Heartbreaking Loss For HHHS Softballers Against CB East

Can lighting really strike in the same place twice?

That is what the Hatboro-Horsham High School softball team has to be asking itself after an excruciating 3-2, 10-inning loss to Central Bucks East Thursday afternoon at home in Suburban One League/Continental Conference play.

When CB East (6-5 overall, 6-2 in conference) turned a game-ending double play on a suicide squeeze bunt by Andrea Baldus, it was all too reminiscent of the end of the season-ending 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Patriots last May that knocked the Lady Hatters (6-3, 5-3) out of the PIAA 4-A playoffs in the quarterfinals of the District I tournament.

With the game going to International Tiebreaker rules after the two teams completed nine innings tied 2-2, CB East went ahead by a run when Jenn Young stroked a sacrifice fly to deep center off pitcher Kaeli Simmons for the go-ahead RBI after Addison Rolleri began the frame at second base and was bunted over to third by Anna Caraghini.

In the bottom of the inning, first baseman Jackie Locke was placed at second for the Lady Hatters and was sacrificed to third on a well-placed bunt from Kylie Flagler.

HHHS coach Joe DiFilippo sent Baldus to the plate to pinch-hit for catcher Bridgett Shaffer, with everyone at the diamond knowing Baldus would be called on to squeeze Locke home from third.

But Baldus, making just her second official at-bat of the season, popped the bunt up as she tried to place the pitch from hard-throwing Kayla Ventura up the first base line.

CB East catcher Danielle Marzetti pounced on the ball like a mountain lion, catching it in the air and whirling to throw a strike to third baseman Brady Tillotson, who tagged out Locke for the final out of the game.

That was the third double play of the afternoon executed by the Patriots.

It brought back memories of Patriot shortstop Jess Haug's nifty snag of a Daria Edwards line drive that seemed destined for left field and a game-winning hit in last year's playoffs. Haug then threw to Tillotson, who tagged out Jaynie Black for the final out of the 2013 Lady Hatter season.

Thursday's game was another pitcher's duel as Ventura and Hatboro-Horsham's duo of Lexie Campbell and Simmons worked out of trouble for most of the game.

HHHS used singles from Black and Locke, bookending a stolen base, to forge ahead 1-0 in the second. 

CB East tied the game at 1-1 in the third when Young got aboard on an error, was sacrificed into scoring position on Marzotti's bunt and scored when Daria Dempsey stroked a single to left.

The Lady Hatters cut down a run at home plate in the fourth after Theresa Haug's infield hit and Ventura's double to the left-center field fence when Jen Cader fired to shortstop Megan Hallock, who relayed the ball to Edwards. Edwards then fired a bullet to Shaffer, who tagged out Haug at the plate.

But with Campbell beginning to tire in the fifth, CB East was lucky when it challenged Cader arm in center to take the lead.

Marzotti began the inning with a single to right, narrowly beating a crisp throw to first from Deanna Moyer, who had gunned out a batter on a similar play in last year's quarterfinal playoff game and did it again on Tuesday at CB West.

Dempsey walked and the pair of base runners were sacrificed to second and third by Sydney Badger. After a classic battle between hitter and pitcher, the dangerous Tillotson smashed a long fly to center that Cader tracked down.

Cader unleashed a near-perfect throw to the plate that arrived before Marzotti got to home, but it short-hopped Shaffer and the sophomore catcher was unable to control the strike as Marzotti slid across home with the tiebreaking run.

It was Hatboro-Horsham's turn for good fortune in the sixth.

The rally started with the lefty-swinging Hallock slapping her third hit of the day over the drawn-in infield and in front of Young in center for a single. Hallock then quickly stole second to get into scoring position.

Ventura pitched through trouble to retire Moyer and the ever-dangerous Edwards, but Cader's slicing drive into the wind near the left-field line was dropped near the ground by Dempsey on a high-difficulty play for a double.

That scored Hallock to make it 2-2, a place the game remained until the 10th inning.

The loss makes Monday's trip to first-place Souderton (6-1) almost a must-win scenario for the Lady Hatters in the 3:30 p.m. contest. The Indians beat Hatboro-Horsham 3-2 in the second game of conference play last month and a loss would put HHHS three games back in the loss column with five conference games remaining.