Pennridge’s Madison Silber had her share of highlights during the regular season.
She hit a team-high .424 and led the team in home runs (three) and hits (25). Yet Silber had one of her most memorable moments as a member of the Suburban One League/Bicentennial Athletic League (SOL/BAL) squad recently in the annual Phillies Carpenter Cup Softball Tournament at Philadelphia’s FDR Park.
The sophomore was joined by teammate junior Gianna Iadonisi along with Quakertown junior Halle Frederick and freshman LauraRose Morelock on the roster.
The SOL/BAL team finished with a 1-1-1 mark on the first day of competition Monday, and they awaited to see if they would be among the final four teams to play in the championship round Wednesday. The team lost its opening-round game to Mercer County, 10-4, battled to a 7-7 tie with Delaware County, and then captured a 15-4 victory over Philadelphia Catholic.
Silber had an overall productive day as she went 2-for-3 with a walk, single and inside-the-park homer with four RBIs. As a catcher, she spilt time in the first two games, and then played the first four innings of the final game.
“It was an honor and privilege and I was grateful for the opportunity,” said Silber. “One of the best parts was forging friendships with some of my school rivals and gaining new knowledge from each of the coaches.
“It is very special to play with such a talented group of girls at such a high level. Overall, it has been a fantastic experience.”
Iadonisi, who played third base, felt comfortable with the transition.
“I knew a lot of the girls and have played travel softball with them,” said Iadonisi, who played the second half of the games. “I had just played over the weekend, so it wasn’t a big layoff for me. I didn’t have to prepare any differently.
“It has been a pretty cool experience. We all really meshed well together, and we all were cheering each other. It has been a great time for me and I am very grateful for the opportunity.”
Frederick saw action at right field, left field and first base throughout all three games and went 1-for-3 at the plate with a sacrifice bunt. More importantly, though, it was about being there.
“The Carpenter Cup has been a great experience,” said Frederick. “I made new friendships with girls from other schools and was able to have fun with them on and off the field. Everybody on our team is very talented and it was incredible to play with such amazing people and athletes.
“Overall, it was an experience I will never forget and am thankful for each and every person who made this all possible.”
Morelock appreciated her limited time in right field.
“I thought this was a great experience and it was fun playing with girls with different styles and bonding with them,” said Morelock. “I didn’t hit great, but I didn’t hit terrible. I made contact and I couldn’t be happier that I was happy to go up to the plate and face the pitchers. I was glad for the playing time especially as a freshman.
“I believe this is a great way for high school players to be seen by coaches and on top of that, bond with players from different schools in order to come together on the field as a whole.”
