For the first time since 2021, Delco advanced to the third and final day of the Phillies’ college showcase at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. Delco won three out of its four games, earning the top seed from its bracket after a 3-0 performance in Tuesday’s pool-play round.

“It was too little, too late today,” Delco head coach Mike Snow said. “It was back and forth the whole game. The crew we had, I expected a little cleaner play on defense. We gave up some unearned runs over both days. But it didn’t stop us yesterday. We were able to win. But when you think that we lost only one game — and it was by one run — out of four games over two days, that’s not bad. It was a good run.”

The quarterfinal clash was up for grabs the entire way.

Trailing by one run early, Delco rallied in the bottom of the fourth inning. Abigail Krasowski from Radnor tied the game with a single and Kayla Frye of Springfield followed with a run-scoring hit, pushing Delco ahead 3-2.

Delaware South quickly answered back with two runs in the fifth inning, capitalizing on a pair of Delco errors to retake the lead.

Undeterred, Delco continued to show its mettle. In the bottom of the fifth, Janie Lofland from Conestoga led off with a walk and Interboro’s Mare Nagle advanced her with a perfectly executed bunt single.

Zoey Rogers from Garnet Valley then hit an RBI groundout to tie the game again, and Nagle scored the go-ahead run due to an error by Delaware South’s second baseman, giving Delco a 5-4 lead.

Delaware South responded in the top of the sixth inning, scoring two runs to seize a 6-5 lead. A clutch single by Ava Calciano drove in what proved to be the winning run.

Nagle smacked a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh, and Krasowski drew a two-out walk, putting the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base.

Nicole Semerjian from Marple Newtown faced an extended at-bat, but ultimately struck out on a full count, sealing the win for Delaware South.

Delaware South lost to Lehigh Valley, 2-1, in the championship game. The irony is that Delco dealt Lehigh its only loss of the tournament, claiming a 5-3 victory Tuesday evening.

Outstanding performances

One player who made a significant impact for Delco was Krasowski, who will be a sophomore in the fall.

Despite playing for a Radnor squad that managed only two wins in the spring, Krasowski proved that she belonged with the top young talent in the area.

Her performance certainly impressed Snow and assistant coaches Todd Odgers, of Springfield; Bob Newman of Haverford; and Charlotte Bosco of Conestoga.

In the quarterfinal against Delaware South, Krasowski contributed a pair of hits and two RBIs.

Her standout moment in the tournament came Tuesday in the pool-play round against the Philadelphia Catholic League, smashing a bases-loaded triple to break the game wide open in the late stages.

“Abby swung a super hot bat both days. I was surprised by it because she didn’t hit against us (Marple Newtown) during the high school season. Todd, Bob and Charlotte knew what she could do, though. They saw her hit,” Snow said. “When it comes down to putting a team together, we’re all putting our input in, we’re talking about what happened during the season and we are looking at the tryout. We consider many different factors. We know these kids in different ways and we try to use all of the information that is available to make the right decisions and put together the best group. It was awesome to see her play so well.”

Rogers, Lofland and Nagle also shined at the plate for Delco in the four games.

Rogers went 4-for-4 in the win over the Catholic League and delivered the game-winning RBI triple in a 5-4 decision over Delaware North. Lofland went 4-for-4 in the victory over Lehigh and provided the game-tying, two-run double against Delaware North, as Delco rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh.

Delco received solid pitching from Kiera Norton, Conestoga; Allison Daly, Haverford; and Layla Murphy, Sun Valley. Grace Corner of Marple Newtown excelled behind the plate at catcher.

“We had a talented group of juniors — rising seniors — who are moving on, a bunch of kids who played multiple years for us,” Snow said. “Mare played three years for us. Zoey and Janie played two years. Grace played three years. Layla was with us for two years. We have a lot of juniors who are moving on, but I think this freshman class learned a lot along with the sophomores. I think we’ll be able to put a team together that’s pretty similar in the future.

