Spring has sprung, and that means some eye-catching softball performances are starting to bloom.
The Palisades Pirates (2-0) started the year with a 4-1 win at Bangor and a 3-1 triumph at Northern Lehigh. Sophomore Karlye Teman may have already thrown her best game of the year; she no-hit Bangor, the defending Colonial League champions, fanning 13 Slaters in the opener. Teman struck out 268 last year as a freshman.
Speaking of ace pitchers Quakertown (3-0), a state quarterfinalist last year, has a replacement for graduated star Syd Andrews in Abbey Wagner.
Wagner threw a 12-strikeout, five-inning shutout opening day as Quakertown thumped Abington 13-0. Katie Muller and Grace Baker both homered for the Panthers. Wagner was just as impressive four days later, striking out 13 in a 2-0 win over Upper Perkiomen. On Tuesday, Wagner tossed her third shutout, beating Upper Dublin 6-0 and retiring her final 16 batters. Baker thumped a two-run homer to highlight the offense.
Another pack of Panthers – Plumstead Christian (2-0) – have also started impressively. After a 5-14 campaign last spring, Plumstead routed Delco Christian 28-8 in its St. Patrick Day’s opener and outslugged Christian Academy 17-12 four days later.
Tuesday featured the year’s first full slate of games in the SOL. In the Colonial, CB West (2-0) outslugged archrival CB East (1-2) 11-10 in a wild eight-inning affair. West took an 8-0 lead after a seven-run third; the Patriots countered with a 6-spot in the fifth. East plated a run in the top of the eighth but in the bottom of the frame West’s Ana Glemser tripled for her fourth hit of the day. Taylor Hooven singled her home and Molly Gibson’s walk-off single ended the game.
Pennridge sat at 1-1 after waxing Abington 16-0 in its opener and falling to powerhouse North Penn on Tuesday.
In the SOL Patriot, Council Rock South improved to 3-0 with a 10-4 win over Bensalem. Grace Stepp rapped three hits and Angelina Comerford drove in three. CR South averages 10 runs per game. The day before, the Golden Hawks beat both Villa Joseph Marie and the rain. Lexi Waring tossed a one-hitter as the Golden Hawks topped the Jems 8-0 in a shortened yet official game.
Sister school Council Rock North (2-0) mercy ruled Harry S. Truman 11-1. Olivia Schlindwein and Chelsea Seiler each had two hits for the Indians. Schlindwein also struck out seven in three innings from the circle.
New Hope-Solebury (1-1) notched its first win Tuesday with a 13-3 mercy rule of Freedom division rival Cheltenham. Emily Wilson struck out five in the five inning win. Ella Dudick’s two hits and Helen Knapp’s two RBI paced the Lions.
On Wednesday, as the Herald went to press, Faith Christian debuted at Dock Mennonite while Solebury School opened at Villa Victoria. CB South opens at sister school CB East on Thursday after the Titans completed a spring training trip to Myrtle Beach. South Hunterdon visits Hamilton West in its April 3 opener.
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