Pennsbury cruises past CB South to reach quarters
FAIRLESS HILLS, PA. >> It’s the do-or-die PIAA District 1 Class 6A round-of-16 game that makes everyone nervous, especially when you are up against a Division I pitcher you barely beat less than a week ago in a low-scoring affair.
Keeping all of that in mind, things couldn’t have gone any better for the Pennsbury softball team Wednesday afternoon as it cruised past Central Bucks South, 10-2.
With the win, Pennsbury improved to 17-2 and advanced to a quarterfinal-round home game on Friday against arch-rival Neshaminy, which also won by the score of 10-2 in its game against Coatesville.
The win also assured that Pennsbury’s season would continue. In order to make the state tournament, the Falcons must either beat Neshaminy or win the first round of consolations on Tuesday.
“I definitely liked the way we hit the ball,” said Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry. “The difference is this time we didn’t swing at some of the pitches we swung at against her the first time.”
The her is senior Bryant University-bound Kylie Kenney, who recently lost to Pennsbury by the score of 2-1 on the last day of the regular season. Obviously, this was a much different kind of game and leading the way was Pennsbury’s No. 2 batter Carly Parsons.
In the first inning Parsons put down a squeeze that went for a single to open the scoring after Sierra Daley had gotten the festivities started with a smoked triple to left center.
After stroking a single in the second inning and scoring on a throwing error, Parsons then smacked a two-run single in the fourth. For good measure, she blasted a tworun double in the sixth on a ball that actually landed in the infield, but was hit so hard it rolled to the fence.
“We knew from the first game she likes to come inside a lot,” said Parsons. “We were ready for it and made the adjustments. Everyone was excited to be in the playoffs. We have great team chemistry. There are no cliques, there is no drama.”
Central Bucks South did put a little drama in the game when Kenney hit a two-run homer in the fourth to close the Falcon advantage to 3-2, but that was pretty much it against freshman Ainsley McClure. Raising her record to 17-1, McClure scattered 10 hits and struck out four.
Pennsbury, meanwhile, just kept on scoring against Kenney with 11 hits on the day. Daley was 2-for-3 with a walk, while Karli Haines had an RBI single and got another run home with a fielders’ choice.
Also picking up an RBI apiece were Casey Glynn with a sac fly in the sixth and Kaylei Capriotti with a single in the fifth.
In short, it was a lot of hits and run against a pitcher of the caliber of Kenney, and a very good sign for a Pennsbury team that now has the tough task of trying to beat a quality team like Neshaminy three times in one year.
“It’s a tough thing to do, especially when it’s Neshaminy,” said McSherry. “They know us and we know them.”
CBSouth Pennsbury (17-2) 0002000—2103 102 214 x — 10 11 0
WP-McClure. LP-Kenney. 2B-Parsons (P). 3B-Daley (P). HR-Kenney. RBIs: CBC-Kenney 2. P-Parsons 5, Haines 2, Glynn, Capriotti.