“Delaware South and Lehigh, a team we beat, played in the championship. That’s a little tough. The initial thought when we started was that we want to win this thing and we think we can win this thing. It was very possible. We had all the pieces, but it just didn’t go our way.”

“We are thrilled to celebrate an amazing group of student-athletes who are going off to great places,” said EA Athletic Director Todd Fairlie. “This is an amazing class that has had a lot of success, and we are confident that they will continue to do great things.”

The 44 student-athletes include:

• Alex Barrist, baseball, Lafayette College
• Chase Bearley, swimming, Lehigh University.
• Joe Bogle, lacrosse, Villanova University.
• Peyton Davis, gymnastics, University of Michigan.
• Kiley Gallagher, field Hockey, Lafayette College.
• Jack Guido, lacrosse, Mercer University.
• Taylor Hammond, water polo, Virginia Military Institute.
• Kamora Helton, tennis, Providence College.
• Jack Hurda, baseball, University of Maryland.
• Dylan Jaszcz, lacrosse, Penn State University.
• Natalie Magnotta, soccer, Penn State University.
• Lainey McGonagle, lacrosse, University of Pittsburgh.
• Grace McHugh, lacrosse, Syracuse University.
• Paige McMeekin, field hockey, Bucknell University.
• Lucas Montayne, lacrosse, Marquette University.
• Jenna Morley, lacrosse, University of Colorado.
• Hannah Neilly, swimming, Holy Cross University.
• Bella Notaro, field hockey, Bucknell University.
• Sydney Richter, lacrosse, Georgetown University.
• Hunter Stetson, golf, North Carolina State.
• Michael Woolery, track and field, Penn State University.
• Isabel Andrews, field hockey, Dartmouth College.
• Tyler Beaulieu, baseball, Cornell University.
• Bella Bin, squash, Brown University.
• Rick Chen, squash, Yale University.
• Avery Elliott, track & field, University of Pennsylvania.
• Saige Forbes, track & field, Harvard University.
• Shaw Huston, field hockey, Hamilton College.
• Zeke Kane, football, Amherst College.
• AJ Koukou, football, Villanova University.
• Grace Murphy, rowing, Yale University.
• Ryan Sewell, soccer, Hobart College.
• Calvin Szoradi, football, Middlebury College.
• I’jaaz Abdul-Malik, football, Monmouth University.
• Michael Cadden, football, Bucknell University.
• Eric Demyun, football, F & M University.
• Conor Gaul, football, Carnegie Mellon University.
• Gabe Ketchum, football, Washington & Lee University.
• John Malone, lacrosse, Vassar College.
• Ronak Nagar, squash, Bowdoin College.
• Chris Purnell, football, Lock Haven University.
• Na’rome Rayborn, football, F & M University.
• Winston Tang, squash, U.S. Naval Academy.
• Kevin McCarthy, basketball, U.S. Military Academy

In the championship final, senior Tague Davis struck out six batters in four innings and allowed just one earned run. Andrew Pellicciotta dominated on offense, reaching base in all five of his at-bats including a home run and four RBIs. Sophomore Brady Abate scored two runs and was on base in all four of his plate appearances.

The celebration began with a prayer from Rev. William Gabriel, O.S.A. who spoke of the moment right before the championship final when senior leaders got in touch with him to have a Mass before the game. The players joined together to pray, connect, and thank God for each other.

At the celebration, Hilliard said, “When I think about this group, one word comes to mind: ‘special.’ Not just the talent and the performances on the field this year, but the kind of human beings they are off the field. They embody everything that this school stands for. Their selflessness and the way they get along and care about each other and the school, they are the perfect embodiment of what Malvern Prep is all about.”

The team will go down as one of the best in the history of Malvern Prep, finishing with a 34-3 record, setting a record for the most wins in a season. Nine players have been named All-Inter-Ac, the most by one school for one Inter-Ac team ever.

