Plymouth Whitemarsh’s offense comes alive late in win over Upper Moreland

WILLOW GROVE >> Plymouth Whitemarsh had no trouble getting runners on base early against Upper Moreland. The Colonials had 11 runners get into scoring position in the first four innings of their Suburban One League crossover matchup Wednesday afternoon.

The problem was those 11 runners turned into just three runs on the scoreboard and a two-run lead.

Things changed in the later innings. PW scored three runs in the fifth inning, four runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to handle the Golden Bears, 14-3, at Upper Moreland Senior High School.

“It took a while,” PW coach Mike Perez said. “That was our frustration coming off of Monday’s game against Tennent. We just took too long to adjust and that was my fear with this game. We were taking a little too long to adjust. We definitely did finally adjust. The bats came alive. That’s what our offense is capable of on any given day. It’s just a matter of whether we want to put it all together. We were finally able to do that.”

“In our past couple games our issue has been leaving runners on,” PW’s Molly Moore said. “Unselfish hitting – hitting a groundball to the right side with runners on second and third – today it feels like we really pulled it together. It is the unselfish hitting that coach was talking about.”

It was the bottom of the lineup that really turned things around for the Colonials (11-4, 9-2 SOL Liberty). Rian Reed, Anna Powel, Jenna Yablon and Joslyn Perez – the No. 6, 7, 8 and 9 hitters – went 5-for-6 in the fifth and sixth innings with six runs scored, an RBI and a walk.

They set the table for the top of the lineup, who delivered to keep the runs piling up. Leadoff batter Marissa Perez and Caelin Kosvitch worked back-to-back bases-loaded walks before Moore hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning to add three runs and make it a 6-1 game.

“The freshmen have been phenomenal this year,” Moore said. “They really have been a help. When the upperclassmen are falling behind, the freshmen really pick us up.

“(Everyone hitting) makes the game so much easier. It takes a lot of pressure off me as a pitcher, too, to have a little bit of a lead and be able to relax a little.”

In the sixth inning, Reed led off with a single and Powel followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Yablon’s sacrifice fly brought home Reed before Maddie Carr, a courtesy runner for Powel, scored on a wild pitch. Joslyn Perez doubled, Kosvitch walked and both scored on a Sam Skivo single to give the Colonials a 10-2 lead in the middle of the sixth.

“The girls at the bottom of the lineup today are our top two hitters on the season,” Mike Perez said of Yablon and Joslyn Perez. “They’ve been setting the tone all year long. They’ve been coming up big for us all year long. Not your typical bottom of the lineup hitters, but they seem comfortable there so I don’t want to mess with it if it’s working. They’ve been phenomenal and the top of the lineup has done a great job of bringing them around.”

Grace Carney hit a pinch-hit RBI triple in the top of the seventh before Joslyn Perez ripped an RBI double. Kosvitch had an RBI groundout and Moore an RBI double to get PW to 14 runs.

PW got on the board in the first inning when Kosvitch scored on an error and Reed singled home Skivo. Kosvitch brought home Yablon with a single in the top of the fourth.

“They definitely hit our gaps,” Upper Moreland coach Melanie Martino said. “We had a couple of mistakes and they just hit better. They hit our gaps. I felt like we played a pretty decent defensive game. We didn’t hit nearly as well as we normally do today. They just out-hit us.”

Moore started in the circle for the Colonials and kept the Golden Bears (8-6, 5-5 SOL Freedom) in check for seven innings. She allowed three runs on six hits and struck out 10 batters to two walks.

Alyssa Wiley was a bright spot for Upper Moreland. The senior centerfielder, who had ankle surgery at the end of her sophomore season in 2021 and is now the team’s leading hitter, went 3-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a walk. She led off the bottom of the first inning with a double and hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh.

“Alyssa is a game-changer for us,” Martino said. “She has been that player that when the ball is hit to her, I know it’s going to get caught. When she’s up to bat I know she’s going to get on base. She’s going to get on base, she’s going to steal, she’s going to get the job done… It’s not unusual for her to go 3-for-3, 2-for-3, 3-for-4 and she is always putting the ball in play.

“It’s been a long battle and she’s worked hard, but it’s nice to see her have a big year her senior year.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh 14, Upper Moreland 3

Plymouth Whitemarsh 200 134 4 – 14

Upper Moreland 100 010 1 – 3

WP: Molly Moore 7 IP 10 K 2 BB 6 H 3 R

LP: Kelly Bates 4 IP 1 K 2 BB 8 H 3 R

2B: PW: Sam Skivo, Anna Powel, Joslyn Perez 2, Molly Moore. UM: Alyssa Wiley.

3B: Grace Carney.

HR: UM: Alyssa Wiley.