Helbling’s time comes as Pennridge pushes past Boyertown 5-3 in District 1-6A second round
BOYERTOWN >> Time was winding down for Grace Helbling.
Prior to Wednesday, the Pennridge senior had not stepped into the pitcher’s circle in a postseason game in her high school career.
As a sophomore, the Rams missed the postseason. As a junior, Pennridge missed Helbling, who suffered a season-ending broken arm while batting in mid-April.
On Wednesday in a District 1 Class 6A second round contest at No. 4 seed Boyertown, Helbling made up for lost time.
The Florida International University signee stayed strong throughout in a 15-strikeout complete game effort that helped No. 13 seed Pennridge pull past Boyertown, 5-3, to advance to the District 1 quarterfinals.
“This is my first time pitching in a playoff game in my four years. I just wanted to leave it all out there,” Helbling said. “This is my comeback season. That’s how I look at it. It’s my first good, full year back.”
It’s Pennridge’s first trip to the district quarterfinals in a decade: the Rams last made it in 2013, falling to eventual PIAA semifinalist North Penn in the round of eight.
Ashleigh Kenworthy was 2-for-4 with an RBI that came on the game’s biggest play, a bases-loaded single up the middle that was misplayed in center field and led to three Pennridge runs scoring in the third inning. Helbling had a double and catcher Olivia Crognale was 2-for-4 with an RBI double that gave the Rams an insurance run in the sixth.
After building a 5-1 lead, Helbling thwarted a comeback attempt by Boyertown in the seventh inning. The Bears, who got on the scoreboard with Alexis Laboy’s solo home run in the third inning, plated two runs after leadoff singles from Victoria Butler and Riley Carey led to a pair of RBI groundouts from Lauren Homa and Aubrey Gilbert.
But Helbling got the game-ending strikeout to earn Pennridge a quarterfinal matchup Friday with fellow Suburban One League outfit Plymouth Whitemarsh, which upset reigning state champion Spring-Ford 4-3 Wednesday.
“We have nothing to lose,” Helbling said. “We’re playing for each other. It’s our senior season and we have nothing to lose. We’re giving it our all.”
The Rams have found the right time to put the pieces together according to Crognale.
“I feel like at some points in the season we struggled to get girls in or we’d have hits but they weren’t together,” Crognale said. “Today and recently, it’s been clicking. We’ve been stringing hits together at the right time.”
Sophomore Averi Dockery handled the pitching role in Monday’s opening round, a four-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Neshaminy. With Helbling (7 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 15K, 2 BB) handling business Wednesday, Pennridge has proven to have two capable arms at the ready.
Boyertown also had a pair of capable starters for most of the season, but was down to one in the postseason after junior ace Ella Hurter was lost for the year at the end of the regular season due to injury. Sophomore Kyra Neiswender was thrust into the No. 1 role unexpectedly.
“It was definitely an adjustment and wasn’t something I was expecting to do, but when it comes down to what the team needs from me specifically, I’ll do what the team needs,” Neiswender said.
“The team had my back. They knew it was going to be a challenge without Ella, our main pitcher, but we were up for the challenge.”
Neiswender rose to the occasion Wednesday, allowing six hits and three earned runs over seven innings. Neiswender struck out nine and walked four. She said she was pleased with the effectiveness of her changeup while keeping the Bears in the game.
“That was one of my stronger pitching days, but it all comes down to hitting,” Neiswender said. “I think (Pennridge) wanted it a little bit more. We started hitting a little too late. The last inning we scored two runs and if we could have done that earlier in the game it would have benefitted us a lot.”
Neiswender praised her counterpart Helbling, crediting the action of the Rams senior’s curve for the effectiveness that led to 15 strikeouts.
“She had a wonderful curveball. She was really hitting the outside corner and her spin was very good,” said Neiswender. “We didn’t adjust until later in the game.”
It spelled the end of Boyertown’s season with an 18-4 record and a first-place finish in the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division.
“I think it was a record-breaking season for Boyertown,” Neiswender said. “We had a chip on our backs. Katelyn Dulin, one of our seniors, said, ‘We were PAC champions last year. Everyone is going to come at us wanting to beat us.’ For the most part we played very well. We finished 18-4, No. 4 in the district, No. 1 in the PAC (regular season). We didn’t end up winning PACs, which was our main goal, but it was an unforgettable season. I, along with most of the rest of the girls, am very proud of the way Boyertown softball played.”
That’s a feeling shared by Pennridge as it enjoys the ride and whatever is left of a season that stands one way away from state tournament qualification.
“We’ve honestly never been in this position before,” Crognale said. “Every previous year it didn’t click, but this year is just clicking and we’re all meshing so well together.”
Pennridge 5, Boyertown 3
| Pennridge | Boyertown | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Lilly | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Gilbert | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Crognale | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Dulin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Helbling | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Laboy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bauman | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Neiswender | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Dockery | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Mathias | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenworthy | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Schildt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barron | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Butler | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Linck | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Carey | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dovashinski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Homa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hangey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Keyser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Totals | 29 | 5 | 6 | 2 | Totals | 26 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
2B — Crognale, Helbling. HR-Laboy. SB- Gulbinski; Dulin.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| Pennridge | ||||||
| Helbling (W) | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| Boyertown | ||||||
| Neiswender (L) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