Season highlights included Davis and DJ Peterson eclipsing the 100 career strikeout mark for their careers. Seven Malvern starters hit .330 or better, led by Jonathan Holt’s .412 batting average. Pellicciotta led the team in hits (34), Davis led the team in RBIs (37) and Chase Ecker led the team with 29 stolen bases. Jack Ploszay led the pitching staff with a 0.72 ERA with Will Oschell, Davis, Peterson and Jack Herbein all had ERAs under 1.50.

Malvern Prep athletic director Jim Stewart Jr. said, “Being able to celebrate back-to-back state championships is truly remarkable. This win demonstrates the commitment of the players and coaching staff – we are so proud of all the team has accomplished this season.”

EAST MARLBOROUGH >> It’s always tough to beat a good team three times, and Downingtown East showed they are definitely a good team on Friday. Squared off against archrival Downingtown West in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA 6A softball state tournament, the Cougars rode the strength of two big home runs, and the reliable arm of ace Rachael Schumann, to secure a program-first appearance in the state semifinals with a 4-2 win over the Whippets at Unionville High School.

Up next for the Cougars (22-4) is another familiar foe in Council Rock South. East previously met the Hawks (21-3) in the quarterfinal round of the District 1 tourney, with the Cougars coming out on top 11-6. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. June 10 at Spring-Ford High School.

“This is uncharted territory for us,” said East coach Peggy O’Dwyer. “Downingtown East has never gotten this far. We came in knowing that we were right there with them in both previous games. We knew we were a good team, too, and we could win this one if we just came out and played our game. And we did just that.”

With the game postponed from Thursday to Friday, the Cougars had plenty of time to get in the right mental state.

“We had such an incredible motivational speech from our A.D. on the bus ride here,” said East pitcher Rachael Schumann, a Seton Hall recruit. “It was pretty much the Rocky Balboa story. We all knew we had to just put it all on the line. We’ve been so excited all week to get another shot at them, and we made it count.”

The Cougars pounded out nine hits on the afternoon, but none bigger than a pair of hits from Lily Waterer and Jade Jenkins.

Waterer got the Cougars on the board first with a solo home run in the second inning to give East a 1-0 lead.

“What a load off my shoulders,” said Schumann. “Just that little cushion allowed me to relax a little and just throw my game.”

With East still clinging to a 1-0 lead in the top half of the sixth, Jenkins gave her team all the insurance it would need, ripping a three-run homer well beyond the fence in right.

“Honestly, I was just trying to get a base hit to knock in a run or two,” said Jenkins. “I wasn’t sure what she was going to bring me, because I’d hit her pretty well the last two games. My only approach was just hit the ball. Winning states has been our goal all year, and all of a sudden it feels totally doable. Amazing to know we’re just two wins away.”

Schumann picked up the win in the circle, changing speeds and moving the ball well to keep the Whippets off balance all day. Schumann allowed two runs on four hits, striking out five, while walking three.

“We really worked on changing speeds and playing to strengths,” said Waterer, who calls the games at catcher. “Playing them multiple times really helped. We hadn’t called a whole lot of changeups in the previous games, so we tried it today, and it worked well. We’re all really excited for Monday.”

For West (24-1), the season comes to close, following its only loss of the year. The Whippets won the Ches-Mont National division title, and the District 1 Class 6 A title.

“This was a season for the record books,” said West coach Joey Germani. “I am so proud of every member of this team that represented our school with class, and dedication to this program. The seniors really understood what it takes to lead the underclassmen and show them what West softball is all about. We’ve made so many lasting memories, and they will all be missed. But we have some amazing young talent, and we’ll be ready to come beck next year to defend our title and go even further.”

Downingtown East 4 Downingtown West 2Downingtown East  0 1 0  0 0 3 0—4Downingtown West 0 0 0  0 0 1 1—2WP—Schumann  LP—CarterHR—Waterer, Jenkins, O’Laughlin  2B—McWilliams

DOWNINGTOWN>>Survive and advance. That’s always the goal in a state tournament. Chambersburg put a scare into Downingtown West with a seventh inning rally in the opening round of the PIAA, Class 6A softball tournament, but the Whippets staved off the late charge and  improved to 25-0 on the season with a 4-3 victory.

