Chapmans’ sister act gives Ridley shot in the arm

RIDLEY TWP — Morgan and Madison Chapman are what you might expect from sisters separated by one grade.

Morgan, a junior, and the sophomore Madison are standouts on the Ridley softball team.

“They always hang out, but they always fight,” Ridley coach Brooke Berger said. “It’s hysterical to watch.”

When asked if there’s anything about her big sis that she has learned, whether in softball or life in general, Madison answered confusingly.

“What have I learned? From her?…”

Trying to get Madison to say something nice about Morgan was like pulling teeth.

“No, I don’t learn anything from her,” said Madison, prompting a playful shove by Morgan.

“What kind of answer is that!” Morgan exclaimed.

Morgan and Madison don’t always see eye to eye, but as long as they are swinging the bats the way they did in an 11-1 victory over Springfield, they can bicker and act like teenage sisters all they want.

Berger just hopes such behavior translates to more wins like Wednesday’s.

“I actually love it because it’s comic relief in practice,” Berger said. “All of the sudden you look over and one of them is punching the other in the arm.”

When the team voted on captains for the 2019 season, Berger said that Madison voted for Morgan … allegedly.

“Don’t let Madison fool you,” Berger said. “Or maybe Morgan just sent the emails on her behalf.”

The Chapman sisters accounted for four hits, including three for extra bases. Morgan was 3-for-3 with two triples, two RBIs and two runs scored. Madison stroked a double and scored a run.

Morgan also did plenty of damage with her pitching and glove work. She threw all five innings with four strikeouts and started two of Ridley’s three double plays.

In the first inning, Morgan fielded a grounder back to the circle, turned and fired to shortstop Ashley Shanks, who threw to first for the 1-6-3 twin killing.

In the third inning, when Springfield had the bases loaded and one out, Lanie Morris hit a bullet back to Morgan. She fell to one knee to catch then caught the runner at third base off the bag for a 1-5 double play.

“We definitely needed this win,” Morgan Chapman said. “In the beginning of the season, we were really rocky and we haven’t really been winning. With the two new freshmen (Mary DelFera and Dakota Marshall), they’re getting used to each other and we’re getting used to playing with them. Now I feel like we’re jelling a little bit better. But we really needed this — it was a good win.”

Morgan got the Green Raiders’ bats rolling in the second inning with a leadoff bunt single. She scored the game’s first run on a wild pitch. Madison ripped a double and scored on an error to make it 2-0.

After plating two more runs in the third, thanks to RBIs by Morgan Chapman and Marshall, the Green Raiders busted out the boom sticks in the fourth when they plated six runs on four base knocks. Morgan Chapman’s second RBI triple knocked in Sammy Williams, who legged out a three-bagger. Shanks and DelFera collected RBI singles.

Yeah, this was the sort of performance that Berger and her coaches were waiting to see.

“We have so much power in this lineup and seeing it in practice and just waiting for it to explode like that,” Berger said. “We haven’t been playing the best defense, so to see that come together in a big way today was very rewarding. We’ve had this potential, but we haven’t been able to put it together. But now we’re finally starting to come together, which is great to see.”

The Green Raiders walked off with the victory in the fifth inning when Shanks came around to score from second on a hit by DelFera.

“It’s exciting,” Morgan Chapman said. “Everyone was up for this game, everyone hit, everyone did a good job. It was great to see.”

Jenna Casasanto was 2-for-2 with a triple and run scored for the Cougars.

In other Central League games:

Upper Darby 12, Strath Haven 0 >> UD pitcher Rebecca Sorrentino registered her 300th career strikeout as the Royals routed the Panthers.

Sara Sullivan and Rylee Shanahan (two RBIs) both went 3-for-4 with a double. Camryn Young was a perfect 3-for-3 for UD.

Hazel Kane collected two of Strath Haven’s four hits.

Haverford 14, Harriton 0 >> Addison Joseph was 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored to lead the Fords (5-2, 4-1). Ali Murphy added a single, three RBIs and two runs. Emma Taylor pitched a one-hit shutout over four innings.

Conestoga 13, Marple Newtown 0 >> The Tigers (6-1) committed nine errors on the way to their first loss of the season. Lauren Lofland pitched a five-inning shutout, and Libby Winters had two hits and scored two runs.

Garnet Valley 15, Radnor 0 >> Becca Halford threw a four-inning perfect game and helped herself with a triple and two RBIs.

Kelly McLaughlin went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks and two RBIs for the Jaguars. Olivia DiCampli had two singles and three RBIs. Kayleigh Saboja and Annie Bechtold also drove in three runs apiece.

In the Ches-Mont League:

Sun Valley 15, W.C. Rustin 11 >> The Vanguards won a slugfest that included a combined 27 hits.

Winning pitcher Brianna Lawson paced the SV bats going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs. Madison Koons belted a home run, and Kylie Kane chipped in with three base knocks.

In the Bicentennial League:

Delco Christian 9, Lower Moreland 8 >> The Knights battled back from a four-run, sixth-inning deficit, but fell a run short of tying things up. Abbi Heacock fanned 12 from the circle and went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Caitie Goneau slugged a two-run double in the loss.

In nonleague play:

Bonner & Prendergast 7, Notre Dame 3 >> Mia Falcone roped a run-scoring double and Sam Kilson drove in one with a three-bagger as the Pandas (5-4, 3-1) downed the Irish. Molly Muldoon was 2-for-3 and Sam Lachette pitched a complete game.