Bensalem stuns Pennsbury with late comeback
FAIRLESS HILLS, PA. » You really have to give a lot of credit to Dan Schram’s gutsy and gritty Bensalem High School softball team.
Coming off a brutal loss the day before it which it gave up the lead in the seventh inning with two outs, Bensalem found itself trailing by three runs Tuesday afternoon against a Pennsbury team that was desperate for a win.
Past Bensalem teams would almost certainly have been in big trouble, but not this bunch as the Owls came back for a huge 6-5 win over Pennsbury in 10 innings.
“We’re right there,” said Schram after Bensalem beat Pennsbury for the first time in two years. “The girls believe (in themselves).”
What made the victory even more impressive was it came after Bensalem had gotten off to such a poor start In the bottom of the first the Owls committed two errors and Pennsbury took full advantage with three runs on RBI base hits by Arden Rabiger, Casey Glynn and Karli Hines.
After going quitely in the first, Bensalem worked its way back into the game when Haley Keenan got a run home with a pretty bunt single in the second.
From there, Bensalem took a 5-3 lead in the third with four runs and five hits. Big hits in that inning included an RBI single by pitcher Dani Sharpe and a two-run single by Maddie Buchner.
At this point Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry summoned normal No. 1 pitcher Alyssa Hileman into the game and to her credit she didn’t allow a run until the international tiebreaker went into effect in the 10th inning.
It wasn’t enough because although Pennsbury was able to tie the score with two runs in the fifth on an RBI triple by Glynn and an RBI single by Hileman, Sharpe refused to crack in the circle.
Pennsbury had all kinds of chances to take control — including a second and third situation with no outs in the sixth — but Sharpe kept coming up with out pitches to hold the Falcons scoreless over the last five innings despite giving up 13 hits on the day.
“I was thinking about taking her out, but she’s a warrior,” said Schram with a smile. “She refused to come out.”
Bensalem won it in the 10th when Angie Micalizzi got her lead-off bunt down and Keenan came through with a clutch game-winning single.
Pennsbury, by contrast, couldn’t get its bunt down and after a couple of walks Sharpe got a grounder to third to end the game and set off an Owl celebration in the middle of the Pennsbury diamond.
With the loss, Pennsbury is now 0-4 and with Neshaminy and New Jersey powerhouse Donovan Catholic still on this week’s schedule, there’s the distinct possibility the Falcons could be looking at an unheard of 0-6 start.
As for Bensalem, the beat is definitely on the upswing and we’re not talking about Schram pounding away on the drums or playing bass guitar for the world famous Jamison Celtic Rock band.
Bensalem (2-2) 014 000 000 1 — 6 10 2 Pennsbury (0-4) 300 020 000 0 — 5 13 2
WP-Sharpe. LP-Hileman. 2B-Yorgey (B), Parsons (P), Rabiger (P). 3B-Glynn (P). RBIs: B-Sharpe, Buchner 2, Keenan 2. PRabiger, Glynn 2, Haines, Hileman.