More importantly, the Whippets advance to Thursday’s quarterfinal round, where they will square off against a familiar foe in Downingtown East, a 4-1 winner over Williamsport Monday.

“Always great to get the first one,” said West coach Joey Germani. “We have some things to clean up at the plate, but we played great defense and battled hard the whole way.”

Chambersburg came to the plate in the seventh trailing 4-1, but showed no interest in calling it quits, pushing across two runs to cut the lead to one. But the Whippets got out of it, when centerfielder Lizzie Kern hauled in a deep fly ball for the final out.

The Trojans actually got the first run of the game in the first without a base hit, plating a run on a double steal after the first two batters reached on a walk, and a hit by pitch, with the lead runner advancing to third on a fielder’s choice.

“It was a little shaky start for us, but once we settled in, we were fine,” said West pitcher Addy Carter. “Our defense was great today, especially the outfield. They made some amazing plays out there.”

The Whippets answered right back, notching a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning on a single from Lily O’Laughlin, a triple from Kern (2-for-3, triple, run scored, RBI), and a sacrifice fly from Ava Kaczmarski.

Chambersburg didn’t get their first base hit of the game until the fifth inning when Saleen Null and Brooke Leedy connected for back-to-back singles.

Still clinging to the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Whippets got the insurances runs they would need. Jordan Toth got things going with a lead-off double, and Casey McWilliams followed with a walk. Chambersburg Kori Leedy induced two weak pops to get one out away from escaping unharmed, but O’Laughlin came through with a double. Though she was caught trying to stretch it into a triple, both runners scored.

“When I come to the plate, I try to keep my approach the same, no matter what the situation is,” said O’Laughlin. “For us as a team, it’s important to be able to string together hits. If you get a bunch of hits, but all in different innings, it’s not going to work. But we’ve been able to get hits in bunches all season.”

Carter earned the win in the circle, allowing three runs on five hits, while striking out 4 and walking two.

“It’s great to move on,” said Carter. “A state title has been the goal all season, and now we’re just three wins away. I love that were going to be playing Downingtown East. They are a really competitive team, and I just love getting to compete.”

Downingtown West 4  Chambersburg 3Chambersburg           1 0 0  0 0 0  2—3Downingtown West   2 0 0  0 2 0  X—4WP—Carter LP—Leedy3B—Kern, Ahlborn 2B—Hendricks, Toth, O’Laughlin, B. Paetow

“Being back at Merion Mercy is a dream come true,” said Lee, who was a player on that 1995 state championship squad. “I have always wanted to be a coach, and it is such an honor to be able to come back and coach at the place where it all started for me.

“I love that I get to be in a space where I have had great support and coaching and I know that Coach D (the late Joe D’Antonio, who coached the 1995 Merion Mercy squad) is smiling down on me right now. All I want to do is make sure that these girls have a great experience like I did. Have fun playing basketball and learn some life lessons along the way.”

Lee’s favorite memory of that 1995 championship season was cutting down the net at the old Hersheypark Arena after the PIAA Class AA state final, a 58-43 win against District 6 champion Bishop Guilfoyle.

The Golden Bears, who won the District 1 2A title that year, had an exciting road to the state title. Merion Mercy beat District 3 champion Columbia 49-47 in the quarterfinals and defeated Pine Grove 64-57 in overtime in the semifinals.

“I had a crazy season, missing so many games and being able to come back when it all was special,” said Lee. “Seeing the sea of Merion Mercy students and parents cheering us on was epic to me. Then having a parade for us down the streets of Narberth just took it to another level.”

Last month, the 1995 Merion Mercy basketball squad was inducted into the school’s new Athletic Hall of Fame.

After graduating from Merion Mercy Academy in 1995, Lee went on to play basketball for Villanova University, where she was a four-year letter winner for the Wildcats and a captain her senior year. She is Villanova’s all-time assists leader and ranks ninth all-time in steals. Lee received All-Philadelphia Big Five Honors as a freshman (Rookie of the Year) in 1996, and later in her Villanova career received Second Team accolades.

