Lady Hatter Bats Bring Down Souderton, 8-5

For those who wondered how Hatboro-Horsham High School's softball team would do minus the graduated pitcher Maggie Shaffer this season, there was an obvious oversight.

In an 8-5 victory over Souderton Thursday afternoon at home, the Lady Hatters hitters dismantled yet another pitching staff on the way to their next Continental Conference win.

And rather than the potent top of the order, it was the middle and bottom of the lineup that caused the carnage this time as HHHS (11-1 overall, 8-1 in conference) swept its regular-season series with the Indians.

Right fielder Jaynie Black was asked by someone not at the game how her team had done on the way to the parking lot.

"We had a very good day," was the effervescent sophomore's reply.

Good day indeed. And a classic understatement.

Black was 2-for-3 with a game-tying RBI single in the two-run, second inning and capped off a four-run third with a booming, two-run double.

Nicole Casagrand battled past a strong Souderton lineup, scuffling through a five earned run performance, with four strikeouts and no walks, but she more than made up for it with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, scoring a run in the second after a lead-off single and driving in two runs in that key third by ripping a double. 

Casagrand scored again later in the third after a single by second baseman Adrienne Giuliani and Black's double.

After taking a brief 3-1 lead in the third, Souderton (6-7, 3-6) fought back with solo runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, but Casagrand pitched out of a second and third jam with the potential tying run at the plate in the seventh to end the game.

"I don't think there has been a game this season where we haven't hit the ball well," said Hatboro-Horsham coach Joe DiFilippo. "Souderton is a good team and they are very well coached. They never quit on you as they showed in the last inning."

The Lady Hatters can be dangerous even when they don't use their bats. 

Souderton pitcher Salina Allebach pitched too carefully with two outs and walked the deadly shortstop Daria Edwards in the first and an error on a ball hit to second by Heather Lutz resulted in a first-inning run. 

Hatboro-Horsham also manufactured an insurance run in the sixth on a base hit from center fielder Jen Cader, another error at second on a Maria Spinosa grounder and an RBI ground out from Edwards.

Defensively, freshman catcher Bridgett Schaeffer derailed the speedy Souderton running game, throwing out a pair of base stealers. The Indians had stolen on seven of eight attempts in a 4-2 loss earlier this season to the Lady Hatters. 

With the win and North Penn's 5-0 blanking of Central Bucks South, Hatboro-Horsham suddenly has a two-game lead over CB South, CB East and Pennridge in the conference standings with five games left. 

That is important as the Lady Hatters face a stretch where they face Pennridge at home and North Penn and CB South on the road in the next two weeks.

Next Tuesday's game with be the annual contest at the Hatboro Little League complex, with the JV Hatters playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity taking the field at 7 p.m.

CB East scored a 6-0 win over CB West and Pennridge defeated Quakertown in other conference action on Thursday. 

It was a rough day for the JV Hatters on Thursday in a 16-5 loss to Souderton. 

A season-worst 10 fielding errors spelled doom for HHHS, derailing a solid pitching effort by Kaeli Simmons, who was also 1-for-3 with a walk at the plate. Simmons struck out 10 Indian batters. 

Catcher Emmy Rivkin had a career-high three hits in four at-bats, while center fielder Jamie Mroz and shortstop Megan Fitzgerald added two hits each.

Mroz combined with third baseman Emily Wallace for a pair of the few highlights on the afternoon for the JV Hatters when the two players slammed back-to-back triples to set up a pair of runs in the fifth.