Cader Leads Lady Hatters to 6-4 Softball Win

When Hatboro-Horsham High jumped out of the gate with a 4-0 lead in the first inning of its varsity softball game with Central Bucks West at home on Wednesday afternoon, the last thing the Lady Hatters expected was to be fighting to retain that advantage in the late stages of the Suburban One League/Continental Conference contest.

Senior pitcher Maggie Shaffer had to strand a potential tying run on third base in the top of the sixth and freshman Jen Cader crushed a home run to dead center field in the bottom of the inning as Hatboro-Horsham pulled out a 6-4 victory. 

It was something of a trap game on the schedule for the Lady Hatters, who could be excused for overlooking CB West a day before a schedule first-place showdown with Central Bucks South on Thursday at the Horsham-based school.

"I would have liked to have had an off-day before playing CB South," said Hatboro-Horsham coach Joe DiFilippo. "But you've got to play the schedule you are given." 

What looked like another easy Lady Hatter win became anything but when Shaffer gave up a pair of walks and was touched for a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch by Amanda Wolfgang to left-center field in the fifth.

Suddenly a comfortable 5-1 lead had turned into a 5-4 adventure.

But Shaffer, who struggled with her usually-impeccable control on this day, left a runner stranded at third after allowing her fourth hit in the fifth past a diving second baseman Jackie DiPietro into right field.

Shortstop Val Sadowl and third baseman Chrissy James gobbled up grounders to make sure Hatboro-Horsham maintained its slim, one-run edge. 

Then Cader, a talented freshman who came in defensively in right field in the late innings, made her first big mark for the defending state 4-A champions. 

The smooth-swinging youngster roped a shot to the farthest reaches of the stadium. CB West's center fielder crashed into the fence, but couldn't catch a drive that dropped just over the barrier. 

"I was just looking for a good swing," said Cader, who said she had never cleared the fence in a game at any level. "I was just looking to get on."

This was the type of performance the Lady Hatters expected from Cader when she was one of just two freshman, along with Jaynie Black, to make the varsity squad.

"That was a sweet swing and it won't be the last one we see from Jen," said DiFilippo, whose Lady Hatter team improved to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in conference.

That "good swing" gave the seemingly flat a much-needed burst of momentum and took some of the pressure off Shaffer in the seventh.  

Shaffer responded by retiring CB West in order to finish off her ninth win in succession. She hurled seven innings, striking out eight.

DiPietro continued her torrid hitting with her second straight three-hit performance and also scored a pair of runs. The Seton Hall-bound senior captain and lead-off batter got the Hatboro-Horsham attack rolling in the first with a base hit and scored the first run of the game moments later on a James double.

A walk to Sadowl, an RBI single by center fielder Heather Lutz and Shaffer's two-run single resulted in three more runs.

DiPietro tripled in the second and James bunted her home to make it 5-0 before CB West rallied for a solo run in the fourth and its three runs in the fifth.

While Hatboro-Horsham was struggling on its end, the same could be said for CB South in its prelude against CB East on Wednesday. The Titans (8-1, 5-0) led 7-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but gave up five runs on the road to barely hold on for a 7-6 victory to remain undefeated in conference play. 

But both of the two Continental Conference powerhouses survived and advanced to the first of two regular-season smackdowns in the 3:30 p.m. contest.

"CB South has very talented players and is well-coached," said DiFilippo. "We will see if we are that good when we play (on Thursday)."

DeFilippo said that CB South pitcher Haleigh Stocks would be the toughest test the Lady Hatters have faced this season.

Hatboro-Horsham captured two decisions against the Titans last season to win the conference crown and the teams split two games in 2010. The last four games have all been decided by one run. 

While's Cader's homer helped propel the Lady Hatter varsity to another win, it was a two-run, walk-off blast by another freshman that lifted Hatboro-Horsham's JV squad to a much-needed 11-10 victory over CB West. 

Lexy Campbell not only kept the Lady Hatter JVs in the game with her pitching on another rough day for the Hatboro-Horsham defense, but her drive to deep right-center field in the seventh capped an improbable comeback for a team that trailed 9-1 in the fourth inning.

The Lady Hatter JVs (3-6, 1-4) rallied for two runs in the fourth and two in the sixth before posting six runs in their final at-bat. Emily Wallace and catcher Mara Witsen (3-for-5) started the winning rally with doubles, in between Brooke Berridge getting aboard on an error at short.  

Jessica Ebel's infield hit, a sacrifice fly from Miranda Nish and a Jackie Locke line-drive single (3-for-5) made it a 10-9 game and set the stage for Campbell's heroics.