Lady Hatters Thunder to a Rain-Shortened Softball Win

SELLERSVILLE, PA. — There never seems to be a dull moment when Hatboro-Horsham High School meets Pennridge in softball at Earl B. Druckenmiller Park.

And if anyone had forgotten last year's incredible, 11-8 Lady Hatters classic, International Tiebreaker victory, the two teams had an almost-as-wild sequel planned for Thursday evening.

With Heather Lutz, the hero of last year's win with a 10th-inning, game-winning grand slam, among the fans showing up for Thursday's game, the Lady Hatters survived for a rain and lightning-shortened 8-4 victory in Suburban One League/Continental Conference action.

But the final score doesn't tell much of the story.

Hatboro-Horsham (7-4 overall, 6-4 in conference) finally showed the capabilities of a high-powered offense, erupting for 13 hits and 10 runs the through six innings. But ahead 10-4 heading to the bottom of that inning, the Lady Hatters had to hang on for dear life when the Rams scored four times and got the potential tying runs on base with two outs against a tiring reliever Kaeli Simmons.

When Hatboro-Horsham head coach Joe DiFilippo went to the circle to discuss removing Simmons from the game for either starting pitcher Lexie Campbell, or freshman Brynn Griffith, who spent most of this wild game warming up in the bullpen, a lightning flash was witnessed nearby.

That mandated an automatic, half-hour delay, according to PIAA rules. Then a short time after Hatboro-Horsham retired to its bus to wait out the delay, the thunderstorm engulfed Druckenmiller Park, along with several more lightning strikes nearby.

Weather radar showed that the game might be able to resume to a conclusion, with most of the huge storm passing to the north and south of the Perkasie-Sellersville area.

And the rain cleared enough for the umpires to announce around 8:30 p.m. that the two teams could return to the dugouts and beginning warming up again, but no sooner did the two teams get back near the field then another series of distant lightning strikes began.

With the Hatboro-Horsham team — and some of the friendly Pennridge players as well — taking refuge again in the HHHS bus, a heavy downpour then began that turned the field into a muddy mess.

About 10 minutes into this second delay, the umpires decided that Druckenmiller Park — which had been beautifully restored from the previous two days of heavy rain — was in no condition to conclude the game.

The score reverted back to the last complete inning and the Lady Hatters were awarded an 8-4, five-inning victory.

"That's the way our season has gone," said a frustrated Pennridge coach Paul Koehler, whose young team fell to 4-8 and 2-8 in the brutally difficult Continental Conference. "You would expect things to end like this."

Hatboro-Horsham, which scored in five of six innings and had five players rip at least two hits off Pennridge hurler Emily Mayhew, took a 10-4 lead with two runs in the top of the sixth.

DeAnna Moyer, showing increased confidence as she sported corrective lens on the field for the first time this season, turned around to the left side of the plate and slapped a double down the third base line to get that rally started.

Megan Hallock, batting in the lead-off spot again and moved to third base for the first time this season, followed with an exquisite bunt that was deadened perfectly up the third-base line to move Moyer (2-for-3, two doubles, two runs) and stole second on the next pitch to give the Lady Hatters runners at second and third.

Jaynie Black followed with her second hit of the night — a line-drive single to center — for two RBIs to push the lead to six runs.

But Pennridge stormed back in the bottom of the inning as Simmons began her fifth inning of relief work — her longest outing of the season.

The sophomore pitcher had sparkled to get a surprisingly wild Campbell out of trouble in the second with a strikeout and a fly to right to strand runners at second and third and allowed only a single run in the fourth, two hits and a walk to Pennridge's dangerous bats, while striking out three hitters.

But after Ram center fielder Natalie Babik got on with an infield hit, perfectly placed up the middle and Bridgett Casey flew out to Moyer in right, Simmons began to show signs of fatigue.

Mayhew crushed an elevated pitch off the center-field fence, but the quick reactions of Jen Cader held Mayhew to a hard-hit single.

Simmons then walked Alison Horne and gave up a line-drive single to center by freshman Brianna Gery with the bases loaded to plate two runs. 

Haley Taylor followed with an RBI double before Simmons retired the dangerous Morgan Labs — who has beaten HHHS twice in two seasons with three-run homers — on a comebacker.

When Julie Helbling worked another walk to place the tying runs on base, DiFilippo made his way to the circle to replace Simmons before the weather intervened and ended what was set up for a dramatic finish.

Hatboro-Horsham broke in front almost immediately when Black singled sharply to right-center, stole second and was driven in when shortstop Daria Edwards ripped a single up the middle that hit the second-base bag and careened into center.

With two outs, first baseman Jackie Locke put some patented backspin on a looping liner to right to bring in Edwards with the second run of the inning. Locke, who had a 4-for-4 game against Souderton, eventually worked her streak to six consecutive hits before Pennridge finally retired her.

Pennridge turned a pair of walks, an error, a single and a sacrifice fly into two runs in the bottom of the first as Campbell stranded two runners.

With one out in the second, Moyer scorched a drive to right-center field for a double and Hallock slapped a shot to center for a base hit and an RBI.

The Rams tied the game and chased Campbell in the second with a double by Mayhew driving in Babik to tie the game at 3-all.

With Simmons containing the Pennridge offense, the Lady Hatters surged ahead with a solo run in the third when Locke got aboard on an infield hit to the hole and eventually scored on an errant pickoff throw to third from Ram catcher Horne.

Hatboro-Horsham took control in the fourth during an inning that started innocently with Campbell drawing a leadoff walk and Hallock (3-for-4, two runs, one RBI) beating out an infield single. 

A booted grounder to short off the bat of Black scored Campbell and set the stage for the biggest hit of the night.

Edwards, breaking out of a bit of a slump from a run-producing and power perspective, had just missed a home run in the third on a drive that Babik caught against the center-field fence.

But this time there was no doubt as Edwards crushed a pitch a good 10 feet over the barrier in left for a three-run homer.

Now ahead 8-3, the Lady Hatters had enough of an advantage to hold Pennridge off in the weather-shortened game.

Hatboro-Horsham will face another important opponent on Friday afternoon when it travels to arch-rival Central Bucks South (6-3, 7-5) for a 3:45 p.m. contest. This game was originally scheduled for the Lady Hatters' field, but was moved the CB South when the first game between the two teams was played at HHHS due to poor field conditions at CB South.

The Lady Hatters edged the Titans 3-2 in the first round of conference on some brilliant pitching from Campbell and a three-run homer off the bat of Edwards.

This contest should be a key game in determining seeding for the PIAA 4-A playoffs later this month and could help determine if the Lady Hatters get a first-round bye.