Wiley, Upper Moreland roll past Lansdale Catholic in 5 innings

UPPER MORELAND >> The winds were howling Friday afternoon. But Upper Moreland’s Gabbrielle Wiley was a sea of calm at the plate.

“It was easier being comfortable with all the girls, going to school with them and Coach Mo (Melanie Martino), who’ been there since Day One,” Wiley said. “I wasn’t really thinking anything I guess, I kind of just stopped thinking which is beneficial for me.”

Wiley helped lead a strong offensive outing for the Golden Bears softball team as it returned to action after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Holy Family commit reached base on all four plate appearances against visiting Lansdale Catholic, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs – the last two on a walk-off double to seal Upper Moreland’s 11-1 five-inning victory in the season opener for both sides.

“Gabby is really a solid, consistent player and leader,” Martino said. “She’s not the loudest girl on the team, she’s not the most vocal captain but she just leads by example, she leads by work ethic, she leads by consistently picking up her teammates when needed and just getting the job done all the time.”

Chloe Kramer and Ava Bailey each posted a pair of hits as the Golden Bears grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning then extended the advantage to 6-0 with a four spot in the third capped by Devyn Kniese’s two-run home run.

“Devyn with the homer is a big deal – she turns 16 this week, she had her first homer on this field” Martino said. “She’s only a sophomore so we’ve been expecting big things from her and she’s certainly delivering in every way. And she’s an incredibly coachable kid.”

The Bears tacked on two more in the fourth before Lansdale Catholic broke through in the top of the fifth on Sage Borro’s RBI single. Upper Moreland, however, enacted the 10-run rule in the bottom of the frame – Rylee McDade scoring on a two-out error while Wiley plated the final two runs with bases-loaded double.

“I was thinking don’t be the third out. I’m being honest,” Wiley said. “And then, I don’t know, I was just like if you don’t swing, you won’t hit it so I swung and then I hit it so that was good.”

UM freshman Eowyn Stainbeck took a shutout into the fifth as she earned the win, the right-hander allowing one unearned run on four hits, walked five and struck out five in 4 1/3 innings.

“Eowyn has actually only been pitching for a little over a year,” Martino said. “She’s kind of come late to the game as some people would say but she’s like an absolute natural. She’s incredibly easy to coach, she responds well to any type of direction and considering this was her first experience I felt like she really kept her composure and just stayed and followed the plan and she did a great job.”

Softball season openers in March run the spectrum of weather conditions. Friday saw warm temperatures but also featured consistent wind gusts – the blustery afternoon requiring a bit more focus on the defensive side of play.

“It didn’t affect us so much hitting I don’t think but in the field there were a few popups that definitely you could tell were carried by the wind,” Wiley said. “So that was a little bit of a challenge.”

Upper Moreland next plays Monday when it visits Bensalem for a 3:30 p.m. matchup. Lansdale Catholic is back on the field Monday, April 5 at Souderton.

“It was a fun way to start my senior year,” Wiley said. “It sucked not being able to play last year, especially being so close with that senior class and all the talent they had. It was really sucky not to play with them and finish it out but I’m excited to see what this year holds for us.”

The Crusaders loaded the bases in the top of the first after Borro’s two-out walk but Stainbeck got the next batter to fly out to second.

In the bottom of the first, Bailey scored UM’s first run Haleigh Woodman’s RBI groundout while an error on the play allowed Wiley to come home to make it 2-0.

LC loaded the bases again with one out in the top of the second only for Stainbeck to work out of the jam with a strikeout and a force out at third on a fielder’s choice.

The Golden Bears pushed its lead to 6-0 in the third thanks to runs on an error and a Kaitlyn Lennox single then Kniese’s two-run blast over the fence in left field.

UM went up 8-0 in the bottom of the fourth on RBI singles by Bailey and Wiley.

“Very happy to start the season this way, especially for the senior girls who didn’t get their season last year,” Martino said. “It was really nice to be able to start off with a win and set the tone for the expectations for each other that they have.”