NP’s Melone leading WCU baseball’s offense
Jared Melone is on a tear for West Chester.
The North Penn graduate, now a junior for the defending Division II national champions, is batting a team-best .429 among players with at least 10 at-bats. Melone, a third baseman, is 30-for-70 on the season with 25 RBIs, 19 runs scored, five doubles, a triple and three home runs. West Chester is currently 11-6 after dropping three of four games to Lock Haven over the weekend.
In a 14-12 Friday loss, Melone went 3-for-4 with two runs, then added two hits in a 3-2 loss on Saturday. The junior, who has started all 17 games, leads the Golden Rams in RBI, average, hits and doubles.
WCU freshman Justin Horn (Upper Dublin) is making a quick mark as well, batting .270 while also starting all 17 games. Horn has scored 22 runs and drive in eight on 17 hits while drawing 11 walks, the second-highest total on the team.
Penn State sophomore Mason Nadeau (North Penn) had a runscoring double in the Nittany Lions’ 5-3 win over NJIT on Satur-
day in the second game of a doubleheader. Nadeau, who had a slow start to the season, also had a hit and an RBI in Penn State’s 4-3 win over the Highlanders in the first game of Saturday’s twinbill.
Virginia freshman Alex Tappen (Wissahickon) has continued to be a mainstay in the Cavaliers lineup. Tappen has started all 23 games for UVA (13-10) and is batting .279, the thirdhighest mark among players appearing in more than 15 games. Playing in the outfield, the freshman has 24 hits and 11 RBIs with five doubles and has drawn six walks.
Gwynedd Mercy’s David Tatoian (Pennridge) had quite the day on Sunday in a 10-7 loss to Haverford. The former Ram went 2-for-5 with a triple, home run and two runs scored.
Millersville freshman Andrew Mayhew (Pennridge) gave his team some key relief innings on Sunday. Mayhew struck out five hitters in 3 2/3 innings of work spanning the 9th to 12th frames as the Marauders rallied for a 4-3 win over Seton Hill in 13 innings.
Bloomsburg’s Cole Swiger (Upper Dublin) is hitting .357 for the Huskies with seven doubles, a triple and a home run. Swiger has drive in eight runs and scored 13 times in 14 games, all starts while drawing a team-best 12 walks.
Men’s lacrosse
St. Joe’s redshirt freshman Nicholas Vernacchio (Upper Dublin) was the hero for the Hawks, scoring the game-winner in a 10-9 victory over Drexel on March 13. It was his first goal of the season as the redshirt freshman has appeared in six games with four starts.
Brian Hood (HatboroHorsham) dominated in the faceoff X for Cabrini on Saturday. The freshman won 11-of-14 faceoffs and added nine grounds balls in a 27-2 win over Keystone College.
Cabrini junior Riley White (Plymouth Whitemarsh) was named Colonial States Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending March 18. The goalie had seven saves and five ground balls in a 9-8 win over Ohio Wesleyan and 15 saves in a 19-12 victory against Ursinus.
Princeton sophomore Michael Sowers (Upper Dublin) had a goal and assist in the Tigers’ 16-8 loss to Yale on Saturday. Sowers was named to USILA Team of the Week for the week ending March 11 after totalling 17 total points in wins over NJIT and Rutgers that also pushed him over 100 career points. The sophomore leads Princeton with 25 assists and has 12 goals in seven games this season.
Women’s lacrosse
PSU-Abington sophomore Melissa Felicetti (Upper Moreland) notched four goals in a 22-11 loss to Wells College on Saturday. She added five goals on five shots in a 16-14 loss to Rutgers Camden last Monday. Sister Allison Felicetti (Upper Moreland) added three goals and two assists.
Freshman goalie Kiki Bradher (Abington) had nine saves for Shippensburg in a 15-7 loss to Mercyhurst on Saturday. Brasher has posted at least eight saves six times so far this season.
Softball
La Salle sophomore Jackie Heim (William Tennent) went 2-for-15 with a run and RBI in Sunday’s 15-1 win over Saint Peter’s. Heim has appeared in 19 games, starting all of them and is currently batting .234 with 10 RBIs on 15 hits. She’s also connected on four home runs and two doubles, and has crossed home plate eight times.
UMBC senior Haley Delaney (Souderton) had a big weekend at the Retriever Classic. Delaney had a pinch-hit RBI single in Saturday’s 7-3 win over Saint Peter’s, then followed it up on Sunday with a hit and two runs in a 9-1 win over the Peacocks then finished the day with a 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in a 10-3 win over Rider. Delaney is hitting .400 and has two home runs.
Kutztown junior Sara Keeny (William Tennent) is having another standout season for the Golden Bears. Keeny leads the team with a .417 average, starting all 18 games this season. The outfielder has 25 hits, including four doubles and four triples and has drive in 12 runs while scoring 16.
Former North Penn standout Jackie Bilotti is having another sterling year at Arcadia. The junior shortstop, having started 12 of 12 games, is hitting .465, driving in 11 and scoring 11 runs. Of her 20 hits, Bilotti has stroked three doubles, two triples and a home run and has stolen eight bases in eight tries.
Men’s volleyball
Ball State freshman Ben Chinnici (Pennridge) has found his way into the rotation early, contributing 117 kills while appearing in all 21 matches so far this season. The hitter also has five aces, three blocks and 54 digs.