PENNSBURY:Falcons foil the Redskins - again

By Rick Fortenbaugh
For BucksLocalSports.com

FAIRLESS HILLS — While this might still be the year the talented Neshaminy High School softball team finally catches up to Pennsbury, it was basically more of the same when the two SONL powerhouses collided the afternoon of April 28.
Doing what it does best by raising the level of its game to match the opposition, Pennsbury (10-1) defeated arch-rival Neshamniy (9-1) by the score of 4-1 in front of a large crowd.
Neshaminy will get another shot at Pennsbury later this month, but for now, it’s the Falcons who are all alone in first place.
It’s also believed to be the 11th straight time Pennsbury has beaten Neshaminy, which is remarkable when you consider the level of the second-ranked Redskins program.
“Neshaminy is a great team, and that’s from one to nine in their lineup," said Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry, who has over 500 wins in 26 years of coaching. “For us to beat them we had to play a perfect game."
Sensing this might finally be its year, Neshaminy came out fired up and scored right away when when Courtney Clee walked and Christina Udris later stroked an RBI single in the top of the first.
In between, however, Pennsbury was able to gun down a crucial run at the plate on a double by Erin Quense, who was 3-for-4 and had more than half of Neshaminy’s five hits.
Although nobody could have realized it at the time, that would be it for the Redskins offense against Pennsbury junior righty Kait Schilling (7-0).
Facing one of the top pitchers in the area in sophomore Sarah McGowan, Pennsbury tied the game in the third when lead-off batter D'anna Devine singled, Alyssa Shirley executed a sacrifice and Lauren Rossi stroked a two-out RBI single to left field.
It was in the fifth inning when Pennsbury took control with a three-run outburst against McGowan (5-1).
It all started with a pretty one-out bunt single by No. 9 batter Kelsi Bunda. After Devine singled to center, Shirley again put down a successful sac bunt.
This worked out even better than hoped for when the ball was thrown away at first and Bunda was able to race home with the go-ahead run.
Neshaminy’s only error also left runners at second and third with out out. The Redskins almost got out of it, but one out later, Kirby Groves smashed a two-run double off the right-center fence.
That was the ball game, as Schilling allowed just one base runner in the seventh to finish up her masterpiece.
“Kait doesn’t overpower you, but she can hit her spots," said McSherry. “And every spot we asked her to hit she hit today.
“She really stepped it up for us."
Another key factor was the clutch hitting of Pennsbury seniors Rossi and Groves.
“It was outside," said Groves of the pitch she hit for a booming double. “I had two strikes on me and I just knew I had to put the ball in play. We knew this was a big game. We knew we had to really come to play."
In other words, the Falcons just did what they always seem to do in these sort of situations.
“It was the best we played all year and it was the best Kait pitched all year," said McSherry.
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LINESCORES
Neshaminy (9-1) 100 000 0 — 1 5 1
Pennsbury (10-1) 001 030 x — 4 8 1
WP-Schilling (7-0). LP-McGowan (5-1).
2B-Quense (N) Groves (P).
RBIs: N-Udris. P-Rossi, Groves 2.