Smink hits 2-RBI double, DiGiuseppe homers as North Penn shuts out CR North

TOWAMENCIN >> Stepping up to the plate with two on, two out and the North Penn softball team holding just a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, Annabelle Smink knew it was a moment she had to come through.

“I needed to do something in that at-bat,” the sophomore third baseman said. “I needed to score those runs in so we could get a higher lead.”

Smink seized the opportunity – slicing a pitch into right center for opposite-field double, bringing in both runners to extend the Knights’ lead over visiting Council Rock North to three.

“It was there,” Smink said. “It was my pitch so I took it and drove it the other way.”

An inning later, Carley DiGiuseppe added more insurance with a solo home run to left and that was more than enough for Mady Volpe, who struck out 12 in pitching a two-hit shutout and North Penn finished a windy Friday afternoon with a 4-0 victory over the Indians.

“This is the type of that no matter who you are and how good you are, you could lose cause you never know what’s going to happen,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said. “The wind does something or your pitcher can’t get the ball over the plate. So I’m just glad we came out of here with a 4-0 win.

“Mady got her 12 strikeouts which is pretty much average for her lately and another shutout.”

Sarah Sabocsik was 2-for-3 with a run scored as the Knights extended (11-1, 5-0 SOL Colonial) their win streak to five. Volpe, who has recorded double-digits strikeouts in every game this season, gave up just a pair of singles and three walks in earning her third consecutive shutout.

“Definitely just like fastballs and changeups,” Volpe said. “Just hitting my spots like I said. It is difficult to spin the ball with the wind cause it is a little tricky but just sticking with my break and butter fast and change.”

The blustery conditions were pretty much constant Friday with a few heavy gusts making a steady focus playing in the field even more of a necessity during the Suburban One League crossover contest.

“The wind was definitely a difficult thing to adjust to but we just adjust to it because we can’t always control the weather,” said DiGiuseppe, a Bloomfield commit. “We had to make sure we were hustling for everything – the ball could of seem it was going one way and go complete other way.”

That seemed to be the case when Sophia Collins led off the bottom of the fifth with a high pop up that dropped down in the middle of the infield for a single.

“When Sophie came up I said, ‘I don’t care how you get on, just get on,’” Torresani said. “And when she came back in she said, “Coach, I got on. I got on.’ I said, ‘OK.’”

After a strikeout on a foul bunt and fly out to left, Sabocsik kept the inning going by chopping a single down the first-base line to put runners on the corners.

Sabocsik stole second to make it second and third with two outs when Smink connected on her two-RBI double to right center. Smink went to third after an error on the play but a fly out to left the next at-bat left her there, keeping North Penn’s lead at 3-0.

“She’s another sophomore – Bri (Wilmot) at first has been hitting really well, Annabelle has been doing the job for us and Sara behind the plate is a sophomore,” Torresani said. “So yeah, Annabelle, that was a clutch hit.”

DiGiuseppe provided another two-out run in the bottom of the sixth as the senior left fielder belted a solo homer over the fence in left and on to the hill behind it for a 4-0 lead.

“My previous at-bats I didn’t do too good,” DiGiuseppe said. “So I knew that I wanted to go up there relaxed, not thinking about those last at-bats – this is a new at-bat.”

Both teams’ next game is against Truman – CR North hosting the SOL Patriot matchup 3:30 p.m. Saturday while North Penn is home against the Tigers 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

“I’m really confident in this group,” said Volpe, a Coastal Carolina commit. “I feel like that loss against Pennsbury was really just a wakeup call for us and just showing everyone who we are. And, I mean, we are very young team but I don’t think anyone can notice that from looking at our scores and our hits and who’s producing in the lineup.

“So I’m really proud of this team overall with the energy, everyone, the people on the bench. And just the coaches are doing an amazing job and just girls are really holding themselves accountable which is good.”

Starting pitcher Kat Hastings took the loss in a complete-game effort for CR North (5-6, 2-2 SOL Patriot). She allowed four runs – three earned – on six hits, walked two and struck out three.

“She’s a good pitcher,” said DiGiuseppe of Hastings. “She was getting the balls in places where she was getting the calls and we just had to adjust to her pitching. So in the beginning we were a little iffy about it, we weren’t really getting the bat on the ball but then when we needed it we got the ball in play, and yeah, really came through with the at-bats.”

North Penn took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Volpe led off with a walk while Wilmot knocked a single through into right center to two on with no outs.

The next at-bat, Wilmot was forced out at second on Gianna Cimino’s grounder to first but an error as CR North tried for a double play at first allowed Jaclyn Diaz – Volpe’s courtesy runner – to score.

Council Rock North, which was shut out for the first time team season, collected its first hit when Molly Sheehy singled through the right side with two outs in the first. The Indians did not get another until Hastings led off the seventh with a single to left.

In the top of the fourth, Sheehy reached second on a fielder’s choice and error then advanced to third on a two-out passed ball. Volpe, however, ended the threat with a strikeout looking.