READY TO ROLL
North Penn softball, La Salle baseball among area teams in state quarterfinals
It may be the North Penn softball team’s first time in the PIAA quarterfinals in five seasons, but this current group of Knights have been preparing themselves all year for the big moments.
“All of the players on our team, none of them made it to states, so this is the first time for everyone, so we’re all just super pumped. We’re playing just like a regular game,” said North Penn sophomore Amanda Greaney Monday after the Knights win over St. Hubert in their state opener. “In the regular season we were just thinking pretend this is playoffs right now. So that we were ready and we don’t get nervous in this situation.”
North Penn is out to match that 2013 team and advance the state semifinals when it heads up to Allentown Thursday to face District 11 champ Parkland at noon in the Class 6A quarters at Patriots Park.
“It’s just always a normal game for us. Especially cause our district is so tough,” said NP freshman pitcher Mady Volpe after the first-round victory. “It’s easy for us because, ‘Oh, this is like another district game,’ because the competition in our district is so good that we’re just used to it by now.”
Winner moves on to play either District 2 champ Hazleton or District 1’s fifth place side Neshaminy — who play at 2 p.m. at Patriots Park — in the semis Monday at a site and time to be announced.”
North Penn’s state inexperience did not matter as the Knights (20-5), in the program’s first PIAA game since 2014, romped past District 12 champ St. Hubert 10-0 in five innings Monday at Arcadia University.
After getting shut out the first two innings, North Penn’s bats woke up, scoring four runs in both the third and fourth then added two more in the fifth.
Greaney finished with three hits and five RBIs while Victoria Juckniewitz, Emily Groarke and Courtney Neal all had three hits.
Mady Volpe, meanwhile, struck out nine in no-hitting the Bambies as the righthander earned her second shutout of the postseason.
“Her nerves, she was just really good. She didn’t let the first game affect her as a ninth grader,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said of Volpe after the win. “She just went out there and just did her thing and she was hitting her spots, throwing her pitches and just pitched another great game.”
District 11 champ Parkland is in the state playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and the Trojans claimed their first PIAA victory since winning the 2015 4A state final by blanking District 3 runner-up Central York 5-0 Monday at Patriots Park. Parkland pitcher Kelly Dulaney struck out 10 in her five-hit shutout. Class 3A Quarterfinals
(1-1) SPRINGFIELD-MONTCO
VS. (2-1) HOLY REDEEMER » 6 p.m., Parkland High School.
Springfield earned its first District 1 title and PIAA victory since 1994, but the Spartans will do that side one better if they can reach the semifinals with a win against the District 2 champs.
“Team is definitely confident going forward,” said Springfield coach Joshua Ringgold after the Spartan’s first-round win over Masterman Tuesday. “I have a couple seniors —
they are ready to graduate and they are ready to move on. So sometimes it makes it tough to keep them motivated, but if we play like we know how to play we’ll have a good chance.”
Springfield (11-8) erased an early 1-0 deficit to top District 12 champ Masterman 6-1 in its state opener at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Spartans pitcher Hannah Sebenick struck out 14 and allowed just three hits in throwing a complete game.
Holy Redeemer — which won 2A state titles in 2015 and 2016 — advanced to the quarters with a 4-1 win over District 4 champ Loyalsock Monday.
Binghamton commit Morgan Bienkowski struck 13 in tossing a three-hitter and also hit a solo home run. Tiana Wren also belted a two-run homer for Redeemer.
“That’s the thing — you get into these tournaments I don’t know too much about these schools,” Ringgold said. “Really, I just tell them to play their game. Play like they’re capable of playing and I think they’ll be in every game. I think today they didn’t bring their A-game, but they still were able to squeeze it out and get it done.”
Winner faces either District 11 champ North Schuylkill or District 4 runner-up Warrior Run.
Baseball
Class 6A Quarterfinals
(12-1) LA SALLE VS. (3-2) RED
LION » 4 p.m., Manheim Township High School.
Back in the state tournament since claiming the 4A title in 2014, La Salle extended its current win streak to 10 by getting past District 1’s fourth-place side Conestoga 4-1 Monday at Archbishop Wood.
The Explorers came into the contest with a red-hot offense — beating Archbishop Carroll 10-0 in the Philadelphia Catholic League final and Frankford 19-0 in the District 12 title game. While held to just four runs Monday, La Salle got big hits from Anthony Cossetti, who broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the third with a solo home run then plated two more with a triple in the fourth. Cossetti finished 3-for-4 at the plate.
Red Lion — which finished second to Cumberland Valley in District 3 — edged Freedom 1-0 in the first round Monday at
Easton Area High School. The lone run came in the top of the seventh when Cole Daugherty — who led off with a triple — scored on a two-out passed ball.
Winner faces either District 1 champ Bensalem or District 4 champ Williamsport in the semis. Class 5A Quarterfinals
(12-1) ARCHBISHOP CARROLL VS. (3-2) CEDAR CLIFF
» 4 p.m., Muhlenberg High School, Reading.
Archbishop Carroll (195) looks for a spot in the 5A final four after squeaking past West Chester Rustin 3-2 Monday at La Salle High School.
The Patriots took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and led 3-1 before Rustin — District 1’s third-place team — score a run in the seventh to get within 3-2. But Tyler Kehoe was able to shut to door and earn the save as he pitched the final 1 2/3 innings.
Carroll starting pitcher Jake Kelchner struck out eight in his 5 1/3 innings on the mound before hitting the 100-pitch limit. The Alabama commit also had two hits and an RBI.
District 3 runner-up Cedar Cliff used a strong complete-game effort from Denny Murphy to claim a 3-1 first-round win over Blue Mountain. Murphy gave up just two hits and struck out eight.
Winner faces either District 3’s third-place finisher Lower Dauphin or District 2 champ North Pocono. Class 1A Quarterfinals
(1-1) FAITH CHRISTIAN VS. (41) SAYRE » 4 p.m., Central Columbia High School.
The District 1 champs earned their first-ever state victory Monday as the Lions bested District 12 champ GAMP 8-2 Monday.
Josiah Smith — pitching for the first time since injuring his an ankle earlier this season — gave up just one hit in five innings and at the plate drove in five runs for FCA.
Parker Curry added three hits as Faith pulled away by scoring five runs in the top of the sixth.
Sayre used a four-run second inning to bounce District 3 champ Greenwood 5-2.
Winner faces either District 3 runner-up High Point or District 5 runnerup Southern Fulton.