Softball: H-H Survives Rain, Beats CB West

The politics of weather seemed to be more important than the action on the field Tuesday afternoon as rolled to a 13-0 varsity softball victory at Central Bucks West in Suburban One League/Continental Conference action.

Coming off a stunning 6-3 loss to Pennridge Thursday at home, the Lady Hatters (14-2 overall, 9-2 in conference) steamrolled CB West (5-10, 2-9) during a game that was played in intermittent, but heavy rain.

But with the rain dissipating and Hatboro-Horsham just two outs away from closing up a five-inning, mercy-rule decision, the umpires inexplicably stopped the contest. 

"I have no idea what just happened," said Hatboro-Horsham coach Joe DiFilippo, who was as confused as everyone else with the sudden suspension of action, after watching his squad compete for an hour and a half in less-than-ideal conditions. "The field would have been fine, if (CB West) had some quick dry to put on the field."

The decision to halt the game was made because of deteriorating field conditions, but Hatboro-Horsham didn't learn until later that it had been awarded a four-inning win with a mutual agreement between the two schools. 

"These conditions are dangerous," DiFilippo said. "You don't want someone blowing out an ACL, or something."

Maggie Shaffer had a brilliant day in the circle and at the plate for the Lady Hatters. The senior hurler did not allow a hit, striking out three and was 2-of-2 at the plate, with a double, triple and four RBIs.

Freshman left fielder Jen Cader continued to show her promise with a 2-for-3 plate performance and a pair of RBIs in the fourth as the Lady Hatters broke the game open with six runs.

Hatboro-Horsham scored three runs each in the first and second innings and added one in the third to take a 7-0 advantage.

Shortstop Val Sadowl continued to have one of the hottest bats in the lineup, going 2-for-3, with one RBI, despite getting very few pitches to hit as Hatboro-Horsham's clean-up batter.

Catcher Daria Edwards also contributed a triple as she appears to be regaining a batting stroke that helped her hit seven home runs at the JV level in less than half-a-season of play last year.

The win allowed Hatboro-Horsham to stay a game behind Central Bucks South in the standings, with a potential conference championship showdown looming between the two teams on Thursday.

CB South survived an 11-inning heart-stopper on Friday at North Penn, finally winning 3-1 in a game that was scoreless through the first nine innings. The Titans (13-2, 10-1) then hammered out a 7-0 victory against Central Bucks East on Monday.

A scheduled game with Souderton on Wednesday afternoon was postponed because of poor field conditions at Hatboro-Horsham and will be made up on Friday. The Lady Hatters will play a doubleheader on Friday, meeting Souderton at 2 p.m. and then taking on Council Rock North at 4:30 p.m.

The rain has had devastating effects on the Hatboro-Horsham junior varsity program, which had a game against Pennridge cancelled last Thursday and added the games against Souderton and Council Rock North to the cancelation list this week.

The Lady Hatters JV team was victimized by the weather more than CB West in a frustrating 9-7 loss on Tuesday that was stopped with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Hatboro-Horsham (5-10, 2-8) roared out of the gate to a 7-1 lead in the second inning before heavy rains began to make it almost impossible to grip the ball for Lady Hatter pitcher Emily Wallace, who still managed six strikeouts.

The Bucks managed just four hits on the day, two of them on bunts, but took advantage of five walks and an error to score six times in the bottom of the second during the worst part of the deluge for a 7-7 deadlock.

Hatboro-Horsham, meanwhile, drilled CB West pitching for 11 hits and scored three times in the first and four times in the second. But the Lady Hatters failed to come up with enough clutch hits, stranding nine runners on base in just four innings.

Wallace (2-for-3, two RBIs) drove in Jackie Locke with a two-strike liner wide of third for the first run, went to third on an infield hit from Bria Cashman and hustled home on an errant throw. Cashman came in on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

A blown call on a tag play at third helped CB West pick up one in the bottom of the first, but Charlotte Coulson started another rally for the Lady Hatters in the second.

Coulson smashed a line drive down the left-field line that would have been a double, or triple on most days, but became a single in the tall, wet grass on this day. 

But Locke followed with a single to center and Lexy Campbell plated Coulson with a base hit to left.

Singles by Maggie Leisch and Wallace brought in Locke with another run and Campbell scored on a Cashman ground out to make it 6-1. 

The uprising could have been more significant, but Leisch was called out when she clearly slid under a tag at third for the second out.

Anna Mitchell, catching for only the third time all year in the mud and muck of this nasty weather day, went 2-for-3 and drove in Wallace with the fourth run of the inning on a hard single to left.

The Lady Hatter JVs were unlucky not to take the lead in the top of the fourth.

Cashman (2-for-3, 1 RBI) led off the inning when she lined a base hit to left and moved all the way to third on a comebacker from Mitchell and a wild throw. 

After Miranda Nish walked, Brooke Berridge laid down a suicide squeeze bunt, but Cashman was thrown out at the plate for the second out.

Coulson, who like Nish was perfect at the plate with a single and two walks, battled back from a 1-2 count to walk and load the bases for Locke. 

Locke, however, was robbed twice on the day, including this crucial play. The first baseman smacked a line drive that looked like it would drive in at least a pair of runs until it was snagged at short for the third out.

The game got away from Hatboro-Horsham in the bottom of the fourth when Wallace walked the lead-off batter on a 3-2 pitch and the next hitter followed with a bunt single that was thrown away for an error.

By the time the ball was retrieved in right field, the go-ahead run had scored and another errant throw in the infield allowed the bunter to score to make it 9-7. 

Following a walk and a strikeout on a fouled third-strike bunt, the umpires decided to stop the game, apparently only after seeing the varsity game had been stopped at the other end of the field.