Lee then served as an assistant coach to the legendary Harry Perretta for 21 years at Villanova. During that time, she was responsible for the administration of the program, served as the student-athlete academic services liaison, and assisted in the recruitment of student-athletes, including recent Villanova standout Maddy Siegrist.

“At Villanova, I gained confidence and a clearer understanding of how I want to be as a head coach,” said Lee. “I want to be firm, yet fair but have a ton of fun. And now I know that I can do all those things. I love that I got to be mentored by Harry Perretta and Joe Mullaney —  an offensive genius in Harry, and Joe, who taught me how to coach defenses. I feel like I had the best of both sides of the game which is also what has given me the confidence that I have now. I know basketball because of them and it makes it easier to be who I am today.”

Perretta said, “Shanette is a hard worker but she is also willing to learn; she really listens and talks to a lot of different (basketball) people. Put that together with her great work ethic, and that makes a really good coach.”

Perretta had watched Lee as a player at Merion Mercy Academy in the mid-1990s.

“I was particularly impressed with her intelligent style of play,” said Perretta. “She brought that student of the game philosophy with her to Villanova, which is why she was such a good point guard for us.”

For the past three years, Lee has served as head basketball coach at the Agnes Irwin School, where she also was an assistant for the Athletic Department and a physical education teacher in the Lower School. Lee led the Owls to the Commonwealth Cup championship, beating Germantown Friends in the final.

Lee also currently coaches for the Philly Rise girls’ basketball club, an AAU program.

Conestoga’s Kiki Liebezeit had scored nine seconds before the third quarter ended to break the second tie of the second half. Radnor’s Taylor Murphy was determined that her team would not go into the final 12 minutes trailing. Grace Gordon, who earned the draw control following Liebezeit’s goal, moved the ball ahead to Murphy, who dashed through the Pioneers’ defense and got off a shot that slipped by goalkeeper Alex Lepore just before the horn sounded.

Murphy came back with a goal – her fifth of the game – in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, and Grayson Buono added on less than four minutes later as second-seeded Radnor earned a 9-7 decision over No. 4 Conestoga to claim the district title.

“This is a tribute to the way everyone played,” Radnor head coach Lis Zuern said. “We certainly didn’t want to be down like we were after the first period (5-2). But they all came back, offensively and defensively. We started getting some draws and took advantage of that. And we had key stops when we needed them.”

Senior goalie Arden Jansen turned away eight Conestoga scoring attempts. Senior Kate Gallagher, who chipped in a pair of goals, came up with the interception that spoiled the Pioneers’ last scoring chance in the final minute.

“I was so upset with myself because I had just lost the ball,” said Gallagher, who soon will be packing her lacrosse gear for the trip to United States Military Academy at West Point. “I told myself I had to get the ball back.

“I was guarding Kiki. I thought they would be trying to get the ball to her, so I went for it. It wouldn’t have been such a good play if I hadn’t come up with the ball.”

Because she did, her teammates on the sideline and the Raptors fans could count down the seconds as they ticked off the scoreboard clock before the celebration began.

Murphy wasn’t surprised that she was involved in the excitement of the final nine seconds of the third quarter.

“Grace Gordon was so good on the draws,” Murphy said. “She got the ball and just threw me a dime. I ran up there and shot it and was so glad that it went in. I wound up on the ground, but I did see the ball get through.

“This team has worked so hard for so long, and our seniors have been there to pick us up when we needed them. I was glad I got that goal, and now we can start thinking about what we need to do for states.”

Buono’s goal came with 7:51 to play and set the final score. It was the 100th career goal for the University of Delaware commit.

“The best thing was that it started with the defense before the ball came down to me,” Buono, a freshman when Radnor won the 2021 state championship, said. “I was just happy to be able to score then.”

Ellie Wisch, who came up with nine draw controls, and Keating Hopkins each had two goals and one assist for Conestoga in addition to two scores by Liebezeit. Chloe Brown had one goal and three draw controls.

