Who were the Stars of the Week in softball? See the teams & players that shined on the diamond!
Forget the flowers — April showers also seem to bring incredible softball! The diamonds were abuzz this past week as milestones were reached and win streaks extended.
Milestone of the Week: Karlye Teman, Palisades
The Pirates’ ace pitcher recorded her 500th career strikeout last week. A great accomplishment for any pitcher, but what makes this all the more impressive? Teman is just a sophomore. After fanning 268 batters last season as a freshman, Teman has struck out 237 in 121 innings this season, while giving up just 56 hits. Teman, who has a 19-1 record and 1.27 ERA, is also batting .424 with 21 RBIs.
Team of the Week: Lansdale Catholic
Starting the week in fifth place in the Philadelphia Catholic League, the Crusaders were facing an uphill battle with games against first-place Archbishop Wood and third-place Archbishop Carroll. They responded by defeating both teams and locking up a playoff spot. The Crusaders won 6-2 against Wood, and 12-7 against Carroll, thanks to a seven-run third inning. Seven batters had two hits apiece, while Ella Moran had three hits and two RBIs. Sam McHugh also drove in two runs, while Lauren Leshak earned the win in the circle.
Win of the Week: CB South defeats Pennsbury
Talk about statement wins. The Titans have won three of their last four, with the biggest coming against Pennsbury, as the Falcons were 12-1 (their lone loss to North Penn) entering the game. The Titans had a huge game from Ella Wheeler, who went 2-for-3 with five RBIs, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit in the first inning. But the Falcons weren’t going down without a fight, and the game was tied in the seventh inning when Nora Sidorski stepped up to the plate. After singling, Sidorski stole second and third base, putting her in position to run home on a wild pitch.
More: Dazzling Defenders & Power Pitchers! The top performances in Bucks County high school sports
Pitching Performance of the Week: Lexi Waring, Council Rock South
Council Rock South’s Lexi Waring pitched seven no-hit innings in a win against Souderton, but wasn't credited for a no-hitter. How can that happen? After pitching six innings, Waring was taken out of the game for a reliever. Following a Souderton triple and an error that allowed a run to score, Waring went back into the circle with no outs and retired three straight batters to end the threat. She struck out seven and walked two in the victory.
Statline of the Week: Julia Shearer, North Penn
The Knights’ ace is most well-known for her pitching, but she can also hit the ball, as she displayed in a win against Bensalem. After being retired in her first at-bat, Shearer hit three two-run home runs in consecutive trips to the plate. She may have gone for more if the game hadn’t ended in five innings.. This was during another dominant performance in the circle, as Shearer gave up two hits, no walks and one run while striking out 12 batters.
Spotlight Player of the Week: Lina Sponheimer, Bensalem
The Owls’ junior has quietly put up some of the best numbers in the league. In three games last week, Sponheimer reached base safely in eight of her nine plate appearances. During that span, she hit a home run, a triple, five singles and drew a walk. She leads the Owls with 27 hits, 21 RBIs, four doubles and two homers. In addition, Sponheimer is hitting .625 with runners in scoring position and has struck out just three times all season. She is also contributing all-star level defense, with just two errors this season at first base.
Rankings:
Public: (Records include games through Wednesday)
1. North Penn (17-0): The Knights keep rolling. On Friday, Julia Shearer recorded her 500th career strikeout in her 43rd start for the Knights. The senior struck out 15 while giving up one hit and one walk in the 8-0 win.
2. Quakertown (16-0): The Panthers have given up a total of seven runs in their last seven games.
3. Palisades (19-1): The Pirates wrapped up the regular season on Tuesday. They lost one game this season, a one-run defeat to Colonial East rival Pen Argyl in early April, which they avenged with an 8-0 win later. The Pirates have a first-round bye in the Colonial League tournament, and will play the winner of either Palmerton or Bangor in the semifinals on Tuesday.
4. Pennsbury (13-2): The Falcons’ second loss of the season was by one run in extra innings.
5. Council Rock South (11-5): The Golden Hawks’ last four games (2-2) have been decided by a total of 5 runs. Lexi Waring has been throwing some of her best games of the season (a two-hit, 12-strikeout performance against Pennridge, and a no-hitter against Souderton), though the Golden Hawks’ offense has scored just 10 runs in their last four games.
6. William Tennent (10-5): The Panthers have won four of their last five, with their lone loss coming against Catholic League-leading Archbishop Wood.
7. Bristol (14-2): Freshman Brianna Slack continues to deliver at the plate and in the circle.
8. Hatboro-Horsham (11-5): It’s hard to believe they started 2-5. The Hatters have now won an incredible nine straight games, with Bella Karpovich pitching two complete-game shutouts in that span. Alyssa Tooley has also been excellent in the circle as a starter and in relief.
9. CB South (9-7): The Titans had impressive wins over Wood and Pennsbury in the past week.
10. Pennridge (10-7): With Grace Helbling’s pitching, and Averi Dockery and Reagan Bauman’s hitting, the Rams continue to win.
11. Neshaminy (9-8): Neshaminy picked up a big win on Tuesday when it defeated CR South in an SOL Patriot matchup. Trailing 5-0 in the sixth inning, Neshaminy fought back to even the score and then take the 7-6 win in the eighth inning. Solid fundamentals helped Neshaminy secure the victory with Zoe Shubin laying down a perfect bunt single to tie the game, and Alleigh Waskie executing a suicide squeeze to score the winning run. After a three-game losing streak, Neshaminy has won three of the last four.
Baseball: Abington has figured out how to win in baseball and is thriving
Private Schools:
Note: Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs begin May 15.
1. Conwell-Egan (9-4): The Eagles finished the season first in the PCL at 7-2. They tied for the best record with Wood and Archbishop Ryan, and will have a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in the Catholic League playoffs. The Eagles have scored more than 10 runs in their last three league games, and they also picked up a non-league win against Neshaminy. Katey Brennan went 3-for-3 with two home runs and a triple to give the Eagles a big victory over Archbishop Ryan that clinched their first-place finish.
2. Archbishop Wood (12-6): The Vikings were dealt their second Catholic League loss last week by Lansdale Catholic, and they finished league play at 7-2. The loss bumped them to third in the standings after tie-breakers. Pitcher Dakota Fanelli recorded her 400th career strikeout in Tuesday’s win over Neumann-Goretti, and for the second year in a row, she broke the school’s single-season strikeout record. She finished with 162 strikeouts last season, and has already surpassed that before beginning postseason play,
3. Lansdale Catholic (9-5): Despite falling to Archbishop Ryan in their final PCL game, the Crusaders secured a playoff spot with a 6-3 finish. They clinched the fourth-seed in the upcoming playoffs.
4. Gwynedd Mercy (12-5): Sitting in first place in the District One Class 5A standings, the Monarchs are in position to secure a first-round bye in the district playoffs. They defeated a red-hot Faith Christian 17-2 on Wednesday.
5. Germantown Academy (9-4): The Patriots are in second place in the Inter-AC standings.
6. Faith Christian (10-3): The loss to Gwynedd Mercy snapped a six-game winning streak, but that was the only game during the span where the Lions gave up more than three runs.
Readers picked the most impressive 'team on the rise'
Last week's poll question asked respondents to decide which team's rapid rise in the standings was the most impressive. A record 86 percent of voters picked Hatboro-Horsham, followed by Faith Christian and Pennridge. The Hatters didn't disappoint, as they reeled off four more victories, bringing their win streak to nine games.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: High School Softball Rankings, Top Teams, Players of the Week
