Peqqsbury rebouqds iq PIAA quarterfiqals
For BucksLocalSports
— A sign of a quality softball team is that when it suffers a breakdown in one area, it has the ability to more than compensate by kicking butt in another.
mennsbury is an outstanding defensive team, but it didn’t play like that Thurs- day, June 6 by giving away WKUHH UuQV LQ WKH fiUVW LQQLQJ and committing an uncharacteristic four errors.
In the end, however, none of that mattered because the Falcons shrugged off their defensive woes and bludgeoned Cumberland salley, 14-3, in six innings at Lyons Field to roar into the mIAA Class AAAA State TournaPHQW VHPLfiQDOV.
mennsbury, which is now 24-3, will play in the WestHUQ fiQDO RQ TuHVdDy, -uQH 11 at Carlisle High School (results not available at press time). It’s opponent was Canon-McMillan, a 5-0 winner over Northern Allegheny.
Should mennsbury get past Canon-McMillan on June 11, it will be onto the VWDWH fiQDO )ULdDy, -uQH 14 LQ State College.
As was the case in its dis- trict loss to Central Bucks East, mennsbury (21-4) fell LQ D 3-0 fiUVW-LQQLQJ KROH when a ball was dropped LQ WKH RuWfiHOd DIWHU WwR fiHOdHUV FROOLdHd. Add LQ DQ HDUOLHU LQfiHOd WKURwLQJ HUror, and it allowed Cumberland salley (24-4) to begin dreaming of a possible upset of its favored District 1 foe.
“Yes.” replied mennsbury coach Frank McSherry, when asked if he was surprised by his team’s defensive problems. “I thought we played nervous, which is something we don’t usually do.”
WKHQ WKH URuWLQH fly EDOO fell to the ground in the RuWfiHOd, 0F6KHUUy TuLFNOy went to the circle to have a “chat” with his entire team.
“I told them we just gave
them three runs,” said McSherry, who you can be sure said more than that. “I told them iI we don’t give them anything else, we should be OK.”
The Pennsbury comeback started in the top oI the third when Christina Bascara and -ess Greenwald singled, and Mackenzie Obert put the Falcons on the board with a hard single to leIt field.
Pennsbury picked up another run in a Iourth inning in which Cumberland Valley committed the first oI its five errors and Bascara laced a single to right field.
In between those two Falcons runs was a critical moment aIter Pennsbury pitcher Val Buehler walked the first two batters to start the bottom oI the third. The outs were hit hard, but Buehler was able to get out of the jam with three fly balls including one that resulted in a nice running catch by Farryl Groder in right field.
It was in the fiIth where the game really turned as the Falcons scored three runs on just two hits. One of the them was a two-run double that chased home the speedy Madison Sendlock with what proved to the the winning run. The third run scored when the Cumber- land Valley catcher heaved the ball into center field on a steal.
With the score now 5-3, Pennsbury removed all doubt in the sixth by pouring across nine runs on eight hits and three more Cumberland Valley errors
It all started with a single by Michelle George, who would later beat out a bunt single in an inning in which the Falcons sent 14 batters to the plate. Bascara then singled to leIt and when the ball scooted past the Cumberland Valley outfielder, George was able to race home Irom first.
Cumberland Valley pitcher Kayla Sullenberger came back to get one out, but then Dani Litwin, Fiona Link and Taylor BoltersdorI all singled. Swanicke also loIted a sac fly Ior the second out.
AIter a walk to Groder and George’s second hit oI the inning, Bascara applied the knockout blow with a crushed inside-the-park grand slam to leIt field.
A strong contender Ior Pennsylvania Player oI the Year, Bascara was 4-Ior-5 with a whopping six RBIs. Collecting two hits apiece in Pennsbury’s 16-hit attack were Greenwald, Obert, BoltersdorI and George. AIter the rough start, Buehler settled down nicely to finish with a Iour-hitter.
“Val’s a battler,” said McSherry. “It’s shame on us Ior coming out and playing like that in the first inning, but give them credit Ior coming out swinging. They came to play.”
It speaks volumes about Pennsbury in particular and District 1 in general that all Cumberland Valley got Ior its eIIort was to be run-ruled right out oI the tournament.
NOTES: The Falcons opened states -une 4 with a 13-1 triumph over District Three Champion Central Dauphin.
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