It’s deja vu for Springfield’s Ava Shaner as comeback Cougars top Haverford

SPRINGFIELD – Ava Shaner doesn’t seem to mind being in the middle of Springfield’s walk-off celebrations.

For the second time this season, the senior delivered the winning hit at home. Shaner’s line drive single to center field on Monday scored freshman pitcher Payton Feeney and lifted Springfield to a 5-4 victory over Haverford.

“The pressure was on, but my head was in the game and I was ready to hit that ball,” Shaner said.

Monday’s game winner was almost a carbon copy of Shaner’s hit that gave her team a 5-4 win over Marple Newtown in March. As was the case in that game, which was the first at the new baseball and softball complex on Springfield Road, the Cougars had fallen behind 4-0 early and had to fight all the way back.

“We always try to keep our heads up and keep playing hard,” Shaner said. “We know we will get them next time and we will never give up. We just keep going and going.”

That was Shaner’s mentality when, moments earlier, she saw Ryleigh Frye get thrown out at home on a perfect relay throw by Haverford’s Shannon Gavigan. Feeney hit a laser to the fence in left-center field. With one out, Frye, who walked to begin the rally, took off from second base and got the call from coach Todd Odgers to go home. It was a bang-bang play, but catcher Morgan Barrett got the tag in before Frye’s foot crossed the dish.

“The ball came right off the fence, and I thought I cannot not send her here,” Odgers said. “I knew it would take two good throws and a tag. Ryleigh’s trying to go wide and that kid (Barrett) did a great job of grabbing the ball and then catching a piece of her the other way around. It was a great tag.”

Odgers exhaled and pumped his first in the air when with one out Shaner delivered and Feeney was able to trot home from third. The loss by the Fords snapped their eight-game winning streak.

“Same deal as Marple,” Odgers said. “We were down 4-0 and we came back and (Shaner) had a single to win it for us.”

Haverford (10-3) sent nine batters to the plate and scored all four of its runs in the first inning off Feeney, who settled in after a shaky start. Kylie Ingram greeted her with a single to begin the game. After Gavigan worked a walk, Grace Ciochetto smacked a two-double to put the Fords up 2-0. Meghan Kent and pitcher Lucy Wolf added RBI singles.

“I know that my team doesn’t get too down if we are losing,” said Feeney, who allowed only three singles after the first inning and struck out seven. “I kind of fixed my motion and I was focusing on where I needed to hit my spots instead of just throwing the ball.”

Feeney is one of the most promising underclassmen in the Central League as a pitcher and hitter. Odgers, who coached the Cougars to a PIAA championship in 2014, has seen many great pitchers come through his program over the years. Feeney has the potential to be special. And she showed Monday that early adversity doesn’t rattle her.

“She didn’t have her best stuff in the first, but she doesn’t get fazed ever,” Odgers said. “And then once she kind of gets that feel and gets going, she’s really good. She’s been doing a great job all year. As I’ve been saying to the team, with her pitching and the way we’ve been playing defense and hitting the ball, there is nobody that we can’t compete with at this point.”

Frye awakened the Cougars’ bats when she blasted a solo home run in the fourth inning. Shaner doubled in the inning to put two runners in scoring position with one out, but Wolf worked out of trouble.

Springfield (6-4) plated two more runs in the fifth. Frye hit a bloop single to left to knock in Ava Craddock, who had singled. Ally Heston scored with a head-first slide on a wild pitch to cut the Cougars’ deficit to 4-3. In the sixth inning, Nikki Morrison singled to bring home Kayla Frye to tie the game.

This was a key win for Springfield in its chase for a District 1 Class 6A playoff berth. The Cougars entered the week in 20th place, nine places behind the Fords.

Elsewhere in the Central League:

Garnet Valley 3, Penncrest 1 >> Emily Orsini’s two-run homer snapped a 1-1 deadlock and helped the unbeaten Jaguars win a pitchers’ duel against the Lions. GV ace Anna Sidlowski fanned 16 batters and was unhittable after allowing a first-inning run.

Penncrest’s Kelly Cornog, who struck out eight and gave up three hits, was outstanding from the circle in the loss.

Ridley 14, Harriton 3 >> Riley Smith homered, singled and reached base four times for the undefeated Green Raiders.

Winning pitcher Jolie Torrens finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Paige McLaughlin crushed a three-run homer and added a single. Bree Benedetto produced two hits, and Sydney Schaefer doubled.

Marple Newtown 8, Upper Darby 0 >> Giovanna Pavone tossed a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts and helped her cause at the plate by going 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Madi Coll singled and drove in two runs, while Grace Corner added a double for the Tigers.

Breann Fritticci went 3-for-3 for the Royals.