Downingtown East softball powers past Downingtown West into state semifinals
By Bill Rudickbrudick55@gmail.com
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
View more on Mainline Media News