Conestoga rolls over neighboring Great Valley in softball season opener
TREDYFFRIN >> Taking the softball field for a ballgame after an absence of nearly two years, Conestoga savored its 15-5 win against Great Valley at Louis D’Ambrosia Park Friday afternoon.
“We’re grateful to have a season,” said Conestoga senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Kate Clement, who had two hits, scored two runs and made several fine catches Friday. “My sophomore year, we won the Central League title for the first time since 2007, and we went to States. I’m excited to play with this group of girls.”
“It feels really good to be back on the field,” said Pioneer junior shortstop Libby Winters, who had a home run, triple and double into the teeth of Friday’s strong winds. “It’s nice to play with a team as supportive as ours, with the COVID situation.”
Conestoga got off to a quick start in the first inning. Clement reached second base on an error, Alison Noll sacrificed her to third, then Winters lined a triple to right field to score Clement. Winters scored on an error, and the Pioneers led 2-0.
The Pioneers scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Winters led off with a home run over the left field fence. Casey Kovarick lined a single to left, then Arianna Lucci laid down a bunt, and reached second on an error. Katie Chuss’ sacrifice bunt scored Kovarick, then Conestoga pitcher Sydney Tartaglio walked and stole second, while Lucci scored to make it 5-0. Another walk, a passed ball and an infield error led to two more runs.
In the top of the fifth, Great Valley rallied for five runs to cut the Pioneers’ lead to 7-5. Jaimee Hooven led off with a walk, Nandita Kaylan lined a single to deep short and a Conestoga infield error loaded the bases. Ayla Steinberg singled to right center to knock in a run, then cleanup hitter Kaitlyn Williams-Koester hit a two-run single to center.
After a Pioneer error loaded the bases, Sydney Baur cracked a two-run single to left to make the score 7-5. The next batter hit a grounder to Kovarick at third base, who turned a nice double play, and the Patriot rally ended.
Conestoga came right back with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth. Tartaglio led off with a single to deep short. A double by Ella Bass made it 8-5, then Clement, Noll and Winters hit consecutive singles to score two more runs. With the bases loaded, Tartaglio walked on a 3-2 count, then Hannah Zhang banged a two-run single to left field to make the score 14-5.
In the bottom of the sixth, with two outs and the bases empty, Conestoga ended the game on the 10-run mercy rule when Winters walked, Kovarick singled to left, Maddie Picha beat out a bunt for a single, and with the bases loaded and two out, Allison Roessler drew an RBI walk to give the Pioneers a 15-5 lead and the game.
Conestoga batters drew eight walks Friday in addition to their 13 hits, for an on-base percentage above .500. On the mound, Tartaglio earned a complete-game victory, allowing only one walk, striking out four batters, and throwing 93 pitches – 58 of them for strikes.
A strong westerly wind of over 20 MPH to right field made fly balls a challenge, but Clement, who will be playing for Franklin & Marshall next spring, made some fine catches in center.
“Playing in the wind was a big adjustment, but our outfielders were talking with each other, communicating on fly balls, and that helps,” said a smiling Clement.
Conestoga softball co-coach Todd Whitlow said, “Our team is getting better every time we’re on the field. They weren’t perfect today, but they kept focus, hit well and played some good defense.”
The other Pioneer co-coach, Kevin Conaway, said, “We tell the girls that of the three parts of the game [hitting, pitching and defense], if you do two of them, you’re on the plus side, and if you do all three, you’re going to win. We did at least two [hitting and pitching] today.”
Great Valley head coach Rob Montgomery is in his first year of leading the Patriots, who won four games in 2019. Great Valley currently has a small roster, with only 14 varsity players, and two girls were missing Friday with COVID quarantine. But the Patriots refused to quit against powerful Conestoga, rallying for five runs when trailing 7-0.
Montgomery saw some bright spots in Friday’s contest. The Patriots cracked out 10 hits, two of them by Baur, who was playing her first game at catcher. Ayla Steinberg and Amy Magee each had two hits as well. And Great Valley has a nice building block in freshman shortstop Nadia Nemeth, who reached base twice Friday, the last time on a hard-hit single to deep short, and stole a base.
“[Nemeth] should be there for four years,” said Montgomery. “We are a young team, with only two seniors, and we’re looking to gain experience and improve as the season goes on.”
Conestoga 15, Great Valley 5
Great Valley 000 050 – 5
Conestoga 205 071 – 15
2B – Bass, Winters. 3B – Winters. HR – Winters.
WP – Tartaglio. LP – A.Magee.
