Shearer homers, strikes out 12 as North Penn shuts out Neshaminy to stay undefeated

TOWAMENCIN >> Julia Shearer struck out the first seven Neshaminy batters before giving up a single to Rachel Allen with one out in the top of the third inning.

North Penn softball’s senior left-hander, however, went right back registering strikeouts. And when Shearer came up to bat in the bottom of the frame with one out and a runner on second, the state’s reigning Gatorade Player of the Year belted a ball beyond the center-field fence for a two-run home run.

“I was doing pretty well up until that point,” said Shearer of allowing the single. “One hit is one hit, it doesn’t really matter. But I was just trying to get a hit for myself in general. I mean, a home run’s not that bad.”

Shearer’s blast extended the Knights’ lead to 6-0 in Friday afternoon’s Suburban One League crossover contest. North Penn tacked on another four runs in the third in continuing its dominant form, staying undefeated by rolling past Neshaminy 10-0 in five innings.

“Obviously everyone wants to beat us, we’re the team to beat this year and we come in and we have a lot of fun but once we step on the field it’s all seriousness,” Shearer said. “We’re playing our game and when we get in the dugout we have fun, we cheer for our teammates so we’re having fun but we’re also playing our game and I think that’s a really good balance to have.”

With a talented and experienced lineup returning from two deep postseason runs – winning the PIAA-6A title in 2021 then claiming the District 1 title and reaching the state semis last year – Knights coach Rick Torresani is not shying away from high expectations. And North Penn maybe exceeded those, having outscored their opponents 99-2 in starting the season 11-0 (7-0 SOL Colonial).

“Every practice on the scoreboard I put 28-0 and I did from our first workout – 28-0,” Torresani said. “I figured this team was going to be good, I didn’t know it was going to be this good but I want them to focus on 28-0. There’s going to be times where we do lose a game, OK, but their focus is 28-0.”

Shearer struck out 12 in pitching a two-hit shutout – her ninth of the season – while the Maryland commit also went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

“What she did was she developed a really good rise ball and she’s gotten faster, I mean she’s close to 70 (miles per hour) now and last year she was 65,” said Torresani of Shearer’s pitching. “So she’s really increased her speed. Her changeup is working really well so I mean she’s a four-pitch pitcher and she’s a six-tool player.”

Senior shortstop Annabelle Smink was 3-for-3 with a trio of singles, two RBIs and scored twice. Casey Sokol went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored while Brie Wilmot collected three RBIs as she reached on all three of her plate appearances with a single and two walks.

“We’re killing it right now,” said Smink, a Drexel commit. “Jules killing it out there on the mound and we’re all here right behind her if she needs us.”

Both teams have home SOL crossover games Tuesday. Neshaminy (6-6, 5-4 SOL Patriot), which has lost its last two, takes on Pennridge at 3:30 p.m. while North Penn faces Council Rock North at 3:45 p.m.

Shearer led off the bottom of the first reaching second on an error, advanced to third on Sarah Sabocsik’s fly out to right then scored on a RBI single by Smink.

“I was just kind of looking for my pitch,” Smink said “Last game I didn’t do as well and I wanted to do better than I did for my team anyway. So I was just looking for my pitch and I drove it through.”

Three batters later, Sophia Orth’s two-out RBI single brought in Smink to make it 2-0 Knights.

North Penn doubled its lead with two runs in the second. Sokol started the bottom of the inning with a single while a one-out Shearer base hit then a Sabocsik walk loaded the bases. Smink knocked in a run with an RBI single while Wilmot’s walk brought in another for a 4-0 lead.

“I feel like that’s the special thing about us, it doesn’t matter where we start off in the lineup, we’re confident that everyone can get on base, get a hit,” Shearer said. “And if we start in the middle of the lineup we’ll come right back around and we’ll just keep hitting. Other teams might not feel the same way but in here we’re confident that any of our kids in the lineup can hit.”

With one out in the bottom of the third, Sokol doubled to center with Shearer connecting on her two-run homer for a 6-0 advantage two batters later with two outs.

“It was 3-0 and I knew it was coming right down the middle and he gave me the green light so I was just like ‘Why not?’” Shearer said. “Cause it was right there for me.”

A Sabocsik bunt single and Smink’s third base hit of the afternoon put a pair on for Wilmot, who drove in both to make it 8-0 with a two-RBI single through the right side of the infield.

Gianna Cimino doubled down the first-base line while Orth’s walk loaded the bases. Bella Nunn dropped a single into right the next at-bat, plating both Wilmot and Cimino for a 10-0 lead.

Olivia Hughes collected Neshaminy’s second hit with a two-out single in the fourth but Shearer retired the next four – second baseman Cimino reaching out to catch a ball behind second to seal the five-inning win.

North Penn 10, Neshaminy 0 (5)
Neshaminy 000 00 – 0 2 1
North Penn 226 0X – 10 12 0
WP: Julia Shearer 5 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 12 SO.
LP: Riley Bilbrey 2.2 IP 7 H 7 R 4 ER 3 BB 1 SO.
2B: NP-Gianna Cimino, Casey Sokol; HR: NP-Shearer.
North Penn: Shearer 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R; Sokol 2-3, 2 R; Annabelle Smink 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 R; Brie Wilmot 3 RBI.