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Which Bucks County area softball teams are on the upswing? Check out the latest rankings

melissa hanejko, bucks county courier times
·6 min read

With a new month, comes plenty of changes in our softball rankings. One thing that hasn't changed, though? The excellent seasons these teams are putting together! Want proof? Our top six public schools are an amazing 70-7 combined.

5 Teams on the Rise:

These teams have been turning it up after slow starts! Which impressed you the most? Let us know by responding to our poll at the bottom of the page!

1. Pennridge

The Rams have won six of their last eight, and their two losses were to Pennsbury and Quakertown, by a total of three runs. Pitchers Grace Helbling and Averi Dockery have been phenomenal, and Dockery is also crushing the ball at the plate, with nine home runs on the season.

2. William Tennent

Junior Carlie Nydick's strong pitching has helped William Tennent surge in the standings the past couple week.
Junior Carlie Nydick's strong pitching has helped William Tennent surge in the standings the past couple week.

The Panthers had two tough losses last week, one was against undefeated Quakertown and the other a one-run loss to Upper Dublin. Other than that, the Panthers have been piling up the runs, scoring 11 or more in five games. Sophomores Victoria Colagreco and Morgan Kocher have been tough outs for opposing pitchers, and junior pitcher Carlie Nydick has been excellent, giving up nine hits while striking out 14 in three appearances last week.

3. Hatboro-Horsham

The Hatters started the season 2-5, but with a team loaded with talent, it was just a matter of time before they turned it around, and with five straight wins, they’ve done just that. While pitcher Alyssa Tooley and third baseman Amya Lundy have been putting up big numbers, the Hatters have also been helped by the emergence of freshmen Bella Karpovich and Adriana DeLeon. DeLeon went 4-for-4 with three RBIs against New Hope-Solebury, was 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs against Lower Moreland, and was 2-for-4 with four RBIs vs. Tennent. Tooley, meanwhile, sparked the Hatters’ win streak with a three-hit, 15-strikeout shutout of Upper Dublin.

4. Dock Mennonite

The Pioneers had a tough schedule to begin the season, with games against Gwynedd Mercy, Lansdale Catholic and Upper Dublin. Since a 2-4 start, the Pioneers have had three BAL wins where they outscored opponents 40-1. Trinity Landis contributed nine RBIs in those games, and also earned two wins in the circle. Aubrey Gahman has also come on strong, pitching a complete-game shutout against MaST Charter, and was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs vs. Christian Academy.

5. Faith Christian

Sophomore pitcher Kamryn Pepkowski pitched three shutouts, with her most recent being a three-hit, 10-strikeout complete-game win against MaST Charter. Offensively, Elena Ault and Lexi Reed have provided some pop in the lineup. Ault had two triples and five RBIs in a recent victory, while Reed, hitting leadoff, has several multi-hit games.

More: Standout sophomores! These are 15 of the top softball players in Bucks, Montgomery County

Council Rock North showing resilience

We know the Indians’ players love softball. That’s a good thing, because they sure have been playing a lot of it, as CRN played 30 innings in three recent extra-inning games. While two ended in losses, the third resulted in a 4-3 win over Pennridge.

After starting the season 5-0, CR North had some tough luck recently. It had to face Archbishop Ryan, one of the top teams in the Catholic League, as well as North Penn. The Indians, who don’t have a senior on the roster, are getting plenty of experience that should pay off down the road, while proving to be a formidable foe for opponents.

More: Who were the best at Bucks County schools? Here are the Palisades girls

Public School Rankings:

Council Rock South pitcher Julia Scannapieco reacts with teammates Ameerah Wheet (8) and Kaylie Walters (12) during the fifth inning of Thursday's game against North Penn.
Council Rock South pitcher Julia Scannapieco reacts with teammates Ameerah Wheet (8) and Kaylie Walters (12) during the fifth inning of Thursday's game against North Penn.

(Records include games through Sunday)

  • 1. North Penn (13-0): North Penn has occupied the top spot in the rankings all season, and it would be a surprise to see that change.

  • 2. Quakertown (12-0): It’s a rare case that a 12-0 team is ranked second. The Panthers don’t have the toughest schedule remaining, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see them finish undefeated. Perhaps we should make them 1B then.

  • 3. (tie) Pennsbury (11-1): The Falcons’ lone setback was against North Penn. Last week, the Falcons mixed strong pitching from Laney Freiband and clutch hitting from Lil Baughman in their three wins.

  • 3. (tie) Palisades (14-1): The Pirates have totally dominated all competition in District 11 and the Colonial League. Behind star sophomore pitcher Karley Teman, the Pirates have five shutouts and four games with one-run allowed. Their lone loss was a 2-1 decision to Pen Argyl. Though it’s hard to directly compare with teams like Pennsbury, as they don’t share common opponents, they do share the No. 3 spot in the rankings.

  • 5. Council Rock South (9-3): Losses don’t usually help a team’s ranking, but the Golden Hawks did something that no other team has done this season. Against North Penn, the Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the first team to hold a lead over the Knights this season. They also scored four runs, the most NP has given up in a game.

  • 6. Bristol (11-2): The Warriors scored 16, 18, 18 and 22 runs in their last six games, all wins, while giving up just 11 total runs in those six games.

  • 7. Pennridge (7-5)

  • 8. Hatboro-Horsham (7-5)

  • 9. CB South (5-5)

  • 10. Neshaminy (6-7)

Private School Rankings:

  • 1. Archbishop Wood (9-4): The Vikings fell to 5-1 in the Catholic League after running into a red-hot Archbishop Ryan, but that was their lone loss in their last seven games. The Vikings, playing a varied schedule, have picked up wins over Inter-Academic League-leading Germantown Academy, AACA-leader Gwynedd Mercy, and Upper Dublin, as well as a big victory over Archbishop Carroll, second in the PCL at 6-2.

  • 2. Conwell-Egan (7-4): The Eagles’ offense has been heating up, scoring 10 or more runs in three of their last four PCL games, with Leanne Bresnen and sophomore Cecelia McBeth leading the way.

  • 3. Germantown Academy (6-2): The Patriots’ only recent loss is to Archbishop Wood, and that was a 4-1 game.

  • 4. Gwynedd Mercy (10-3)

  • 5. Lansdale Catholic (7-4)

  • 6. Dock Mennonite (5-6)

  • 7. Faith Christian (5-3)

Readers picked who will win the SOL Patriot Division

In our last rankings, we asked which team would win the highly competitive SOL Patriot Division. The results are in! Pennsbury was picked by 44 percent of responders, followed by Council Rock South (34%), and Council Rock North (9%).

More: Bucks County area high school baseball sees a shakeup at top of rankings this week

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County high school softball teams to watch for in the rankings