Health & Fitness
Lady Hatters Open Conference With 9-4 Softball Win Over CB East
Nicole Casagrand holds the hard-hitting Central Bucks Patriots to two earned runs and six players drive in runs as Hatboro-Horsham opens Continental Conference play with an important victory.
It may have only been the first game of the Continental Conference season, but Nicole Casagrand and the Hatboro-Horsham High School varsity softball team made a big statement Tuesday afternoon in a 9-4 victory at home against Central Bucks East.
The road to the conference title still travels through the Hatboro-Horsham campus.
The left-handed Casagrand (3-0) scattered nine hits and three walks and allowed just two earned runs in seven innings against the hard-hitting Patriots, who were touted by many in the preseason as the team to beat in the Continental Conference.
Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On offense, the Lady Hatters (3-0 overall, 1-0 in conference) relied on two hits each from center fielder Jen Cader, third baseman Maria Spinosa and first baseman Heather Lutz to pace a balanced attack.
Six different players had at least one RBI, led by shortstop Daria Edwards, who knocked in a pair of runs.
Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Cader, Spinosa, Lutz, designated hitter Jaynie Black and right fielder DeAnna Moyer each had one RBI. Lutz stroked a key double and Black scored three times.
"The girls played very well today," said Hatboro-Horsham coach Joe DiFilippo. "We hit the ball well and we got our small-ball game working. I am very pleased."
After CB East (3-1, 0-1) took the lead with a run in the first, Hatboro-Horsham responded with solo runs in the first and second.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth, the Lady Hatters erupted for four runs to take control at 6-2 and never looked back.
CB East cut the lead to 6-4 in the fifth, but Hatboro-Horsham added a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth to finish off a comfortable victory.
On a cold day with high winds slicing through the junior varsity diamond, the JV Hatters (2-1, 0-1) had a rough day in a 16-8 loss to CB East.
Defense was a particular problem as the JV Hatters committed seven errors, leading to eight unearned runs.
Injuries also played a role with starting pitcher Kaeli Simmons and center fielder Miranda Nish having to leave the game in the early innings with elbow and shoulder ailments.
Offensively, Hatboro-Horsham woke up late to pile up 12 hits, but the Lady Hatters couldn't overcome an early 16-2 deficit.
Emily Wallace led the attack with a 3-for-4 afternoon that included two doubles — one which was incorrectly called a ground-rule double instead of a home run by the umpires.
Third baseman Bria Cashman added three hits, while left fielder Jamie Mroz and shortstop Meghan Fitzgerald contributed two hits apiece.
Both Hatboro-Horsham softball teams will be back in conference action on Thursday at Souderton High School for 3:30 p.m. games.
