot. We want that in the middle of the lineup.’
Stofik wasn’t the only Panther to go deep either. 2-hole hitter Abbey Schwartz and cleanup hitter Lauren Beal also managed to smack home runs of their own on the way to their team’s 7-run victory.
It’s not very often you see teams that can hit like Quakertown can, and it gives them a clear advantage over almost anyone they face.
“This is what we expect from those guys in the middle of the lineup,’ said Scott. “They (Scwartz, Stofik, and Beal) can hit the ball and they’ve come a long way and are playing really well for us now and that is the key for us.’
Despite all the scoring coming being done by Quakertown, the Cardinals weren’t going to go down without a fight.
Trailing 9-2 in the fourth leadoff hitter Sarah Tannenbaum hit a 2-run homerun of her own for Upper Dublin to pull them closer but they just didn’t have what it took to keep up with the hot bats on the other side.
“That team (Quakertown) just hit’s the ball well and runs the bases well and when you play them you have to bring your best game,’ said Upper Dublin head coach Heather Boyer. “We took a play or two off out there and they made us pay for it. We have full intensity and full focus about 85-90 percent of the time and we need to have it 100 percent of the time and that’s when we’ll be able to take that next step.’’
Quakertown 12
Upper Dublin 5
Quakertown 0 0 4 5 2 1 0 – 12 17 2
Upper Dublin 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 – 5 7 1
WP: Ryan Kemmerling (4IP, 4R, 3ER, 4H, 4K, 2BB, 0HBP).
LP: Erin Gallagher (3.2IP, 10R, 10ER, 11H, 3K, 2BB, 0HBP).
2B: Halle Frederick (Q),
3B: Sarah Stofik (Q)
HR: Abbey Schwartz (Q), Sarah Stofik (Q), Lauren Beal (Q), Sarrah Tannenbaum (UD)