Shearer strikes out 18 in one-hitter, North Penn tops Gov. Mifflin in PIAA-6A first round

TOWAMENCIN >> Another stout pitching performance from senior Julia Shearer lifted North Penn over Gov. Mifflin on Monday.

Shearer allowed one hit — a solo homer — and recorded 18 strikeouts to lift the Knights to a 3-1 win over the Mustangs in a PIAA Class 6A first-round softball game.

“It’s always great coming into states with a bang,” Shearer said. “We managed to put together some runs and hold them off.”

North Penn (25-0), the District 1 champion, hasn’t lost since the 2022 state semifinals when they fell to Spring-Ford, the eventual champion.

“Our goal all year has been 28-0,” Knights coach Rick Torresani said. “That hasn’t changed, and it still won’t change until somebody beats us.”

Coming off a perfect game in the District 1 final, Shearer picked up another win. Aside from the homer, the only baserunner the Maryland commit allowed in seven innings was a hit batter.

“I had to provide for my team,” Shearer said. “No matter what happened at the plate with my at-bats, I was locked in in the circle.”

North Penn opened the scoring in the first inning with two runs, as a groundout by first baseman Brie Wilmot drove in catcher Sarah Sabocsik. A Gov. Mifflin throwing error on the play allowed shortstop Annabella Smink to also score.

“We’re always going to be aggressive on the basepaths,” Torresani said. “We’re always going to try to do the things to produce runs when we’re not hitting.”

The Knights were quieted by Mustangs pitcher Carly Angstadt, who allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings. The senior had five strikeouts.

“Carly has been doing great for us all year,” Mifflin coach Dave Connor said. “A great performance from Carly today.”

The fourth-place finisher from District 3, the Mustangs scored in the sixth when center fielder Kayla Williams blasted a solo home run to left field to make it 2-1.

“It certainly gave us a spark,” Connor said. “It got us a little bit more life.”

North Penn responded with a run in its half of the sixth, as a double from designated player Casey Sokol knocked in pinch-hitter Jaclyn Diaz to make it 3-1.

The Knights will look to continue their perfect season in the quarterfinals on Thursday, when they will take on either Hazleton or Plymouth Whitemarsh.

“We’ll be looking forward to it,” Torresani said about a potential rematch with Plymouth Whitemarsh. “As long as we can keep advancing, that’s all I care about.”

Monday’s loss marked the end of the season for Gov. Mifflin, which finished 18-7.

“Our season got us to this point, so it’s been a great year,” Connor said. “It was a great effort on everybody’s part, both today and this