BRISTOL:
Lady Warriors are swinging the bats
By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
The girls who take the field for the Bristol softball team were outscored 3-1 on opening day against Quad-A rival Neshaminy. Since then, the Lady Warriors have turned that stat on its head, outscoring their next four opponents, 50-2.
Bristol got the bats uncorked in game two with doubles by seniors Jen Jaeger and Nicole Adamson and another by sophomore Ashley Cantiello. Senior outfielder Kelee Pinto added 3 RBIs in a game that saw the Warriors up 5-2 before adding four runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.
The final: Bristol 11, Lower Moreland 2.
The Warriors easily won its second game with sophomore righthander Kiersten Cain cranking out a one-hitter and striking out nine batters in four innings.
Second baseman Amanda Spadaccino went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs. Cain was 2-for-2 herself and doubled.
Also smacking triples for the Warriors were Pinto and sophomore Amanda Weir. It all added up to a 15-0 victory March 31 at New Hope-Solebury.
On April 8 at Cheltenham, Bristol got another big game from Cain, who pitched a one-hitter, struck out 10, blasted two home runs and knocked in four runs in a 5-inning game shortened by the mercy rule. The Warriors went on to a 14-0 win over the Panthers.
Bristol got things started off in the right direction early with 4 runs in the top of the first. With a baserunner aboard, Cain hit a 2-run shot to leftfield that is still going. Cain homered again in the second, this one a single shot. Adamson followed with a solo homer of her own to left.
The Warriors pushed two more runners across the plate in the third and 6 more in the fifth. All told, Bristol pounded out 14 hits.
Head coach Mike Lalli says his team is just taking advantage of its opportunities.
“We ARE swinging the bats very well and we’re taking advantage of the other team,” stated Lalli. “If they make a mistake, we take advantage of it.”
“The scores are big but a lot of that has to do with the fact that we’re not giving up any runs either.
But it’s more than that, says the coach.
“Three of those [wins] were shutouts so that makes the scores seem that much larger.
“That’s a credit to the defense and the pitching.
It’s also not bad when you consider the Warriors came into the season not knowing who would fill positions vacated in the circle and at shortstop by the now departed Shawna Walp and Sam Hornberger. Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) First Teamers in 2008, both are now playing ball at King’s College in Wilkesbarre.
If you remember, in last year’s district championship, Walp pitched a complete game, striking out 9 batters while surrendering only two hits to help the Warriors to a 5-1 title-winning triumph over Chris Dock.
The nine Pioneer batters she fanned gave Shawna 400 strikeouts for her high school career. Offensively, Walp went 3-for-4 at the plate, recording her 100th hit of her high school career on an infield single in the bottom of the 6th inning.
When the season ended, Shawna was selected as the BAL Softball Player of the Year.
“There was concern when Shawna graduated but Kiersten has really been able to fill the void,” stated Lalli. “She’s has four pitches and she throws them all for strikes.”
While Cain has shown she is quite able to take on the majority of the pitching duties, no man, or woman for that matter, is an island. Next week, Bristol has battles at home against Villa, MaST Charter, and Chris Dock, and one the road at Plumstead Christian.
So infielder Ashley Cantiello will have to contribute to the Warriors’ pitching chores.
Bristol has a pair of games this weekend in the William Tennent Softball Invitational. The Warriors are pitted against the host team and Bensalem tomorrow and have four games next week against their BAL rivals.
While keeping the players fresh might be cause for concern, Lalli says he’s not worried how his team stacks up against its SOL National counterparts.
“I think we can do well; I think we can play with any team in the area,” stated the coach.
“We have pretty strong pitching. Our defense is not exactly where I want it to be but it’s still pretty good.
Also consider the fact that injuries to Adamson and Dougherty have limited the role both players have filled thus far. While she has seen some playing time, Adamson is still nursing a sore shoulder that has limited her time behind the plate.
Coach says he’s working Nicole back into the lineup, albeit gingerly.
“She’s getting there. She’s still not able to throw very much. She can swing, she’s just not physically able to do a lot of throwing.”
While Adamson has been out, freshman Kaley Crohe has filled in admirably for the senior.
“She’s a freshman so she has a lot to learn about playing on this level but she’s doing well,” stated Lalli. “I look forward to her doing much better than she’s even doing for us right now.”
The coach had plans to get Adamson some work in the Warriors’ April 16 battle against Calvary Christian.
“If someone tries to steal, we’ll have to tell her to let them go,” said Lalli. “But, we’ve been pretty good with keeping people off the bases, so hopefully that won’t come up too much.”
Calvary had just one hit in the game, a single and Bristol tagged the opposition for 7 runs in the first inning on its way to a 10-0 win in five innings.
Currently, no one seems to be able to keep the Lady Warriors off the base paths or cork the Bristol bats. Lalli and company hope it’s a trend that continues.
