Miller, Mihelcic hit home runs as Soudeton edges Pennridge

FRANCONIA >> After the Souderton softball team navigated its way through a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the fifth inning to stay tied with Pennridge, Makayla Mihelcic continued the Indians’ momentum leading off the bottom of the frame.

“I always look for inside fastball just so I’m ahead of it and then look away when you can,” Mihelcic said. “Make sure you can go right field when it’s away.”

Souderton junior catcher got a hold of a pitch and sent it over the fence in right field for a home run to break Thursday afternoon’s 2-2 deadlock.

“I’m not looking for a home run cause that makes me strike out,” Mihelcic said. I’m just looking for a base hit – home run kind of happens when it happens.”

Lindsay Detwiler’s RBI single in the sixth put the Indians up two, the cushion coming in handy as the Rams attempted a two-out rally in the seventh but Souderton held on for a 4-3 Suburban One League Colonial Division victory.

“Today we just wanted to go into it at least hitting for contact because so far our bats haven’t been hot,” Souderton senior center fielder Sierra Miller said. “So it was really good just to see everybody get some swings in, including Makayla and Lindsey with some good hits.”

Miller provided the Indians (2-2, 1-0) their first of two home runs in the contest with two outs in the bottom of the second – connecting on a two-run blast to give Big Red a 2-1 advantage.

“Down in Myrtle (Beach), our spring training trip, I had just gone 0-for-the entire weekend,” Miller said “So to get that hit and start it back up was amazing.”

Pennridge (1-2, 0-2) knotted things 2-2 in the top of the fourth on Payton Keyser’s RBI bunt then began its half of the fifth with three straight singles to load the bases. But Souderton recorded outs on the next three at-bats to remain level before Mihelcic’s solo shot to begin the bottom of the inning gave Big Red the lead for good.

“I did think overall we produced in a decent amount of the opportunities that we had,” Rams senior center fielder Reagan Bauman said. “But yeah there were definitely a few key moments that we missed out on.”

Bauman, a Shippensburg commit, doubled to right with two outs in the top of the seventh then scored to make it 4-3 as Averi Dockery followed with a single and advanced all the way to third on the play. Souderton pitcher McKenna Schroding, however, got the next batter to hit a ground ball back to her for the final out.

“Averi coming through with another big hit after my hit that got us excited too,” Bauman said. “I was really pumped up after that one but then just coming up short a little bit.”

Bauman finished 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored while Dockery was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

Leadoff hitter Cameron Nadolski went 2-for-3 for Souderton, which visits Neshaminy in an SOL crossover game at 3:30 p.m. Monday. Pennridge hosts Coatesville in a nonleague matchup at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Druckenmiller Playground.

Schroding earned the win with a complete-game effort in the circle. The right-hander allowed three runs – all earned – on 10 hits in seven innings, walked two and struck out 10.

Rams starting pitcher Grace Helbling took the loss after giving up four runs – all earned – on five hits in six innings. The righty had four strikeouts and three walks.

Pennridge took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Helbling drew a two-out walk with her courtesy runner Clara Barron going to second on a wild pitch then scoring on an RBI single by Bauman.

In the bottom of the second, Lily Ponce walked with one out then after a strikeout Miller put Souderton ahead 2-1 with her two-run homer to center.

“I wasn’t really looking for anything to be honest,” Miller said. “I just saw the ball. She had missed her spot, it was right down the middle and right belt high so I just took it.”

After struggling on the Indians’ trip to South Carolina – where Big Red dropped two games to Pittsburgh-area side Avonworth – Miller put in the work to improve her performance at the plate.

“When we came back I actually was taking videos of myself after practice and analyzing my swing,” she said. “And I found out I actually had a problem with dropping my back shoulder so when I went into the box it was more of, all right, stay level, stay center and just let it ride.”

Dockery opened the fourth with a walk while a hit by Ashleigh Kenworthy knocked off third base and into left field for a double. Two batters later, Keyser dropped a one-out bunt single to bring home Dockery to tie the game 2-2. Schroding posted back-to-back strikeouts to keep things even.

In the top of the fifth, Olivia Crognale dropped a leadoff single into shallow left. Helbling collected a single on a ball hit in front of home plate. A Bauman single loaded the bases with no outs.

After an infield pop out to the shortstop, Souderton got a force out at home on a grounder to the right side. Schroding struck on the next batter to maintain the 2-2 score line.

Mihelcic delivered the go-ahead run with her homer in the bottom of the fifth with Souderton making it 4-2 in the sixth. Madison Byrwa led off with a walk, went to second on Kendall Clemmer’s groundout, moved to third on a Ponce sacrifice bunt then scored on Detwiler’s RBI single.

Souderton 4, Pennridge 3
Pennridge 100 100 1 – 3 10 0
Souderton 020 011 x – 4 5 0
WP: McKenna Schroding 7 IP 10 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 10 SO.
LP: Grace Helbling 6 IP 5 H 4 R 4 ER 3 BB 4 SO.
2B: P-Reagan Bauman, Ashley Kenworthy, Ryleigh Lilly; HR-S-Makayla Mihelcic, Sierra Miller.
Pennridge: Bauman 3-4, RBI, R; Averi Dockery 2-3, RBI, R.
Souderton: Cameron Nadolski 2-3.