Shaffer, Koelzer Key Lady Hatters to League-Opening Win

There were two softball games played side-by-side at Quakertown High School on Tuesday and both illustrated what often happens when teams get extra outs in an inning.

In the case of the varsity, extra outs against the defending state championship team resulted in a quick, five-run start on the way to a six-inning, 13-1 victory in the Suburban One League opener for both teams. 

For the Lady Hatter junior varsity, an extra out provided by a bad umpiring call turned a competitive 2-2 game in the fifth inning into an excruciating 7-2 loss.

Three errors in the top of the first inning got Hatboro-Horsham off and rolling in the varsity game and with all-state performer Maggie Shaffer in the circle, Quakertown's hopes died quickly.

"(Quakertown) didn't make the plays in the first inning and they were pretty much out of it after that," said Hatboro-Horsham coach Joe DiFilippo, whose team improved to 5-0. "You can't give us six outs in an inning." 

Shaffer only had to pitch three innings, scattering two hits and fanning six batters, while holding the Panthers without a run, or walk.

Shaffer could have single-handedly beaten Quakertown with her bat, too. She scored two runs and stroked a three-run homer down the left-field line in the third inning. 

Emily Wrenn and Nicole Casagrand finished things off, pitching the final three innings. Wrenn allowed a run and three hits in one inning of work, while the left-handed Casagrand struck out five of the seven batters she faced and walked just one in two innings.

Coming back from a week away at a national ice hockey tournament, Kelsey Koelzer returned in left field for the Lady Hatters and didn't show any rust. Koelzer slammed a solo home run and a two-run double, finishing 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs to lead the attack. 

The umpires played a major role in Hatboro-Horsham's junior varsity loss.

In the first inning, the Lady Hatters took a 1-0 lead on consecutive hits by second baseman Jackie Locke, shortstop Lexy Campbell and center fielder Maggie Leisch and a wild pitch.

But a bigger inning was cut short when pitcher Emily Wallace smacked a line drive that was snagged on a nice defensive play in the third-base hole and Leisch was doubled off second base.

Leisch appeared to slide under the tag and the Quakertown second baseman dropped the throw, but the field umpire still called Leisch out to ruin the potential of a bigger rally.

A two-base error on a grounder to short by catcher Mara Witsen, a Grace Mitchell sacrifice and a wild pitch allowed the Lady Hatter JVs to make it 2-0 in the second, but a two-out error in the bottom of the third was followed by a two-run Panther double to tie the game. 

It was still 2-2 with one out in the bottom of the fifth when a blown call changed the tone of the game.  

On a two-strike count, a Quakertown batter bunted the ball foul for what should have been the second out of the inning. But the plate umpire failed to call the batter out, apparently missing the fact she had bunted.

The Panther hitter, given a fourth strike, bunted again on the next pitch and third baseman Bria Cashman misfired on the throw to allow the batter to reach second base.

After the play, the home plate umpire realized his mistake on the previous play and went onto the field for a conference with the other umpire. After a brief consultation, the home plate umpire called the runner out, resulting in an immediate protest by the Quakertown coaches.

Informed by Quakertown that they couldn't change the call because another pitch had been thrown, the umpires put the runner back at second base and the Panthers took full advantage of their second chance. 

With two outs, Quakertown struck for a single to center, a triple down the left-field line, a single to left, a hit batsman and a single inside third base off of Wallace to turn the break into five unearned runs and a 7-2 lead.

Wallace, pitching on her 15th birthday, deserved a better fate. The freshman hurler struck out 11 batters, walked only one and scattered nine hits in pitching a complete game. 

Hatboro-Horsham (2-3 overall, 0-1 in league play) was limited to just four hits, two of them coming off the bat of Leisch.

Both Hatboro-Horsham teams will be off the rest of the week, due to the Easter break, but will return to action April 10 when they host Central Bucks East High at 3:30 p.m. in Suburban One play.