Sports Editor
The girls who take the field for the Bristol softball team were outscored 3-1 on opening day against Quad-A rival Neshaminy. Since then, the Lady Warriors have turned that stat on its head, outscoring their next four opponents, 50-2.
Bristol got the bats uncorked in game two with doubles by seniors Jen Jaeger and Nicole Adamson and another by sophomore Ashley Cantiello. Senior outfielder Kelee Pinto added 3 RBIs in a game that saw the Warriors up 5-2 before adding four runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.
The final: Bristol 11, Lower Moreland 2.
The Warriors easily won its second game with sophomore righthander Kiersten Cain cranking out a one-hitter and striking out nine batters in four innings.
Second baseman Amanda Spadaccino went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs. Cain was 2-for-2 herself and doubled.
Also smacking triples for the Warriors were Pinto and sophomore Amanda Weir. It all added up to a 15-0 victory March 31 at New Hope-Solebury.
On April 8 at Cheltenham, Bristol got another big game from Cain, who pitched a one-hitter, struck out 10, blasted two home runs and knocked in four runs in a 5-inning game shortened by the mercy rule. The Warriors went on to a 14-0 win over the Panthers.
Bristol got things started off in the right direction early with 4 runs in the top of the first. With a baserunner aboard, Cain hit a 2-run shot to leftfield that is still going. Cain homered again in the second, this one a single shot. Adamson followed with a solo homer of her own to left.
The Warriors pushed two more runners across the plate in the third and 6 more in the fifth. All told, Bristol pounded out 14 hits.
Head coach Mike Lalli says his team is just taking advantage of its opportunities.
“We ARE swinging the bats very well and we’re taking advantage of the other team,” stated Lalli. “If they make a mistake, we take advantage of it.”
“The scores are big but a lot of that has to do with the fact that we’re not giving up any runs either.
But it’s more than that, says the coach.
“Three of those [wins] were shutouts so that makes the scores seem that much larger.
“That’s a credit to the defense and the pitching.
It’s also not bad when you consider the Warriors came into the season not knowing who would fill positions vacated in the circle and at shortstop by the now departed Shawna Walp and Sam Hornberger. Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) First Teamers in 2008, both are now playing ball at King’s College in Wilkesbarre.
If you remember, in last year’s district championship, Walp pitched a complete game, striking out 9 batters while surrendering only two hits to help the Warriors to a 5-1 title-winning triumph over Chris Dock.
The nine Pioneer batters she fanned gave Shawna 400 strikeouts for her high school career. Offensively, Walp went 3-for-4 at the plate, recording her 100th hit of her high school career on an infield single in the bottom of the 6th inning.
When the season ended, Shawna was selected as the BAL Softball Player of the Year.
“There was concern when Shawna graduated but Kiersten has really been able to fill the void,” stated Lalli. “She’s has four pitches and she throws them all for strikes.”
While Cain has shown she is quite able to take on the majority of the pitching duties, no man, or woman for that matter, is an island. Next week, Bristol has battles at home against Villa, MaST Charter, and Chris Dock, and one the road at Plumstead Christian.
So infielder Ashley Cantiello will have to contribute to the Warriors’ pitching chores.
Bristol has a pair of games this weekend in the William Tennent Softball Invitational. The Warriors are pitted against the host team and Bensalem tomorrow and have four games next week against their BAL rivals.
While keeping the players fresh might be cause for concern, Lalli says he’s not worried how his team stacks up against its SOL National counterparts.
“I think we can do well; I think we can play with any team in the area,” stated the coach.
“We have pretty strong pitching. Our defense is not exactly where I want it to be but it’s still pretty good.
Also consider the fact that injuries to Adamson and Dougherty have limited the role both players have filled thus far. While she has seen some playing time, Adamson is still nursing a sore shoulder that has limited her time behind the plate.
Coach says he’s working Nicole back into the lineup, albeit gingerly.
“She’s getting there. She’s still not able to throw very much. She can swing, she’s just not physically able to do a lot of throwing.”
While Adamson has been out, freshman Kaley Crohe has filled in admirably for the senior.
“She’s a freshman so she has a lot to learn about playing on this level but she’s doing well,” stated Lalli. “I look forward to her doing much better than she’s even doing for us right now.”
The coach had plans to get Adamson some work in the Warriors’ April 16 battle against Calvary Christian.
“If someone tries to steal, we’ll have to tell her to let them go,” said Lalli. “But, we’ve been pretty good with keeping people off the bases, so hopefully that won’t come up too much.”
Calvary had just one hit in the game, a single and Bristol tagged the opposition for 7 runs in the first inning on its way to a 10-0 win in five innings.
Currently, no one seems to be able to keep the Lady Warriors off the base paths or cork the Bristol bats. Lalli and company hope it’s a trend that continues.
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