“We started off so well with the draws and the goals,” said Conestoga coach Amy Orcutt, whose team did not score in the second and fourth periods.  “Then we let up some and started turning the ball over and weren’t taking advantage of our opportunities. We’ll bounce back. There’s still two weeks of the season to go, and we want to be there at the end.”

Drew Goldt’s goal with 2:08 left in overtime was the difference. Goldt led the third-seeded Jaguars, who celebrated their first district championship since 2018, with five goals and one assist.

“I just took it to the rack and scored,” said Goldt, who credited the coaching staff for calling the winning play during a timeout. “We’re built for moments like that. All offseason is for moments like this. It’s a great feeling.”

Kai Lopez contributed two goals and three assists, Luke O’Donoghue one goal and three assists for the Jaguars, who got nine saves from goalie Drew Keaveney. That included a stop on Tyler Gougler in close on the stroke of halftime and a kick save on Brad Barber in the final minute of regulation.

The Jaguars were making their first appearance in the district final since losing to Springfield in 2022. For veteran Jaguars coach Frank Urso, the thrill of victory was “beyond” incredible.

“Nobody expected us here,” Urso said. “I’m not sure we expected us here. These guys played their hearts out. They got better and better and better. They started believing in each other. They started working together. It’s amazing.”

The top-seeded Cougars played catch-up much of the evening, Goldt and Lopez giving the Jaguars a 2-0 lead in the first 29 seconds. It was 3-0 after Goldt tallied with four minutes left in the first quarter for the third-seeded Jaguars.

However, the Cougars the only three goals of the second frame to even it up by the intermission. Brad Barber got the Cougars started with a goal, and Pat Flaherty netted two goals.

The third period belonged to the Jaguars, who scored three goals in 47 seconds. After Goldt’s goal with 4:14 remaining in the frame, they grabbed a commanding 7-3 advantage, and the Jaguars were ahead 9-4 entering the final frame.

Springfield answered with five straight goals in the fourth quarter. Flaherty and Luke Valerio scored twice each in the run, Valerio knotting the score at 9 with 2:01 remaining.

Cougars goalie Jackson Kennedy stopped Ethan Potochar from point blank range with his helmet at 3:22 left in regulation, then Keaveney stopped Barber with three seconds remaining to OT.

Springfield won the opening draw of the extra session but turned it over. Out of a timeout, about halfway through the extra session, Goldt buried a right-handed shot into the net past the left-handed goalie.

The Cougars and Flaherty, who hit the 100-goal mark in his career, were disappointed despite the comeback. The reigning district champs, who lost in last year’s state final to Radnor, efeated the Jaguars during the regular season.

“It was a good game,” Flaherty said. “Some bounces went their way and we didn’t start out the game hot. That’s what happened.”

ROYERSFORD >> After the Vikings started off this season 1-3, it looked like it might be another rebuilding year for West Chester East. It’s likely no one outside West Goshen had any idea what was to come, certainly not a return to the District 1, 5A championship game since winning back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2021. (2020 was cancelled by the pandemic)

Slowly, but surely, the Vikings kept improving, winning 14 of their next 18 games to land themselves back in the title game, where they squared off against third-seeded Marple-Newtown on Wednesday.

The Tigers proved to be worthy of their slot in the championship game, holding off a late push from the Vikings to take a 4-2 victory and the championship.  It was the first time since PIAA softball went to six divisions in 2016 that a team from the Ches-Mont failed to take home the 5A trophy.

“We didn’t play our best softball at the time it mattered most,” said East coach Bobby Swier. “The biggest frustration is not getting the little things done that we emphasize in practice. We kind of beat ourselves today, but we’ll just get back to work tomorrow and get ready for states next week.”

Trailing 1-0 after one inning, East got themselves on the board in the second when Mia Picciotti doubled home Daria Cross (2-for-3, double, run scored, RBI). Cross figured in on the next Vikings score in the fourth, doubling in Emma Antczak to cut the Marple lead to 3-2.

After the Tigers added a run in the fifth to make it a 4-2 game, the Vikings made one last push, an effort thwarted by an outstanding defensive play.  Lauren Maguire led off the inning in a big way, ripping a double to the gap in left center, giving the Vikings a runner in scoring position with the top of their order coming up.

With one out, Grace Koberg came to the plate, and hit a line shot up the middle that looked like it could be enough to score Maguire. But Marple second baseman Mia D’Allessandro dove, stabbing it out of the air for one out, then tossed to second to catch Maguire off the bag for a game-ending double play.

“This is a team full of fighters,” said Swier.”We are confident that anyone in this line-up could be the spark to get us going at anytime. We didn’t fully execute the plan, but I’m sure we’ll be ready to go again Monday.”

Everything starts fresh Monday, when the Vikings will start to make their run for a state championship against the District 11 champs, Whitehall (12-10).

“We have a lot of underclassmen, but everyone believes in this program, and we always expect to be in the post season mix” said Swier. “Our seniors were here the last time we won districts, and have been able to bring that excitement, and instill in their teammates the value of playing your best ball in May and June. I’m excited for the opportunity this team has in from of them, and look forward to sending the seniors out on a high note.”

Marple-Newtown 4 West Chester East 2West Chester East  0 1 0  1 0 0  0—2Marple-Newtown   1 0 2   0 1 0  X—4WP—Coupe  LP—Opperman2B—O’Keefe, Cross, Picciotti

With the win, the Whippets move on to their first District finals since 2019, where they will face off against No. 3 Quakertown (22-1) Thursday at Spring-Ford High School. Game time to be announced.

“This is such a fun team,” said West coach Joey Germani. “They all get along so well, and support each other. And it’s everyone. Everyone is hitting, everyone is making plays on defense, and Addy has just been great. It’s exciting to be going back to district finals.”

Kaczmarski (2-for-3) had all three of the Whippets’ RBIs on the day, knocking in a pair of runs in the first inning with a single down the left field line, then another in the third which brought home Emma Ahlborn (1-for-2, two runs scored, stolen base)

“I was just trying to make contact and get it done for my team,” said Kaczmarski. “This has been such a fun season playing with this team. I don’t think we’ve had a game all year when Addy didn’t pitch great, and we’re all hitting and contributing. I’m really looking forward to getting to play in a district final as a freshman.”

Carter worked herself out of a couple of jams in picking up the win, including one in the sixth inning when North Penn put the first two hitters on, and loaded the bases with two outs. She earned the victory with seven strong innings, allowing just one run on six scattered hits. She struck out 10 and walked just two.

“I try not to ever get to high or low when I’m pitching,” said  Carter. “I just try to stay relaxed and know the team has my back. I was excited just to watch the 2019 team make a district final. I am really excited to play for a district championship with this team. We’re playing so well as a team right now.”

The Whippets did make just about every play they needed to make on defense, with no errors charged in the game.

“There’s been a couple games this season where we had to count on Addy to come up with the big strikeout, and she always does if we need it,” said Germani. “But our defense has been really good lately. They are making every play they need to make.”

North Penn’s lone score came in the first inning. Casey Sokol (1-for-2, run scored) worked a two out walk, stole second, and came in to score when Sophia Orth (2-for-3, double) reached on an infield single up the middle.

The Knights are going to have to have a short memory, because, despite the loss, they are far from done, having already secured a spot in the state tournament starting next Monday. First they will play in the third place game against Downingtown East on Thursday.

“We made a few mistakes at the plate, and we’ll work on that,” said Knights’ coach Rick Toressani. “West had some clutch hits, and their pitcher was great. But we played well, too. We’ll just get back to work tomorrow, play another district game Thursday, and be ready for states Monday.”

Downingtown West 3 North Penn 1North Penn    1 0 0  0 0 0  0—1DTown West  2 0 1  0 0 0  X—3WP—Carter LP—Nunn2B—Orth